Hearing not listening
I know that I’m often a cynic when it comes to technology, and in general the more low-tech something is the better the relationship I’m going to have with it.
If it came down to it, I’d choose my backgammon board over my DS, my books over my television and my pens and paper over photoshop (actually, I use GIMP, but I didn’t want to explain and I didn’t want you to get the wrong idea).
But, I have to say that as far as music goes, mp3 players are one of those rare leaps in technology that doesn’t result in an awkward fall and a broken ankle.
I love the fact you can carry an entire library of music without causing yourself injury. I love the fact that you can add a soundtrack to mundane events such as traveling on the bus…
Better than that though, and far more subtle, is the fact that it is helping to make the world a slightly fairer place.
Think about it… more people now walk around with things plugged in their ears that mean they can’t hear quite as well as normal… sure, at fist, this results in a few accidents, but if the trend continues our instinct will be to change our environment to compensate…
… our cues will be much more visual… which should make it easier for those of us with impaired hearing.
And that’s how you listening can help people that can’t.
Philip J Schadenfreude on 
“…those of us with impaired hearing.”
Which is all of us who have been going around with headphones jammed in and rammed up for all these years. I always figured that if listening to great music really really loud eventually cost me my hearing, then at least that hearing would disappear at around the time that young people started running the show with what I would almost definitely find to be, like my father before me, unbearable rubbish.
Unavoidable Simpson’s quote/:
“I used to be ‘with it’, but then they changed what ‘it’ was. Now what I’m with isn’t ‘it’, and what’s ‘it’ seems weird and scary.”
Ear buds are possibly the worst invention of all time, in regards to hearing.
Earbuds are possibly the worst invention ever, in regards to hearing.
Appreciated, self correction is a virtue…
…though I have spent too much of the day pondering the difference between ‘earbuds’ and ‘ear buds’
The real correction was my url, I figured if i put it up i might as well do it right. Sorry about your day though.
That is awesome.
6027, I agree with you though. I wear headphones, the kind that look like a headband. They are horribly injured headphones with tape on one side and the foam on the phones is tattered. But the other kind just falls out of my ears. Eww. Stuff in ears.
Oh well, we’ll all be deaf when we’re old anyway. Then we can use the headphones designed above and be super cool.
The coolest type of ‘phones in my opinion, are the ones held together by force of will alone.
I love my Bose headphones. The disadvantage?
I don’t know how loud *I’m* being when they
are on. Singing, moaning… I’m probably just as
loud (and less pleasing to listen to) as my MP3s.
‘moaning’?
Aha, so you to are *ahem* affected by Saint-Saens’ Rondo et Capriccioso too?
Wow, good point!!
This is weird, I’ve just had my interest in learning sign language re-awakened as of a few days ago. Singing with sign language…pretty.
There was a recent post about sign language, or at least that’s where we ended up…
I like it when people use sign movement as dance.
I used to poetry slam with this guy named Omar, who was deaf. He’d have one of the other poets stand up and read his poem aloud, while he signed/danced it. It was always beautiful and moving.
O wow, that’s amazing!!
Hey, side note: Did you know that Weird Al always has a signer (ASL interpreter?) at his concerts?
Ah! I did know that: saw it in a couple live videos. I’ve always wanted to see Weird Al live…
Ooooh! I just got an eInk book reader (Sony’s version), and it’s like the mp3 player, but with books! I’m hooked.
I think that’s a really neat idea, but I’m not sure I could go for an electronic book reader. I just love turning pages too much, actually gripping the paper between my fingers. It’s part of the experience.
[...] says wHut? Posted on February 5, 2008 by brahnamin i am so doing this if i ever lose my [...]
A nod to brahnamin for pointing me this way. I laughed.
As another technologically abhorrent person, would you recommend your mp3 player? And if so, what is it?
(I really, really need to get one)
iPod! All the way. They come in purple and red now too! (grrr, I got one before this happened!)
I’d second that, but I’ve got the old skinny iPod nano, and I got it as a gift, so I didn’t have to pay the outrageous price for it… But I love it! If it got lost, I’d shell out the cash for another one.
Well hell, even the shuffle is worth it. Even moreso, I think, since it has that li’l clip and the shuffle is the only one that comes in purple, currently…
Got a thing for purple, huh? I can relate: it’s a good colour.