I tried on two occasions to record my scooter while I was zipping around the city, but the mic’s foam windscreen let too much wind noise through. That and the frequent stop-and-go city traffic made for a jarring listening experience. So in the interest of “white noise” over realism, I recorded a few minutes of my Vespa’s 4-stroke, 150cc engine just idling.

This post originally appeared on White Noise Lounge.

At either end of the Golden Gate Bridge, there are ribbed joints in the surface of the roadway. I don’t think they’re expansion joints, I think they simply connect the surface of the approach to the surface of the bridge itself. Since they’re about two feet wide, the ribs add traction to the metal surface in wet weather. They also make a really neat sound, especially in rush hour traffic. Like mechanical (or maniacal?) barking sea lions.

This post originally appeared on White Noise Lounge.

One of San Francisco’s characteristic charms is the cable car. Mostly ridden by tourists, it is still one of the locals’ chosen commute methods.

What is striking about the cable car is that, well, it’s pulled by cables… still blows my mind! The cables run continuously under the street, sometimes making a ringing sound. 10pm on a weeknight at Hyde and Washington is a prime time to experience it.

—written by MC Soleil

This post originally appeared on White Noise Lounge.

My dad uses an electric shaver, so when it came time for me to shave, I also chose an electric shaver. I tried an actual razor once in college, and I felt like it took off a whole layer of skin on my face. Even with an electric shaver, I only shave every other day (or lately every 2 days) to prevent my skin from getting too raw.

This post originally appeared on White Noise Lounge.

First of all, welcome to White Noise Lounge. A week ago MC Soleil and I had this wacky idea to broadcast white noise over the internet. So we decided to start an audio blog of the ambient sounds in our environment and on our travels. Not strictly white noise, but in the same vein. This is our first post.

This afternoon I did the dishes. Washed by hand because we don’t have a dishwasher, and because I actually enjoy washing the dishes by hand. Two people don’t make that many dishes, but there are always a lot of glasses to wash. We mostly drink water, and since they all look the same, we’re constantly forgetting whose glass is whose.

This post originally appeared on White Noise Lounge.