
Airplane Mode: A concrete box designed to seduce you into digital disconnection - helloandyhihi
https://www.sfchronicle.com/style/article/Airplane-Mode-A-box-designed-to-seduce-you-into-13197145.php
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ggreer
This reads like a submarine[1] for the design firm. Also, calling it "airplane
mode" makes it impossible to google for.

1\.
[http://paulgraham.com/submarine.html](http://paulgraham.com/submarine.html)

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xattt
Airplane mode sounds less macabare than phone sarcophagus.

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meowface
And also way less cool.

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jaclaz
There is an issue.

The big problem with Professional "Faraday" cages/boxes/bags - set aside how
much they are efficient - is power supply, you need to provide power to the
device in them.

A modern smartphone when isolated from network will start scanning all it can
scan to try and re-gain a connection, the battery will go down much faster
than in "idle" mode.

And battery duration in "normal" condition is already scarce enough.

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mjsweet
You could put it into airplane mode before putting it into the airplane mode?

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jaclaz
Sure, but - at least in theory - if you switch it off you will save even more
battery, and BTW save also on the concrete box _es_ , as you will need more
than one (home, office, etc.) as it must be in the 5-10 Kg range, not much
"portable".

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wepple
It looks like I may be alone in thinking that some variant of this would be
welcome in my life.

Not so much the faraday aspect, but putting some significant friction in
between myself and my phone, so that every time I go to impulse check it, I’m
mindfully reminded that I’m doing it again.

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ralphc
Just power it all the way down. It will take it longer to be usable again than
pulling it out of this sarcophagus.

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dpark
> _“The idea is to think about that moment back in the day when we would get
> on a flight and just read, watch movies or talk to the person next to you,”
> Morenstein says. “There was a time when you were disconnected and all you
> could do is be in the moment.”_

Wow. The rose colored glasses here are pretty ridiculous. “All you could do is
be in the moment”, by reading a book, watching a movie, or doing literally
anything other than focusing on the actual moment of being stuck inside a
cramped metal tube. Air travel is one of the least mindful activities we
engage in, and has been for decades. Finding nostalgia here is just bizarre.
No one who actually flies in a passenger jet is nostalgic for the experience.

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betenoire
Don't say no one. I am. I used to enjoy meeting people while traveling,
learning where they are going where they came from. The anonymity of it all
somehow shut off the normal anxiety and panic I get from have to converse with
others.

Now it's all earbuds. So I nap :/

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dpark
It was earbuds before smartphones with airplane mode. I distinctly recall
carrying headphones on the plane in 2002 with that moronic split minijack that
the airplanes used so they could try to charge you for their crappy headphones
for the movie. I was not the only one.

It probably _is_ more prevalent now but it was present decades ago. And being
“disconnected” (aka bored) has sucked since air travel became a commodity
instead of an experience.

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obeattie
Why do I need a concrete box with a leather cradle for this? My phone has a
feature - conveniently also called “airplane mode” - that does this.

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_wmd
Please avoid commenting without first reading the article.

    
    
        > If we want a break, why not turn off our phones?
        
        > “Does anyone do that?” Morenstein asks.
        
        > What about tossing our phones into a shoe box?
        
        > “Maybe it’s too easy an answer,” Cronan suggests. “This approach was
        > about having a certain presence.”
        
        > In fact, Cronan and Morenstein set out to add a ceremonial aspect to
        > disconnecting. From opening the heavy lid to placing your phone in the
        > cradle, each analog movement becomes an intentional affirmation of the
        > digital sacrifice you are about to make. To complete the gesture, close
        > the box and encapsulate the device.

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scoggs
I read the article first then checked the comments here and I still feel that
way. I highly doubt I'm alone.

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grendelt
So, just to be sure, this is an article about a one-off non-product/art piece?

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notatoad
>Although just two prototypes exist today, both companies have expressed
interest in producing the object for sale.

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gnicholas
I’ve been thinking about getting a signal-proof box for the purpose of keeping
my phone and my car keys, which are apparently now susceptible to car thieves
with remote amplifiers. I’d be curious to know what material at what thickness
would serve this purpose.

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EngineerBetter
You can buy effective faraday pouches for car keys in many places. I have one,
and can attest they work. They are no thicker than any other fabric.

I've not tried it for my phone though.

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lolc
Sure! Let me buy this expensive piece of concrete that wears down my battery.

The practical method is to turn my phone off. It can be done as a ritual and
it takes a while until it's available again. Bonus: It works everywhere.

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notimetorelax
Too much chance to scratch the phone or watch if it’s also kept there.

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ape4
A Faraday cage could do the same thing

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CodeWriter23
I disagree. The having to lift a heavy weight to regain access to your phone
is a feature.

