
Start Up Idea: Noise Warden - kingmanaz
I&#x27;ve been having trouble with a neighbour who listens to rap at high volume.  Maybe technology is the answer.<p>Suppose someone created a stereo with a decibel sensor which would detect when sound crossed a lower threshold, turning on the stereo.  The decibel sensor would poll for ambient noise and increase the radio&#x27;s volume until it matched it decibel for decibel; if the external noise is lowered, the stereo&#x27;s volume is lowered, and vice versa.<p>Further, suppose this is a smart device that plays generated music.  A bass sensor tracks any rhythm in the external noise and purposely staggers the beat to clash.  A pitch sensor tracks any predominant tones in the noise and overlays a dissonant minor second.  Finally, a sensor detects movement of the device, and if disturbed while on, sounds an alarm within a set number of seconds.  A keypad allows one to enter a security number to disable the alarm.<p>Being automated, the device scans a section of one&#x27;s property, acting as a &quot;noise warden&quot;.  If the belligerent neighbour turns up the volume, their music becomes a wash of reciprocal dissonance.  If the neighbour turns down their music shortly after calling the police, the warden follows suit and the police have nothing to cite.  After several noise tantrums the neighbour realizes that the response is coldly efficient and reciprocal.<p>Using technology, a single person is now capable of making more noise, effortlessly, than at any other time in history.  Likewise, through technology communities are more densely populated than ever before.  Perhaps with technology one can also make the world a more peaceful place.<p>Furthermore, I&#x27;d buy it.  Ycombinator has enough copycat startups.  Try a project like the above.  Many people are the victims of misused technology, and would love to have technology fight for them for a change.
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pedalpete
First off, I hope you have actually spoken to the neighbour about the noise,
rather than just coming up with the massively technological solution, which
though possibly fun, could also be quickly used against you.

If your stereo matched the decibel level of your neighbours stereo in your
apartment, that means your apartment would be as loud as your neighbours
apartment, in your apartment, but the neighbour isn't in your apartment, so he
would still hear his stereo over yours, you'd just annoy yourself.

So you would have to match the decibel level in their apartment, which would
make your apartment even louder, and if your neighbour had the same stereo
decibel sensor, it would sense your apartments noise, and raise it's volume,
and you'd be in this loop of apartments raising the volume until one or all of
the stereo's maxed out.

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krapp
I know Hacker News doesn't like dismissive comments but I can't help it - this
sounds like a really bad idea. I don't think that contributing to noise
pollution with more noise pollution is going to solve any problems, because
now the rest of the neighborhood has to deal with your neighbor's racket and
yours. And _yours_ by definition is meant to irritate people.

Call the cops, or invest in some earplugs. Attempts at "operant conditioning"
are likely to wind up with someone taking a bat to your equipment.

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bennyg
Or just talk to the neighbor - solve both problems without dealing with
authorities and being an evasive asshole

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dzink
Get a pair of Bose noise canceling headphones. They do what you describe above
for your ears only. Very portable and much less destructive.

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hansy
I don't know anything about sound waves, but would it be possible to
dynamically produce waves that create destructive interference? Would that
eliminate the noise pollution?

