On the first day, a mist descended from the heavens blanketing Earth.On the second day, a cryptic message, 'Infusion commencing', appeared in the corner of everyone's eyes. On the third day, the sick were healed and the crippled walked again. On the fourth day, celebration and joy spread across the globe. And on the fifth day, the warping began...There was no warning. A mist descended from the sky, disabling all technology and causing a weird message to appear at the corner of everyone's eye. The situation grew even worse as animals and people started to warp, transforming into terrible monsters that prey on the livings. Within months, human civilization had crumbled. Unable to fight the seemingly-indestructible beasts, the survivors are reduced to cowering in reinforced shelters. Waiting for the end to come. Helpless. All seemed lost until a few brave souls discovered the secret of their new reality: the Tec and how to use it to level up. Together they represent humanity's last best hope for salvation. But they first must find the answers to the mystery of their new existence. Their journey will require them to quickly adapt to alien technology, operate strange spaceships, and even befriend an extra-terrestrial merchant with an Inferiority Complex.

The voice in the headphones says, “you’re rolling” . . . The Voice in the Headphones is an experiment in music writing in the form of a long poem centered on the culture of the recording studio. It describes in intricate, prismatic detail one marathon day in a recording studio during which an unnamed musician struggles to complete a film soundtrack. The book extends the form of Grubbs's previous volume Now that the audience is assembled, sharing its goal of musicalizing the language of writing about music. Mulling the insight that “studio is the absence of pushback”—now that no audience is assembled—The Voice in the Headphones details one musician's strategies for applying the requisite pressure to the proceedings, for making it count. The Voice in the Headphones is both a literary work and a meditation on sound recording, delivered at a moment in which the commercial recording studio shades into oblivion. It draws upon Grubbs's own history of several decades as a recording artist, and its location could be described as every studio in which he has set foot.

Hip Hop Headphones is a crash course in Hip Hop culture. Featuring definitions, lectures, academic essays, and other scholarly discussions and resources, Hip Hop Headphones documents the scholarship of Dr. James B. Peterson, founder of Hip Hop Scholars-an organization devoted to developing the educational potential of Hip Hop. Defining Hip Hop from multi-disciplinary perspectives that embrace the elemental forms of Hip Hop Culture (b-boying, dj-ing, rapping, and graffiti art), Hip Hop Headphones is the definitive guide to how Hip Hop culture can be used in the classroom to engage and inspire students.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of Garbology explores the hidden and costly wonders of our buy-it-now, get-it-today world of transportation, revealing the surprising truths, mounting challenges, and logistical magic behind every trip we take and every click we make. Transportation dominates our daily existence. Thousands, even millions, of miles are embedded in everything we do and touch. We live in a door-to-door universe that works so well most Americans are scarcely aware of it. The grand ballet in which we move ourselves and our stuff is equivalent to building the Great Pyramid, the Hoover Dam, and the Empire State Building all in a day. Every day. And yet, in the one highly visible part of the transportation world—the part we drive—we suffer grinding commutes, a violent death every fifteen minutes, a dire injury every twelve seconds, and crumbling infrastructure. Now, the way we move ourselves and our stuff is on the brink of great change, as a new mobility revolution upends the car culture that, for better and worse, built modern America. This unfolding revolution will disrupt lives and global trade, transforming our commutes, our vehicles, our cities, our jobs, and every aspect of culture, commerce, and the environment. We are, quite literally, at a fork in the road, though whether it will lead us to Carmageddon or Carmaheaven has yet to be determined. Using interviews, data and deep exploration of the hidden world of ports, traffic control centers, and the research labs defining our transportation future, acclaimed journalist Edward Humes breaks down the complex movements of humans, goods, and machines as never before, from increasingly car-less citizens to the distance UPS goes to deliver a leopard-printed phone case. Tracking one day in the life of his family in Southern California, Humes uses their commutes, traffic jams, grocery stops, and online shopping excursions as a springboard to explore the paradoxes and challenges inherent in our system. He ultimately makes clear that transportation is one of the few big things we can change—our personal choices do have a profound impact, and that fork in the road is coming up fast. Door to Door is a fascinating detective story, investigating the worldwide cast of supporting characters and technologies that have enabled us to move from here to there—past, present, and future.

Written by a team of experts, the Loudspeaker and Headphone Handbook provides a detailed technical reference of all aspects of loudspeakers and headphones: from theory and construction of transducer drive units and enclosures, to such practical matters as construction, applications in rooms, public address, sound reinforcement, studio monitoring and musical instruments. Loudspeaker measurements and subjective evaluation are treated in equal detail and headphones are discussed comprehensively. This third edition takes account of recent significant advances in technology, including: · the latest computer-aided design systems · digital audio processing · new research procedures · the full range of loudspeakers · new user applications.

This book covers all aspects of head-related transfer function (HRTF), from the fundamentals through to the latest applications, such as 3D sound systems. An introductory chapter defines HRTF, describes the coordinate system used in the book, and presents the most recent research achievements in the field. HRTF and sound localization in the horizontal and median planes are then explained, followed by discussion of individual differences in HRTF, solutions to this individuality (personalization of HRTF), and methods of sound image control for an arbitrary 3D direction, encompassing both classic theory and state of the art data. The relations between HRTF and sound image distance and between HRTF and speech intelligibility are fully explored, and measurement and signal processing methods for HRTF are examined in depth. Here, supplementary material is provided to enable readers to measure and analyze HRTF by themselves. In addition, some typical HRTF databases are compared. The final two chapters are devoted to the principles and applications of acoustic virtual reality. This clearly written book will be ideal for all who wish to learn about HRTF and how to use it in their research.

Written by a team of experts, the Loudspeaker and Headphone Handbook provides a detailed technical reference of all aspects of loudspeakers and headphones: from theory and construction of transducer drive units and enclosures, to such practical matters as construction, applications in rooms, public address, sound reinforcement, studio monitoring and musical instruments. Loudspeaker measurements and subjective evaluation are treated in equal detail and headphones are discussed comprehensively. This third edition takes account of recent significant advances in technology, including: · the latest computer-aided design systems · digital audio processing · new research procedures · the full range of loudspeakers · new user applications.

Many people are born with or develop hearing problems, which leads them to wear hearing aids. Readers learn about how these devices help those with hearing problems through accessible text and fact boxes that focus on science, technology, and guidance. The sensitive tone promotes self-acceptance for those who wear hearing aids, provides answers for those who may need them, and fosters a sense of empathy among readers who may know people with hearing problems. The imaginative illustrations, including colorful characters, make this an educational and entertaining learning experience for young readers.

Explores the principles and practical considerations of spatial sound recording and reproduction. Particular emphasis is given to the increasing importance of multichannel surround sound and 3D audio, including binaural approaches, without ignoring conventional stereo. The enhancement of spatial quality is arguably the only remaining hurdle to be overcome in pursuit of high quality sound reproduction. The rise of increasingly sophisticated spatial sound systems presents an enormous challenge to audio engineers, many of whom are confused by the possibilities and unfamiliar with standards, formats, track allocations, monitoring configurations and recording techniques. The author provides a comprehensive study of the current state of the art in spatial audio, concentrating on the most widely used approaches and configurations. Anyone wishing to expand their understanding of these cutting-edge technologies will want to own this book.

“A thoughtful, entertaining history of obsessed music collectors and their quest for rare early 78 rpm records” (Los Angeles Times), Do Not Sell at Any Price is a fascinating, complex story of preservation, loss, obsession, and art. Before MP3s, CDs, and cassette tapes, even before LPs or 45s, the world listened to music on fragile, 10-inch shellac discs that spun at 78 revolutions per minute. While vinyl has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years, rare and noteworthy 78rpm records are exponentially harder to come by. The most sought-after sides now command tens of thousands of dollars, when they’re found at all. Do Not Sell at Any Price is the untold story of a fixated coterie of record collectors working to ensure those songs aren’t lost forever. Music critic and author Amanda Petrusich considers the particular world of the 78—from its heyday to its near extinction—and examines how a cabal of competitive, quirky individuals have been frantically lining their shelves with some of the rarest records in the world. Besides the mania of collecting, Petrusich also explores the history of the lost backwoods blues artists from the 1920s and 30s whose work has barely survived and introduces the oddball fraternity of men—including Joe Bussard, Chris King, John Tefteller, and others—who are helping to save and digitize the blues, country, jazz, and gospel records that ultimately gave seed to the rock, pop, and hip-hop we hear today. From Thomas Edison to Jack White, Do Not Sell at Any Price is an untold, intriguing story of the evolution of the recording formats that have changed the ways we listen to (and create) music. “Whether you’re already a 78 aficionado, a casual record collector, a crate-digger, or just someone…who enjoys listening to music, you’re going to love this book” (Slate).