Wayne's World

A few years ago, a trip to the city of Chengdu, China (home of the giant panda), provided an unexpected experience – the practice of ear-picking, or what some might refer to as ear cleaning or ear scraping. Ear Picking and Giant Pandas – Chengdu, China Most tourists who travel to Chengdu, China go to see the giant pandas.  However,

More than 40 million adults in the U.S. snore, which is approximately 20% of the adult population.  Men are reported to engage in habitual snoring at a rate of 45% versus 25% for women.1,2  An article in the Daily Mail of the United Kingdom reported that around 75% of the UK population are believed to be snorers with the condition most

The Lion Roar is the Voice and Sound of Africa Off in the distance in the savannahs of Africa, you listen, and a roar comes out of the deep, creating an uneasy trepidation.  The lion’s roar is indeed the voice and sound of Africa.  It sends an awesome message to the world that he is lord and master to all

What Elephants Hear On several occasions, I have had the opportunity to visit Africa, and spending time in the welt and/or savanna is mandatory for this outdoorsman.  I have experienced unbelievable animal activity – off the beaten tracks, but always in the company of a well-trained and armed ranger/tracker. How animals hear and communicate is an interesting topic.  For some

An estimated 37 million adults are reported to snore while sleeping as mentioned in a previous post.  Loud snoring has been listed as the cause for snorers themselves to arouse from their sleep, and prevent them from having deeper, more restful levels of sleep.  However, the effect on bed partners is a major topic of discussion as well, much of

My past two posts on old hearing aids have followed an historical theme based on a box of old hearing aids I uncovered in my garage recently.  I actually knew they were there, but digging them out was not high on my list.  However, they were uncovered when I was looking for a baling hook (unrelated to hearing aids).  And,

Can Auditory Icons be Used More Effectively in Hearing Aids? Background One of the most successful improvements to the user-electronics interface made since the early 1970s has been the inclusion of icons (eye-cons) – graphic symbols that visually represent information in the electronics display (photos, mail, text, calendar, etc.), whether it be a personal computer, smart phone, or any of

Last week’s post revolved around finding a box of old hearing aids in my garage, and wondering if any of them were interesting or rare enough that information and photographs of them should be documented. I found some really good “stuff” and wrote about some unusual hearing aids that I had found in the box.  That post focused on some

While searching the garage the other day for a baling hook, I found a box titled “old hearing aids.” I wondered how old some of these might be, and if there were any interesting features/design characteristics. And, why did I keep these? A number of photos of old hearing aids can be found in the literature, but usually don’t provide

Implications of the Sound of the Baseball Bat When Striking a Ball A hollow aluminum bat sounds much different from a solid wood bat because the walls can vibrate.  The sound is typically between 1000 and 2500 Hz, meaning that is essentially the frequency with which the walls vibrate.  Much of this stored elastic energy is retained as vibration energy