Live data from Hacker News

Ultrasonic investigations in shopping centres

windytan.com

141–145 of 145 posts

Re: Ultrasonic investigations in shopping centres

#141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Going into Sears used to drive me nuts. My parents finally accepted that I was actually hearing something that they couldn’t, but it took a while. I don’t know if it was the loss prevention system that was doing it, or what. All I could do was localize it down to being anywhere remotely close to the entrances. And the closer you got, the louder it got. These days, my tinnitus is constantly ringing at about that same…

Exactly this. When I was 17 I worked at a JC Penny store as a stock boy. Every time I approached certain entrances (like the main one that opened into the shopping mall) and other areas of the store my ears were assaulted with a high pitch squeal. Never figured out what it was, nobody else seemed to hear it. I've always had tinnitus, and the frequency always seemed to be the same. In fact, I'm listening to it now.

Have seen a few stores and public places installing speakers pushing out a high pitch tone to irritate youth so they won't hang out where they aren't wanted. Was it some trial run on this tech maybe? :-)

It's designed to be just outside of hearing for adults so only kids and youth can hear it. Did a simple test with our daughter and she can hear quite a bit higher frequencies than we can so apparently it's a thing. Except I can hear higher frequencies than my wife so not very useful I guess.

Re: Ultrasonic investigations in shopping centres

#142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not all cars do this, german car feature? (only VW's I've driven from 2000's onward seemed to have)

My 2012 Vauxhall Astra does this.

It's been too long since I posted to edit this, so I'll reply to my own comment: something else my car does that isn't at all unique and some people might be delighted to learn (if theirs supports it too), is that if you hold down the unlock button on the keyfob (rather than press it), it lowers all of the electric windows, and if you hold down the lock button, it raises them. Useful if you left one of your windows open and it starts raining; you don't need to go to the car to shut the windows.

Re: Ultrasonic investigations in shopping centres

#143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My 2012 Vauxhall Astra does this.

It's been too long since I posted to edit this, so I'll reply to my own comment: something else my car does that isn't at all unique and some people might be delighted to learn (if theirs supports it too), is that if you hold down the unlock button on the keyfob (rather than press it), it lowers all of the electric windows, and if you hold down the lock button, it raises them. Useful if you left one of your windows o…

Another German car feature. There's some regulation in the US that requires them to be coded not to go back up (but you can change the coding with a cable). Family has an X5 that will go down as you describe but not up for those reasons.

Re: Ultrasonic investigations in shopping centres

#144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not all cars do this, german car feature? (only VW's I've driven from 2000's onward seemed to have)

I think "comfort turn signal" is a feature all newer (2000+) cars should have. I haven't found one from that age that didn't have this feature.

2002 Mazda Miata and 2002 Toyota Camry XLE don't have this. I couldn't find anything about it being a regulation, seems to have become common toward end of that decade though.

Re: Ultrasonic investigations in shopping centres

#145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the dogs can hear our induction stove with ultrasonic whine, but somehow my cat will sleep blissfully in a room with a VGA CRT whining from 30-80 kHz (perhaps quieter than the stove), and used to sit in front of a CRT TV whining at 15.7 kHz so loudly I couldn't stand it without headphones.

When I was a kid I noticed that the adults in my life couldn't hear that CRT sound. My son bought a CRT TV with a built in VCR to use with a Nintendo 64 to get out the last frame of latency. I noticed the other day that I can still hear that sound, but I've always had sensitive hearing and I've always kept amplified sound at a low level and worn ear protection while using machinery, going to motorsports events, etc.…

In these cases, I sometimes wonder if it's my own ears that have distortion at high volume. Would need to try with/without earplugs to verify.
Post reply on HN