On this episode of Spark: Noise, Filters, and Birdsong. Click below to listen to the whole show, or download the MP3 (runs 54:00).
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Birdsong And The Sound of Silence
Is it noisy around you, right now, as you’re reading this? When was the last time you think you actually sat in silence? Real silence. We can’t remember when! Each week as we put Spark together we are subjected to a constant barrage of construction sounds from a building going up beside us. It makes us tired, jumpy, and Nora has to wear earplugs most days. Noise pollution is on the rise, and experts say ambient noise is doubling every ten years. Nora spoke with Julian Treasure, author of the book Sound Business, on how things like birdsong and silence can help temper the effect of the noise all around us. (Runs 12:57)
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Navigating the Noise
So, there’s noise, lots of it, all around us every day and it’s having a huge effect on our health and happiness. But what about that other kind of noise? You know, the steady stream of information coming at you from all directions – calls, emails, alerts, texts, tweets, status updates, links – often all through your mobile phone. Nora spoke with Kate Crawford, a professor at the University of New South Wales in Sydney who thinks the mobile phone has become a major source of noise and information overload. (Runs 10:26)
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How To Filter Your Un-filtered Music Tastes
Ever get a computer generated music recommendation that made you say “huh”? You know, something along the lines of “If you like The Black Keys you’ll love The Monkeys!”. Music recommenders are just a part of life right now, whether they make sense or not, and more and more people’s tastes are being curated by algorithms rather than flesh-and-blood people. Brian Whitman is the co-founder and CTO of The Echonest Corporation, a music intelligence company that writes music recommending software. But when Nora spoke to him, she learned that he’s not really a fan of the technology. (Runs 9:44)
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Social Media Is The Mall Of The Internet
Last week we had novelist William Gibson on Spark to talk about his latest book Zero History. He had so much to say about, well, so many things that we thought we’d include him this week too. Gibson sees social media tools like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter as restrictive and gated, with too many filters compared to the public spaces of the internet of yore. (Runs 5:22)
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Spam Filter vs. The Kingpin
We are preoccupied with noise and filters here on Spark. So let’s talk spam (the annoying digital kind, not the supermarket variety), because if there was ever an argument for why we need filters, spam is it! Spam filters have become an essential tool to keep all those questionable requests for shady products and services out of your email inbox. But are those filters really the best way to stop them? What about fighting the source? Nora spoke with Finn Brunton, a post-doctoral researcher at New York University who is writing a book about spam. (Runs 10:33)
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Excellent, excellent episode on under-considered aspects of contemporary life. Too ironic that I'm listening to it while vacuuming though. This one merits a re-listen!
Excellent episode!!
Question re: Julian Treasure/Sound Agency – have you come across any Canadian companies doing similar kinds of work?
Hi there,
We haven't come across any Canadian companies doing this, but it seems like a natural, doesn't it? My pet peeve (well, truthfully, I have many, but my pet peeve when it comes to sound) is insipid adult contemporary music in stores. It has actually caused me to leave stores early.
Me too! I really miss muzak actually. Today, all the stores and shops have subscribed to music channels that either play 80s hits or current poptarts that I would avoid in any other setting.
I guess it's cheaper to do that than hire studio musicians to record instrumental (bland but at least not offensive) versions of pop songs. If we must have background noise at all, I would rather that.
Sorry I didn't spot this before! Yes I can connect you with a Canadian company doing audio branding. The principal is dr Alex Tsisserev, and you can contact him at music@SonicBrandingArchitects.com, or call +1 604 808 4441. Please do tell him I sent you.
I will never forget the big blackout that happened in 2003, in Ontario and the northeastern US. It was such a refreshing change in people's behaviour…people were so friendly, relaxed, and happy. I wonder how much of it had to do with the fact that the usual din was missing?
Hello. I just heard the segment with Julian Treasure about sound and it certainly gave me pause for thought. Sound is certainly my form of decoration. As a blind man, paintings and pictures just don't do a great deal for me. I'm currently single and spend a lot more time alone than I'd prefer to. Much of the time, I have music, podcasts or internet radio on just to stave off the silence. While I write at my talking computer, I normally have modern instrumental or new age music playing. Simultaniously, I also have a piece of free software called Aura which creates a computer-generated changing forest soundscape. Both Aura and Winamp give me lots of control over the resulting sound environment. I wish other soundscape generating software was as accessible to screen-readers. Having such software rendered useless to people who might appreciate it the most is no small irony. I'll have to see whether that jentleman's book is obtainable in accessible form. Nice one, Nora and Spark crew. I'll keep an ear out for you.
Nice to hear from you again, Michael! That is indeed ironic.
Sorry for my unrelated post below – facebook took over! I wanted to let you know Michael that my book is available at http://www.juliantreasure.com, and can ship to Canada. I will be checking out Aura – thanks for the tip.
The same happens when it snows… wonderful magical peace descends as snow absorbs so much sound. Also falling snow makes a unique hissing sound if you listen very carefully!
There is no doubt in my mind that the ambient noise, especially inside buildings and vehicles is greater than in previous decades. Worse, is the apparent acceptance of the increase as 'normal'. I now frequently encounter fellow TTC travellers with headphones set so high that I can hear the lyrics and notes of the ipod or MP3. What worries me most is that this is a progressive model with little or no feedback-loop to moderate the trend. For the individual, the hearing damage necessitates increasing the volume to maintain the same perceived volume. This is where European-style regulations and guidelines would be useful, starting with theatre and concert sound settings which currently can exceed dangerous 115 dBA in Canada without control.