Doorbell "button"

Put a sign above the keypad, "for who are you calling":

On a telephone keypad "DON" is "366"

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umop apisdn
Reply to
Jasen Betts
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Why would you need to? They seem to have enough difficulty anyway without obfuscation!

My button is on the door jamb at the same height (~5') as the letterbox and 2" from the lock, and black/white on a red background. About 25% of people don't see it.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

Because their "thinking" is actively discouraged, and "evidence" means their bible. One of the last pair that visited me was a pretty young lady with glassy eyes that didn't respond to anything. Frightening. The other time I've seen that is with a Hare Krishna body that had clearly abdicated from making any decision.

Most effective and most amusing way is to get them into a discussion in which they have to explain what their source book says, and justify why it is a good thing.

Classics are...

"God praised Lot as a good man. Given Lot's previous behavior as described in the bible, if I behaved the same way would you regard me as a good and honorable person?"

"Do you aspire to be a disciple as specified by Christ? I.e. not loving, but someone that hates everyone around them" (Luke 14:26)

Or, of course, any bits from the wonderful diatribe in The West Wing

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But this is somewhat OT, so it is unlikely I will continue this conversation!

Reply to
Tom Gardner

My daughter has had considerable success with a sign that simply says "No leaflets please. We actively boycott any business that posts leaflets".

I suspect you could adapt that.

I've had some success with a sign saying "Not Foobar Rd". That was necessary because I was repeatedly having deliveries for "Foobar Close" The worst "delivery" was scaffolding up to the roof! The contractor was even less amused than I was.

Satnav's didn't show Foobar Close, presumably since it had only been there for 80 years. Maybe after a century...

Reply to
Tom Gardner

A button incorporating a hidden sensor and actuator which 'presses' itself just as your finger approaches.

Or even better, but much more difficult, a button which moves off to one side just as you're about to push.

Cheers

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Syd
Reply to
Syd Rumpo

Don Y wrote in news:mce2ak$avf$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:

Think about a double action button. Remember the big knobs you have to pull to sound a real bell (with a clapper or tongue)? Take a knob like that and build a button inside (the puss part on top of the knob but not recognizable as such). So the sound your bell, one have both to pull the knob and push the button pretty firmly. (The latter to make sure one does not activate the pushbutton accidently while pulling the knob.)

You can also require a second action from the visitor. Display or sound the message: "There's nobody to answer the door now, speak in your message after the beep." You can record that messages or not but only regular visitors know they have to push once more before the beep.

Patent pending :)

petrus bitbyter

Reply to
petrus bitbyter

A jacobs ladder overhead out of reach would certainly discourage visitors.

NT

Reply to
meow2222

One thought that comes to mind is to install a "Simon" game where the Door bell would be. Of course this would be making noises and entertaining your visitor, but NOT really ringing a bell, you need to knock for that.

Reply to
Richard Damon

An adaptive touch screen questionnaire with multiple choice answer selectio n, together with 200dB super-irritating alarm and possibly flashing lights, nearby , opens up a lot of possibilities. Or maybe one of those audio ques tionnaires with word recognition feature, demanding the user spell the answ ers.

Reply to
bloggs.fredbloggs.fred

Nice knockers!

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(I couldn't resist)

George H.

Reply to
George Herold

But have an actuator behind the door that knocks, say, half a second later.

Cheers

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Syd
Reply to
Syd Rumpo

One button. When pressed, it announces,"We are currently experiencing heavy door bell ringer traffic. Please wait. You are number 1 in the door bell ringer waiting queue."

Frank

Reply to
adule

Traffic ??

Not after this:

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Reply to
hamilton

"Please stand still with your arms outstretched for backscatter scanning" (LEDs illuminate in a vertical Knight Rider configuration).

Reply to
Spehro Pefhany

We don't want to *encourage* people to "come visit"! E.g., I could set up a slot machine or video poker just as easily :-/

I want to put a discontinuity in their preconceived behavior of "approach door, ring bell, begin spiel". As I said, like NOT having an outgoing message on your answering machine (it tends to leave folks unprepared: "I'm not ready to speak, yet!")

N.B. Simon was derived from an arcade piece called "Touch Me" (which was about the size of an "apartment" washing machine). IIRC, it was just lights, though -- no tones.

Reply to
Don Y

Pretty weird.

--
John Larkin         Highland Technology, Inc 
picosecond timing   laser drivers and controllers 
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Reply to
John Larkin

Ooooo... I *like* that! Followed by "Musak" and the occasional "commercial" ("Ask about our limited time offer: ... BUT WAIT! There's more! If you act now, we'll greet you with not one, but

*two* residents! -- just pay separate shipping and handling...")
Reply to
Don Y
[...]

[...]

Hi, Don.

Since you plan on using some alternative method for detecting people at the door, how about installing one (or more?) of these:

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but rig them up to be non-functional?

Or, make them trigger an electronic response (ring, ding, or a TV-Addams- Family beeee-yoooup) that can only be heard _outside_ the door? Regular visitors would know that they have to operate exactly two of the devices, say. I especially like the image of someone pulling the line on one of those ship's bells and hearing it (say) ring like a telephone.

On the other hand, that "deer rump" button someone suggested would be a nice touch.

Frank McKenney

--
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear 
    bright until you hear them speak.
Reply to
Frnak McKenney

Yeah, I thought about the latter of the two. But, it would require a fair bit of engineering (to ensure it is robust *and* doesn't telegraph the fact that it is "movable" BEFORE it is pressed)

But, neither confound the visitor: he/she *knows* what they have to do (though the *reaction* when they have DONE so is "unexpected").

[E.g., I have a *dial* telephone that generates touch tones. People using it (for the first time) can relate to HOW to use it. But, are caught off-guard after dialing the first digit: "boop". Folks who *think* about it beyond that are even more amused: "I can understand the rationale behind a pushbutton phone that generates dial pulse -- the buttons are more convenient, "modern", etc. But, what's the rationale behind a LESS convenient user interface driving a more modern implementation??"]

I'd also thought of a button with a sign above it that says "Do not push" or "out of order". And, when pushed, responds with "I told you NOT to push it!" or "I told you, it's BROKEN".

Or, a cover that slides into place to prevent the button from being pressed, again.

But, that's the same "unexpected reaction" instead of confounding

*beforehand*.

I want to cause folks to pause *before* they've managed to complete their "autopilot" approach to the house. Like encountering a door without a doorknob...

Reply to
Don Y

Beyond the friggin fringe weird.

Just build an armored box, and put an armored glass in front of it, and stick a display in there. Show "pop up" videos of folks you dislike seeing at your door, and some staged responses, like decpitations, etc..

The folks you expect to see, you inform about the videos, and they know where the real doorbell is to announce their arrival with.

The uninvited stand there jaw dropped, in awe, watching the 'snuff video'.

You could even post a go-pro camera aspect shot of a person approaching your door and watching one of the videos. It would probably go viral as the new way to deter foul would-be trespassers... without ever lifting a finger.

Reply to
DecadentLinuxUserNumeroUno

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