Oops. How did they not notice the noise while installing it?
It depends on wind speed and direction. The wind around the bridge varies a great deal: https://wind.willyweather.com/ca/marin-county/golden-gate-br...
New slats make the Golden Gate Bridge sound like a David Lynch movie
101–110 of 344 posts
Re: New slats make the Golden Gate Bridge sound like a David Lynch movie
#102Earlier quoted context omitted.
Just across Buzzards Bay from Falmouth was the original Marconi transmitting station for transatlantic communication to a receiver in Norway. My great-grandfather helped build it in 1914! At the time it was the most powerful transmitter in the world at 300 kW. There were 14 440-foot towers in a grid, and it was so powerful that apparently anywhere in town you would get zapped while hanging out the laundry on a clothe…
Very interesting. Maine also has a significant transmitter array in Cutler with 30 or so antennas around 900 ft tall apiece. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VLF_Transmitter_Cutler I wonder what it's like to try to pull a signal up there. Your comment brings up memories of Lighthouse Beach in Chatham, which has a ton of warnings about Great White Sharks due to the prevalence of seals in the waters. Beautiful place. If t…
Just further up the coast is Marconi Beach in the Cape Cod National Seashore - same sharks.
Re: New slats make the Golden Gate Bridge sound like a David Lynch movie
#103I have been in the Bay Area for 12 years, but still cannot get over how beautiful the bridge, Crissy field, Presidio, and Marine headland is
Re: New slats make the Golden Gate Bridge sound like a David Lynch movie
#104[deleted]
Re: New slats make the Golden Gate Bridge sound like a David Lynch movie
#105Lisbon also has a bridge that you can hear from miles away: one lane in each direction has a surface made of metal grating which makes a loud hum when cars drive over it. People who live nearby don't notice it (strange looks if you point it out) but I think it's sad that it's impossible to escape the constant noise in certain places.
Another relevant bit about Lisbon's 25 de Abril bridge is the common misconception that it was designed by the same company as the golden gate, as it looks similar and also has a red paintjob, when it was in fact the company that designed the Bay Bridge, which is even more similar (except for the colour).
I guess there aren't all that many companies that can build such massive bridges. Now I'm wondering where else I might have seen a bridge made by the same people.
Re: New slats make the Golden Gate Bridge sound like a David Lynch movie
#106This is very similar to an Aeolian Harp, also known as a wind harp. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeolian_harp 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!
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.
Re: New slats make the Golden Gate Bridge sound like a David Lynch movie
#107Re: New slats make the Golden Gate Bridge sound like a David Lynch movie
#108Earlier quoted context omitted.
how did you get out of that one?
cried a little and called the charter company. Spent the day swimming at the anchorage waiting for them to show up with a new charged battery (the old ones were so discharged they couldn't even be charged by a fresh one)
I don't have an ocean-going vessel, but if I did I'd buy rescue/tow insurance. It's not super expensive and when you need it, you need it.
Re: New slats make the Golden Gate Bridge sound like a David Lynch movie
#109Earlier quoted context omitted.
Two unrelated anecdotes: 1. A few years ago I spent some time in Falmouth, MA and there was an ongoing battle over newly installed wind turbines. The humming sound was getting to people, including to the point where they were getting headaches. Some people heard it and others didn't. The locals were going to war with the initiative. This article reminded me of that and I checked in on the ordeal. Looks like they shut…
2) It's amazing how perspective changes with more information. It is very odd how much that sounds just like a mower having difficulty starting, and is exactly the conclusion I would have jumped to it being. Glad you were able to get a better answer.
Are the birds imitating sounds they heard in the forest?
Mimicry is a powerful thing
Re: New slats make the Golden Gate Bridge sound like a David Lynch movie
#110I hope somebody has a chance to make high-quality samples/recordings before it's fixed. I doubt we'll get the chance to hear an instrument like this again, accidental or not.
Came here to say this. This is actually going to end up in the soundtrack to a horror film.