Hermione was wrong about muggle artifacts

[jonm234]

No: HPFGUIDX 67972

> bboy_mn:
> Next, it's not the whole wizard world that is involved; it is
> specifically Hogwarts with it's concentration of (debatably) 1,000
> untrained magical student running wild, and uncountable protection
> wards and charms around the castle itself. There is nothing to
> indicate your cell phone wouldn't work in Diagon Alley. I doubt that
> it would work very well, but I say it would work.
> 
> I think the electrical problem relates specifically to electronic 
and
> complex electrical devices; computers, radios, television, digital
> watches. There are many times when I am having problems with TV
> reception or my computer overheating, when in the same environment, 
my
> brain works just fine. Common electronic devices are FAR FAR FAR 
more
> susceptible to outside interference that the human brain.

now me:

Any time that you would be having a problem with television reception 
(for the sake of argument, we'll say you have an antenna) that would 
be intereference with radio waves specifically.  Obviously, your 
ability to hear or see would not be affected in such an instance 
because the problem is derived from other signals with the same or 
similar frequencies interfering with the signal (either that or the 
signal itself is too weak and your receiver just can't pick it up).  
If your computer is overheating, its becuase the processor is working 
too hard without a sufficient cooling system (this is especially a 
problem if you're trying to overclock your CPU), therefore a problem 
of temperature, something that is generally quite easily remedied, 
and i highly doubt, the source of the problems in the magical world 
(but even if it were, im certain there is some cooling charm that 
could be used).

As far as electronics being more susceptible to outside interference, 
it depends on what kind of interference you're talking about.  The 
aforementioned problems....well, i've already gone over those (sorry, 
im not good with conclusions).

However, I am, for the time, willing to concede that the source of 
the problem could be an unusually strong electromagnetic field, but 
only based on my own current ignorance of the effects of abnormally 
sized electromagnetic fields on environment in general.  Of, course, 
it is certainly possible that the magic in the air around Hogwarts 
might act as a series of EMP's, which, as of yet, are not proven to 
be a physical danger to humans, from what I've read.  So, I suppose 
I'm off to research that angle more thouroughly.

On a last note, also consider the likelihood of wizard incompetence 
when faced with muggle inventions.  Isn't it more likely that the 
wizards who believe magic causes muggle inventions to go haywire just 
didn't know how to work it?  I mean, look at it from their point of 
view; most of the wizards that we've seen, even the kind ones that 
like muggles, have kind of a benign condescension when it comes to 
muggles and their muggle inventions.  I mean to say that, its quite 
obvious that most wizards, whether intentionally or not, believe they 
are more intelligent than muggles, therefore (from their perspective) 
anything a muggle can make must be quite simple and thus easy for any 
wizard to operate.  Given this, if a wizard attempted to operate a 
muggle machine, and found that they couldn't, they might just chalk 
it up to the faultiness of the machine.

To put it another way, if Arthur Weasley - pretty much the only 
wizard we've ever seen that cares in any way about muggle 
ineventions - can't manage to work a telephone, then how likely is it 
that any one of the many wizards who are apathetic towards muggle 
inventions would be able to work it properly.  Granted, we know they 
use cars, but how do we know that their cars even actually run the 
same way that ours do?

I had a much more impressive argument on that last point, but i kept 
going back and rewriting sentences (anytime I get into an online 
debate I end up writing lots of run-on sentences; I can't help it, I 
write the way I speak, and whenever I'm in an argument of anykind, I 
talk very, very fast) until I forgot all of the really good points 
that I wanted to put down.  Oh yeah, one last thing, I put Diagon 
Alley in there because I could've sworn I heard Hermione mention it 
when she was talking about the places where muggle electronics go 
haywire, if I'm wrong, I apologize.

thanks for the reply

Jon