{"id":136,"date":"2015-10-04T22:43:15","date_gmt":"2015-10-05T02:43:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/vlbrenna-sound2015\/?p=136"},"modified":"2015-10-04T22:43:15","modified_gmt":"2015-10-05T02:43:15","slug":"the-technology-of-the-listening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/vlbrenna-sound2015\/2015\/10\/04\/the-technology-of-the-listening\/","title":{"rendered":"The Technology of the Listening"},"content":{"rendered":"

Asher Bean<\/span><\/p>\n

Sound and Society<\/span><\/p>\n

10\/4\/15<\/span><\/p>\n

Professor Brennan<\/span><\/p>\n

The Technology of\u00a0Listening<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u00a0 \u00a0The ear is a technology used by the brain to hear and process sounds. The podcast \u201cThe Technology of the Listening\u201d reflects this idea through the sounds of recorded in my everyday life. The first sounds, \u201cRoses\u201d<\/span> by Outkast, is not only my alarm in the morning but also an mp3. An mp3 is a form of sound that is compressed and emptied, creating a smaller file size. Jonathan Sterne states, \u201cAn mp3 takes an existing CD-quality digital audio file and removes as much data content as possible, relying on listeners\u2019 bodies and brains to make up the difference\u201d (Sterne 832). This implies the ear notices the emptiness within the mp3 and signals the brain to produce the missing sounds or the ear amplifies the surrounding noises making it possible to miss these certain sounds. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The following sounds heard in the podcast, \u201cRoses\u201d , the shower, the zipper, the water fountain, the falling of the weights, the second shower, the clicking of keys, FIFA, and even the light switch all are sounds produced by technology. However, this only demonstrates nine sounds, indicating that one sound is missing; talking while eating at restaurant. Although this is not produced by modern technology, it is perceived differently based on the technology that is ears, and produced by the technology that is our voices. In the article, The Energetic Ear by A.J. Hudspeth, Hudspeth talks about the physiological way our ear is able to listen. The ear is composed of multiple different elements. The most important part of the ear to signal translation is the small hair-like structures located inside of the ear, known as the cilia. When a sound wave enters the ear, the cilia stand up in specific quantities based on the amplitude of the noise. In more simple terms, the more cilia stand up, the louder the initial sound is. When the cilia stand up they open pathways for electrical signals to enter allowing the brain to process the waves providing us with hearing (Hudspeth). The ear is composed of several intricate parts working together to accomplish a specific function, in this case hearing. This concept can also be applied to the production of the voice. <\/span>Ultimately, Hudspeth\u2019s view of the ear from a physiological perspective supports the idea that the final sound of the voices in a restaurant was actually produced by technology, just as the other sounds were. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The sounds produced in the \u201cThe Technology of the Listening\u201d also contribute to Hudspeth\u2019s idea of listening being an active process. Hudspeth states, \u201cAs discussed above the active process is an example of positive feedback. Moreover, like many manmade feedback systems, the active process exhibits gain control: it can be turned up or down as circumstances dictate,” (Hudspeth 50). Hudspeth claims that the ear is able to amplify certain sounds and decrease others depending on the situation. This is exemplified in all of the sounds listened to but is most evident during the sound clip of me at the restaurant. In a normal situation when talking to someone at a restaurant, the conversation one is involved in is amplified while the surrounding conversations and noises are decreased. Through recording, the process in which these sounds are amplified or decreased is changed. Since the microphone can\u2019t necessarily filter the same ways an ear can, the sounds at the restaurant are heard differently due to the lack of filtering.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The \u201cThe Technology of the Listening\u201d follows the themes of technology and how the ear itself is technology all while taking the listener through the sounds of an average day for me. By looking at the ear as a form of technology it can provide humans a new way to view the world and the sound within it.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Bibliography:<\/b><\/p>\n