deadpopstar.com

Cochlear implants are able to restore language reception in many individuals, but they lack the temporal and spectral resolution to restore the full experience of music.

I could hear the drums of Bolero just fine. But the other instruments were flat and dull. The flutes and soprano saxophones sounded as though someone had clapped pillows over them. The oboes and violins had become groans. It was like walking color-blind through a Paul Klee exhibit. I played Bolero again and again, hoping that practice would bring it, too, back to life. It didn’t.

Michael Chorost details his quest to seek out the latest implant speech processor software, to try and restore his pre-deafness experience of Ravel’s Bolero. Link

Candle Records is closing down in March, having been in operation for over a decade. Candle’s focus was on lyrically strong Australian pop music, and their sampler CDs exposed me to many bands I never would have heard from otherwise, for which I am ever grateful. Foremost, they are (or were) the home of my favourite band, The Lucksmiths.

The bands currently under the label will be moving on to new homes, but it’s still a little sad. Candle are the only record label I identify as not being evil in some way. Tickets for their farewell gigs go on sale from December 1.

A novel method for the removal of ear cerumen CMAJ (2005), 173(12). We describe the off-label use of a recreational device (the Super Soaker Max-D 5000) in the alleviation of a socially emergent ear condition. A 45-year-old male complained of a profound reduction in his left ear acuity while staying at an island cottage in rural Ontario. His hearing loss was reducing his ability to hear his newborn son cry in the middle of the night, requiring his wife to carry out all late-night child care. As a result, correction of the problem was considered urgent.

Neither a formal ear syringe, nor a syringe of any kind was available on the island….He was not able to offer any substitute contraption of his own but suggested we approach his 4-year-old grandson to see if we could use his pressured water cannon.
–
The Super Soaker Max-D 5000 was filled with body-temperature water and then mildly pressurized using the blue hand-pump… Midway through the second load’s stream, wax particles began to run out of the ear… The patient exclaimed in joy, “I can hear again!”

I particularly like the footnote:

Disclaimer: Despite what bush-mad physicians may get up to on their private islands, CMAJ by no means endorses this particular application of the Super Soaker Max-Whatever. Do not try this at home.

Link to full article.

World’s Hottest Science Bloggerâ„¢ Shelley Batts would like your help in securing the Student Blogging Scholarship, worth USD$5000. I’m sure it would of great assistance in her PhD studies, and I heartily endorse her candidature. Graduate students drive medical research, and deserve to be supported and not live in poverty, which is only character building as an undergraduate.

Shelley’s blog is packed with neurosciencey goodness, and unlike mine, is frequently updated and not simply plagiarised from press releases, journal abstracts and news reports.

Vote here.

Update: Shelley secured third place, worth $1000!