Essay on how headphones changed the world - 1243 Words

If you are reading this on a computer, there is an excellent chance that you are wearing, or within arms reach of, a pair of headphones or earbuds. To visit a modern office place is to walk into a room with a dozen songs playing simultaneously but to hear none of them. Up to half of younger workers listen to music on their headphones, and the vast majority thinks it makes us better at our jobs. In survey after survey, we report with confidence that music makes us happier, better at concentrating, and more productive. Science says were full of it. Listening to music hurts our ability to recall other stimuli, and any pop song -- loud or soft -- reduces overall performance for both extraverts and introverts. A Taiwanese study linked†¦show more content†¦A SHORT HISTORY OF PRIVATE MUSIC In 1910, the Radio Division of the U.S. Navy received a freak letter from Salt Lake City written in purple ink on blue-and-pink paper. Whoever opened the envelope probably wasnt expecting to read the next Thomas Edison. But the invention contained within represented the apotheosis of one of Edisons more famous, and incomplete, discoveries: the creation of sound from electrical signals. The author of the violet-ink note, an eccentric Utah tinkerer named Nathaniel Baldwin, made an astonishing claim that he had built in his kitchen a new kind of headset that could amplify sound. The military asked for a sound test. They were blown away. Naval radio officers clamored for the comfortable, efficient headset on the brink of World War I. And so, the modern headphone was born. The purpose of the headphone is to concentrate a quiet and private sound in the ear of the listener. This is a radical departure from musics social purpose in history. Music together with dance co-evolved biologically and culturally to serve as a technology of social bonding, Nils L. Wallin and Bjà ¶rn Merker wrote in The Origins of Music. Songs dont leave behind fossils, but evidence of musical notation dates back to at least Sumeria. In 1995, archaeologists discovered a bone flute in southern Europe estimated to be 44,000 years old. The 20th century did a number on music technology. Radio made music transmittable. Cars made musicShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of Derek Thompson’s Essay, â€Å"How Headphones Changed the World818 Words   |  3 PagesHeadphones are a necessity for many people in today’s society. Headphones allow a person to listen to music without disturbing others; therefore people are listening to music all day while they eat, sleep, or work. In Derek Thompson’s essay, â€Å"How Headphones Changed the World†, Thompson addresses the problem of why workers use headphones even if studies have shown that it interferes with their productivity levels. Thompson effectively uses precise language and organizes his essay in a way that showsRead MoreHeadphones : The Isolation Phenomenon870 Words   |  4 Pages Headphones: The Isolation Phenomenon One of the most significant restrictions on free immigration in the United States, was the Exclusion Act of 1882. The law was intended to prohibit the migration of Chinese Laborers, which isolated the Chinese people from Americans. In the 21st century, inventers have developed advanced headphones that enables the consumer to listen to different forms of media from different states and countries while simultaneously isolating them from the present world aroundRead MoreApple, Inc., The Electronics And Beats Music1263 Words   |  6 PagesApple acquires Beats. Apple, Inc., the electronics giant, has acquired Beats Music and Beats Electronics, the headphones giant, for $3.2 billion. Apple has enough money to buy or build any company they want to from ground up. So, why did Apple acquire Beats Electronics and Beats Music? According to NBC News, Apple CEO Tim Cook told Re/Code that the company could build about anything that you could dream of, adding that acquiring Beats would give them a head start and add kindred spiritsRead MoreThe Revolution Of The Time1159 Words   |  5 Pagesand war. They created an underground movement and rebellion, challenging outdated norms and expectations, that has in turn shaped the way we live today. The aim of the exhibition as described by the VA, was for visitors to consider how the way we live today and how we see the future, has been influenced by the â€Å"finished and unfinished revolution of the time† (VA web). Having said this, it is not clear what they are suggesting by the â€Å"unfinished revolution†. Could it be that because it is stillRead MoreCognitive Dissonance Is Defined By Gilovich Et1283 Words   |  6 Pagesconflicts with one s existing beliefs. Cognitive dissonance was created by Leon Festinger in 1957. While it is just a theory is widely regarded as fact. Festinger created this theory when he was doing an observational study on a cult that believed the world was to be destroyed by a flood and the cult members would be spared by aliens. Cult members sold or gave away their positions, including their homes, and their jobs and then waited to be rescued by aliens. The aliens never came and the earth was obviouslyRead MoreShort Story1295 Words   |  6 PagesIt was another day in the wonderful world of VMI. Today started off just like any day here: your phone wakes you up with that dreadful sound, you go to BRC, and you go to classes. Except I was anxious to get the next twenty-four hours over and done with. I told my loved ones I was digitally disappearing for the next twenty-four hours. My isolation began at four p.m on Monday, October 2. This was the moment I feared the most. My finger struggled to hit the power off button , refusing as if it had aRead MoreMy Reflection Of Art828 Words   |  4 Pageslot, it has really changed my whole perspective on art, and how I enjoy art. Through out the class I enjoyed many of the pieces shown, but there was one piece that stood out to me in particular. That piece was from an artist named Copper Greene, Copper Greene took the famous bright color iPod advertisement and completely turned this on its head. He took that idea of bright color and dark figure, and instead of it being some fun form of advertisement, he highlighted the real world, and that being theRead MoreHow Technology Has Become A Universal Value1414 Words   |  6 Pagesthe laptop, which is as light as a feather, and run my hand along the sleek base of the computer. The glossy display and stylish design are enough to make the decision easy. As the young employee and my dad go over the details, I amble over to the headphones section and decide to try them out. I put on the large, electric blue Beats , which seem to be all the rage these days, and the loud clamor of the crowd fades away. I flip through the default stations and listen to the soothing, smooth jazz, whichRead MoreNot All Dreams - Original Writing1172 Words   |  5 Pageswe’ll be fine,† my dad countered â€Å"We’re all stocked up on food and water, we had a guy come and dig a water well in our backyard, the windows are all taped so they won’t shatter, we bought propane tanks for the stove, medicine, and noise blocking headphones for the kids. We will be fine.† I felt the kebabs I had for dinner fight to exit out of my body, but I managed to keep the food in. As if I was just hit by a truck, my eyes widened at the sudden realization that maybe not everything is going toRead MoreWhat I Had Left Of On Last Year954 Words   |  4 Pagesleft of on last year, but focus more on how it will help people rather than what is bad and what is good from using vr. Question- How vr can help people who have extreme fears of certain things(Heights, Spiders, etc.)And how it can help fix that ( desynchronization) and test it on actual people with actual phobias. Hypothesis-I think it will help them and it will lose their fear. Materials- Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge 8 Test Subjects GEAR VR Headphones (Particularly Dr Dre headsets) Procedure-