If you are like me and hate having to listen to other people’s cellphone conversations you might like this: “Airline attendant attempts to trick passengers into turning off cell phones.

Stephen D. Levitt, co-author of the excellent book Freakanomics, was on a flight a few days ago, and before the plane was about to take off, the flight attendant announced: “According to the reading on my equipment up front, there is still one cell phone turned on, so please check that you have turned yours off.”

Obviously, she has no equipment for detecting this, but you should have seen the passengers scramble to check their bags. Still, brilliant on the part of the flight attendant, although I think it would have been more convincing coming from the pilot.”
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