A University of Michigan research team under Kensall D. Wise has developed a ribbon-like cochlear implant that substantially increases the amount of auditory stimuli over the current models. Approximately 100,000 patients have had cochlear implants to ameliorate profound deafness; however, Wise described these implants as limited in frequency sensitivity, as well as bulky and difficult for surgeons to insert.
Audiophiles sure don't have it easy. We put in a hard day sweating to hear those diminishing-return differences, and when we're finally ready to pontificate, no one at the party will obligingly ask us what we think. They've made that mistake before, you see, then spent the next 45 minutes frantically looking around the room for someone to rescue them.
"i used to be a queen in<BR>egypt and will likely be one again. . . ."
"Cover your ears, there she goes again."
Remember when the writing about music was as great as the music itself? Even when I violently disagreed with Bangs (his review of David Bromberg's first album, for instance), he wrote so hard and hot, I had to respect that it was <I>his</I> opinion and not just the music critics' party line. When he loved something, he conveyed what it was he loved better than just about anybody. (Except perhaps for Ian MacDonald, but that was the subject of a post yesterday.)
<I>Big Rock Candy Mountain</I> is a big, beautiful blog, filled with wonderful writing about music (mostly) and full of MP3 links pertinent to the posts. I love the post for February 8, "Strange Revival," which links to Fern Jones' fabulous cover of Sister Rosetta Tharpe's "Strange Things Happening Every Day," which has to be the most joyous report of the impending end times I have ever heard.
J10 Scull passes along this hard hitting <I>Radar</I> investigation that involves two potheads, two small children, and a primate researcher.
Richard Taylor analyzed a selection of Pollock's paintings and found them
"composed of distinct fractal patterns," even though Pollock was working long before the science of fractals was refined. Now pattern analyses may prove critical in determining the authenticity of 32 possible Pollocks.
I'm linking to Senor Coconuts' wacky cover of "Smoke on the Water." Money quote: "The Rolling Stones playing yust outside," Cha cha cha!
Ian MacDonald's <I>Revolution in the Head: The Beatles Records and the Sixties</I> is, quite simply, the best book ever published about the Beatles and their music. Its first half is the best description of the '60s I've ever read; its second half is a track by track exploration of the songs and the process of recording them. It's out of print in the USA, but there's a new edition available in the UK and it can be ordered from the link. Do yourself a favor and read this book if the Beatles mean anything to you at all.