Some philosophical implications of the “loudness war” and its criticisms

Recent shifts in the aesthetic value of audio loudness is a symptom of broader shifts in attitudes about social harmony and techniques for managing social “noise.” Put simply, this shift is from maximalism to responsive variability. (“Responsive variability” is the…

Listening to Data: on Phantom Terrains

Frank Swain has a hearing aid that sonifies ambient WiFi signals. A Bluetooth-enabled digital hearing aid paired with a specially programmed iPhone (and its WiFi detector), the device, named Phantom Terrains, “translate[s] the characteristics of wireless networks into sound….Network identifiers,…

Club Goin Up On A Tuesday, or, no 48 Hours for 48 thrills

“And when I’m working on the weekend I’ll look back and think how we had the club goin up on a Tuesday” ILOVEMAKONNEN’s song “Tuesday” is about going out dancing and drinking on a Tuesday night because “Working graveyard, shifts…