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The Sound of Sorting – "Audibilization" and Visualization of Algorithms (2013)

37 points by sgy 13y ago

darsham 13y ago
This is pretty mind-bending. When you know a little about the algorithm being played, it does feel like taking a dive inside the processor. But maybe a different synthesis method, with a richer timbre would make the videos that much more interesting. Use a simple Karpluss-Strong string simulator fed into a standard chorus+reverb, pan each note according to its position in the visualisation, and we'd be taken to a freakishly higher level of immersiveness. Maybe I'll look at the source and see if I can apply this.
- PavlovsCat 13y ago
  When I use the on-board "sound card", I get to hear... something (my CPU? memory access?) that is directly related to stuff going on. I.e. Running some programs idly in the background gives a certain static fuzz, files being read are shorter or longer bursts of noise, moving windows around sounds a certain way etc, anything involving the GPU is even louder, and so on. It's obviously annoying, because it's certainly not filtered to sound pleasant, but also kind of fascinating.
  - randyrand 13y ago
    When im running OSX in a VM I can actually hear the sound of the typing cursor flashing...I still have yet to figure ot what it is. It is super faint, can only be heard in complete silence.Sort of a ticking noise.
mjn 13y ago
Fwiw, "sonification" (rather than "audibilization") is the semi-standard term for the audio version of "visualization". There's a good bit written about it, including a recent book: http://sonification.de/handbook/index.php/chapters/ http://sonification.de/handbook/index.php/chapters/
mwetzler 13y ago
Reminds me of Aud which turns your server logs into audio so that you can analyze them the way you listen to a car engine for healthy and unhealthy patterns. http://dzello.com/blog/2014/01/10/listen-to-your-log-files-with-aud/ http://dzello.com/blog/2014/01/10/listen-to-your-log-files-w...
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
abjorn 13y ago
lost it at bogo sort
NAFV_P 13y ago
I was thinking of looking into radix sorts, because it sounded better than quick sorts.
ricricucit 13y ago
Love it

37 points by sgy 13y ago

This is pretty mind-bending. When you know a little about the algorithm being played, it does feel like taking a dive inside the processor. But maybe a different synthesis method, with a richer timbre would make the videos that much more interesting. Use a simple Karpluss-Strong string simulator fed into a standard chorus+reverb, pan each note according to its position in the visualisation, and we'd be taken to a freakishly higher level of immersiveness. Maybe I'll look at the source and see if I can apply this.

PavlovsCat 13y ago
When I use the on-board "sound card", I get to hear... something (my CPU? memory access?) that is directly related to stuff going on. I.e. Running some programs idly in the background gives a certain static fuzz, files being read are shorter or longer bursts of noise, moving windows around sounds a certain way etc, anything involving the GPU is even louder, and so on. It's obviously annoying, because it's certainly not filtered to sound pleasant, but also kind of fascinating.
- randyrand 13y ago
  When im running OSX in a VM I can actually hear the sound of the typing cursor flashing...I still have yet to figure ot what it is. It is super faint, can only be heard in complete silence.Sort of a ticking noise.

mjn 13y ago

Fwiw, "sonification" (rather than "audibilization") is the semi-standard term for the audio version of "visualization". There's a good bit written about it, including a recent book: http://sonification.de/handbook/index.php/chapters/ http://sonification.de/handbook/index.php/chapters/

mwetzler 13y ago

Reminds me of Aud which turns your server logs into audio so that you can analyze them the way you listen to a car engine for healthy and unhealthy patterns. http://dzello.com/blog/2014/01/10/listen-to-your-log-files-with-aud/ http://dzello.com/blog/2014/01/10/listen-to-your-log-files-w...

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

abjorn 13y ago

lost it at bogo sort

NAFV_P 13y ago

I was thinking of looking into radix sorts, because it sounded better than quick sorts.

ricricucit 13y ago

Love it