Your name is so much more than the sound that people call you by. It’s an entire human identity, distilled into a few syllables. So what do six people who share the exact same name have in common? It turns out, much more than you might expect. Follow Dallas down the rabbit hole as he speaks to name expert Laura Wattenberg and five other people named Dallas Taylor.
For over a century, humans have been using technology to shape our sonic environment. White noise machines, nature recordings, noise canceling headphones and high-tech hearables all allow us to create an auditory safe space we can escape into. But is it possible to have too much control over what you hear? Featuring media studies professor Mack Hagood.
Since World War I, countries around the world have been broadcasting mysterious numerical messages via shortwave radio. Though concrete evidence is hard to come by, the general consensus is that these coded messages are meant for undercover agents operating abroad. And one particular Russian station may have an even more sinister purpose. Featuring computer engineer Andrus Aaslaid, historian Maris Goldmanis, and documentary photographer Lewis Bush.
We live in a designed world, and alert tones are no exception. Every beep and ping that your phone or laptop makes probably went through multiple rounds of revisions and approvals. So what separates a good device sound from a bad one? This story comes from the Wireframe podcast, and features sound designer Connor Moore and psychoacoustic expert Susan Rogers.
Synesthesia is a neurological condition where one sensory experience gets combined with another, meaning someone might hear sounds when eat, or see colors when they listen to music. So what exactly is synesthesia? And what’s it like to go through life with these unique sensory connections? Featuring the voices of neuroscientist Dr. Richard Cytowic and five people with synesthesia.
