Phantom Vibrations - A Ubuntu Survey

[Aetherius]

Is that you mobile phone ringing? Or is it just your leg muscles making you look stupid?

The question I am asking is... have you ever felt your phone vibrate and noone was calling you? or you could've sworn you heard your ringtone, but no, no call?

It's an interesting phenomenon that seems to be worldwide, I want the Ubuntu perspective.

[Rhubarb]

Yes, sometimes I think my phone is vibrating, when it's just my leg twitching. Which is odd because my leg doesn't normally twitch.

My phone runs windows pocket pc phone edition 2003 if that makes any difference :P
- And yes, I do have to reset it once every couple of days too.

[xopher]

I've never felt this, I think, now that I think of it, I'm not sure anymore. Sometimes I do check if the phone rang, even when it didnt. And sometimes I don't notice when it does ring. But I guess this is all quite normal? :)


- And yes, I do have to reset it once every couple of days too.

^ How surprising :)

[Aetherius]

there hasn't yet been proper studies into the phenomenon, some people consider it a psychosomatic response to the anticipation we feel when we are expecting a phone call, apparently its more common when waiting on a call from a partner, specifically calls that tend to high tension (make-up-break-up).

Others believe its just the phone in your pocket reverberating with whatever is vibrating in your vicinity (bassy stereo, roadworks, traffic).

The idea of phantom ringtones however.... we all know that certain sounds heighten our awareness, we prick our ears up so to speak. However with the advent of mobile communication and the plague of shrill piercing ringtones, some people believe that advertising agencies add similar tones to their adds so your attention will be drawn to them and you won't be sure why...

either way its interesting.

[argie]

Is that you mobile phone ringing? Or is it just your leg muscles making you look stupid?

The question I am asking is... have you ever felt your phone vibrate and noone was calling you? or you could've sworn you heard your ringtone, but no, no call?

It's an interesting phenomenon that seems to be worldwide, I want the Ubuntu perspective.
Actually, yes I do. And only since I got the phone. Haha, I was always wondering if it was just me.

[Aetherius]

I was hoping that this poll would prove we're not alone, at least in the ubuntu community, but alas its failry even now. Well the real reason behind this poll was to make my work day easier, but the few+ pints at lunch seem to have done that.

[Brunellus]

I feel 'em. But I'm also paranoid.

I dont' know why, though. Nobody ever calls me. *emotear*.

[fuscia]

i hate phones and will never own a cell phone.

[christhemonkey]

I get this, but only when im waiting for a text from the girlfriend.

[Aetherius]

ok.... having said that, i know a few people who would be dead if it weren't for the dawn of mobile phones

[Aetherius]

yeah, girlfriend/spouses seem to provoke it the most. makes me lean towards the idea that it is entirely psychosomatic.

[viper]

This actually happened to my cell phone today, where i could have sworn it rang, yet when i checked for a missed call......nothing on the screen.:confused:
This is so f#%*ing weird that i came across this thread.

[Aetherius]

its destiny viper

[viper]

its destiny viper

So trippy!!!

[ember]

I get this, but only when im waiting for a text from the girlfriend.

I guess that is the most common case. I had that some years ago when I had ago girlfriend that lived some hundreds of kilometers away and we mainly communicated via SMS during the day.

I pretty sure it is mostly driven by a strong anticipation of a call/an sms.

[doobit]

There is a signal sent out by the phone a few seconds before it rings. Almost any audio equipment near the phone can pick it up. I always tell everyone around me to turn off their phones when I am recording.

[Peepsalot]

Happens to me sometimes. Sometimes you just expect something to happen so much that you feel it. Like when I eat ice cream, every now and then I will feel a cold drip on my shirt as if I'd spilt something, even though nothing is there. :oops:

[dbbolton]

you know whats weird? serotonin interruption.

[Peepsalot]

you know whats weird? serotonin interruption.
what's that mean?

[BlaineM]

this is funny... Ive never heard it called that before... Phantom vibrations. and yes I do have them. but it is my leg... I dont know why it happens. I heard that sometimes in your legs, when the blood does not flow properly back to the heart, then your muscles will contract and push the blodd back to the heart...

and yes there are places where the blood pools sometimes in the legs, like varicose veins happening. but dont quote me, I learned that in 5th grade, and that was quite a long time ago.

I think that I only started to notice them once I got a cell phone. It does not leave my pocket during the day, and is always on vibrate. I very very rarely miss a call, unless I am doing something like walking quickly in the mall or something. Sometimes when I am driving on the highway, I miss the call, I think because I am either concentrating on the road, or spaced out...

[Josh1]

Apparently having it near your "gear" will give you cancer after a while... so I keep it in my bag.

[IYY]

Never had phantom vibrations, but at some point I kept hearing my ringtone. That's gone after switching to a louder, more defined tone.

[Aetherius]

seems that just about half of us experience this...... wonder how this stat compares to non ubuntu-ers.

[dbbolton]

what's that mean?
it's a transitory disorder caused by suddenly stopping the taking of serotonin (a neurotransmitter) re-uptake inhibitor medication, such as sertraline. there are a lot of strange effects associated with it, like what patients describe as "electric jolts in the nerves."

i guess it's a bit strange that phantom vibrations reminded me of it.

[Kieranties]

Apparently having it near your "gear" will give you cancer after a while... so I keep it in my bag.

But you'll quite happily talk on the phone (when it is producing the most amount of radiation) and think thats safe? The idea that phones cause cancer has not been conclusively proved. So really the safest thing would be not to use them at all. I have also read articles that infer using a handsfree wired adaptor is worse, as the cable "channels" the raditiaon directly. And also that bluetooth headsets are just as bad as they also produce radiation. If i can dig out the articles I will provide a link.

Back to the topic on hand, I tend to find phantom vibrations occur most often when I am walking, or traveling. Though they are obviously, primarily caused by the motion

[Kieranties]

As it happens there is an article on the BBC.co.uk site today about cancer caused by mobile phones. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6209960.stm) Still, however, not conclusive

[Aetherius]

cancer or no, phantom vibrations fry my head. constantly wasting precious precious energy to remove my phone from my pocket in order to investigate....NOTHING

[Chinkostu]

haha, i hate it, it happens all the time. when i'm walking i can't even notice it ringing.

as for hearing it, my phones always on silent, so i dont get that paranoid effect

*twitches curtains*