I forget where I read this (maybe PG's blog?) but I read some early 2000s startup had some kind of mechanical device that responded to website visitors, so everyone in the office could hear the traffic in realtime.
replyI also heard stories of professors who would know a program had a bug based on the sounds the computer was making. (Back when they were slightly slower!)
I’ve heard this about mechanical electronic signage used for team dashboards 30-40 years ago.
replyYou’d sit in the office with your back to it and the clicky clacky sounds would be going every so often when the content updated. but people would know the specific clicky clacky sound that required them to turn around and read the sign based on their job function.
I’ve also heard of day traders mapping stock tickers or other data into sound and having headphones on all day with it
I've heard of people 'walking' old hard drive cabinets by fine manipulation of the read/write heads.
replyI still have a computer that produces slightly different noise (coil whine?) depending what it's doing. Fascinating behavior.
replyThe wrench thing is real. My approach to a DIY mechanic’s stethoscope is to stick the handle of a screwdriver against my ear and the tip on whatever I want to listen to. Great for figuring out what part of the machine a noise is coming from.
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