Aaron Friedman, The Alarmist

Aaron Friedman has put off his composing in order to push legislation in New York City that would ban the audible alarms, which shriek at 125 decibels

computer to violently research the problem?The one time I was most irate, I charged into the street and saw someone getting into the car that had kept me up all night. I laid into him good. But it turned out he didn't speak English.We have a brother who lives in Brooklyn and who is a graphic designer. He complains about the same thing. Maybe the problem isn't the alarms. Maybe it's all you artists and your creative temperaments.It's interesting because I've had people tell me they tune it out. But studies show that even people who think they've gotten used to the noise haven't. They show higher levels of stress hormones and higher blood pressure than people who aren't subjected to the noise.Why do you think so many people invest in a piece of security that doesn't work at all?Car alarms are a sales scam. I think there's a macho element too. People like the idea that it will draw attention when they walk away and do the "bloop-bloop" with their key chains.Speaking of key chains, you've noted that for $75 people can get a pager for their key chain that vibrates when someone messes with their car. It's a silent and possibly more effective solution than the noisemakers.Brilliant right? Instead of a town crier yelling out the time, you get a wristwatch. But they're not very popular. In a way, I think it's because it makes you responsible for your own car. An alarm puts the onus on everyone who's hearing it.Charles Dickens, among others, got organ-grinders banned from the streets of London once upon a time. But after they were gone, people missed them. Will the same happen if car alarms get banned?No. No one likes the sound of a car alarm. It's purposefully obnoxious. I can't wait 'til they're gone. It happens all the time, that when I'm researching and writing on car alarms, a car alarm goes off. And I think to myself, "Someday I'll get you, my friend. You just wait." It's almost satisfying. N