It's hard to go anywhere outside these days without the sounds of machines.
Here's a nice article that talks about the problem:
http://www.wired.com/science/planetearth/magazine/16-06/st_thompson
Here's a nice article that talks about the problem:
http://www.wired.com/science/planetearth/magazine/16-06/st_thompson
Only 40%! I thought that the industrialization of nature was near
completion. You chaps have been slack!
"Earth has a voice," Krause says. "We can't let it go silent."
Too late.
Now that we have developed industrial and technological ears, we have become deaf to its song.
Cilla
completion. You chaps have been slack!
"Earth has a voice," Krause says. "We can't let it go silent."
Too late.
Now that we have developed industrial and technological ears, we have become deaf to its song.
Cilla
pdan said:
Just this weekend I went to a small cottage we have 3mi. off shore and off the grid to make some field recordings. I found a few hours of peace, unfortunately the cottagers feel they have to mow their "perfect" lawns even here. BTW we enjoyed a great bottle of biodynamic Burgundy one night. My wife and I have made a large donation to a local biodynamic community farm and get a major portion of our produce from it June-October.
Scott,
James Lovelock reckons chainsaws to be amongst the worst of our
inventions ... perhaps we should add lawnmowers to the list.
A western achedemic once asked a Shinto priest, " I don't get it, what is your ideology? What is your theology?". "We don't have an ideology. We don't have a theology", said the priest, "We dance."
But with all the "anthrophony" cacophony how can we hear the song and dance? To what music do we dance?
Hope you long continue enjoying biodynamic wines and foods.
Cilla
James Lovelock reckons chainsaws to be amongst the worst of our
inventions ... perhaps we should add lawnmowers to the list.
A western achedemic once asked a Shinto priest, " I don't get it, what is your ideology? What is your theology?". "We don't have an ideology. We don't have a theology", said the priest, "We dance."
But with all the "anthrophony" cacophony how can we hear the song and dance? To what music do we dance?
Hope you long continue enjoying biodynamic wines and foods.
Cilla
Its a wonderful article my friend. I found it Incredible. I think this is the right time when people should think about Earth. GOOD JOB.
You are absolutely right my friend, now we need to take some hard decision otherwise this blind race of industrialization will kill the whole humanity.
IMHO the industrialization and massive increase in atmospheric co2 is keeping Europe out of another ice age. We're well overdue for one.
Within the next 500 years we're going to make a real mess of this place. I wouldn't be surprised if we lost a couple of billion people from famine and the resultant wars for food.
Just look at how Burma is going to pieces and the current rice shortage. And the US's bee problem. Expect more of this sort of thing. We're in trouble.
Within the next 500 years we're going to make a real mess of this place. I wouldn't be surprised if we lost a couple of billion people from famine and the resultant wars for food.
Just look at how Burma is going to pieces and the current rice shortage. And the US's bee problem. Expect more of this sort of thing. We're in trouble.
Eventually, our soon-to-be Ministry of Aesthetics will outlaw unnecessary mechanical noise, and our cities will be designed with acoustics in mind, e.g. no parallel reflecting surfaces between buildings, etc.
At that time we would be appalled to be re-immersed in the acoustic environment most of us do not even notice at this time, such as the ever present air conditioning and refrigeration sounds, not to speak of the ubiquitous 60 Hz, or 50 Hz hum.
I have lived deep in the country and it was fun to see the faces of city visitors getting out of their cars and experiencing what was for many of them a rare glimpse of quiet.
In doing field recordings of birds I have been amazed to find I have to be at least 10 miles from a highway for it not to be audible on the recording.
At that time we would be appalled to be re-immersed in the acoustic environment most of us do not even notice at this time, such as the ever present air conditioning and refrigeration sounds, not to speak of the ubiquitous 60 Hz, or 50 Hz hum.
I have lived deep in the country and it was fun to see the faces of city visitors getting out of their cars and experiencing what was for many of them a rare glimpse of quiet.
In doing field recordings of birds I have been amazed to find I have to be at least 10 miles from a highway for it not to be audible on the recording.
Drowning out the sounds of the earth and polluting the planet for about 100yrs: Harley Davidson motorcycles. 
I live several blocks from the ocean and guys riding these bikes invariably like them with no baffles in their mufflers (silencers to the UK crowd) and the staccato exhaust noise is both unbearably loud and carries for surprisingly long distances.
The local police occasionally cite one of these guys for violating local noise ordnances, but that is unfortunately comparatively rare.
I can't imagine what it is doing to their hearing, although I certainly know what it does to mine.
I did live in the woods (heavily forested area) about 30 miles west of Boston for a number of years, and found the lack of noise (except for the slight hum of 495 about 8 miles away) more than a little disconcerting particularly at night. Conjured creepy images of stalking creatures in the night, and other bogeymen.. I guess I do like a little noise, tells me humanity is alive and well..
I live several blocks from the ocean and guys riding these bikes invariably like them with no baffles in their mufflers (silencers to the UK crowd) and the staccato exhaust noise is both unbearably loud and carries for surprisingly long distances.
The local police occasionally cite one of these guys for violating local noise ordnances, but that is unfortunately comparatively rare.
I can't imagine what it is doing to their hearing, although I certainly know what it does to mine.
I did live in the woods (heavily forested area) about 30 miles west of Boston for a number of years, and found the lack of noise (except for the slight hum of 495 about 8 miles away) more than a little disconcerting particularly at night. Conjured creepy images of stalking creatures in the night, and other bogeymen.. I guess I do like a little noise, tells me humanity is alive and well..
Frankly I think that is NOT the Earth that is in danger, for it has and will survive for centuries. WE are in danger and there is nothing that will stop the polution that is going on. Mankind will ultimately destroy itself somehow. Mark my words.
kevinkr said:Drowning out the sounds of the earth and polluting the planet for about 100yrs: Harley Davidson motorcycles.
Yep.
Hell's Angels are well named, except for the angel part. If everyone made as much noise as a person on an un-muffled Harley just going about their daily routine it would indeed sound like hell, or at least as I imagine a hell could sound.
In fact, to me the industrialized world already does sound pretty hellish, even with cars as quiet as they are now.
As I said above, we don't realize to what extent we have already accommodated noise, nor do most of us realize how much is to be gained from its absence. Refrigerators alone are a major source of interior noise that raise the noise floor up to 15 dB and requires radios, stereos and speech to be 5 dB or so louder.
My hifi system is in the very quiet basement of my house - that is once I turn off the cacophony that describes my dehumidifier.. 😀
We have a super quiet fridge and in fact ambient outdoor noise is several dB higher than that. Windows closed on quiet summer day or winter day with plenty of snow on the ground and in the trees nets me a home noise level of about 20dBspl or less.
Old houses are surprisingly quiet because of their relatively heavy construction and we have kept the original plaster and lathe construction throughout for this reason. The one surprise is that our new energystar thermopane windows transmit considerably more noise closed than the old aluminum windows and storms they replaced.
We have a super quiet fridge and in fact ambient outdoor noise is several dB higher than that. Windows closed on quiet summer day or winter day with plenty of snow on the ground and in the trees nets me a home noise level of about 20dBspl or less.
Old houses are surprisingly quiet because of their relatively heavy construction and we have kept the original plaster and lathe construction throughout for this reason. The one surprise is that our new energystar thermopane windows transmit considerably more noise closed than the old aluminum windows and storms they replaced.
in my office I measured 48 dB (A) with closed windows and WITHOUT PEOPLE INSIDE. Noise floor only.
I'm sure I can't hear "the sound of the earth"
I'm sure I can't hear "the sound of the earth"
Well I live about 6 miles from a rock quary so every week or so
I feel and hear them blasting. Hadn't realy thaught about it till
now but I hear the boom in the 200hz to 500hz range and feel
the subsonics. But don't get a lot of noise in the 40hz to 150hz
range. Perhaps I just have some hearing loss in the BOOM BOOM
car sterio band?
I feel and hear them blasting. Hadn't realy thaught about it till
now but I hear the boom in the 200hz to 500hz range and feel
the subsonics. But don't get a lot of noise in the 40hz to 150hz
range. Perhaps I just have some hearing loss in the BOOM BOOM
car sterio band?
that inaudibility of the lower frequencies, which do travel well, could be explained by looking at the Fletcher Munson Curves.woody said:
To All,
Earlier, pdan mentioned chainsaw noise as the being the worst ... What about leaf blowers?
Here is an interesting statistic:
"Nobody has ever been mugged while holding a running chainsaw".
Larry
Earlier, pdan mentioned chainsaw noise as the being the worst ... What about leaf blowers?
Here is an interesting statistic:
"Nobody has ever been mugged while holding a running chainsaw".
Larry
There was an interesting article By Bernie Krause in the January/February issue of JAES called: "Anatomy of the Soundscape: Evolving Perspectives"
He is taking part in a project where they try to record and preserve many of these natural soundscapes for future generations.
The following part of his biography is interesting:
"During his life as a professional studio musician, he and his late
music partner, Paul Beaver, introduced the synthesizer to pop music and film."
Regards
Charles
He is taking part in a project where they try to record and preserve many of these natural soundscapes for future generations.
The following part of his biography is interesting:
"During his life as a professional studio musician, he and his late
music partner, Paul Beaver, introduced the synthesizer to pop music and film."
Regards
Charles
phase_accurate said:
I figure Wendy (nee Walter) Carlos and the album "Switched On Bach" might legitimately want to lay claim to that title as well.. (Around 1968?) First commercial recording of a synthesizer (A Moog) - caused quite a stir and I remember hearing it for the first time in primary school..
It sounds pretty dated by today's standards.
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