Hi Guys,

Here is a bizarre one that shows you just how powerful sound and frequency can be.

As reported by the register, “The music video for Janet Jackson’s 1989 pop hit Rhythm Nation has been recognized as a cybersecurity vulnerability after Microsoft reported it can crash old laptop computers.”

You can read Microsoft blogger Raymond Chen’s full article HERE, but in a nutshell:

  • A major computer manufacturer discovered that playing the music video for Janet Jackson’s “Rhythm Nation” would crash certain models of laptops.
  • During the investigation, they also found that playing the music video also crashed some of their competitors’ laptops that were sitting nearby
  • It turns out that the song contained one of the natural resonant frequencies for the model of 5400 rpm laptop hard drives that they and other manufacturers used.
  • When the song was played, it would cause the 5400 rpm laptop hard drives to crash.

Janet Jackson aside, acoustic weapons have been used for many years by governments for all sorts of things, from crowd control to targetting politicians inside of foreign embassies. These weapons can cause various problems, from vertigo, imbalance, intolerable sensations, incapacitation, disorientation, nausea, vomiting, and bowel spasms (have you heard about brown note frequency?)

Here are two links from ACLU and Popular Mechanics.

Careful what you listen to..

All the best,

Max