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The music behind the bits: an aural exploration of the internet

The music behind the bits: an aural exploration of the internet

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Giles Turnbull at The Morning News took a listen to sounds produced by the internet, from the steady roar of a server to a computer's browser history, converted and rendered in musical form.

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Waveform by Michael Altemark (Flickr)
Waveform by Michael Altemark (Flickr)

The sound of an old-school dial-up modem can be slowed down to create a haunting, ethereal soundscape, but what does today's internet sound like? Giles Turnbull at The Morning News took a listen — everything from recording the steady, roaring breath of a server's fan, to using software tools to convert a computer's browser history into a playable music stream. The results are fascinating to hear, and surprising in that they reveal the pulse of digital life beneath the online activities we participate in every single day. You can hear one such example below, but to get a real sense of the soundscapes that surround us, be sure to check out Turnbull's piece itself.