Humming Vibrating Device in Apartment Tower Sent 25 Residents ‘Insane’
SomeGuy writes:
An electric humming vibrator designed to upset neighbors operated for about a month inside New Zealand's tallest apartment tower, sending 25 neighbors "just about insane" before it was discovered and disabled, a resident says.
[...] The device was plugged into the mains and had a metal rod nearly the height of the window and a purple plastic device on the end.
A resident explained a man had installed it in a window cavity, behind a blind, specifically to aggravate his upstairs neighbors for unknown reasons: "The device causes a low vibrating-type hum at about 35-40 cycles per minute at about 80hz. It sounded like a cellphone ringing on vibrate stuck in the wall, but it never stopped and just continued all day, all night."
[...] Ceiling vibrators have a long, height-adjustable rod to run from floor to ceiling and make vibrations or a knocking noise from the head. They can be remote controlled and once switched on, they transmit to upstairs neighbors. Thumpers were said to be invented in China and are sometimes referred to as "noisemaker revenge machines".
[...] "It just about sent 25 residents insane because it took a month for it to be located. Everyone thought it was an electrical or mechanical issue that created a dull, repetitive noise 24 hours a day. I know of residents who couldn't sleep and abandoned parts of their apartments," the resident said.
Read more of this story at SoylentNews.