Japan's Melody Roads Play Music as You Drive

Krishna Dagli writes "The road works by using grooves, which are cut at very specific intervals in the surface. Just as traveling over small speed bumps or road markings can emit a rumbling tone throughout a vehicle, the melody road uses the spaces between to create different notes."

Reverse

[pete-classic]

If you drive up that road in reverse it says, "Paul is dead."

-Peter

Re:As in

[Farmer Tim]

But what if you dont like the song?

Change lanes.

"No officer, I wasn't driving dangerously, I was in shuffle mode".

Re:As in

[LordEd]

But what if you dont like the song?

Fast forward?

Not songs

[Harmonious Botch]

What is the motive for playing songs? Maybe the Japanese, with their radically different sense of aesthetics, will play songs. But Americans will have advertising:

rummmble...rumbble..Today's...screee...special...rummble...at..Wal-Mart...rummble...voice...suppression...rummble...tires!

Re:RIAA

[innerweb]

Troll Road?

InnerWeb

Deterrence

[pavon]

While it looks like these were done just for fun, one idea I have heard is to place them only in the passing lane, at regular intervals. This would discorage people from staying in that lane any longer than they need to, else be forced to listen to "It's a Small World" at increasingly annoying pitch the faster they drive :)

Re:You mean like...

[tjstork]

Not yet. But your kids will be trying to sneak to Canada, I can guarantee you that

More people have snuck into the United States in the last thirty years than live in Canada, I can guarantee you that!

Re:Reverse

[noidentity]

If you drive in reverse, someone's going to be dead pretty quicky.

Re:Old Japanese Dup?

[Rebelgecko]

I was kind of hoping to see a translated page full of people saying "All your roads are belong to us." However,

When it adjusts to the key of the taste, (score: 3, it is strange funny)

and

The placebo effect that "Hirai it is said hard",
You deduct amount, certainly Hirai hard the Poka is.
Increasing the refresh rate of Hirai hard tune conversely, one blue
Whether or not it becomes, just a little it is not understood, but.

made up for the lack of Zero Wing.

Re:As in

[Debug0x2a]

Sir, do you realize you were traveling at over 300 bpm? I'm going to have to ticket you for driving at prestissimo speeds.

Re:As in

[omeomi]

Should be an interesting way to gauge your own speed. Besides using an odometer.

A lot of people find the speedometer easier to use than the odometer for determining their speed...

insults

[MikeFM]

I've thought of using the grooves along the road to make a menacing voice for years. 'Get your ass back on the road stupid!' or some such thing. I think it's more American than playing music.

Pitch surely depends on speed

[chogben]

If you get a flat, do you get A flat?

Gravel road highway

[heretic108]

Boy: Daddy, why are we driving on gravel road?
Dad: I don't know, Watusabi. It was tar sealed road yesterday.

(500 metres later)

Boy: What's that sign say, Daddy?
Dad (slowing down and reading sign): "This melody road contains copyrighted music. Under the DMCA, and Japan's copyright treaty obligations, this road has been dug up to remove the infringing notes"

First bugle?

[commodoresloat]

I looked at that translation; check out the moderations -- "score 3, It is strange funny" and "score 4, splendid discernment." For the hell of it, I used babelfish to translate "First post" from English to Japanese and then back again. The result was "Engaging in floor bugle."

Re:insults

[Hognoxious]

You could make it say "wrong way" if you are indeed driving the wrong way. The trouble is that when you drive on it the right way, people would think it says "Paul is dead" or encourages them to commit suicide.

Re:As in

[BakaHoushi]

Personally, I like to use an outside observer and general relativity to monitor my speed. I simply have someone watch me drive, and if it seems as if time in my car has slowed down, and the car and I have increased in mass, they tell me and I slow down.

Re:As in

[rucs_hack]

I wonder what it sounds like if you drive in reverse?

Re:As in

[Anonymous Coward]

It sounds like the devil.

Re:Mod Parent...

[Anonymous Coward]

FUNNY, not Insightful! SHEESH!

Funny gives no karma.

Re:As in

[El Icaro]

Even worse... forwards it installs Windows!

Oh wait...

Re:As in

[PopeRatzo]

Oh, the road to my woman's house
only plays the blues.

Re:As in

[jelton]

Wrong! We're in Funky Town at the corner of Electric Avenue and Oh my god I can't believe I'm making this joke!