BY THE VOICE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLVI, Issue 10684, 30 December 1925, Page 7

BY THE VOICE

LATEST WAY OF CONTROLLING LIGHTS. COIMPLICATIONS LIKELY. Tlie London “Daily Telegraph” says: A man of Nottingham has let it be known that he has discovered how to make electricity obey the spoken word. When he says to an electric fan, “Start !” it starts; when he tells an electric lamp to give light, light it gives; and we presume that when he says, “As you were!” the fan is still and the lamp goes out. Even in these days of wireless and wonders this, it will be admitted, is a good story. The technical explanation offered is simply that sound waves are transformed in such a way that they operate and control an electric circuit. If you can telephone without a wire, why should you not switch the lights on by the voice ? What we stumble over is not the principle of the thing, but its applies tion. We have no objection to the gentleman in Nottingham turning on his lights viva voce, but just at present we should prefer him to stay in Nottingham. It would be very awkward if he came to town and at the sound of his electrical voice all the lights went up; still more awkward, perhaps, if when he murmured, “ Out, out brief candle,” we were all left in the dark. Of the carrying power of the voice we have no information, but ho would seem to be an uncomfortable neighbour. Whether any fresh apparatus is needed to make the electric current obey him, or the unaided power of his voice does the trick, does not appear. But, whichever it is, we suffer from apprehensions. How will the current or the apparatus know who is speaking ? When we speak for ourselves, will somebody else get what we say ae well ? If some unauthorised person, orders our lights up, will they go ? Still more intriguing if the fellow bids them out shall we be in the dark P The opportunities for practical jokes are alarmingly multiplied. What of street .lamps, station lamps, train lamps P “Thy voice, great Anarch, lets the curtain fall. And universal darkness covers all.” And this is not only a matter of lighting. We have it in the specification that electric motors also obey the master’s voice. Trains stop, trams stop, lifts are held in mid career when any fellow who knows the trick cries “Halt.” This is a power too great to be scattered abroad. Or are we to suppose that the gentleman in Nottingham has invented an apparatus which can distinguish who is speaking and answers only to the one lawful voice ? But this, even if it bo credible, would only make confusion worse confounded. We could never have a light and never put it out unless the owner of the master voice was there. And there are moments when we should not want him.