I picked up a couple of recent issues of "New Scientist" from the R&D library to read on the train home. Couple of tidbits: 24. January - JVC has solved the problem of making wooden cones for speakers (the problem being that thin wood eventually cracks) - the wood is marinated in saké! It is then pressure-moulded into a cone, impregnated with a thermosetting resin and heated to harden the resin. I'll bet it was a happy research project... 31. January - a fascinating article on why everyone's sensory world is unique. Although directed primarily at taste, smell and sight, it also mentioned other sensory perceptions, such as pain. It stresses that the sensory world is complicated by the brain's interpretation of what the senses are telling it. It gives a very nice illustration. In an experiment conducted at Harvard, volunteers were asked to watch a video of a ball game and to watch one team intently. After about 45 seconds, a woman dressed in a gorilla suit walked in front of the camera - and about half the viewers completely missed it! The rods and cones of their eyes obviously detected it, but their brains chose to ignore it. Again it provided confirmation (as if any were needed on this forum) as to how different are all our sound worlds and how there really is no "right" and "wrong" in sound, only individual perception. It made me promise to be nicer to and more understanding of fans of cables, power cords, green pens, equipment supports, etc., etc., in the future - but only if they return the compliment!
