These unusual "radio drama staircases" are inside the BBC's sound studios. When an actor is recorded walking up or down the stairs, the different surfaces (wood, carpet, cement) give the acoustic impression of unique locations for the radio drama. Samuel West shot the image above at BBC's Maida Vale Studios. Apparently, they are actually functioning staircases that lead somewhere in the building.
(via Neatorama)
The European Space Agency's Gaia mission is using a one billion pixel orbiting camera to generate a 3D map of more than a thousand million stars in our Milky Way. The researchers have just released a trove of new data and were surprised by the instrument's ability to detect starquakes—"tiny motions on the surface of… READ THE REST
The new episode of the excellent Twenty Thousand Hertz podcast is the first in a two-part series on the fascinating history of Microsoft Windows start-up sounds. Over the years, Microsoft has made at least ten iconic startup sounds for Windows—from the triumphant "Ta-da!" of Windows 3.1, to the ambient chime that Brian Eno crafted for… READ THE REST
Poetry professor Garret Hongo's new book The Perfect Sound [amazon] is aptly named. It's the perfect book for any fan of all things audio. It combines a personal family memoir with midcentury Hawaiian and Southern Californian culture, pop music personalities, audio recording, technology, jazz, vacuum tubes vs. transistors, surf music, steel guitars, and so much… READ THE REST
Getting back into the groove of learning can be challenging, especially if it's been a while since you were in school. Hell, it can be challenging even if you're still in school. And with new versions of essential software coming out every few years, like the Microsoft Office Suite, it gets even more difficult to stay… READ THE REST
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. If you're trying to better yourself, finding out where to start can feel challenging. But having a mentor can be incredibly helpful, especially if you want to advance in your career or… READ THE REST
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. You've got quite the arsenal of gizmos and gadgets these days. So whether it's an extra-large monitor, your phone, or a smart home speaker, you've got a lot of stuff on your desktop.… READ THE REST
