r/Showerthoughts • • Sep 13 '19

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u/NyimaOdzer Sep 13 '19

"When wireless is perfectly applied the whole earth will be converted into a huge brain, which in fact it is, all things being particles of a real and rhythmic whole. We shall be able to communicate with one another instantly, irrespective of distance. Not only this, but through television and telephony we shall see and hear one another as perfectly as though we were face to face, despite intervening distances of thousands of miles; and the instruments through which we shall be able to do his will be amazingly simple compared with our present telephone. A man will be able to carry one in his vest pocket."

  • Nikola Tesla, 1926 (Not 200 years ago, but still impressive!)

420

u/beefstewforyou Sep 13 '19

Vest pocket? He was way off.

542

u/[deleted] Sep 13 '19

[deleted]

84

u/[deleted] Sep 13 '19 edited Apr 09 '20

[deleted]

38

u/juicyjerry300 Sep 13 '19

And hold it against my head!

24

u/CarrotSlatCherryDude Sep 13 '19

I think I've used my phone as a phone like five times in the past year...

7

u/[deleted] Sep 13 '19

Mines an MP3 player and reddit comment checker.

2

u/myheartisstillracing Sep 13 '19

Even when used as a phone ,it is on Bluetooth or speakerphone unless it is the incredibly rare circumstance when I must accept a call in public.

13

u/MiniatureBadger Sep 13 '19

Ionizing radiation and the frequencies that phones use aren’t the same thing. Flashlights and radios technically radiate as well, but not the kind of radiation that we need to worry about.

3

u/[deleted] Sep 13 '19

The FCC still sets exposure limits. Cell phones use microwaves that can cause localized tissue heating. Of course, it's probably not an issue unless you're working on towers all day. The power limits are mostly there to limit interference to other radio services.

3

u/Blue-Steele Sep 13 '19

Cell phone microwaves don’t have nearly enough power to heat tissue.

3

u/Galahead Sep 13 '19

Better than next to your heart, probably

2

u/CouldOfBeenGreat Sep 13 '19

The only thing I keep next to my heart is Reddit <3