This entire article isn’t passing the sniff test for me.
Not only am I skeptical of the technology but I’m skeptical there’s an actual problem here. On the surface it feels like a softball seat filler of an article.
Not only am I skeptical of the technology but I’m skeptical there’s an actual problem here. On the surface it feels like a softball seat filler of an article.
Have you ever heard/felt a motorcycle going by while the operator flicked the throttle to cause the engine to backfire so loudly you felt it in your chest? Don't turn your head, if you look at them they'll think you think they're cool and they'll come back later so they can feel cool again. If you talk to them, they'll tell you loud pipes save lives, and when you point out that studies show that most motorcycle accidents occur due to vehicles in front of the bike, while the Doppler effect, modern cars' road noise deadening construction, and the bike's exhaust orientation direct most of the noise behind the bike, so they only serve to annoy pedestrians, they'll tell you they think they're cool.
Have you been sunbathing at the beach, risking falling asleep from the comfortable warmth of the sun, gentle rhythm of the waves, and the laughter of children playing, when someone brought a surprisingly loud Bluetooth speaker and decided that instead of those sounds you all needed to hear 90s party pop? On asking them, they might turn the music up, clearly what this beach needs is a little more NSYNC.
Have you been filling up your gas tank at a quiet gas station when a pickup truck rolled in with its windows down and country music coming over the radio, and the driver shut the engine off, opened the doors, and left the radio running so the entire assembled group of tired commuters, who were all clearly in need of some tunes, could listen together? Everyone loves country music, and those who don't, just need some exposure and then they'll like it.
I've only been to Shanghai once, and yes, the dancing grannies are a real thing that were present at a bunch of parks, but even in American national parks the same Red Guard generation of Chinese tourists are well known to be frequently rude.
This kind of behavior is rude. Put on some headphones, please, or at least turn down the volume: you shouldn't assume an exclusive right to the auditory experience of everyone at a public park.
The US' war on China means that anti-China sentiment is on the rise and that means dollar signs for publishers who are happy to toe the line.
The Guardian can fuck off.