Instead of local hoodlums writing their names/who they love(truly)/The year/philosphical scribblings all over the walls of the local underpass/corner shop etc. why not put small microphones and speakers along the walls of these graffiti targets...in to which the hoodlums can 'speak' their graffiti. As someone passes by they will hear "Kelly loves Mad Dave TL" or "Sammy was here LCC 2001" or "Tories Out" and so on. Each graffiti area would be like a babbling of voices, and as you pass one particular speaker, that would become your aural focus.

Not sure about the category for this beast.
-- ChewTheBeef, Aug 09 2001

Geocorder http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/geocorder
Similar idea proposed by Egnor [mwburden, Aug 09 2001, last modified Oct 05 2004]

IASFM Feb 1981 http://www.sfsite.c...in/pwork.cgi?8e92ff
Everything you need to track down the story I mentioned... [mwburden, Aug 09 2001, last modified Oct 05 2004]

I hope this never happens because it would drive me nuts, but it's such a tremendous concept that I *have* to pastrify it.
<aside>I have often suspected that sightings of ghosts could be 'explained' by the notion of emotionally charged events being somehow 'recorded' into the fabric of their surroundings, and replayed.</aside>
-- angel, Aug 09 2001


A charming idea. But let's face it. Most persons are far more desirous of making a statement than able to make that statement creatively. Inevitably, the wall would end up a chorus of "Fuck you!"s, "<Name> rules!" and "<Ethnic, national, or affinity group> sucks!" If it's visual pollution when I see it, isn't it aural pollution when I hear it? At least the form of certain graffiti shows some creatively.
-- protean, Aug 09 2001


[angel] I read a sci-fi story once with that exact premise (ghosts, emotionally charged events, and walls). In the story, one of the characters builds a machine that simulates the circumstances that are required for "playback" (a sort of ghost machine).
I remember that the title of the story was "These Stones Will Remember", and a quick search tells me that it was written by Reginald Bretnor and published in the Feb 1981 issue of Issac Asimov's Science Fiction magazine. (God I love the Internet!)

-- mwburden, Aug 09 2001


Thanks for that, [mwburden], I shall look for the book. It's a bit annoying that the idea came to me at least ten years prior to the book though.
-- angel, Aug 09 2001


Actually, the idea has been around for a long time.
The central concept of the story wasn't that, but rather was a machine that generated the conditions required for "playback" more effeciently than nature ever did left to it's own devices. The machine could be taken to a place where something historically significant happened and cause the ghosts to re-enact the event for you.
-- mwburden, Aug 09 2001


"why not put small microphones and speakers ..."

Because it would be even more annoying than graffiti already is, by making it audibly noisy as well as visibly noisy. Enjoy the fishbone.
-- StarChaser, Aug 10 2001


I would have sooooooo much fun with this! I would frighten the passers-by out of their wits by recording wailing, screams, the cries of small children, someone being murdered, etc. Some of my friends and I like to act, so I'd have no trouble enlisting help. Of course, everyone who passed would hate our guts...
-- Galileo, Jan 24 2002


have you seen a programme for children ect called 'it'll never work' with a bit on something similar
-- technobadger, Jan 24 2002


I think the "Tories out" speaker should be bigger than the rest.
-- NickTheGreat, Jul 04 2002


Most of the soundbytes would be crude, I'm afraid. I reject that ugly sound.
-- simple124, May 03 2004


smell graffiti. ooh I'm clever.

electromagnetic graffiti: hide some superconductors; annoy the local pigeons.
-- sninctown, Oct 17 2009



random, halfbakery