This is really silly, but I've noticed my MacBook make a wolf-like howling sound in the evening and a rooster-like crowing sound early in the morning. Other than these two general time constraints, it seems to do it completely at random, and doesn't appear to be associated with any of my apps or widgets. It isn't a huge problem, really, but being unable to finds its source has been driving me crazy. What's causing this?
Macbook Howls and Crows
- Thread starter Navi1101
- Start date
lol, nice. ^^; But seriously, I don't have any alarms set, now would I know how to set one with the apps I have even if I wanted to. Besides, it doesn't do it at any specific time; sometimes it howls during my evening classes, other times not until I'm getting ready for bed. It's really weird...
Doctor X
Registered
Has anyone had access to your computer? I know it is the type of joke I would "set" on someone's computer.
Can you post your specs?
Also check to see what is in your various "sound" folders--for alerts. My MacBook with 10.5 did not come with a rooster or wolf sound file to my knowledge!
--J.D.
Can you post your specs?
Also check to see what is in your various "sound" folders--for alerts. My MacBook with 10.5 did not come with a rooster or wolf sound file to my knowledge!
--J.D.
Nobody's had access to my computer, and as random as the sounds appear, it seems like it'd be a pretty complicated prank to implement. The Sounds menu in System prefs was completely unhelpful, but I don't have any special alerts set as far as I know.
My comp is a 2.4 GHz Macbook with an Intel Core 2 Duo prcessor and plenty of HD space left. The widgets currently on my Dashboard include:
My comp is a 2.4 GHz Macbook with an Intel Core 2 Duo prcessor and plenty of HD space left. The widgets currently on my Dashboard include:
- iCal
- Pong Clock
- I Can Has Cheezburger? feed
- Bubble Trouble
- Calculator
- Yahoo! Finance
- The Weather Channel
- Flappie
- Chi Pet
- Fortune
- iStat Nano
7:07 am: Crowed. Nothing in the logs since 6:24, unless there's someplace I'm not looking...
(JD, Pong Clock is just a basic clock, but it plays pong in the display (on the clock face, as it were). The user can pick up a paddle and play against the computer at any time, if she likes. It' pretty cool, but not too useful. ^^; )
(JD, Pong Clock is just a basic clock, but it plays pong in the display (on the clock face, as it were). The user can pick up a paddle and play against the computer at any time, if she likes. It' pretty cool, but not too useful. ^^; )
*bump*
5:00 pm exactly: Howled.
Most recent log entry before howl:
1/5/09 4:57:01 PM ntpd[25] time reset -1.875777 s
No such thing appeared in the log before the last observed animal noise, as I recall.
Seriously, has anyone else ever experienced this? It's really weirding me out...
5:00 pm exactly: Howled.
Most recent log entry before howl:
1/5/09 4:57:01 PM ntpd[25] time reset -1.875777 s
No such thing appeared in the log before the last observed animal noise, as I recall.
Seriously, has anyone else ever experienced this? It's really weirding me out...
DeltaMac
Tech
It's an alarm, probably set to some defaults from when you (or someone else - the joker!) installed the related software. Which software? Lots of possibilities, I suppose. You will likely find that it is related to an extra menu icon near the right end of your menubar.
One primary time seems to be 5:00 PM
Have your Activity Monitor open at that time, set to show Active Processes.
Sort by CPU, so highest CPU is sorted to the top
You should see whatever is triggering the alarm suddenly appear in that list, at least for a few moments.
One primary time seems to be 5:00 PM
Have your Activity Monitor open at that time, set to show Active Processes.
Sort by CPU, so highest CPU is sorted to the top
You should see whatever is triggering the alarm suddenly appear in that list, at least for a few moments.
5:13 pm: howled when I first opened it up, waking it from Sleep mode. Didn't get a chance to spot anything on the Activity Monitor, but I'll try that next chance I get.
The only things in my menu bar are Growl, Spaces, Bluetooth, AirPort, Ink, and the volume control, language settings, battery monitor, clock, and Spotlight. I would firstly accuse it of being Growl, but that's a pretty common program and I'm having a pretty uncommon experience. You'd think if it came from something so ubiquitous, other people would have heard of it.
And Doc, thank your minions for the suggestion, but I think submerging my 'Book in anything would quiet much more than a few weird noises. ^^;
The only things in my menu bar are Growl, Spaces, Bluetooth, AirPort, Ink, and the volume control, language settings, battery monitor, clock, and Spotlight. I would firstly accuse it of being Growl, but that's a pretty common program and I'm having a pretty uncommon experience. You'd think if it came from something so ubiquitous, other people would have heard of it.
And Doc, thank your minions for the suggestion, but I think submerging my 'Book in anything would quiet much more than a few weird noises. ^^;
5:15 pm: howled. Console shows the following as most recent entry under All Messages:
So, like I said before, nothing regarding the strange noises shows up in the console. I checked my Login Items, and the only things there are the iTunes Helper and a few Growl items, and of those only the iTunes Helper is checked. For that matter, it doesn't happen only when I log in; this most recent howl occurred after I'd been on for about an hour and a half.
As I've also said before, nobody of significance has had access to my computer since this started happening, which was right around when I first got it in about June. The people who have had access honestly probably couldn't install a Mac app if their lives depended on it, much less do so and cover their tracks so well that I couldn't find it. Nor would they want to...
Doc, I give, but I think I'll start with the minor cleansing and exorcising rituals first, once I can find my scroll-writing brush and my good incense.
1/12/09 4:55:44 PM [0x0-0xe00e0].org.mozilla.firefox[5334] Debugger() was called!
So, like I said before, nothing regarding the strange noises shows up in the console. I checked my Login Items, and the only things there are the iTunes Helper and a few Growl items, and of those only the iTunes Helper is checked. For that matter, it doesn't happen only when I log in; this most recent howl occurred after I'd been on for about an hour and a half.
As I've also said before, nobody of significance has had access to my computer since this started happening, which was right around when I first got it in about June. The people who have had access honestly probably couldn't install a Mac app if their lives depended on it, much less do so and cover their tracks so well that I couldn't find it. Nor would they want to...
Doc, I give, but I think I'll start with the minor cleansing and exorcising rituals first, once I can find my scroll-writing brush and my good incense.
VirtualTracy
Thunderbirds are GO!
Only thing I can offer is have you been to Woot! (woot.com)?
They have trackers/widgets that make all sorts of noises when you least expect it:
Par example
click the test link to hear the sound ....
There is an email alert service too ... don't know if that would do it, tho'
You're not alone ...
.
They have trackers/widgets that make all sorts of noises when you least expect it:
Par example
click the test link to hear the sound ....
There is an email alert service too ... don't know if that would do it, tho'
You're not alone ...
.
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5:16 pm: howled.
That would make sense if I had ever been to woot.com in my life. Although, along the lines of somebody-installed-something-without-my-knowledge, perhaps one of my friends did access that site at some point; pretty much every time this thing's been borrowed, it's been for internet use. Would it keep making noises even though the site itself isn't open? *goes to check it out*
Now that I notice it, though, it does seem to occur whenever I have Firefox running. But then, I pretty much always have Firefox running...
UPDATE: I went there and found the Enable option highlighted. I changed it to Mute, so we'll see what happens tomorrow (oddly, though, the Show option was also enabled, and I haven't ever seen anything from there).
That would make sense if I had ever been to woot.com in my life. Although, along the lines of somebody-installed-something-without-my-knowledge, perhaps one of my friends did access that site at some point; pretty much every time this thing's been borrowed, it's been for internet use. Would it keep making noises even though the site itself isn't open? *goes to check it out*
Now that I notice it, though, it does seem to occur whenever I have Firefox running. But then, I pretty much always have Firefox running...
UPDATE: I went there and found the Enable option highlighted. I changed it to Mute, so we'll see what happens tomorrow (oddly, though, the Show option was also enabled, and I haven't ever seen anything from there).