Soothing and mesmerizing: data turned into harmonious sounds and visuals
August 18, 2013 11:28 PM Subscribe
Listen to Wikipedia edits in real-time. Bells are additions, strings are subtractions. Pitch is the size of the edit. One can listen to the edits in various languages too: Japanese | Swedish | German | a mix of various languages. Wikidata as well. It was based on Listen to Bitcoin.
> Using the data provided by Wikipedia's recent changes feed, bells are used to convey additions, while string noises represent subtractions from articles. Higher pitched noises are for smaller edits, while larger edits are translated into lower pitched tones. Deep swells of sound accompany new users joining the service. All of the various noises work together in surprising harmony, creating a zen-like mood to go along with the furious edits being made to Wikipedia's database.
Built by Stephen LaPorte and Mahmoud Hashemi.
> Using the data provided by Wikipedia's recent changes feed, bells are used to convey additions, while string noises represent subtractions from articles. Higher pitched noises are for smaller edits, while larger edits are translated into lower pitched tones. Deep swells of sound accompany new users joining the service. All of the various noises work together in surprising harmony, creating a zen-like mood to go along with the furious edits being made to Wikipedia's database.
Built by Stephen LaPorte and Mahmoud Hashemi.
Wow, I love this!
I might just leave this on in the background to keep me company for a little while.
posted by Mizu at 11:42 PM on August 18, 2013
I might just leave this on in the background to keep me company for a little while.
posted by Mizu at 11:42 PM on August 18, 2013
Still waiting for the drop...
posted by R. Schlock at 11:57 PM on August 18, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by R. Schlock at 11:57 PM on August 18, 2013 [3 favorites]
data turned into harmonious sounds and visuals
Well since you brought that up, check out one second on the internet.
(Warning: not soothing or mesmerizing, possibly avoid if you're epileptic.)
posted by phaedon at 11:59 PM on August 18, 2013
Well since you brought that up, check out one second on the internet.
(Warning: not soothing or mesmerizing, possibly avoid if you're epileptic.)
posted by phaedon at 11:59 PM on August 18, 2013
Now I feel totally horrible for my last attempt at using GarageBand.
posted by johnpowell at 12:28 AM on August 19, 2013
posted by johnpowell at 12:28 AM on August 19, 2013
This is great!
Who wants to get in an edit war with me about something?
posted by aubilenon at 12:37 AM on August 19, 2013
Who wants to get in an edit war with me about something?
posted by aubilenon at 12:37 AM on August 19, 2013
Mesmerizing is right! What a cool project - I can't believe how lovely it is to listen to people muck about with posts on The Mountain Eagle and the number 25.
(My girlfriend walked in and said "It's almost like the intro to a Sigur Rós song".)
posted by harujion at 1:24 AM on August 19, 2013
(My girlfriend walked in and said "It's almost like the intro to a Sigur Rós song".)
posted by harujion at 1:24 AM on August 19, 2013
You can also listen to Github, courtesy the Choir.io ambient sound api.
posted by disillusioned at 1:50 AM on August 19, 2013
posted by disillusioned at 1:50 AM on August 19, 2013
The source of one of these beautiful notes was the following edit to the article on the Gibbon:
From this:
One unique aspect of gibbon anatomy is that the wrist is composed of a ball and socket joint, allowing for biaxial movement. This greatly reduces the amount of energy needed in the upper arm and torso, while also reducing stress on the shoulder joint. Sometimes when a gibbon is swinging, its wrist will naturally dislocate until the gibbon finishes its swing. Gibbons also have long hands and feet, with a deep cleft between the first and second digits of their hands. Their fur is usually black, gray, or brownish, often with white markings on hands, feet, and face. The male gibbon will sometimes end up with some dark patches in the white to show it is a suitable choice for mating. Some species have an enlarged throat sac, which inflates and serves as a resonating chamber when the animals call. This structure is enormous in a few species, equaling the size of the animal's head. Their voice is much more powerful than that of any human singer, although they are at best half a man's height.
To this:
they look like poo
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 1:58 AM on August 19, 2013 [10 favorites]
From this:
One unique aspect of gibbon anatomy is that the wrist is composed of a ball and socket joint, allowing for biaxial movement. This greatly reduces the amount of energy needed in the upper arm and torso, while also reducing stress on the shoulder joint. Sometimes when a gibbon is swinging, its wrist will naturally dislocate until the gibbon finishes its swing. Gibbons also have long hands and feet, with a deep cleft between the first and second digits of their hands. Their fur is usually black, gray, or brownish, often with white markings on hands, feet, and face. The male gibbon will sometimes end up with some dark patches in the white to show it is a suitable choice for mating. Some species have an enlarged throat sac, which inflates and serves as a resonating chamber when the animals call. This structure is enormous in a few species, equaling the size of the animal's head. Their voice is much more powerful than that of any human singer, although they are at best half a man's height.
To this:
they look like poo
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 1:58 AM on August 19, 2013 [10 favorites]
Wow, this is amazing - not only the sounds, but I love watching the random subjects of the edits.
posted by fever-trees at 2:45 AM on August 19, 2013
posted by fever-trees at 2:45 AM on August 19, 2013
Ahhhh! Beautiful! Thank you. Genuinely awe-inspiring.
posted by RokkitNite at 4:06 AM on August 19, 2013
posted by RokkitNite at 4:06 AM on August 19, 2013
This is awesome and reminds me of an old Flash game... Boomshine.
posted by papayaninja at 4:33 AM on August 19, 2013
posted by papayaninja at 4:33 AM on August 19, 2013
I've had this on for the last 5+ hours in the background... so serene. But it's also fascinating and hypnotic to watch the blobs of activity, see the sometimes amusing, sometimes startling juxtaposition of topics being simultaneiously edited, and view in real time the often-obsessive continued editing of some pages/categories, as edeezy points out. Someone made over 100 edits to this actress's page during the time I was semi-watching.
posted by taz at 4:58 AM on August 19, 2013
posted by taz at 4:58 AM on August 19, 2013
Probably this is exactly what Spock was watching in that console of his.
posted by Wolfdog at 5:04 AM on August 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Wolfdog at 5:04 AM on August 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
Somehow reminds me of the opening electric piano solo of Marion Brown's "Sweet Earth Flying." This site makes a lovely sound track, even if one didn't know how it was being created. Very cool -- thanks for posting!
posted by Dean358 at 5:35 AM on August 19, 2013
posted by Dean358 at 5:35 AM on August 19, 2013
I love this sound, because I love space music, and I may leave it on for a while. But I think that major edits such as described by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow, together with all the edits to articles on popular culture, should have been represented by fart noises.
posted by Countess Elena at 6:03 AM on August 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Countess Elena at 6:03 AM on August 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
I feel like by lunch time EST this is going to sound like a harpsichord falling down a flight of stairs.
posted by The Whelk at 6:06 AM on August 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by The Whelk at 6:06 AM on August 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
This is wonderful.
I want to make one with samples culled from various funk instrumentals.
posted by flippant at 6:20 AM on August 19, 2013
I want to make one with samples culled from various funk instrumentals.
posted by flippant at 6:20 AM on August 19, 2013
wow, this is surprisingly gorgeous and interesting...
posted by aka burlap at 6:20 AM on August 19, 2013
posted by aka burlap at 6:20 AM on August 19, 2013
You'll be hearing from Richard MacDuff's solicitor in the morning.
posted by Herodios at 7:54 AM on August 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Herodios at 7:54 AM on August 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
The Wikipedia soundscape is build using the Howler Javascript library to play sounds. It's basically a wrapper for browser APIs that makes it easier to play MP3 or OGG samples. Listen to Bitcoin is built using Buzz.
posted by Nelson at 8:39 AM on August 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Nelson at 8:39 AM on August 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
Probably this is exactly what Spock was watching in that console of his.
"It's life, Jim, but it looks like poo."
posted by yoink at 9:30 AM on August 19, 2013
"It's life, Jim, but it looks like poo."
posted by yoink at 9:30 AM on August 19, 2013
edeezy, Some years ago I was on a bus out of Port Authority in midtown, heading into the New Jersey hinterlands. I had the good fortune to sit next to a young geek, maybe 22 years old, asked him his opinion about something and we fell into a brief but unforgettable conversation about Wikipedia.
This young guy was passionate about Wikipedia, the importance of the knowledge base for humanity, about it being free for all, unpolluted as yet by any commercials and, however risky, trusted others to edit openly. I told him how I'd loved Wikipedia from the beginning. He asked me if I edited any articles and I said I didn't feel knowledgeable enough, felt shy.
He asked me to change my thinking and if I saw even the slightest change in punctuation, grammar, spelling that I could contribute to Wikipedia, to do that and encourage others to make Wikipedia that much better. Since then, when I'm on Wikipedia, which I use almost daily, I try to give back in thanks, make any little improvement I can, even if it's just a comma and I urge you - and others - to do the same.
posted by nickyskye at 10:34 AM on August 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
This young guy was passionate about Wikipedia, the importance of the knowledge base for humanity, about it being free for all, unpolluted as yet by any commercials and, however risky, trusted others to edit openly. I told him how I'd loved Wikipedia from the beginning. He asked me if I edited any articles and I said I didn't feel knowledgeable enough, felt shy.
He asked me to change my thinking and if I saw even the slightest change in punctuation, grammar, spelling that I could contribute to Wikipedia, to do that and encourage others to make Wikipedia that much better. Since then, when I'm on Wikipedia, which I use almost daily, I try to give back in thanks, make any little improvement I can, even if it's just a comma and I urge you - and others - to do the same.
posted by nickyskye at 10:34 AM on August 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
Anyone else have an urge to check it out every time they hear a deep, low-pitched deletion? "Hey! What was that?!"
Does the variation in new-user chords mean anything, or is it just random?
posted by straight at 11:33 AM on August 19, 2013
Does the variation in new-user chords mean anything, or is it just random?
posted by straight at 11:33 AM on August 19, 2013
This is awesome and reminds me of an old Flash game... Boomshine.
My first thought was that it looks like Boomshine as well.
posted by LeLiLo at 12:01 PM on August 19, 2013
My first thought was that it looks like Boomshine as well.
posted by LeLiLo at 12:01 PM on August 19, 2013
beautiful, thank you. I wonder what determines where on the screen the edits appear?
posted by Joad at 8:58 PM on August 19, 2013
posted by Joad at 8:58 PM on August 19, 2013
Does the variation in new-user chords mean anything, or is it just random?
I wonder what determines where on the screen the edits appear?
Both random. Repeated edits to the same article appear in the same place, though. There are some explanations here.
posted by nangar at 10:17 PM on August 19, 2013
I wonder what determines where on the screen the edits appear?
Both random. Repeated edits to the same article appear in the same place, though. There are some explanations here.
posted by nangar at 10:17 PM on August 19, 2013
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posted by One Second Before Awakening at 11:37 PM on August 18, 2013 [1 favorite]