Ravenwood - 04/24/08 06:21 AM
Whomever invented this kid repellent:
A wall-mounted gadget designed to drive away loiterers with a shrill, piercing noise audible only to teens and young adults is infuriating civil liberties groups and tormenting young people after being introduced into the United States. . .The device is sold by Moving Sound Tech.The high-frequency sound has been likened to fingernails dragged across a chalkboard or a pesky mosquito buzzing in your ear. It can be heard by most people in their teens and early 20s who still have sensitive hair cells in their inner ears.
Long ago when I was in my early 20's I worked for a research company in So Cal. The file room had some sort of alarm system that emitted a high frequency squeal. Of the 12 people in the office I was one of only two who could hear it.
I guess not going to those heavy metal concerts really did pay off!
I wonder how safe those devices are. I'm betting that there will be lawsuits soon from young (or older-you don't have to hear something for it to affect you) people with any number of ailments that they will blame this on.
Posted by: mikem at April 27, 2008 4:41 AMI need one of those for noisy neighbors who have habitually decided 3am romps on a Sunday morning are fun.
Posted by: Da Goddess at April 28, 2008 11:32 AMIt's ``whoever.'' It takes on the case of its function in the clause.
Avoid ``whom'' altogether, is good advice. Modern English drops it.
With the exception of after fronted prepositions (``for whom the bell tolls''), that being not a case conflict but a register conflict. Fronting the preposition is formal register, and substituting ``who'' is informal register. ``Who the bell tolls for'' though is fine.
Posted by: Ron Hardin at May 18, 2008 7:51 AMWould it be proper to say "The bell tolls for whom?"
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