From the Mac startup chime to the dial-up modem handshake, the past few decades have generated some unforgettable sound ...

It's the sound of a modem connecting with another modem across the repurposed telephone infrastructure. It was the noise of being part of the beginning of the Internet.

The screeching of modems in the morning is only a part of this phenomenon. That man on the beach, for example — a heavy-set fellow with a New York or New Jersey accent.