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In one of the boxes in San Francisco, a spy device is found that works on the side of good.
A device for "vibe monitoring" has appeared in San Francisco - the Bop Spotter project, created by technologist Riley Walz. A microphone is attached to one of the streets of the Mission district, which listens to and identifies popular songs. To do this, Walz installed a box on a pole with an Android phone that runs on solar energy and periodically sends recordings to the Shazam API service to identify songs playing on the streets.
Walz himself describes the Bop Spotter as analogous to the ShotSpotter system, only instead of the sounds of gunshots, the system captures music. "This is surveillance of culture. No one notices and does not give consent, but this is not about catching criminals. It's about catching a vibe," the project's website says.
ShotSpotter, which Walz refers to, is a gunshot detection microphone system used in various cities in the United States. However, the effectiveness of the technology raises questions: the device often mistakes the sounds of fireworks or car exhaust for shooting. For example, in Chicago, which has been using the services of ShotSpotter for a long time, the authorities decided to refuse to renew the contract with the company.
Bop Spotter tracks popular music that people play on the streets from cars or just on the go. The idea for the project came to Walz because of his habit of frequently using Shazam at parties, in stores, or on the street.
Bop Spotter site with recognized music
The operation of the device is organized as follows: the phone is connected to a solar panel, sound recording is carried out in blocks of 10 minutes in "flight mode". The phone then connects to Wi-Fi to transfer data to the server. There, audio files are broken down into 20-second chunks and sent to the Shazam API to identify the music. Using Shazam directly on the device would be too power-consuming, so an alternative solution is implemented. According to Walz, the entire project cost about $100.
On the Bop Spotter site, you can see a steady stream of recognized songs, as well as links to Spotify and Apple Music. The site also displays the device's battery level in real time, which, according to Walz, is 4 times higher than what the phone needs to work.
The author of the project does not disclose the exact location of the phone, but admits that it will not be difficult to find it for those who know what to look for. Walz hopes that the device will be able to work for several years.
Source
A device for "vibe monitoring" has appeared in San Francisco - the Bop Spotter project, created by technologist Riley Walz. A microphone is attached to one of the streets of the Mission district, which listens to and identifies popular songs. To do this, Walz installed a box on a pole with an Android phone that runs on solar energy and periodically sends recordings to the Shazam API service to identify songs playing on the streets.
Walz himself describes the Bop Spotter as analogous to the ShotSpotter system, only instead of the sounds of gunshots, the system captures music. "This is surveillance of culture. No one notices and does not give consent, but this is not about catching criminals. It's about catching a vibe," the project's website says.
ShotSpotter, which Walz refers to, is a gunshot detection microphone system used in various cities in the United States. However, the effectiveness of the technology raises questions: the device often mistakes the sounds of fireworks or car exhaust for shooting. For example, in Chicago, which has been using the services of ShotSpotter for a long time, the authorities decided to refuse to renew the contract with the company.
Bop Spotter tracks popular music that people play on the streets from cars or just on the go. The idea for the project came to Walz because of his habit of frequently using Shazam at parties, in stores, or on the street.
Bop Spotter site with recognized music
The operation of the device is organized as follows: the phone is connected to a solar panel, sound recording is carried out in blocks of 10 minutes in "flight mode". The phone then connects to Wi-Fi to transfer data to the server. There, audio files are broken down into 20-second chunks and sent to the Shazam API to identify the music. Using Shazam directly on the device would be too power-consuming, so an alternative solution is implemented. According to Walz, the entire project cost about $100.
On the Bop Spotter site, you can see a steady stream of recognized songs, as well as links to Spotify and Apple Music. The site also displays the device's battery level in real time, which, according to Walz, is 4 times higher than what the phone needs to work.
The author of the project does not disclose the exact location of the phone, but admits that it will not be difficult to find it for those who know what to look for. Walz hopes that the device will be able to work for several years.
Source
