Computer: Operating System: Windows
Random Sound Schemes   (+1, -1)  [vote for, against]
How 'bout a little variety, Mr. Gates?

Instead of having an event linked to a single sound byte, have it linked to a set of clips, so the computer randomly chooses one from the list at each occurrance of the event.

A few you could tie in to the error message, si quieres:

Obligatory Homer "D'oh"
"I like you, but you're crazy" Will Ferrell in Old School.
"Are you serious? I just...I just told you that a moment ago." (From Zoolander)
"Chut up" - both the asian girl and Donnie's friend's imitation (from Donnie Darko).

-- yabba do yabba dabba, Oct 14 2004

I thought the idea behind the sounds was for the sound to correlate to a specific event to aid in recognition of that event. I don't think randomizing the sounds would help. Heck, why tie the sounds to any event at all? Let random sounds play at random times.

Then again, I turn off most of that stuff so my opinion probably doesn't mean much.

If'n ya really wanted to, it probably wouldn't be life-threateningly difficult to write an application that would go through and remap the sounds randomly. In Windows, you could probably detect the firing of specific events and change the sound for each occurence of that event. Install it as a service under XP and you're all set.
-- half, Oct 14 2004


In windows, you could probably....
In windows, I can not.

And all of the sounds will still make you think you did something wrong, or the cpu needs input, or you got mail, or what-have-you.
-- yabba do yabba dabba, Oct 14 2004


Agreed, but they don't differentiate or designate any one thing so, in my mind, that puts us back to having a single "beep". I'll remain neutral on this one.

Convince some open source people that Microsoft is poised to monopolize this feature and somebody will write the code to do the job. :D
-- half, Oct 14 2004



random, halfbakery