Beeping Computers: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

{{quote|''"'''Blipindustry''': The time and effort sound-effects people spend putting noises on to shots of laptop graphics in movies, even though laptop graphics don't make noises in real life."''|One of the ''[[The Meaning of Liff|Meaning of Liff]]''-esque definitions featured in [[Armando Iannucci]]'s [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/7days/story/0,,1739733,00.html Dictionary of Modern Usage]}}

In [[Real Life]], results vary. Computers run quietly by default, with the most noise originating from motors such as the ones that control the machine's disk drives, or the ones powering its cooling fans. Beyond that, any other noise is produced by playing an audio sample through the computer's sound system, although the meaning of it varies; a user can usually configure whether or not their computer should play a sound in response to specific events, ranging from mouse clicks and dropdown menus to application errors to friends logging in and out of IM.

 

{{examples}}

== [[Anime]] ==

* Ziggy, Al's computer from ''[[Quantum Leap]]'', has its own set of beeps, boops, and squeals, the latter of which usually indicates an error to be fixed via use of [[Percussive Maintenance]].

* Topher lampshades this in the ''[[Dollhouse]]'' episode "Echoes."

* This happens almost any time you see a computer interface in ''[[Numb3rs]]''. Every scroll and click makes some sort of noise.

 

* ''[[Team Fortress 2 (Video Game)|Team Fortress 2]]''. Go inside any of the bases, and just try and think about anything other than, "Damn, those computers are really loud." 2fort is the main offender.

** Considering that the game takes place in the 1960's, it is kind of justified.

* In ''[[System Shock]] 2'', computer panels tend to make lots of noise.

 

* Parodied in, despite the show's reliance on [[Bamboo Technology]], a ''[[Captain Caveman and The Teen Angels|Captain Caveman]]'' short on the 1980s series ''[[The Flintstones|The Flintstone Comedy Show]]''. In one episode, Cavey shows Betty and Wilma his "crime computer" which he feeds clues into for analysis, then activates the computer, with various computer beeping noises being made. Cut to the inside of the "computer," where we see it's powered by two birds--the first bird serves as a record player needle, playing a record of beeping computer noises; the second bird's job was to do the actual clue analysis, then chisel the results onto a stone "punch card" and spit the card out of a slot. Possibly [[Lampshaded]] by Cavey who, after he gets the results, notes: "now ''that'' scientific!"

* An episode of ''[[Garfield and Friends]]'' features in one episode Jon going on a dating game show, which presents a large, impressive looking mainframe computer that Jon's dating data is fed into, in order to match him with a prospective date. The back of the computer reveals it's just a giant cardboard prop, with some guy whose job it is to take the fed-in-data, press a tape recorder playing computer-beeping-noises for a few moments, then spit out pre-written "results" through a slot.

 

== [[Real Life]] ==

** The Supercharger adapter for the Atari 2600 game console likewise allows loading of data from cassettes. These sounds are not intended for the user to hear. But tones indicating the loading status, and matching a graphical feedback, are played through the TV speakers.

* '''Contemporary computers still make a variety of unintentional noises when operating.''' Even taking the loud and soon-to-be-hopefully-obsolete hard disk drives out of the question, modern CPUs under load rapidly cycle no-power and full-power states. The metal on the heatsinks used to keep those modern CPUs from melting expand and contracts very quickly as the thermal power fluctuates, which turns into faint vibration, i.e. sounds. Yes, if you listen closely, you can literally hear a modern CPU working, with the exact noise changing with the workload. If you have any audio hardware installed, current (as in, Voltage) microfluctuations from all the computer's components going into similiar load-halt cycles will also produce some faint noise on the audio hardwares output. There's a number of similiar effects that will probably prevent computers from being truly silent for as long as they use electricity.

** Some people that have hyperacusis (ability to hear a greater range of pitch/volume) can hear some of the noise the radio is picking up. A very few people that also have synesthesia that lets them experience sound through other physical senses can use it to diagnose very basic hardware issues.

* If your hard drive starts making loud periodic clicking sounds, [[Oh Crap|you're in deep trouble]] (e.g. stuck spindle or bad heads).

[[Category:Truth in Television]]

[[Category:Beeping Computers]]