美国国家公共电台 NPR At This English Bar, An Old-School Solution To Rude Cellphones

At This English Bar, An Old-School Solution To Rude Cellphones

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

There was a time when people went to bars to talk to other people, maybe even make new friends. Then, cellphones became commonplace, and people sit and drink in silence now while they text with someone who could be anywhere in the world, on the other side of the globe.

Well, a new gin joint¹ in England is trying to fight the rise of this anti-social technology. The owner has turned to 19th century science to block phone signals. He uses tinfoil². Steve Tyler owns the Gin Tub in Sussex, England. He joins us from the studios of the BBC in Brighton. Thanks for being with us.

STEVE TYLER: No, you're welcome, man. Good afternoon.

SIMON: So what bothered you about this as long as people are drinking?

TYLER: I've been in the pub industry for a long time. And progressively, it's become less and less social and more and more anti-social. People don't meet so many new people. They don't interact so much. And it's almost recently become a burden to the bar. I think the bars are losing business because of it.

SIMON: Yeah. How did you block the signals?

TYLER: So we basically built a Faraday cage - copper³ wire in the ceiling, copper mesh⁴, and we covered the walls in silver foil. I mean, it's not military grade, and it does it's job. At certain places you'll get a signal, but generally you won't.

SIMON: Is it legal?

TYLER: It's absolutely legal, yes. It's illegal to jam a signal, but it's not illegal to block a signal.

SIMON: So people know this when they walk in?

TYLER: Yes, we got a big sign outside saying no Wi-Fi, no signal, just friends.

SIMON: So nobody walks in and says, all the gin joints⁵ in all the world, and I walk into a place with no Wi-Fi?

TYLER: No, they don't. It wasn't in the film (laughter).

SIMON: All right. OK. I thought I was being clever but you...

TYLER: (Laughter).

SIMON: ...Corrected me. And is it working?

TYLER: It's working amazingly. Everyone in my bar is having an amazing time. I think I've hit a nerve in the world. I think it's rude. And I think society's accepted people on their phones in bars and in places where it's socially unacceptable. The first thing that happens when you walk into a bar with a friend, when your friend goes to the toilet, the first thing you do is get your phone out and socially insulate yourself from the public. No one's going to talk to you, and you're not going to talk to anyone.

But if you can't get your phone out to do anything, then people will talk to you, and you will talk to people, and you'll meet new people and enjoy their company. And that's what pubs used to be like, and they've changed. And I wanted to bring that back. It's like "Cheers," the TV program, when you walk in, everyone knows your name.

SIMON: Yeah.

TYLER: Well, there are no pubs now where everyone knows your name because all you are is on your phones. Immediately the - somebody leaves you, you don't talk to anyone else.

SIMON: Mr. Tyler...

TYLER: Yeah.

SIMON: ...Have you started some kind of new business model? Anybody imitating you?

TYLER: Well, not yet 'cause it's only been a week. But to be absolutely honest, I think this is going to be the new black. I think this is going to be the new way forwards for restaurants and bars and clubs because we're losing out because of social interaction with phones. And I think when we've all stood up and said enough is enough, come and enjoy what we provide. And what we provide is great when you're not on your phone. When you're on your phone, it's not so good. So the atmosphere in my bar is far better than the atmosphere in other bars because there's no one on their phone. Everyone in my bar talks to everyone else.

SIMON: Well, Mr. Tyler, cheers.

TYLER: (Laughter) Cheers to you, too.

SIMON: Steve Tyler, proprietor⁶ of the Gin Tub in Sussex, England.

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 tinfoil   

n.锡纸，锡箔

参考例句：

• You can wrap it up in tinfoil.你可以用锡箔纸裹住它。
• Drop by rounded tablespoon onto tinfoil.Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.用大餐勺把刚刚搅拌好的糊糊盛到锡纸上，烘烤9至11分钟，直到变成金黄色。

3 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

4 mesh   

n.网孔，网丝，陷阱；vt.以网捕捉，啮合，匹配；vi.适合； [计算机]网络

参考例句：

• Their characters just don't mesh.他们的性格就是合不来。
• This is the net having half inch mesh.这是有半英寸网眼的网。

5 joints   

接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）

参考例句：

• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。

6 proprietor   

n.所有人；业主；经营者

参考例句：

• The proprietor was an old acquaintance of his.业主是他的一位旧相识。
• The proprietor of the corner grocery was a strange thing in my life.拐角杂货店店主是我生活中的一个怪物。