Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with 911

Uninterruptable Wifi Supply

mccarty.tim — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:41:08 -0800

What's a good, small and basic UPS for just backing up up my T-mobile VOIP/wifi router device and possibly a cable modem? My family recently decided to switch from Comcast Digital Voice and AT&T cell phones to T-mobile's @home service. Our home gets almost no cell phone reception, so it's nice that the router (a Linksys WRTU54G) allows us to make VOIP calls over both the wired phones and our cell phones. However, this means that our calling is basically coming down to just one electronic box, with only a sketchy 1-bar cellular connection in the event we lose power. The max DC draw of the antenna is 1.5 A at 12 volts, but it's probably much less in practice. I don't have anything to measure it, though.

Realizing this, I think it's important we get a UPS that can keep our router online for 6 hours to a day. Our modem comes with its own 12 hour battery, because it used to be the VOIP hardware for our Comcast VOIP service, so I could keep it off of the UPS to save power, although Comcast is liable to take it back. In my dream product, this UPS could also charge from a car's 12V socket in the event of a very long power outage, but we've never had a long one over a few minutes in our relatively new (~20 years old) NJ suburb.

I really don't want or need the UPS to keep our desktop computer up and running. I have a laptop, and my mom and sister know to save as they go along when working on a desktop. What I really need is something inexpensive and reliable so that we can still call 911 in the event of a power outage. Preferably, the solution doesn't end up being something too bulky or hacky (ie "Just wire up some car batteries in parallel!").

What phone number do use to reach the police in a non-emergency?

TSGlenn — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 07:25:30 -0800

When you need to call the police, but it isn't an emergency, what phone number do you call? 911? (U.S.) Example: Fender bender. No one is hurt, but you want to call the police to report the accident. Do you call 911? You don't know the number for the actual police department.

If I dial 911 and cannot speak to the operator, what happens?

rinogo — Fri, 29 May 2009 11:26:40 -0800

I live in an apartment complex. If I dial 911 on my cell phone and cannot speak to the telephone operator (if, for example, I'm choking/having a heart attack/etc), what rescue-related events are likely to ensue? For extra credit :), how might I decrease the time it takes for rescue personnel to track me down in this situation?

How can you dial 911 in russia?

clawtros — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:28:34 -0800

Quick question. Can you dial 911 in Russia? If not, what is the emergency number ? Is it a police/fire/or ambulance response ? Or do you just call an individual police number. Any info, please let me know.

How do I turned the Enhanced 911 feature off my cell phone?

moooshy — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:22:27 -0800

I would like to disable the Enhanced 911 feature of my cell phone that broadcasts my position continually via GPS tracking. As my phone doesn't allow me to turn this feature off through the settings, how can I modify the circuit to bypass the GPS transmitter?

Which 911 will I reach?

Amy Phillips — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 21:29:05 -0800

If I dial 911 from my cell phone, does it connect me with emergency services in the area I'm physically calling from, or in the area code of my phone number? I live in DC, but my cell phone number has a NY area code (my bill is sent to my DC address, so my service provider does know that I don't live in NY anymore). If I call 911 from my phone in DC, will I be connected with the DC emergency services line, or the NY line? What if I'm in a different city altogether (neither the city of my area code nor the city of my cell phone's billing address)? Does the 911 call get routed based on which cell tower my call is routed through, or based on some other factor that may result in me being connected to the wrong city's 911 line in an emergency?

I tried Google and a few other sources, but all I got was a lot of info about how e-911 and GPS tracking in emergencies aren't working right yet. Nothing about how the system decides which operator to connect me to.

What restrictions exist an emotional appeals in a court of law?

Embryo — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 18:12:26 -0800

How far can attorneys go in appealing to a jury's emotions? Is there any restriction, formal or informal, on the use of such tactics? What precedent is there for their excessive use? Watching coverage of the Moussaoui trial, it's been shocking to see how far the government prosecutors have been willing to go in appealing to the jury's emotions. According to the BBC, prosecutors have presented to the jury a cockpit tape from United 93, photographs of burned bodies from the wreckage of the pentagon, a recording of a man's final phone call made in his WTC office
(complete with "synchronized video" of the towers collapsing"), and testimony of former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani about what he witnessed during the day of the attacks. (Did I miss anything?) None of these things are directly related to actions that he took, even by his bizarre confessions.

Is this just the government giving in and joining Moussaoui in making a mockery of this insane spectacle, or are they just going death penalty For The Win? But more importantly, can this really happen? I haven't seen any commentary on this at all, either. It just seems ridiculous to me that this kind of manipulation could be allowed to occur in a trial that would then continue to a verdict and its enforcement. But, maybe it's commonplace. Drop some science.

Separating the fact from fiction..

petsounds — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 21:56:17 -0800

Is there any truth to the 9/11 conspiracy theories? There seems to be a large number of people convinced that the bush administration was either behind the 9/11 attacks or knew about it beforehand and let it happen on purpose. A friend of mine is absolutely convinced of this and is trying to get me to read a book that makes it "impossible to believe otherwise". He even showed me a video that did seem to suggest it was a missle, rather than a plane, that hit the pentagon. I was curious enough to type in a google search, but was quickly overwhelmed by all the usual suspects -- crazy rants about the apocalypse, essays connecting everything to everyone, blatantly anti-semitic bullshit blaming israel, etc. While I understand that there are probably a lot of very intelligent and acaedmic people doing research who have arrived at these same theories, I am also aware of how easy it is for seemingly intelligent people to be convinced of something they want to believe if it is presented by other intelligent people -- the classic example of this being the institiute for historical review and other holocaust deniers.

So, having not read any of the conspiracy books or done any research, my question is-- how plausible is the case that it was an inside job? I would like to think that this is simply far-left conspiracy nuttery. Do these people think our current administration is really stupid enough to risk a conspiracy involving the murder of three thousand of its own citizens and potential destruction of the economy solely for political advantage-- and at the same time smart enough to actually pull it off? This seems like a stretch to me and, in in my mind, the most logical counter argument is that theres no way the government could have pulled off such a large scale and coordinated attack-- too many people would have had to be in on it. Weve seen how blunderingly incompetent and disunified this administration is over even very simple matters. And lets not forget that there are thousands of people in this country whose actual profession and training is to analyze facts and evidence and tell us truth about what happens-- they are called investigative reporters and there is nothing they would love more than to be able to cover the next watergate. If there is plausibility to the claims, how come there hasnt been any discussion of it in the new york times or washington post or other mainstream and relatively left-leaning news.

Anyways, the main arguments that my friend gave me (im sure there are many more) are that, one, we held back countermeasures and kept fighter jets from intercepting the planes, two, the jet-fueled fire alone was not cause towers to crumble and the way they fell suggests demolition charges and three, the damage and debris of the crash at the pentagon is not consistent with a 757. So is there truth to these claims? and if so, what are the implications?

Witness tampering in the Moussauoi case.

matteo — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 12:13:23 -0800

Witness tampering, the Moussaoui case and disbarment. I was under the impression that in the USA witness tampering by a lawyer generally warrants disbarment. Is Carla Martin going to be disbarred then? If not, why? Thanks.

To dream or not to scream

Neale — Sun, 12 Feb 2006 04:03:08 -0800

Recurring Dreamfilter: I am standing in a tall building - sometimes a hotel with friends or family, sometimes an office building with work colleagues. There is a noise - a shake - and suddenly the building starts to collapse. Before -that event- my recurring dreams were about flying and nuclear detonation. How many others have gained this new dream to their repertoire?

Was what we were told about Flight 93 a myth?

brokekid — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 09:17:53 -0800

Was what we were told about Flight 93 a myth? I thought I had read somewhere that what we were told about the passengers of Flight 93, Todd Beamer, Jeremy Glick and dozens of others bringing the flight to the ground was in fact false.

Is anyone aware of this? Or am I mistaken?

Why not 611?

attercoppe — Mon, 11 Apr 2005 20:24:31 -0800

Why does the US not have a general non-emergency police contact number? This would be like 911, but for non-emergencies. A short, easy-to-remember number that will connect you to the local authorities nearest your current physical location (even on cell phones?) I suggest "6-1-1". It's similar enough to 911 to be able to remember easily. Who do I need to talk to to get the ball rolling on this?

Where were you when the towers fell?

caddis — Sat, 11 Sep 2004 11:18:26 -0800

Where were you on 9/11? How did you find out what was happening and what do you remember about that day? I was home with the TV and radio off and logged into some work related, non-news sites over the telephone so no one could even call me. Sometime around mid-morning, after the towers had alreaddy fallen, I checked my email and saw a message saying that all corporate travel had been cancelled due to the planes which had crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Needless to say, I turned on a television straight away. Intense pain and sadness swept quickly over me that morning.

New Teaching Method?

pieoverdone — Tue, 13 Jul 2004 08:18:43 -0800

Warning: F911 question.

The kids in the classroom during My Pet Goat were reading the book out loud in this shouting, choppy cadence with no regard to content or inflection etc. At the end of each sentence, the teacher would give them sort of drill instruction; I think one of which was something like 'Now we're going to read the next sentence without any mistakes'. Cue kids barking words in sequence. Is this some sort of new teaching method?

What's the music during the credits of Fahrenheit 9/11?

ed\26h — Sun, 11 Jul 2004 07:26:50 -0800

Does anyone know the music used on the credits for Fahrenheit 9/11? It sounds like Godspeed You! Black Emperor but I don't think it is. The credits themselves say music by Jeff Gibbs, but I’ve not had any luck with that. Help please!