Tag: technology

Amplification

Summer is the time for outdoor concerts, but even when 20,000 people gather in a muddy field, they take it for granted that they’ll be able to clearly hear the music…and complain if they don’t. We’re so used to electronically amplified sound the only time we give it any thought is when it doesn’t work …

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Nails

It’s summer, and the weekend air is full of the sound of sawing, hammering and (occasionally) cursing. Yes, it’s time to break out the tools and build that deck, fix that roof, install that new door–and whatever your renovation plans, you’ll probably use either nails or screws in abundance. The nail is the simplest and …

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Desalination (1995)

“Water, water, everywhere, and all the boards did shrink; Water, water, everywhere Nor any drop to drink.” –Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner It’s one of the ironies of nature that although three-quarters of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, only a very small percentage of that water is drinkable–as the Ancient …

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Computer memory

A while back (quite a long while, actually) I wrote a column about memory, in which I made the point that our ability to remember things is what distinguishes us from dandelions. You might also say that our ability to remember things is what distinguishes us from household appliances and other inanimate objects, but if …

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Running shoes

I have the flattest feet of anyone I know, so running is not something I do if I can avoid it. When it comes time to purchase running shoes, therefore, I simply walk into the store, pick out something inexpensive in my size, and walk out again. The decision is far harder, I am told, …

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The Internet

Internet this and Internet that. Everybody talks about the Internet (approximately 127,498 journalists and their dogs have already done stories on it), but there are still lots of people who aren’t exactly sure what “The Internet” is. The Internet grew out of ARPAnet (ARPA stands for Advanced Research Projects Agency), a U.S. military project unveiled …

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Water treatment

As a kid, I always loved field trips. You not only got to leave school and take a bus ride, you also got to visit exotic places like dairy farms, museums and newspapers. One field trip that seemed to be repeated at regular intervals during my school years was to the local water treatment facility. …

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Books

There are few things I esteem more highly than books, and I’m not just saying that because I was honorary patron of Saskatchewan Library Week (October 15 to 22–and if you missed it, don’t worry; your local library will welcome you any week). Books have been my friends, companions and teachers since I learned to …

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Lights

Human beings like light. We don’t see well at night, and our vaunted intelligence goes hand in hand with a vivid imagination that loves to populate shadows with Things That Go Bump in the Night. As a result, we’ve always looked for ways to light up our lives: campfires, torches, candles, oil lamps, gas lamps…and, …

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Guitars

One of the problems with being a musician whose instrument of choice is the piano is that it’s very difficult to take your instrument with you to parties. I mean, it’s almost impossible to find a piano carrying-case, and have you ever tried to load one into the hatchback of a Plymouth Laser? (I suppose …

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Photography

I’ve been interested in photography ever since I bought my first camera as a kid–an all-plastic (including the lens) special that cost all of $1. Over the next couple of years, with that camera and its sequel, a $10 Instamatic, I shot lots of pictures of friends, scenery, and my cat (LOTS of pictures of …

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Keeping cool

I went to university in Arkansas, a state which boasts two of the distinguishing characteristics of the South: heat and humidity. As a member of the Harding University Marching Band, I got to spend an hour and a half every day of every week out in the sunshine practicing halftime shows in late summer, and …

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