Static

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   How many movies or shows have included the myth about hearing voices in static from a radio or TV?  It's been some time since a person's been bold enough to publicly claim the experienced happened to them (and it didn't involve aliens).

   That may be due to the switch from analog to digital broadcasts more than just a push to medicate people diagnosed with schizophrenia.

   Without good old analog broadcast frequencies it's just not as likely to happen or be imagined.  Digital broadcasts just aren't continuous or powerful enough to exhibit the effect.

   You'd think a cell phone would meet the power requirements with it being so close.  But if everyone was hearing disembodied voices just because they owned a cell phone...

   In this case it's a poor use of time to reminisce about better days and what used to be.  Instead here are step-by-step instructions to make the world just like it's remembered.

   You'll need to already own a laptop or desktop computer to keep the cost reasonable. What you'll need in total is:

• 1 laptop or desktop computer with open USB ports.
• 2 SDR (software defined radio) units with both transmit and receive capability (they plug into the USB ports).
• 1 LCD TV (am assuming you owned one).

   Each SDR unit can be purchased for under $99.  Be sure to check that the model you get supports 2 of them at the same time in the same computer.  Otherwise you'll need a separate computer to operate each one.

Instructions (not extremely detailed but expect someone will understand):

1. Set one SDR radio unit to transmit a frequency continuously.  What level of power to use might be trial and error.
2. Set the other SDR radio unit to receive the same frequency.
3. Position the TV at a 45 degree angle to the SDR radio set to transmit.  The 45 degrees is just a guess though. What we want to happen is for sounds near the TV to vibrate it as usual but get picked up in the signal from the transmitter a it's reflected off the TV screen. What angle to use might also be trial and error.
4. Position the SDR radio unit set to receive near the TV but it needs to be SHIELDED in the direction of the SDR radio unit that's transmitting.  What we want is to pick up the signal reflecting off the TV screen but NOT the original signal directly  from the SDR unit that's transmitting.  Otherwise the reflected signal will get drowned out.
5. Start the one SDR unit to transmit and the one to receive and speak in a loud voice while as close to the TV as you feel comfortable (I don't know where your TV has been).

   You should now have captured a recording of a signal that contains your voice encoded as tiny changes in it's frequency.  If you just wondered out loud something like "what good is that?" then you lack creativity.

   I know you already own a laptop and an SDR radio unit for transmitting (don't ask me how I know that).  Try using those to transmit your recording at a reasonable power level near someone using a cell phone, laptop, or watching TV (even using an LCD display in a moving car).

   It just so happens the effect works backwards too.

   When your recording reflects off a screen it can leave behind vibrations in the form of sound which then travel a short distance.

   If you don't believe this is possible or isn't happening every second of every day over every square inch of the planet right now...

   Don't prove me wrong.  Prove me right.

   Yes, that also is backwards.