Is that a thing? Apparently so…

The Long Range Acoustic Device, or LRAD, is a speaker system and sound energy weapon developed in the early 2000s for use by the U.S. military. It renders sound in directional focus and at extreme volumes, allowing the user to make sound audible over greater distances, and with more geographical precision, than an ordinary loudspeaker. According to a 2004 ABC News report, LRADs have a viewfinder and crosshairs which officers can use to specifically target the location of a sound, through a process the device’s inventor compares to using a lens to magnify a beam of light. These audio devices, colloquially known as “sound cannons,” can be used either as conventional public address speaker systems or to generate extremely loud high-frequency sounds specifically intended for the dispersal of crowds, which can also cause pain, disorientation, and injury to those exposed to them.

I guess, happily, I haven’t found myself or anyone I know in direct line of LRAD fire… But it seems that Mark is familiar with the technology…