wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Here's how to end the noisy boombox plague:
Ask some poor wretch if he'd like to have a ten- or twenty-dollar bill. If his answer is Yes, tell him about your noisy boombox neighbor and then say:
"The money is yours if you can figure out something so I won't have to hear that guy's boombox again. Don't kill him or beat him up. But do whatever you have to do to silence that Hollywoodized lowlife!"
Believe me, this is VERY effective. Heard of the VAB's? They're the "Vigilantes Against Boomboxes." Or you can start your own vigilante group.
Reactions, anyone?

Being an audiologist it feels safe to claim that because the rumbler operates at lower frequencies we can reasonably expect increase in occupational hearing loss in the police officers that are inside the cars. The inner ear damage from noise is cummulative and irreversible and can be only managed (however not corrected) by hearing aids.

Nothing is worse than WNYC/NPR's increasingly dysphonic segment breaks on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Studio 360, On the Media, etc., and especially the meaningless drumbeats (not a fanfare for anything) for the year-end donation pitch. Unrelenting noise in between segments is disruptive, unpleasant, and plain ugly, which, considering WNYC now owns a classical music station, selections do not come from there for a segment interlude. Selections seem to get picked from the worst R&B, jazz, nameless tuneless music bars, disrespectfully jarring and breaking whatever discussion previously occurred.

And does the interviewee in the noise segment really think someone will lower a boombox or equally loud headphone noise when requested?

Yes, there are many instances of intolerable noise in this city, but I must protest the almost Proustian delicacy with which people complain about the normal, healthy sounds of the city (which by its very nature is going to be noiser than the country). Last week in New York magazine someone actually complained about the sounds of the Salvation Army bellringers. Aside from the fact that this is an edifying activity, the sounds of bells are relatively benign and certainly in accord with the season -- the sight and sounds of another person standing in the cold collecting money for the poor should cheer you up [and you might also thank them for it]-- and not be a cause for complaint. Let's have a sense of proportion about this, people ....

though this is not sound particular to season. i just previewed a physical therapy center and found that they are playing music there. i stopped going to a gym because of the blaring music and am hesitant to use the physical this place i just visited because of the music. by the way, i listed to npr whenever i am home.....music or talk shows of my choice.

The best part of winter in the 'burbs is that the the lawn services don't come around like they do from March-November when they make non-stop noise! Its so much quieter in the suburbs this time of year.

I know this is not a sound particular to the holiday, but the noise that makes me crazy...hearing other peoples' music through their headphones. Or better yet, those who choose to play music from their phone without headphones.

My neighbor has an ANNUAL CHRONIC COUGH! It is a nightmare... Or it would be, but we can't sleep at night because of his coughing. What is the solution to this? Every year. And he owns the place so he's not going anywhere.

No Silent Nights with the overnight collection of garbage. The city needs to address this.

The Rumbler is the latest weapon in a noise arms race between law enforcement and drivers. It is being considered because conventional alarms allegedly cannot pierce the sealed, info-tainment cocoons of the modern car. But pedestrians and residents will suffer. Wouldn't a better solution be to reduce the number of cars on our streets -- through tools like congestion pricing -- so emergency vehicles have a clear path?

The gridlock this season is horrible! A long-time New-Yorker, I'm going crazy with honking-induced sleep deprivation. It's been so bad that by 5AM yesterday morning when a line of 5 taxis were leaning on their horns because someone was parallel parking, I, a normally sane rational woman, got out on my fire escape in my PJs with my cat under one arm and throwing snow balls at the obnoxious honking drivers below with the other! Help! Please enforce the honking fines!

There's no Silent Night any time of year with the city scheduling garbage pickup at 4 AM year-round.

Same goes for the subways, which are too loud any time of year.

In the subways, no enforcement for those who "play" "drums" in the subway platforms. I've seen a quiet flutist fined on the platform while these "drummers" whack away.

What about the train horns on some of the fire engines? They're MUCH louder than typical fire engine sirens/horns. If people don't pull over, why not use an onboard cameras to record license plates and issue tickets. Buses do this in London for bus lane violators.

As for seasonal, how about the roving "Mitzvah Tank" RV's blaring music? until way past midnight. We get a lot of this on Eastern Parkway.

hate the rumbler.
hate yakkers on cellphones
jackhammmers
nat king (f...ing cole)
loud music in boutiques makes me not want to shop. I just want to get out of the store.
is there no quiet in this city?

This past week, the gridlock on my Upper East Side street has resulted in many drivers leaning on their horns all night and as early as 5AM. I'm a heavy sleeper normally, not woken by sirens or construction, but after this past week of constant honking, I was so sleep deprived yesterday that when a line of 4 taxis leaned on their horns at 6:30 AM outside my window, impatient because someone was parallel parking, this normally sane and rational woman was out on my fire escape in my PJs with my cat under one arm tossing snow balls on the obnoxious honking drivers below! Help! I don't need sleep-deprivation added to my list of holiday stressors!

The wine of people complaining about noise annoys me. This conversation will drive me out into the streets to enjoy the sounds of life.

at the risk of being the grinch,
i really want to protest against the non-stop use of the same 5 songs throughout this month in retail stores,restaurants,etc. It's absolutely MADDENING!

The problem with the Rumbler in NYC is that, unlike most other cities, a great many people live (and sleep) right in the midst of our city. A siren going by an apartment building at 2 in the morning can wake up hundreds of people.

Did you know that modern electronic sirens are not as effective as the old fashioned mechanical ones? Just learned this:

1. Electronic sirens have dead spots
The electronic siren wave pattern is spotty and tends to have dead spots. The electronic siren waves roll and can pass over a vehicle. In contrast, Mechanical Siren waves are projected in an expanding spiral line to encompass entire vehicles, and to penetrate thru them, causing the air within the car to vibrate, so one can’t ignore the siren, alerting the driver and passengers to the possible approaching danger.

2. Vehicles with electronic sirens tend to out run their sound waves at approximately 55 mph. This phenomena is so common in the industry, they call it sirencide. Vehicles equipped with mechanical sirens do not outrun their sound waves.

MAYBE MODERN TECHNOLOGY ISN'T SO GREAT AFTER ALL!

Source: http://www.timberwolfsirens.com/sirenBasics.htm

Not just December, but all year round there are helicopters flying around my neighborhood. They fly really low, even on Sundays.

When I used to live in Astoria, I remember they have speakers on the corner of Steinway playing non-stop Christmas music. Overkill

Who can we complain to about the rumbler? It's horrible! And even through the radio, my dogs seemed to hate it too.

I've noticed that people seem to use the emergency exit doors (instead of the turnstyles) to exit the subways a lot more frequently these days. Though many of them don't have an alarm engaged, most do (and all should), and the noise is really annoying. Sometimes this use is understandable (wheelchairs, parents with strollers, etc.), but should this really be allowed?

I live in Ridgewood, Queens and we have 24/7 Christmas music piped onto Mrytle Avenue from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Somedays it's charming other days it is just laughable.

P.S.

Are there car stereo laws in this city? I've never lived anywhere loud car stereos were not ticketed.

working in midtown, in an old building with thin windows, the salvation army bell is the most annoying. the grid lock horns are bad, but only during certain hours... that bell is all day and not a consistent beat.....

......chinese water torture.

Your guest says noise is good this season because it means people are spending money. But let's not kid ourselves -- what she's talking about is the sound of traffic. And she seems to take the level of traffic as a given. Is shopping by car the only possible way? In fact, a minority of New Yorkers shop by car but their presence on the street is way out of proportion to their numbers -- and their political clout.

Are things quieter or noisier in your neighborhood this month? Why?

Thank you for the head's up, Stuart. The link has been fixed.
Soundcheck

the link to watch the video is not working...

In the nearby town of Somerville, someone has set up a speaker system in the main shopping district that has been playing Christmas songs just a little too loud all December. The Chipmunks, Bobbi Sox, and Perry Como are not what you need to hear every time you're out to buy newspaper or go to the post office... its (almost) enough to make you head for the mall.