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This is very similar to an Aeolian Harp, also known as a wind harp. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeolian_harp https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeolian_harp http

This is very similar to an Aeolian Harp, also known as a wind harp. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeolian_harp https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeolian_harp https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtzSm76ppS4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtzSm76ppS4 They are pretty cool art installations. The Golden Gate bridge may now be the largest such installation ever built!

Balgair 6y ago
Ok, I'm on board here. This is really cool. Yes, it cannot be a 24/7 thing, the harp/bridge is too loud. Also, putting resonances into a suspension bridge is likely to be unsafe. That said, like the chiming of church bells in a village, it may be used selectively. I can imagine some Burners quickly putting up an adjustable mechanism to have the bridge sing/chime. Something that can point into the wind correctly (to some degree) and then be readjusted to turn off. Possibly to make more than just one note, like a carillon of bells in a bell tower. Maybe at the tops of the hour it can turn on/off, like a church bell, to signal the time. Or on special occasions like New Years Eve, the 4th of July, etc. Or for swearings-in of a mayor's term, etc. Heck, even as a warning system for earthquakes. Having that loud of an instrument, powered by the wind, and then controlled by a few hundred actuators or a bridge-worker/bell-ringer moving steel beams in and out, it's just too good of an idea. If something like that could be made to work, on such an iconic bridge, well, that's a whole new industry. People have done 'love locks' for years now, chiming bridges would be a great idea too.
- wpietri 6y ago
  You might also appreciate the Wave Organ: https://www.exploratorium.edu/visit/wave-organ https://www.exploratorium.edu/visit/wave-organ
- TigeriusKirk 6y ago
  I joked with a friend today that with San Francisco being San Francisco, someone will have a system for making it play Carol Of The Bells by next week.
  - 1propionyl 6y ago
    Rigging something so that it plays Blowing in the Wind would be much more fitting.
- hedora 6y ago
  There is already enough noise pollution in the world. We don’t need noise graffiti that indefinitely blasts sound 24/7, even after the perpetrator is long gone. If you really want to help build a dystopia, you’d probably have a bright future in advertising. Apparently electric car noises were less about safety than branding. Some of the car manufacturers wanted their cars to blast sound logos all the time, but they were afraid the first movers would be lined up against the wall and shot. Electric cars were the perfect excuse to do it anyway and blame regulators, so their lobbyists made it happen in the name of safety.
spike021 6y ago
When I visited Japan last year, I drove a mountain road one day with these guard rails/posts that were specifically made so that as cars pass by they emit a tone of a simplistic song (if I'm remembering correctly it was "Itsy Bitsy Spider"). Thought that was super interesting and a cool experience; a literally cool experience, since it was snowing and my friend told me so I made sure to have my windows completely open so I'd be able to listen.
- Godel_unicode 6y ago
  Reminds me of the Honda commercial a few years back with the musical road: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YR5Cejq2uyc https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YR5Cejq2uyc
  - jonas21 6y ago
    Unfortunately, there was a miscalculation in the distance between grooves that meant the musical road didn't play the right notes: http://davidsd.org/2008/12/honda-needs-a-tune-up/ http://davidsd.org/2008/12/honda-needs-a-tune-up/
andrewacove 6y ago
It's also reminiscent of the installation in Seattle, A Sound Garden, after which the band is named. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4Z2fqxkdvk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4Z2fqxkdvk

Balgair 6y ago

Ok, I'm on board here. This is really cool. Yes, it cannot be a 24/7 thing, the harp/bridge is too loud. Also, putting resonances into a suspension bridge is likely to be unsafe. That said, like the chiming of church bells in a village, it may be used selectively. I can imagine some Burners quickly putting up an adjustable mechanism to have the bridge sing/chime. Something that can point into the wind correctly (to some degree) and then be readjusted to turn off. Possibly to make more than just one note, like a carillon of bells in a bell tower. Maybe at the tops of the hour it can turn on/off, like a church bell, to signal the time. Or on special occasions like New Years Eve, the 4th of July, etc. Or for swearings-in of a mayor's term, etc. Heck, even as a warning system for earthquakes. Having that loud of an instrument, powered by the wind, and then controlled by a few hundred actuators or a bridge-worker/bell-ringer moving steel beams in and out, it's just too good of an idea. If something like that could be made to work, on such an iconic bridge, well, that's a whole new industry. People have done 'love locks' for years now, chiming bridges would be a great idea too.

wpietri 6y ago
You might also appreciate the Wave Organ: https://www.exploratorium.edu/visit/wave-organ https://www.exploratorium.edu/visit/wave-organ
TigeriusKirk 6y ago
I joked with a friend today that with San Francisco being San Francisco, someone will have a system for making it play Carol Of The Bells by next week.
- 1propionyl 6y ago
  Rigging something so that it plays Blowing in the Wind would be much more fitting.
hedora 6y ago
There is already enough noise pollution in the world. We don’t need noise graffiti that indefinitely blasts sound 24/7, even after the perpetrator is long gone. If you really want to help build a dystopia, you’d probably have a bright future in advertising. Apparently electric car noises were less about safety than branding. Some of the car manufacturers wanted their cars to blast sound logos all the time, but they were afraid the first movers would be lined up against the wall and shot. Electric cars were the perfect excuse to do it anyway and blame regulators, so their lobbyists made it happen in the name of safety.

spike021 6y ago

When I visited Japan last year, I drove a mountain road one day with these guard rails/posts that were specifically made so that as cars pass by they emit a tone of a simplistic song (if I'm remembering correctly it was "Itsy Bitsy Spider"). Thought that was super interesting and a cool experience; a literally cool experience, since it was snowing and my friend told me so I made sure to have my windows completely open so I'd be able to listen.

Godel_unicode 6y ago
Reminds me of the Honda commercial a few years back with the musical road: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YR5Cejq2uyc https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YR5Cejq2uyc
- jonas21 6y ago
  Unfortunately, there was a miscalculation in the distance between grooves that meant the musical road didn't play the right notes: http://davidsd.org/2008/12/honda-needs-a-tune-up/ http://davidsd.org/2008/12/honda-needs-a-tune-up/

andrewacove 6y ago

It's also reminiscent of the installation in Seattle, A Sound Garden, after which the band is named. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4Z2fqxkdvk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4Z2fqxkdvk