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Comment by grecy | Hacker News Reader

I have a dream to open a bar (or hostel) that is a massive Faraday cage so that phones and laptops on wifi simply don't work.

I'd call it "The Stone Age" or some similar pun.

(Yes, I would put up a sign to that effect notifying people - if they don't like it they can go elsewhere)

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There is one in Berlin named Funkloch. Literally translates as radio hole, meaning an area where you can't get a signal. There's a pun in there too in that Lokal means pub, so you can read it as Funk Pub.

Where in town is that? I'm getting a few different results when searching. Would love to go and check it out!

Most likely this one: https://www.yelp.de/biz/funkloch-berlin

This tweet confirms there's a bar with smartphone ban in Weißensee: https://twitter.com/ennopark/status/567272387293761537

Only other "Funkloch" I found in Berlin is a youth center, so the above result is very likely the right one.

I also found this: https://www.facebook.com/Funkloch-684514891598702/ which is why I was wondering which of the locations it is.

Guess that looks legit too. Tho I like the other one because they lack any social media presence, which would fit with the theme ;)

it's the Weißensee one that I've seen. I didn't go there, just drove past. The other place in Treptow shows up on google more. But you would hope and expect a place that bans cell phones to not give a f*%# about their SERPs.

The Weisenßee one. I've never been, just zoomed past it while going to the lake.

Even though i don't care for it in a movie theatre, the FCC has traditionally taken a pretty dim view of trying to block someone's authorized radio communications.

Harmful interference is one thing, but a radio-quiet room?

I think the idea is cool, but I have a feeling there would be quite a legal battle that ensues when someone is injured or dies in the hostel after they couldn't connect to 911.

Just put a pay phone in the back, and make people who stay initial that they acknowledge there is no cellular service.

Train tunnels, underground car parks and other reception black spots seem to have avoided litigation. Have we really reach the point where going outside to get reception is not something a reasonable person would think of?

None of those are deliberate though.

Don't place it in America, problem solved.

Loads of buildings don't allow (or practically don't allow) cell signals :: nothing stops them from being built.

It's active interference the FCC takes a dim view to - passive interference (thick walls, loads of metal, etc) is fine.

There's a theater near me that I can get 4-5 bars of LTE outside, 1-2 bars near the doors, 3G just 20 feet inside, and only 1x or a bar of 3G in each screen room.

Don't see the FCC dropping the hammer on them because it's the way the building is constructed, not active interference

Happily, I'm not in the US

The DNA lounge tried something similar, but to the other extreme. They put computers with internet access in their club.

Please follow your bliss... if it's in the Bay, I know people will go. One thing... use Mu-metal and RF-impedance matched materials! They'll work a lot better than a Faraday cage.

Every place has this feature already if you're on T-Mobile.

Show HN: A wire and glue gun carrying drone that envelops any given House with a EM-Cage.

I don't think that's really necessary. I frequent a place that makes it very clear that cell phones are not welcome. There is a giant sign at the entrance saying as much. People respect it. I've never seen anyone pull out their phone here, I think the social pressure is enough.

How many people don't enter because they know they can't trust themselves to not pull out their phone? Or, how many more people would enter knowing it was physically impossible for them to check their phone?

I don't know how many people don't enter because they can't control themselves. They are usually very busy, sometimes line out the door, so it doesn't seem to hurt business very much. But I suppose the food is good so they have the luxury to set the rules.

Where is this place and what is it named?

It's Paula's in Capitola (Santa Cruz).

Not as much fun though. The Faraday cage gimmick would be great for marketing.

That's brilliant.

This is basically wilderness backpacking. It is sublime to hang out with likeminded folks, just focused on staying warm by a campfire, talking about your days.

I've been looking for people like that, are you in the bay area?

Seattle. I was living in Bishop, California for a while though. I've wondered if there's a market for taking engineering types on these trips, if I emphasize them as tech-free escapes. You can always go through Meetup or sign up for the trips run by REI, Sierra Club etc.

Yep. I live in the Yukon (when I'm not driving around Africa) and have spent much of my life outside cell signals.

It's when I do go into a town that it slaps me in the face, and I think it would be cool to have a "refuge" in the town.

Of course the place would have no TVs either, and likely only very quiet chill music. Everything about it would be to encourage conversation with the people actually in the same room.

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