May 30, 2005

Music Thing has published histories of the THX sound and the Macintosh startup sound.

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Newsweek magazine is running a cover story this week on noise-induced hearing loss:

Of course, noise isn't the only culprit. "Even if you spent your life in the library, you wouldn't hear as well when you're 70 as you do when you're 20," says Dr. Robert Dobie, professor of otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) at the University of California, Davis. But who spent their lives in the library? Not Kathy Peck and her fans; not the folks riding jackhammers on road crews, and not the firefighters and cops dashing to the rescue with their sirens screaming. Even pediatricians have been known to develop hearing problems after years spent around crying babies."

[Tag: Hearing]

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Product & Research News:

• A Boston University graduate student has developed an underwater acoustic sensor array based on off-the-shelf components to aid in national security efforts.
• Applied Minds, a California firm founded by a computer architect and an industrial designer, is marketing an "electric silencer" to help guard privacy in open office spaces.
• Students at Western New England College got a close look at technologies used to suppress aircraft engine noise.
• The Tampere University of Technology has developed "The Noise Shirt" to help alert workers to excessive noise exposure. [via engadget]

[Tag: acoustics]

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Recent articles of note from Home Theater Blog:

• My about face on extended warranties: "We now all but insist new flat screen purchases included an extended warranty and if the customer declines, we bluntly inform them of the consequences. This may seem a little harsh, but we're not talking about $300.00 DVD players that can be considered almost disposable, in the scope of a larger project. We're talking about a display that on average sells for four thousand dollars or more."
• Smaller, intimate home theaters: "Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, it's just that often these 40x60 monsters are owned and used by families with 4 or less members. Not surprisingly the construction based on square footage alone, often exceeds all other costs combined."

[Tag: Home Theater]

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