#RIO: The Pitter Patter of Heavy Traffic

We're wandering around the port area of Rio on a sunny afternoon.

A large motorway fly-over dominates the scene. It follows the curves of the city centre waterfront before scissoring through a once-desirable neighbourhood to the north.

As traffic passes overhead, the vehicles disturb a slab or metal plate - making a curious pitter patter sound down below.

This flyover will be torn down as part of the Olympic regeneration and the whole area will be regenerated - whatever that means (Barcelona Port Olimpic, anyone?).

As I stand there - arm aloft, recording the sound overhead - I wonder... Should acoustic ecology also be concerned with preserving urban 'noise' before it disappears?

#RIO: Wind-Up Radio

8.30am on a misty Monday morning. We speed northwards in a one of Rio's compact yellow cabs.

The taxi driver is killing himself laughing at a radio wind-up gag. The presenter is on the phone to an unsuspecting man, apparently an extremely jealous lover who has been set-up by his girlfriend.

The driver's amusement is infectious - you can hear us all giggling. I can't pretend to understand all of it, but hearing an irate man's bleeped swearing is funny in just about any language.

We hit speed bumps. The DJ adds sound effects and the driver then begins to explain the intricacies of the set-up before Alicia Keys hammers home her hit and we speed on.