Cube Privacy Via Gibberish

fury88 writes "CNN is running a story on a new device created by Herman Miller to help with lack of privacy in the cube life. It's apparently a device that will spit out gibberish when you are talking on the phone. You record a few words as instructed by the device and when you are having conversations that may be private, it will spit out sounds that sound like a clone of yourself all talking at once. Frankly I have to think this would be annoying after awhile. As if dealing with your project manager sitting next to you wasn't enough, now you get to hear several versions of your Project Manager talking at once. Talk about insanity!"

Yeah...

[Rosyna]

"Did you get the memo about the TPS Reports?"

I can imagine them all saying that by default.

Dilbert

[cool_number_9]

How long before Scott will think of a joke for this? A PHB thinking there are several Wallys and Dilberts walking around?

Cellphones

[se2schul]

Almost everyone has a cell phone. When I need privacy at work, I just walk out of the building and talk on my cell. Scrambling my voice would be annoying to me and to my coworkers.

Re:Dupe

[Anonymous Coward]

It's doing like the summary says - we get to hear several versions of the same story at once

Gibberish box

[gcnaddict]

I saw this on Good Morning America six months ago. This is definitely old news!

I want this thing now!

Fill Your Site with Gibberish

[boa13]

In other news...

boa13 writes "There's a new device to help with lack of contents on your web site. It's apparently a device that will spit out dupes when you don't have time to properly read the stories submitted by your users. You post a story once and when you're running short of stuff to publish, it will spit out a rehash that sounds like it's new and fresh, but is actually quite stale, so that casual users will not notice that you don't do a proper job of moderating submitted stories. Frankly I have to think this would be annoying after awhile. As if dealing with improperly written and biased stories wasn't enough, now you get to research the linked articles to discover if it's that old AP story rehashed one more time. Talk about insanity!" ;-)

If you want to talk privately

[Aceticon]

Pick up your mobile phone and go to a quiet corner.

Actually do this anytime your talking on your mobile, confidential/private call or not, that way nobody will notice when you actually DO go out to talk privately

Also mastering the art of smoothly changing subjects when somebody walks in is very usefull:

You (on the phone): Tell me what you're wearing
She: I have my black silk negligee on ..
You: If i was there i would pull the straps, slowly let it fall down and then ...
*somebody walks in*
You: ... would have a mechanic check it out. You never know when a car starts making funny noises - you might end up with an expensive to fix problem.

Dupe

[mwvdlee]

I can imagine a device which translates Slashdot articles into spoken word, but I'm afraid my boss would notice if it talked about the same subject again and again and again and...

For additional security and convienience...

[saskboy]

To add a feature, any time you do math, it starts yelling out random numbers too add security:

8! 23! 42! 5432!

Re:Dilbert

[AndroidCat]

I can imagine the PHB being convinced by Wally to use it--when talking on speakerphone.

Wait a sec...

[Wellspring]

It's apparently a device that will spit out gibberish when you are talking on the phone.

Wait a sec, so you're saying that this magical device will spit meaningless gibberish completely free of intellectual content, designed to drown out anyone making any sense of what I'm actually saying?

What's the big advance? Isn't that what managers are for?

Re:Old news

[1u3hr]

Old indeed, CONTROL [tvacres.com] was using a more sophisticated version in the 1960s.

2nd Use

[Elitist_Phoenix]

You could use this device for when your talking to your mother inlaw. Just set it going and walk away, half of them wouldn't know the difference!

Not annoying?

[Knx]

From TFA:
The effect is strange, though not as annoying as one would think.

Not so annoying, really? I'm somewhat skeptical...

Clone #1 : That sounds like a crazy idea.
Clone #2 : And that's $395!
Clone #3 : Isn't that old news?
Clone #4 : Geeeez...
Clone #2 : And that's $395!
Clone #4 : Geeeez...
Clone #3 : Isn't that old news?
Clone #1 : That sounds like a crazy idea.
Clone #3 : Isn't that old news?
Clone #4 : Geeeez...

Re:There are headphones that cancel noise

[Taladar]

I have this cool idea, kind of a low-tech version of your idea: Imagine some big rectangular pieces of some material that doesn't transfer sound (or does it badly) and place them between cubicles. Ideally those pieces should reach from the floor to the ceiling of the room with you cubicle. Now your privacy should be okay.

Re:Yeah...

[AndroidCat]

Switch on the Tourette's Syndrome option to liven things up.

Cursing clones

[lildogie]

Imagine initializing this thing with offensive language.

Re:Only for cubes?

[saskboy]

Think of a whole new ring tone:
"I'm sorry my cell is ringing, I'm a doctor of quantum physics and if I don't take this call the Universe could implode. Please excuse the intrusion into your day..."

Not only polite, but it puts other people at ease.

Re:Cellphones

[Pope]

Just don't do what people around my office do: take their phones into the bathroom stalls and make calls to their girlfriend/wife while taking a dump.

When I hear someone in the next stall doing this, I make sure to fart extra loud. For fuck's sake, if you want to talk in private to your woman, go into one of the small meeting rooms and close the damn door. I doubt she wants to hear you or anyone else dropping a deuce.

Re:Yeah...

[flyingsquid]

Switch on the Tourette's Syndrome option to liven things up.

I have Tourette's Syndrome, you #$@*& #@! @2©å#oe%, @!$%Ò £@f!* *&%(! &**$ &%$@# &%*!$ insensitive clod!

Re:Doubtful...

[Anonymous Coward]

If you really hate them so much don't you think the best revenge would be to post their link on /. ? :)

Re:Only for cubes?

[TeacherOfHeroes]

There are some calls that I'd rather not hear even half of

Wow. With my cell phone provider, thats a bundled, always-on feature...