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MagLev Trains Annoyingly Loud
crem_d_genes writes "You might hear that whistle blowing from that train coming 'round the bend, but tapes of the sounds produced by magnetically levitated and normal trains produced a result that was something of a surprise: Most people rated maglev trains as more disturbing than standard intercity trains. It had been previously known that the two types were about equally loud, but this study analyzed people's reactions to them. Since the effects on the environment will be part of the feasibilty studies for future development, acoustical engineers will have some new challenges. Some participants in the study said the sound made them 'feel insecure, some found it startling, and disliked the occasional shrill sound the maglevs produced.' The researcher postulated that unfamiliarity with the noise might be part of the problem."
The regular trains actually stop at night, you're just hearing the ghost trains, which are noticeably louder than their corporeal counterparts.
Under capitalism man exploits man. Under communism it's the other way around.
That is something you'll always have with new technology.
At first the 'look and feel' of windows scared the hell out of me. While now it still does. Oh, wrong example.
Other ecample. At first ringtones used to annoy but now it just irritates me. Oh, wrong example again.
Privacy is terrorism.
I vote that they attach large speakers all over the maglev trains, and play the tie fighter sound while they are going really fast. That'll teach 'em to complain about the noise!!
The annoying sound is the one those people with pacemakers make as the train gets going.
the major advances in civilization are processes which all but wreck the societies in which they occur - A.N. White
Speaking of unfamiliar and disturbing phenomena, go back and read some of the reports on the first helicopters. Some of them are quite humorous. "Somebody's WINDMILL just flew by!"
Always going forward, 'cause we can't find reverse.
Guy That Sits One Cube Over ... Annoyingly Loud
... but subscribers can read it now by stopping by my office.
My Slashdot submission about this will be enroute to the Slashdot rejected bin in a few minutes
Also, I'm guessing the maglev goes *much* faster than the wheeled train to make the same overall dbs of sound.
Dopeler Effect: Two similar comments from different ACs within 30 seconds of each other.
.. but tapes of the sounds produced by magnetically levitated and normal trains
Maybe they shouldn't have used magnetic tape around gigantic magnets.
Nowadays, trains zip by cattle many times a day, and they don't even bother to look up anymore..
That's because when no one's looking they're standing up and drinking coffee. Cows. Is there anything they *can't* do?
Everyone has all of these theories on white noise and ambient noise and crap during the day. WRONG. I'll tell you the real reason. Train engineers are assholes. I lived next to train tracks for a few years and during the day trains NEVER wailed on their horns. But come night time those f'ers would just sit on the horn for miles. Maybe it's a safety thing, that at night drivers may be sleepy and need advanced warning for a train, but I dunno.
So keep all of your white noise theories and I'll keep my "train engineers are assholes that just want to wake up all of the sleeping people at 3 a.m." theory.
funny thing, Night Train always puts me to sleep. Or was that MadDog 20/20? Either way, I wake up in the morning with a splitting headache and I can never figure out why. Maybe it's that damn air-horn after all.