audio gadgetware
We previously blogged about a Japanese toilet that made “courtesy flush” sounds to mask unseemly noise. Gadget Gangster presents Toilet Buddy, a circuit project to do the same thing, complete with schematics and firmware. Toilet Buddy from Gadget Gangster on Vimeo. (Hat tip hackaday) Related Posts: Ambient Sounds for Masking Other Sounds Sound Excuses
Check out this interview with the person who designed the ambient sound system for Disney World. More than 15,000 speakers have been positioned using complex algorithms to ensure that the sound plays within a range of just a couple decibels throughout the entire park. It is quite a technical feat acoustically, electrically, and mathematically. How … Read more
Saturday Night Live presents the next advance in noise machine technology: Related posts: Shhhhhhhhhhhh!Environmental Sounds: The Dark Side
One of the more unexpected applications of WaveSong reported to us by users is the white noise (or pink noise) sound being used by some tinnitus sufferers to alleviate symptoms. Now someone has posted a twelve hour video of white noise on YouTube: (tip o’ hat to Dangerous Minds)
Purrcast is a podcast of a cat purring. Quite soothing. Just ask Wonty: link [kudos boingboing] Related Posts: Nature Sounds for Leopards, Felis catus Theremin
Nature sound generators like WaveSong can have beneficial effects: masking outside noise, relaxation, … What happens when the forces of good turn to the dark side? The Annoy-a-tron 2.0 from ThinkGeek is a tiny 2.5″x1.5″ circuit board easy to hide, with 6 different sound selections, including “Mosquito” and “Grating Electronic noise”. Good for driving your … Read more
(image courtesy Wikimedia Commons) Michael F. Zbyszynski describes how to modify a solar yard light to make cricket sounds in this article from Make: (PDF) [kudos Make: blog]
Bioacoustician Bernie Krause is interviewed by Jennifer Ouellette for NewScientist. His project Wild Sanctuary aims to archive nature soundscapes before they are lost to human development. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f21PNOdGdC0] video link [hat tip Cocktail Party Physics]
This device in a Japanese toilet makes the sound of running water, to mask other, ummmm…, indelicate noises. Saves water, since patrons don’t feel compelled to flush a toilet multiple times to block sounds. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ond_IaNA4wk] video link [kudos boingboing] Previously: When Ambient Sounds Go Bad, Celebration of Nature Sounds
The Times reports on the “Mosquito”, which produces an irritating high-pitched noise only perceived by young people: “These devices are indiscriminate and target all children and young people, including babies, regardless of whether they are behaving or misbehaving,” Sir Al [Sir Albert Aynsley-Green, the Children’s Commissioner for England] told the BBC. [kudos boingboing] Previously: When … Read more