Thread: Adverts that play sound

  1. #1
    Algorithm Dissector iMalc's Avatar
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    Adverts that play sound

    Is it just me or do others get annoyed with that "When will you die - Take the death quiz" advert?
    I had left my speakers turned up after watching something with low sound volume and then in this quiet room at night I browse to the cboard forums.
    Then all of a sudden HEHehehehahahahaaaaaa comes blasting out the speakers.
    I mean you'd think that that are trying to predict someone's a near death and then causing a heart attack to make it come true.

    When you're done having a laugh at my expense. Has anyone seen such things around before, and what does it take to prevent that advert from being allowed to play sounds?!

  2. #2
    Master Apprentice phantomotap's Avatar
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    I've just had a similar experience only a few days ago. I've since installed the audio equivalent of a "nag bar".

    Soma

  3. #3
    Lurking whiteflags's Avatar
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    Whatever it was, it wasn't as bad as Say Something!

  4. #4
    Woof, woof! zacs7's Avatar
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    I just use flash block , that plugin for firefox. Don't hear squat, unless you want to.

  5. #5
    spurious conceit MK27's Avatar
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    I only have one set of speakers and they're usually attached to something else, so I haven't noticed, but yuck.

    I little while ago I heard they were using billboards with audio spotlighting built into them downtown, so that when you walk by the billboard, which could be 50 or 100 feet up, you are subject to a blast of focussed ultrasonic sound that creates a small bubble around your head (aimed with a camera!) within which a taped message can be heard for a number of seconds, while the camera is able to follow.

    Of course now when I'm in Manhattan I have to spend half the time trying to position myself on the sidewalk, in intersections, etc. trying to trigger a likely looking billboard candidate.

    Kind of demonstrates how totally pathetic the government is when it comes to applying any form of reasonable constraint on the practice of business tho. What's next: sedative gas?
    C programming resources:
    GNU C Function and Macro Index -- glibc reference manual
    The C Book -- nice online learner guide
    Current ISO draft standard
    CCAN -- new CPAN like open source library repository
    3 (different) GNU debugger tutorials: #1 -- #2 -- #3
    cpwiki -- our wiki on sourceforge

  6. #6
    (?<!re)tired Mario F.'s Avatar
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    To no go totally OT on the next paragraph, I do get extremely annoyed at any sort of sound on web adverts or even webpages. Fortunately our browsers, particularly Firefox, have all the tools we need. Flash Block as Zacs mentioned, or AdBlock Plus for an even more extreme solution.

    Now, the OT. Recently, I was on another forum and the discussion popped out of someone complaining about some advert. I suggested AdBlock Plus and was quickly "reminded" the forums TOS prohibited the use of any form of ad blocker on our browsers. That's right.

    So, because I was in a good mood that day, I exerted my right to Civil Disobedience by announcing I used ad blockers, would not remove or disable ad blockers and they had no business telling me what to do. I also happened to call them a bunch of fascists.

    I was banned for life.
    Power to the people!
    Last edited by Mario F.; 07-13-2009 at 07:17 AM.
    Originally Posted by brewbuck:
    Reimplementing a large system in another language to get a 25% performance boost is nonsense. It would be cheaper to just get a computer which is 25% faster.

  7. #7
    spurious conceit MK27's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mario F. View Post
    I also happened to call them a bunch of fascists.

    I was banned for life.
    Power to the people!
    !! too much. You're right to do that tho, people should not just have to blindly swallow everything.

    Please: You have to at least tell us what forum it was so I can test my bots out

    Oddly enough, one of the guys from "Off the Hook", a weekly show at WBAI (FM) in NYC by computer hackers from 2600.com (which the show has been on since the 80's!) did claim he filed a public nuisance complaint about one of the audio spotlight billboards near his house, and that it got shut off!* You should google around about TOS stuff, I think there are some limitations on them, like they cannot put trick questions in to the effect that you have just signed your estate over to the forum, etc, and certainly this should be among them.

    *possibly to prevent a larger campaign that would get them all shut off.
    Last edited by MK27; 07-13-2009 at 08:03 AM.
    C programming resources:
    GNU C Function and Macro Index -- glibc reference manual
    The C Book -- nice online learner guide
    Current ISO draft standard
    CCAN -- new CPAN like open source library repository
    3 (different) GNU debugger tutorials: #1 -- #2 -- #3
    cpwiki -- our wiki on sourceforge

  8. #8
    (?<!re)tired Mario F.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MK27 View Post
    Please: You have to at least tell us what forum it was so I can test my bots out
    That's just too scary a thought. No.

    Quote Originally Posted by MK27 View Post
    You should google around about TOS stuff, I think there are some limitations on them
    In my country that TOS would be illegal. And I told them so. It's still unclear to me, when browsing the web, what's the exact jurisdiction. I think these issues are still at large unaccounted for. However, their froum is also hosted in a EU country and since most of that type of legislation is common to EU countries, I'd go as far as suggest their are breaking their own laws. And I told them as much too.
    Originally Posted by brewbuck:
    Reimplementing a large system in another language to get a 25% performance boost is nonsense. It would be cheaper to just get a computer which is 25% faster.

  9. #9
    Banned ಠ_ಠ's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MK27 View Post
    Please: You have to at least tell us what forum it was so I can test my bots out
    shock images ftw
    ╔╗╔══╦╗
    ║║║╔╗║║
    ║╚╣╚╝║╚╗
    ╚═╩══╩═╝

  10. #10
    Algorithm Dissector iMalc's Avatar
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    Sorry, I don't want to get anyone into trouble here, and don't actually want to block ads myself (the latest Evony one is a slight improvement - still no desire to go anywhere near that game though), it's just that I think the ads crossover into the audio domain is stepping over the line in this case.
    I'm not necessarily looking for a solution I guess. I can just turn my speakers off every time I browse this site (as I have now). But I welcome any rule-abiding discussion.

  11. #11
    (?<!re)tired Mario F.'s Avatar
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    erm... i don't think there is any rule against ad blocks on cboard, iMalc.
    Originally Posted by brewbuck:
    Reimplementing a large system in another language to get a 25% performance boost is nonsense. It would be cheaper to just get a computer which is 25% faster.

  12. #12
    spurious conceit MK27's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by iMalc View Post
    I think the ads crossover into the audio domain is stepping over the line in this case.
    Totally. I'm gonna take a shot in the dark tho and guess that cboard can't do anything about it either, because it involves google.

    Which means that tish will be everywhere fast. Hopefully this will become a broader public issue and google will have to come up with some kind of more respectful policy, vis, allowing sites to decline ads in rotation with audio. Which then the advertisers will give it up.

    I'd rather not block ads, because money has to come from somewhere and if the advertisers knew everyone was blocking them they'd stop. But if I was in the habit of using my speakers a lot, eg, to listen to a stream or something (which must be fairly common) and friggin flash audio kept getting overlaid, I definitely would start. They are gonna shoot themselves in the foot with this. Most people will find it too way too aggressive as well.
    Last edited by MK27; 07-13-2009 at 01:46 PM.
    C programming resources:
    GNU C Function and Macro Index -- glibc reference manual
    The C Book -- nice online learner guide
    Current ISO draft standard
    CCAN -- new CPAN like open source library repository
    3 (different) GNU debugger tutorials: #1 -- #2 -- #3
    cpwiki -- our wiki on sourceforge

  13. #13
    Malum in se abachler's Avatar
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    I find it annoying, always have, its a fad that pops up every 5 or 10 years though. When they finally figure out that it alienates people they will stop doing it. I just think it is interesting that the people making this spam don't learn from history. If I go to a site that has sound I simply stop going to that site.

    And you should try evony, its kinda lame but fun. Just don't get suckered into buying any evony cents. Can't expect much from a 'free' game, and they do annoy you with in game email enticing you to buy they game money.

  14. #14
    Woof, woof! zacs7's Avatar
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    I agree the sound is annoying, although they're only using two of your senses. Just wait until they start using the rest.

  15. #15
    Algorithm Dissector iMalc's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by abachler View Post
    And you should try evony, its kinda lame but fun. Just don't get suckered into buying any evony cents. Can't expect much from a 'free' game, and they do annoy you with in game email enticing you to buy they game money.
    Oh my partner plays it. So yeah I've seen it and I know it is absolutely not my kettle of fish.
    It's also pretty annoying because it's so very real-time that you can't afford to not play for a while because you get plundered to bits. Guess how many times we had to use an internet connection on our last holiday...

    zacs7: It'll surely be a long time before we can smell any adverts over the net, but with any luck they wouldn't be stupid enough to give disgusting smells that would obviously turn people away. Then again, they might advertise TV programs like "Dirty jobs with Mike Rowe" .

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