News Summary

• For decades, microwaves have used the same technology to generate their penetrating pings: a small, cheap device called a passive piezoelectric buzzer.
• Joel Corelitz and Colin Coogan from Starling created a series of sounds that are a world away from traditional microwave beeps.
• All are created using the same kit inside the box sitting in your kitchen.
• The use of “beep” to mean a short, high-pitched sound first appeared in an Arthur C.
• Clarke sci-fi story, The Sands of Mars, as recently as 1951.