December 2, 2020

The expressive bridge.

38 comments:

Lucien said...

Yep, that audio should be saved by every effects person in Hollywood.

rhhardin said...

It the Tacoma Narrows bridge on the East coast.

stevew said...

Very cool. Unintended by the designer. Personally I prefer the sound of the wind moving through the tops of pine trees.

Howard said...

It sounds like the graveyard whistling past the humans

Leland said...

It doesn't need sound. When you see the bridge heaving as if it is breathing; it is best not to get on it. That wind makes noise and Nate Silver thinks it is SciFi tells me a lot about his grasp of science, which matches his grasp of statistics.

Phil 314 said...

Now add in a battalion marching across in lockstep and lets see how it stands up.

gspencer said...

More like a pod of whales.

Lash LaRue said...

It’s out of tune. Time to fix that.

boatbuilder said...

I am getting pretty damn cynical. It was windy yesterday, but not that windy. It's windy a lot in NYC.

I bet with a bunch of cars and trucks on it you don't hear the noise and it doesn't move as much.

I think they shut it down as a test run for when they need to.

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get you.

Fritz said...

… The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the captain did too
T'was the witch of November come stealin'

mockturtle said...

Nothing to compare to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 1940: Galloping Gertie Collapses

ga6 said...

Nate; that is what you will here just before the mother ship arrive and teleports your skinny ass...

ga6 said...

hear ahhhhhhh!!!!!!

Dust Bunny Queen said...

boatbuilder said...I am getting pretty damn cynical. It was windy yesterday, but not that windy. It's windy a lot in NYC.

Try living in California where they shut down the electricity.... for days... when we have 5 to 10 mph winds.

Because they can't build reliable bridges or fix the bridges or in Ca. refuse to take care of the forest management according to all recommendations....people get to suffer.

No money for maintenance but lots of funding for social justice programs and juicy retirement programs for government workers.

ceowens said...

stevew, I once asked on "A Way With Words" what was the name of that sound. Leaves rustle. What do line needles do? They came up with susurration. Apparently the noun is susurrus. What is the verb? Susurrusing does not exactly flow.

ceowens said...

Pine needles.

LordSomber said...

Similar to the alien sound in 2005's "War of the Worlds" but more metallic, less trombone-y.

Bunkypotatohead said...

"Listen with the sound on"

Is there some other way to listen?

Leland said...

California where they shut down the electricity.... for days... when we have 5 to 10 mph winds.

And they want to build more wind farms. Nothing like reducing demand during peak supply to encourage investors.

Birkel said...

If Nate Silver is making predictions about the bridge, I take the other side.

Michael K said...

That bridge was built before anyone thought of putting a model of a bridge in a wind tunnel. Now, the problem is lack of maintenance by Democrat administrations.

rhhardin said...

Von Karman vortices (wind whistling in the wires) change pitch with wind speed; this is just the steel joints squeaking.

stevew said...

ceowens: very interesting, it is a unique sound, to my ears, and that word is a perfect fit!

Readering said...

When was the bridge built? I think NYC has had Democratic administrations for something like 26 of the last 65 years.

JAORE said...

Long bridges with cables are problematic that way. Even wind tunnel testing has limits. For example the cables, in the real world, can act differently with rain water streaming down. Lot's better computer modelling and retrofit things like little wind vanes have helped.

Cool sound though.

FWIW the Gallapin' Gerty video is SOP for every entry level bridge design class. It's an attention geetter.

Howard said...

I don't trust suspension bridges not painted red

I'm Not Sure said...

"I think NYC has had Democratic administrations for something like 26 of the last 65 years."

You need to think again. Because you're wrong.

Sam L. said...

Well, it wasn't the "Galloping Gertie" bridge many years ago in Washington State, but still...

Joe Smith said...

Libs: 'Build bridges not walls!'

Me: 'Not if they're scary fucking bridges' : )

Sam L. said...

Given that it's Wikipedia, I find only 28 years of Republican mayors since LaGuardia.

Readering said...

Bloomberg independent for a while. Lindsey both parties.

Mid-Life Lawyer said...

I ran across that bridge in the 2003 NYC Marathon with about 40,000 of my closest friends. After seeing that, I don't know if I'm willing to do that again. Not right now for sure.

rcocean said...

Yep, those kind of bridges can get a little frisky when there's a high wind. If they're badly designed, or the wind is strong enough, they collapse. Tacoma Narrows bridge anyone?

I'm Not Sure said...

"Bloomberg independent for a while. Lindsey both parties."

Allowing for that... since 1954, it's been Democrats for 42 years, Republicans for 16.

If you can't even do simple addition, I don't know why anybody should pay any attention to what you say.

Readering said...

Bridge not built in 54. Not fair to blame Dems for not maintaining it back then

I'm Not Sure said...

Readering said...

"I think NYC has had Democratic administrations for something like 26 of the last 65 years."

2020-65 = 1955

So you can't subtract, either? Figures.

mockturtle said...

When I strapped my kayaks to the roof of my car, I always put one twist in the bow line or it would sing, and not pleasantly.

Richard Dolan said...

It's a lovely bridge and has gone through many hurricanes since it was built (the last one being 2012's Sandy that made quite a mess in NYC). All that energy from the wind has to go somewhere, and a little bridge-waltzing isn't going to hurt anyone.

The B&T guys had to close it because so many drivers from NJ use it. Jersey drivers are the worst. Ask anyone.