Using Sound To Test Internet Connections

sifi writes "An article in the New Scientist claims that by converting the frequencies of a 'ping' to sound it is possible to hear the reliability and strength of an internet connection. They then go on to claim that all this is going to make telesurgery safe. I quite frankly think that this is a case of the media printing something becuase it sounds (pun intended) cool. I'm convinced that there's nothing here that couldn't be done with a suitably clever piece of software - unless I'm missing something."

Comments

Obligatory Monty Python Quote

[Lebannen]

The Machine that goes "Ping!"

Re:Obligatory Monty Python Quote

[Anonymous Coward]

(sub navagator) Sir, they're pinging us.
(sub captain) What's the signature look like?
(sub navagator) Sir, it's the uss /.
(sub captain) Prepare battle stations.. We're going down..

Sounds like Slashdot!

[tsangc]

this is a case of the media printing something becuase it sounds (pun intended) cool

Doesn't that sound like Slashdot? :)

O.M.P.Q.

[labratuk]

OBSTETRICIAN: Yes. More apparatus, please, nurse: the E.E.G., the B.P. monitor, and the A.V.V.

NURSE #1: Yes. Certainly, Doctor.

DOCTOR SPENSER: And, uh, get the machine that goes 'ping'.

Another Dreary Post

[RobertTaylor]

The last three main stories:

"I'm convinced that there's nothing here that couldn't be done with a suitably clever piece of software"

"Interesting story, no real information though"

"It's not a very substantive piece, but a good discussion starter"

I would hate to see the submitted storys that are rejected!

eureka

[prell]

"wa#$tson, co@(me h@#ere! I nee#(d y@($u!!" Ping done. Reliability: 1

I wonder...

[craenor]

What it sounds like when you connect to AOL and play the "sound" of the connection.

I'm guessing it's just going to sound like people laughing at you.

Quake Shows Internet Connection Quality

[Saint Aardvark]

Playing Quake in multi-player mode can show the strength and quality of an Internet connection, says Barry Straub, network system administrator for the University of Leith. By tracking the number of times a player is "fragged", or killed by an opposing player, he's able to track the latency in a given path over the Internet -- and this will be of great use for virtual surgeons of the future.

"It's pretty simple, really," says Straub. "We just set up a couple standard gaming stations: one in the operating theatre with the patient, and one by the chief surgeon. They play against each other and report whenever they've been fragged. By tracking the frag rate, we can get a surprisingly accurate picture of the quality of the connection."

Because the gaming and surgical computers use entirely different protocols, there is no way for the two signals to get confused.

Straub admits that there is one thing that needs to be overcome before his method sees widespread use. "We've had a couple complaints from the surgeons about distractions from the gamer. And I can see their point. When you're chest-deep in someone half a continent away, you don't really want someone yelling '34t h0t l34d, suxx0rZ!' in your ear."

"But we're thinking of maybe removing the larynx of gamers for this. It's probably the simplest solution."

Open-source figurehead and programming guru Richard Stallman was unavailable for comment at press time. "He's having a gall-bladder operation right now," said a source close to the FSF founder. "He's going to be a few weeks recovering from the plasma burns."

webserver monitoring

[Zayin]

How about transforming each http request to the webserver to sound? It would be something like this:

ping........ping........ping....[slashdot story posted]....ping..ping...ping.ping..ping..ping.ping .
ping.pingpingpingpingpingpingpingpingpingpingpi ngp ing
pipipipipipipipiipiipipipipipiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii ii [blue smoke from webserver] piiiiiiiiiHONK... HONK[fire alarm going off]

Re:ping? Really?

[orthogonal]

Hey, there's no 'ping' button on ie's taskbar, how can the average user know that command exists ?

'Ping' is a duck. I learned this in first grade.

(But check out This Amazon review (scroll down) by : John E. Fracisco. (No, the link doesn't give me referer bonuses or whatever.))

I do that already

[loconet]

When I listen to shoutcasts if it buffers too frequently then I know the connection is not good.

In my head...

[TheSHAD0W]

After reading that article, I have a picture in my head of a doctor in surgery garb holding a pair of defibrillator paddles on a Cisco router and yelling "Clear!"