
Apple silent on mysterious noises from Sunnyvale complex - kafkaesq
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_29558045/
======
grizzles
Since EVs are very quiet, it could be a rolls machine, which is basically a
treadmill for a car. They are used for running tests on vehicles and are
outrageously loud. They can be used during prototyping. In a car factory it's
at the very end of the assembly line and sometimes used for debugging vehicles
that have come off the line with issues.

~~~
evm9
In the automotive industry, we call them dynamometers. Though you'll never
hear anyone say that, we just call them dynos.

~~~
Serow225
Not necessarily, it could be a rolling road, which is more similar to what the
OP described.

~~~
dsmithatx
A rolling road is another term for a chassis dynamometer.

~~~
jackgavigan
I thought a dyno is a mechanism that a standalone engine can be rigged up to
on the bench to test it under (typically computer-) controlled conditions,
measure its output, simulate different driving conditions, etc.

~~~
schwap
In N.A. generally that is referred to as an "engine dyno", and what's known in
the UK and other colonies as a "rolling road" is a "chassis dyno".

~~~
evm9
I've never heard any term except dyno (or dynamometer), but I much prefer
those terms simply because it's more apparent to someone that doesn't have an
understanding of engine & car testing.

I'm a fan of names that give insight into what the
thing/product/service/company actually does.

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jrockway
This was quite the sensationalist piece. Maybe something is going on, but
maybe the explanation is more boring. Since everyone is taking wild guesses,
allow me to partake:

The building is Apple's HR center. The people there mostly write reports on
health insurance utilization.

The noise is office remodeling. They do it at night because people are working
during the day.

I have it on good authority that there are several capacitors in the building.
They're mostly used to filter the output of switching power supplies. Why
right now, there are probably hundreds of capacitors _inside your house_!

Give me a break.

~~~
tlrobinson
And a "repair garage"!? What could that possibly be used for besides a secret
new Apple car?

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Zenst
Well went thru the links and not one sound clip I heard of this noise - which
I find equally just as odd, lots reports of the noise and clips of people
getting there slot of TV fame, but not one link to the actual noise - least
what I gleaned thru.

So who knows, just equally as odd no recordings I could find of this noise,
though there must be some out there somewhere I'd imagine if it is that much
of an issue.

~~~
13thLetter
Given the ubiquity of sophisticated cell phones and other recording equipment,
it's best to regard the lack of a recording as strong evidence that it does
not exist. Just as if multiple people claimed the Loch Ness Monster had
surfaced in San Francisco Bay but somehow there were no photographs of it.

~~~
21
Cell phones have shitty mics (because physics).

You would need a condenser microphone for low level noises. Around $100.

TV camera crews have them, not even one stood around waiting for the sounds?

~~~
seanp2k2
Even better, hang it from a 20' cable below a drone and fly it over. Stream
the audio back in case they somehow manage to disable the drone. I'm sure lots
of people in the Bay Area have the equipment right now to do this, just a
matter of if anyone cares.

~~~
nitrogen
You'd need a good wind blocker on the mic, and you'd get a lot of drag from
the 20' cable, but this seems doable.

~~~
fabulist
Pardon my ignorance, but is it really feasible for a drone to carry a 20 foot
cable with a mic? Wouldn't it drag pretty far behind the drone, making it
unwieldy? Wouldn't you need 20 additional feet of clearance to avoid
obstacles? There aren't a lot of tall buildings in Sunnyvale, but there are
birds and other drones in the sky.

~~~
nitrogen
I think this thread is a bit pie in the sky and a bit of "just for fun"
impracticality, but I do think one of the bigger octo drones, carefully
piloted, could pull it off.

~~~
seanp2k2
Remote-activated cable reel. Roll it up and get into position, then lower the
skyhook. Pack it back up and fly off into the sunset! Now I want to do this.
Yes you'd need a big wind screen (they make those and they're not crazy
expensive) and a fairly large drone to deal with the extra weight of a
condenser mic + XLR cable + 48v phantom power circuit + any reel mechanism,
but considering the payload capacities of current drones in the 1-2kg range
for a DJI Phantom 2 ( [http://www.phantompilots.com/threads/flying-at-high-
density-...](http://www.phantompilots.com/threads/flying-at-high-density-
altitude.47132/#post-455124) ), it would require some engineering (and maybe
removing the mic from the heavy casing or finding a really light mic), but
definitely not impossible or even very challenging to do with off-the-shelf
stuff and a bit of diddling.

------
Animats
Looks like a small data center under construction by converting an existing
building. Large amounts of HVAC equipment for the size of the building.
Cooling towers. Big fuel tank. Cummins Diesel emergency generator, size around
1MW. Lots of electrical conduit on outside of building.[1] Picnic area and
half basketball court. Several construction trailers on site, so some
remodeling is going on. Beeping trucks and banging on sheet metal sounds like
HVAC work.

It's annoying the neighbors because it's directly across a drainage ditch from
suburban houses. Nobody likes nighttime industrial construction opposite their
backyard.

[1] [https://goo.gl/maps/dcK3MjKdh822](https://goo.gl/maps/dcK3MjKdh822)

~~~
relevant_thing
A residential area in Sunnyvale seems like an inopportune place to put a data
center.

~~~
meddlepal
Why? Not an expert on DC location or construction. What makes it any better or
worse than somewhere else?

~~~
okuli
\- land price

\- water/electricity price

\- local wages

\- internet bandwidth

~~~
jsjohnst
I know of at least five large data centers in the Sunnyvale / Santa Clara
area.

~~~
praneshp
Mind sharing names? My company shut down its Santa Clara DCs around two years
ago for reasons mentioned elsewhere in this thread

~~~
jsjohnst
A quick Google search would easily answer this for you, but I'll oblige.

Equinix SV2, SV4, SV6 are all in Sunnyvale/Santa Clara, but Equinix also has 4
more very close by in Palo Alto, Mountain View, and/or San Jose.

CenturyLink has two DCs in Sunnyvale.

You can find a dozen more listed here:

[http://www.datacentermap.com/usa/california/santa-
clara/](http://www.datacentermap.com/usa/california/santa-clara/)

And this doesn't include the many privately held by major internet brands in
the Valley.

~~~
praneshp
Thanks. Should've googled it myself. One of the first things I got to do when
I joined my company(first job, just moving into the valley) was to tour our
soon-to-be-dead DC. Was a really cool experience.

------
reality_czech
Apple is just generating some buzz.

~~~
l33tbro
Not sure if how company who netted $18 billion in their last quarter needs to
generate buzz.

Either way, bringing a car to market is a wise move for Apple never struck me
as a great idea. I've always suspected there's just too much good will and
little-guy championing for Tesla to make Apple's offering a thing we want to
own. Tesla vehicles are also incredibly well designed, aesthetically pleasing,
and have a tonne of respect for laying the groundwork for this emerging
industry.

Could it have been better for the brand to partner with Tesla and restore some
credibility? Not sure. But I do predict they'll call this thing the Apple
Auto.

~~~
pavel_lishin
Now I'm just hearing a loud woosh.

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joezydeco
How about, oh I dunno, actually posting a recording of the noise?

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STRiDEX
Another article from Mercury News.

[http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_29558045/apple-
silent...](http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_29558045/apple-silent-
mysterious-noises-from-sunnyvale-complex)

~~~
dang
Thanks. We changed the URL to that from
[http://www.sfgate.com/technology/businessinsider/article/Nei...](http://www.sfgate.com/technology/businessinsider/article/Neighbors-
can-t-stop-talking-about-a-loud-hum-6858193.php), which sees less substantive.

------
JJJJkkkk
I'm curious about the words "working-class neighborhood". Is this tongue-in-
cheek? I've been trying to find housing in that area and it's on par with East
Bay, if not worse.

~~~
STRiDEX
I rented over there after college. I think working class is accurate. Lots of
work trucks parked in the street, caltrain in the backyard and families with
not a lot of income.

------
Diederich
Perhaps they are working at night because it would make it very difficult for
personal drones to get good imagery.

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dream000
I stay right besides sunnyvale apple office but have never heard of anything!
:/

~~~
DrScump
This isn't _at_ the Sunnyvale office; it's an unbranded black site. Perhaps
they interrogate their Google captives there as well; it's just about halfway
between Apple and Google HQs.

It's a theory.

------
y04nn
"One reason why Apple could be working at night is that electricity is cheaper
then" Is the author serious?

~~~
GFK_of_xmaspast
Are you?

[http://www.pge.com/en/mybusiness/rates/tvp/toupricing.page?W...](http://www.pge.com/en/mybusiness/rates/tvp/toupricing.page?WT.mc_id=Vanity_TOU)

Instead of a single flat rate for energy use, time-of-use rate plans are
higher when electric demand is higher. This means when you use energy is just
as important as how much you use. Winter has two rate periods: off-peak and
partial-peak. Summer has three: off-peak, partial-peak and peak. During peak
periods, defined as weekdays from noon to 6 p.m., May through October, your
business's electric rates will be higher. In return, time-of-use rate plans at
all other times will be lower than the peak rate. All business customers will
transition to time-of-use rate plans over the next several years, as required
by the California Public Utilities Commission.

~~~
JBReefer
Doesn't California also have some the most expensive electricity in the US?

~~~
ceejayoz
We're talking about a company with $200 billion in cash lying around. They
could build a few large nuclear plants without making a significant dent in
that pile of money.

------
calgoo
Question: Do you not have noise complain laws in the US? I mean if some
company is producing that noise, waking people up, I would start calling the
cops on them every time it happens. And regarding the security guards, maybe a
daily pick-nick on the public property outside the buildinge would be a nice
way to point the middle finger at them :) Just my two cents...

~~~
etrevino
We have noise complaint laws, sure. They're different depending on the
jurisdiction, of course, but they exist.

And as for the security guards, it doesn't sound like they're protecting
public property. Depending on the laws in that area publicly accessible does
not imply that people are allowed there, just that they can easily get there.

------
ljdmd
It's so real in fact, theres a new website for apple car fans called
applecarfans.com

------
tiredwired
Maybe Dr Dre setup a studio there for Beats Music.

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stevetrewick
"Something is going on in there...I can't tell you what"

And people say investigative journalism is dead.

------
ishdieisbd
My conspiracy theory:

"Guys, turn these loud speakers on tonight. Trust me the press will go nuts!"

Must be nice to be Apple :)

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pgrote
Is there a recording of the noises?

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brador
Someone go throw a drone up and get a live feed with audio. Problem solved.

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d_theorist
My God! Reversing trucks that make a beeping sound! Bangs! Thumps! This is
quite extraordinary. Certainly not the kind of thing you would expect from
almost any warehouse or industrial facility of any kind in the world.

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exabrial
Induction furnace?

~~~
th0ma5
Heh. This reminds me of the mystery in the movie The Burbs.

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microtherion
Circumstances do not permit me to comment, but I would advise the neighbors to
stock up on silver bullets and pray that the containment field holds.

~~~
zdw
Nah, probably it's the new iRaptor, considering how close they are with
Genentech.

~~~
dEnigma
Judging from the product placement in the new Jurassic World movie they are
much closer with Samsung.

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nonuby
Getting a head start on their own pre-mined crypto-currency?

In reality probably just something mundane, Apple does secrecy well, and this
would just be amateur

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dghughes
Maybe Apple didn't hear the question?

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kejaed
It's probably just Bubbles working away on his carts!

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beamatronic
I'm expecting overhead drone imagery on YouTube in 3...2...1...

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jasonkostempski
Probably just testing a new sleep app that triggers the Inception horn through
giant Beats speakers when you reach REM stage.

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drudru11
Quite obvious. The sound and the apple car is just them trying to get a
DeLorean to travel back in time. That way they can get Steve Jobs back.

~~~
drudru11
Wow - nobody thought this was funny?

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zardo
What the hell is he building in there? We have a right to know.

[http://youtube.com/watch?v=JaLjwSpZ6Cs](http://youtube.com/watch?v=JaLjwSpZ6Cs)

~~~
jarmitage
He has no friends

but he gets a lot of mail

