BBC Kicked out of School Over Wi-Fi Scaremongering

h2g2bob writes "Ben Goldacre reports that the BBC Panorama team, while scaremongering over the dangers of Wi-fi, were told to leave the school because even the kids could see it was dumb: 'When the children saw Alasdair's Powerwatch website, and the excellent picture of the insulating mesh beekeeper hat that he sells (£27) to protect your head from excess microwave exposure, they were astonished and outraged. Panorama were calmly expelled from the school.' Should we be pleased that the kids can out-think TV producers?"

That was the *WRONG* question

[zappepcs]

Should we be pleased that the kids can out-think TV producers?"

The right question is: "Should we be surprised that the kids can out-think TV producers?"

So I guess that means...

[Overzeetop]

...the UK version of Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? will be a big hit.

Even better, they made a show about it.

[Kadin2048]

Oddly enough, in the U.S., the TV producers have capitalized on their, and a large part of the rest of the world's, own ineptitude [fox.com].

Re:*GASP*

[ColdWetDog]

You mean children might actually be able to differentiate truth from fiction? But that's unpossible, how can their schools control them then?

Not to worry, they're only 5th graders. By the time they "graduate" from high school, most of them will have whatever spark of intellect and curiosity beat out of them. They won't complain, just consume.

**Sigh**

[insert comments on home schooling, or at the very least, teaching your kids how to think and how to remain sentient beings here.]

Conspiracy gear

[KDR_11k]

That hat seems to me like it'd make a nice tinfoil hat alternative.

Am I the only one?

[Opportunist]

Am I the only one who misread that as the "BBC Paranoia team" after reading the headline?

Outraged?

[wumpus188]

I would be too. £27 for beekeeper hat when tinfoil one is free. Damn scammers.

Columbine paradox

[Anonymous McCartneyf]

Bowling for Columbine: a film scaremongering about scaremongering!

Re:Applicable to the evolution debate...

[VonSkippy]

"Look up the relevant Mark Twain quote about school boards."

I went to public school - can you look that up for me???

Doesn't work?

[FlyingSquidStudios]

What do you mean doesn't work? I wear mine all the time and I still haven't gotten any excess microwave radiation in my head. Also, no bee stings.

Re:That was the *WRONG* question

[morari]

Only in America...

Re:Big file = more power?

[bigdavesmith]

Wait, so the size of the file downloaded affects what the power output of the Tx now?

It's obvious that you do not understand the technology we're talking about here. Let me try to explain:
The Internet is a series of tubes. If you want to send a bigger file, you need a bigger tube or it will get stuck. When you try to download a large file, the wireless access point automatically creates a large tube, which leads right to where you are sitting. I will leave the dangers of this to your imagination.

Re:Doesn't work?

[10Neon]

More people die every year to bee stings than quite a lot of thing people are generally terrified about. Maybe you're onto something!

Re:"kids can think" - "science teachers can think"

[lixee]

Uh, did anybody read the article?

You must be new here.

Re:That was the *WRONG* question

[ccarson]

Yes sir, I watch Lost on TV because it's the best show I've ever seen.