Desperately seeking a noise gun
We've gotten a bunch of great responses to yesterday's letter from a reader who was desperately seeking a "noise gun". We're still not exactly convinced he was looking for a directional sound device, like the HyperSonic Sound, since it sounded more like he was interested in redirecting his neighbor's sound right back to them (rather than just assaulting them with a tightly focused beam of sound), but here's a sampling of the emails we received:
What these people are looking for is a HyperSonic Sound device... essentially laser beam sound. developed by
inventor Woody Norris, who also developed most of the underlying technology that lead to the sonagram. We've been
working with it for a year or so, applying it to marketing situations, specifically delivering tightly directed
audio to individuals in a crowded public environment. But the military is investigating it as well, using it as a
non-lethal but debilitating weapon... probably more like what your reader is looking for!
I have always wanted to equip my car with an Active Noise Cancellation Device attenuated to cancel the 808 bass
sound emanating from other cars. Imagine boom cars reduced to a trebly screech while their pilots scramble in
befuddled futility to compensate for their sudden lack of intrusive, "Hey, ain't me and 50 Cent cool", mating
call.
What your correspondent wants is a Bogen sound cone. These are speakers that you can hook up to any stereo,
but will shoot noise extremely far and with relatively poor quality. They're generally used for PA systems. Remember
when The Blues Brothers wanted to announce their big concert near the end of the film? They drove around in a car
with two sound cones on top.
Thanks to everyone who wrote in. SAMBA & Co., we hope this helps.