Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Pay Attention to Your Ears


Three days ago I had to wake up very early in a Sydney hostel to catch my flight to Calgary. While waiting at the Central Station, I put on my noise-cancelling headphones and was sent into a mild trance - figuratively speaking - as I listened to my favorite songs. Whatever I saw became much more peaceful and the morning sun felt welcoming. 

That's what I learned in the past 3 weeks owning these headphones. They are a wonderful invention. I don't own a TV, but I cannot live without these headphones anymore, LOL! But more importantly they remind me that I have underestimated the importance of ears, while indulging my eyes when going hiking, watching movies and beautiful things. 

The physics of these headphones is interesting as well. How the ambient sound waves get cancelled by opposing sound waves internally generated by the headphones. From optics we learned that this cancellation does not mean the energy of the sound waves is annihilated, but it is rather refracted, redirected, which in this case means reflected back. 

The headphones also tell me how to put a price on physical noises as they are not cheap (about $350) and require an AAA battery that lasts about 30 hours. I use them constantly when working or on the road, so I am thinking now of getting a rechargable battery. 


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