On being old
June 21st, 2006 byIt is well known we lose our ability to hear high frequency sounds as we grow older. Play this. If you can hear faint street and background noise, you are just like me. Old. However, if you hear a pulsating buzz also, that means you can still hear high frequency sounds. There is yet some youth in you.
I am 24 and can only hear the pulsating buzz if I boost the high frequencies on an equalizer. It is very faint for me.
A point of caution, some audio players down-sample high frequencies (e.g. winamp; so don’t use winamp). You should hear the background noise and the buzz simultaneously and distinctly. Windows media player (on Windows XP) and ITunes (on Apple OS X) seem to treat the audio file appropriately. But how would I know? I can’t even hear the buzz properly.
Seriously try this out and report back. I can’t be the only one who has lost their ability to hear high frequency sounds.
The additional buzzing sound is distinct. If you can’t hear it, bring a younger sibling in and ask if they can. Or bring an older sibling and make them hecka confused. It’s fun for the whole family!
I can’t believe I just used the word “hecka”..
June 21st, 2006 at 7:04 pm
sometimes i hear the pulsating buzz and sometimes it’s drowned out by the background noise. which means what – i’m almost old?
actually in a conversation today i said a sentence “kids these days have these sneakers with wheels in the bottom, that they can just coast around on..” and i couldn’t believe i said “kids these days.” Still, the only reason i was talking about the sneakers was because i wished i could have a pair
so, almost old? sounds about right.
June 21st, 2006 at 9:19 pm
What *i* can’t believe is that I stopped by here yesterday and you had written this gloriously long post with numbers/bullet points, and I was super excited about it but didn’t have time to comment, so I just went away. And now I’m back and you cut out all the other bullet points and just left the part about the high frequency sound. It’s almost enough to make me want to HELLA CUT YOU.
SO. To comment on part of your deleted post: Did you see yesterday’s Peals Before Swine comic?
http://www.comics.com/comics/pearls/archive/pearls-20060620.html
=) I thought of you and your freakin’ deleted post.
June 21st, 2006 at 11:44 pm
I can hear the buzz. I’m 19. But I have TERRIBLE hearing. Actually, maybe my hearings just crap when trynta listen to low frequency sounds (e.g, talk in generally ‘normal’ voices..).
Me ears are ringing now. Thanks.
June 22nd, 2006 at 1:59 am
Traveller.. way to rub our noses in the fact that we can’t really hear the buzz. Our ears aren’t ringing and now we are painfully aware of it…
June 25th, 2006 at 10:50 am
yes. barely. ouch.
quit. deleting. posts.
dork.
June 27th, 2006 at 9:51 am
Speaking of sounds, had you already heard (no pun intended, really) about this?
http://mocoblog.com/2006/05/30/teen-buzz-a-ringtone-adults-cant-hear/
Dude, do kids not understand the concept of setting their phones on vibrate?
July 3rd, 2006 at 2:42 pm
Anjum: Or almost still young. Repeat after me: The glass is half full.
yasmine: Rock Star, you should know we’re flattered that you simply visit us. Hah, interestingly I told my brother in law about that story you linked to. I was expecting him to be all impressed by the ingenuity of the children (making a ring tone adults can’t hear). He asked the same question: “why don’t they use the vibrate option”. Bah, you adults.. =)
Traveller: The ring tone sound yasmine pointed to is worse. I developed a head ache after hearing it.
Noodlez: Only if you stop deleting comments.