Category Archives: Discussion Questions 7

Discussion question 7

EPISODE 5

  1. At the beginning of this episode, Krukowski is explaining how some music is accepted for some people and rejected by others. By “the marginal-the rejected-the repressed-is whatever the powerful have decided is of no use at the moment.” he means that this music which are being rejected could be of a good source of art to society.

 2.  Forced exposure has the responsibility to listen and also write about all new music arrivals. They release a catalog that describes every record in detail. On the contrary, platforms like Spotify, Apple music and Pandora are not listening to each their song, it is impossible Krukowski says. It is done by computers using music algorithms. I think that what digital music platforms are doing is positive to the artist which music is being rejected. Platforms like Spotify give these artist the chance of being known by others.

3. Being surprise according to Krukowski is that people are experiencing a new type of music without the need of searching for an specific kind of music. On the other hand, to discover something is to look for that specifically. However, your can be surprised by a song you discover, for example it could be better or worst that what you expected.

EPISODE 6

  1.  Signal is whatever is interest to us, everything else is noise. Everything around us is noise as long as it is not important to us, however is we are in a crowded noise an someone says something of our interest then it becomes a signal. I think these differences are important because our brain focuses on what we actually want to hear and is less probable to be distracted by the surrounding noise.
  2. I think that the central idea is that in every noise there is a signal for everyone depending on the listener interest.
  3. It is related to all other episodes because it gives a general explanation and definition of “ways of hearing” in general.

Discussion Questions #7

 Episode 5

  1. Art consists of majority of concepts. However, most of the concepts are ignore by most people. For example, most people don’t listen to an indie band. In relation to alternate approaches to art these repressed concepts might be a key to approaches alternate that they haven’t explore that much compared to more popular concepts.

 

 

  1. Forced Exposure, focuses on listening to different types of music. With that, he listens to them as an individual track as if it was made by someone else. It is important to catalogue each type of music they made and try to understand them regardless of their own preferences. With this, they will try to appreciate each person personal approach to are and what/how they use art and what different approach they take. This enables a broader music listening experience with a wider range of sounds and bands.

 

 

  1. Paul Lamere, develops a system where instead of trying to showcase all different types of music to a person. They figure out a wat to recommend people something they will like to listen to. Paul seems to try and enable a music listening experience that is “deeper” than Forced Exposure by focusing on music the listener already enjoys and finding more music like that without branching off to completely different sounds.

 

 

  1. Surprise is not the same as discover. Surprise implies finding something that we’re not comfortable with. While discover, helps us find something we want/like. To keep us engaged is a major goal for most corporations so, they approach by relies on familiarity (discovery) will keep us hooked and not accidentally scare us off. This is why for some it would be important to focus on helping a user discover something as opposed to surprising them.

Episode 6

  1. Signal is whatever sound you want to listen to. Noise is the sound around you that is blocking the signal. This is really important to understand because we switch to difference signal to point the original signal is become the noise.
  1. This relate to all of the episode that digital time and real time has a big effect with signal and noise. Digital time, is more signal due to the advancement of technology and Real time, is noise is the power of the feedback from your instrument and your amps. Digital technology helps us create our own space to block away noise with our headphones and increase our signal to our music. It compares the quality expression in our voices against the way cellphone isolate the signal of our words. Without noise around us we lose the fullness of its meaning. This also relate to the internet to the way it alternates the way that signal and noise by strip recorded sounds and removing that unwanted noise with all the artist and song producer. It also connects with the how the isolated signal is being manipulated by the online line cooperation or also it is being used to make us in to signal for to make business money.

 

Discussion 7

Episode 5

  1. Music is accepted by one side and rejected by the other. But the marginalized, the rejected, the repressed, most of the time will evolve into new forms or die out completely. Whether being accepted or rejected, I think, is a symbol of benefit. After being rejected, art or music will have different innovations, the social system will be adjusted after being rejected by people, and rights will evolve into a new system after being marginalized. Most of the time, people only focus on what is accepted and popular, but what is ignored is not necessarily bad, but just appreciated from a different Angle.

 

  1. Both are the drawbacks of the digital age. No one knows what the purpose of the operation is behind them, but whether the so-called forced exposure is just another propaganda tool to attract people’s attention and show some marginalized or the next trend in this way. What people see may be superficial phenomena, but I think what the purpose of forced exposure is, there will be no loss, because it will evolve into another form or result, and the beneficiary will always be the business.

 

  1. Surprise satisfies people’s curiosity and thirst for knowledge, like a conclusion. However, in the process of discovery, the development company provides different music enjoyment to the audience through discovery and development. On the side, it is the developer who satisfies the audience’s taste. However, they are related. 

 

Episode 6

  1. Noise and signal are often confused by people, noise depends on people’s choice, everyone’s understanding, and acceptance of noise is different. A signal is a cue by which people get some information. Both are important because I think all sounds can be noise, all sounds come from noise. People decide whether it’s noise, and decisions and signals give them information that they want.

 

  1. Noise and signals are interrelated because all sound comes from noise, and all signals can be considered noise. Krukowski likes to remind people not to think noise is noise subjectively. People need to understand the message that noise conveys. Sometimes people can get from noise to unexpected results.

 

  1. The way of listening is constantly changing, which will also change people’s lives. With the continuous progress and development of digital technology, people become more and more detached from real life. Listening becomes a weapon and tool for people to gain benefits. Away from noise, away from the innovation of digital music, the human ear has also become a victim of sound, and digital progress is depriving the ear of the right to hear. It seems that people are controlling the progress of digitalization, but in fact, digitalization is gradually controlling people.

 

Discussion Questions #7

Episode 5

  1.  what Krukowski means in the beginning of the episode where he says “the marginal-the rejected-the repressed-is whatever the powerful have decided is of no use at the moment”   it means that power is being consoled how people want to hear digital information and sound but they are thinking of making sure that the digital still stays with us. The other point that he explains art is not being used the right way  and it is getting forgotten in the power of people.  what krukowski means by the questions is that he wants to find why power its not being used in a proper way of hearing. 
  2. there different because the way the are being used as a good way for digital followers can listen to and that can be something positive.
  3. The distinction between being surprised by music and discovering music that krukowski explains is that being surprised is unexpected in other words didn’t know what they were going to hear and discovering music is when people are interested in a particular sound or music which integers someone to like it.

Episode 6

  1.  according to krukowski noise is the way you hear a sound and how it is being heard. A signal is the way the sound is being heard if its in many different ways that people grab information. These are important because it helps everyone know where the information is being used.
  2. The central idea of noise is that it is being in the digital world can be easy to hear.
  3. this episode relates to other episodes is because the way people is forgetting the whole concept of the way we hear things it can be a radio,news ,sports,or even space but those things help us think on how listening can be very important.

Discussion Questions #7

Discussion questions for episodes 5 & 6

Episode 5

1. According to Krukowski, powerful decide which music gets to the top and which is rejected. In this statement, Krukowski means by influential music corporations decide which music might be a trend. The rest, as Krukowski says “the marginal-the rejected-the repressed,” end up in dollar baskets or disappeared at all. Nowadays, there are a lot of different music platforms that include a huge number of musical works. However, it is impossible to listen to them all at once. Thus, we choose music according to personal preferences or the one that may be popular. At the same time, promoting songs to the music charts is a power of money, since the music world is just a business. Unfortunately, other music projects rejecting due to lack of demand. However, sometimes happening that the music went underground because of the anarchic spirit of the lyrics. In those cases, it is called alternative art. This happens because of the resonant situation in the internal politics of a country.

2. Music distributor Forced Exposure offers over 50,000 pieces of music. Moreover, they write a detailed description of the proposed music album; indicating the direction of the music, the release date of the album and describe the content of the songs since they listen to each release. While the Spotify corporation uses an algorithm to calculate the listener’s musical preferences and play the recordings. The main purpose of Spotify is to let the listener hear the music that they are most likely to enjoy. However, Forced Exposure surprises with its variety in which you need to dig a little to find something new and completely different from the usual.

3. The difference between being “surprising” and “discovering” music is significant. For example, for Krukowski, discovering was the Ghost album he found in the Forced Exposure catalogue. This was not a surprise, but it was a discovering, as Krukowski heard amazing sounds that he had not heard before. At the same time, surprising is something unpredictable, something that may not meet our expectations. According to Krukowski, these concepts are important to corporations such as Facebook, Google, or Spotify because their main goal is to attract and engage more and more users around the world.

Episode 6

1. According to Krukowski, noise is all the sounds we hear, these sounds surround us. While the signal is a specific sound that we are trying to pick up with the neurons of our ears. Accordingly, capturing the signal, all other sounds are converted into noise.

2. The main idea of ​​this episode is the effect of the transition of noise and sound signals from analog to digital. According to Krukowski, analog sound is always accompanied by noise from which there is no escape. However, in digital sound, noise and signals are adjustable. Accordingly, it is possible to highlight or minimize this or that noise or signal. This ability to adjust noise and signals are very important in the present world as it allows us to find our sound and space.

3. The Signal & Noise episode can be the general as it covers up the main theme of the “Ways of Hearing” podcast. This podcast originally touches on the subject the sounds of analogue time and digital time. These differences are revealed precisely in the sixth episode where Krukowski explains the concept of noise and signal. As a true musician and writer, Krukowski extraordinarily connected the two genres and created an incredible and amazing podcast about the influence and differences between analog and digital time and their sounds.

Discussion Questions #7

Discussion #7

Episode 5

1. At the beginning of this episode, Krukowski asserts, “the marginal-the rejected-the repressed-is whatever the powerful have decided is of no use at the moment.” What does he mean by this statement? He goes on to ask, “But might it [the marginal-the rejected-the repressed] not be a key to alternate approaches-to art, to society-to power itself?” (“Marginalized” is an adjective that describes a person, group, or concept that is treated as insignificant or peripheral.)

At the beginning of this episode, Krukowski asserts, “the marginal – the rejected-the repressed is whatever the powerful have decided is of no use at the moment.” He is telling us that the powerful ones, the music that are trending, suppresses those that are not trending on digital platforms. Since people are only exposed to songs that are trending, unless and until we look for a particular song, we don’t come across a variety of songs. Also, with the algorithm created by the digital music companies we only get exposed to the kind of songs we tend to listen to. In this process, all other music is marginalized, rejected and repressed inadvertently for the consumers. He goes on to ask, “But might it not be the key to alternate approaches to art, to society, to power itself?  Krukowski is suggesting that if listeners are exposed to these marginalized and repressed group of music as much as the powerful ones, it can generate an element of surprise in the listeners and our musical experience will be diversified eventually.

2.How are the music listening experiences enabled by Forced Exposure different from those that Paul Lamere is working on with platforms like Spotify?

The music experiences enabled by Forced Exposure is different from those that Paul Lamere is working on with platforms like Spotify because Forced Exposure doesn’t create an algorithm like Spotify does. It exposes us to all different kinds of music and enables us to explore them. With Forced exposure, there is a chance that we can bump into a kind of music that we never thought we would like, but Spotify only allows us to listen to the kind of music that we like. Krukowski asserts, “Online, it is becoming more and more difficult to escape the influence of those corporations and their algorithms that shape the subset of information we each see. They’re replacing the freedom and chaos of the internet at large with the control and predictability of their programs, but subverting that system is easy offline.” Music is catered to our own liking and if choices are not made consciously, we end up listening to the same kind of music over time.

3. What distinctions does Krukowski draw between being “surprised” by music and “discovering” music? What are the differences between these experiences and according to Krukowski, why are they important?

Krukowski says, “Surprise is not the same as discovery to a huge digital corporation eager to change every one of us and as much of our time as possible with their product”. He compares it with Google and Facebook, how they provide us with the answer we are looking for. We don’t like it when they provide us unrelated and surprising answers to our searches. Similarly, recommendations on Spotify are designed to our liking which doesn’t surprise us, and we keep listening to them. However, discovering music is a totally different experience. It is coming across a different kind of music we have not heard before and then end up liking it. Krukowski shares his own experience of discovering the first ghost album through Forced Exposure. He liked it so much that he and his wife collaborated with them. 

Episode 6 

1. According to Krukowski, what is noise? What is signal? Why are these distinctions important?

According to Krukowski, noise is something that we are not paying attention to when we are trying to listen. Signal is the voice we are paying attention to and that we want to listen to. These distinctions are important because until we decide the distinction between signal and noise, we won’t know what we are listening to.

2. What central idea about noise does this episode convey? Why is it significant?

The central idea about this episode is that noise is a part of sound and that noise and signal is relative. Noise is not literally a noise. It is beautifully used in the recordings of the analog days. In today’s digital generation, noise can be eliminated during recordings, but it is not more than a noise when it is played loudly. It is significant because if we reduce noise, we are eliminating the choice as well. According to Krukowski, “When you choose as a listener to focus on what is buried deep in the layers of a recording, instead of what has been placed up front to catch your attention. You have changed what is signal and what is noise”.

3. How does this episode relate to other episodes? 

This episode relates to other episodes in a way how all other episodes distinguish between signal and noise. Digital time is considered the signal in episode 1 because it gains our attention and it is similar to the signal we pay attention to when we listen to something. Similarly, urban noise is allowed to control with the signal you want to pay attention in the concert halls. We learnt that musical quality of voice was missing when cellphones were invented, but it did not affect the transmission of the words. So, we can say that missing quality of voice is considered noise because they did not pay attention to it. Likewise, when internet music sharing entered the market, people did not buy cds or cassettes. The market got rid of the physical forms of music like a noise, they only wanted to listen to the signal – the song. Also, the online music platform encouraged the marginalization of music that is not powerful or trending like the noise we don’t pay attention to.

Discussion Post #7

EPISODE: 5

1. At the beginning of this episode, Krukowski asserts, “the marginal-the rejected-the repressed-is whatever the powerful have decided is of no use at the moment.” What does he mean by this statement? He goes on to ask, “But might it [the marginal-the rejected-the repressed] not be a key to alternate approaches-to art, to society-to power itself?” (“Marginalized” is an adjective that describes a person, group, or concept that is treated as insignificant or peripheral.)

When Damon Krukowski enters the record store, he finds that some specific albums/records are preserved for a long time. Also, these records are expired/out-of-date. I really think that the reason is   people usually like to download music from online music websites and not want to go to music record/albums stores. As a result, the records what only available in the record stores become valueless/unused. However, the records can give a new vision of art. Another thing is we can find much information on a music store. Such as the author pointed out that workers in the music store can provide information about music/records about many years ago that you did not know or thought. Moreover, music albums/records in the record store are in the form of physical/material and it has more attraction or attention than the non-physical music what usually on the internet. Also, we can discover a new category of music that we don’t know by visiting music stores.

2. How are the music listening experiences enabled by Forced Exposure different from those that Paul Lamere is working on with platforms like Spotify?

First of all, Jimmy from Forced Exposure listens songs what he like and what he chosen. Here he can listen and gather/find what kind of music he likes and want to hear in the future. On the other side, Paul Lamere from Spotify who creates algorithm to choose songs from millions of songs based on the category you heard before. It’s like an automatic system/process and people can’t discover new variety of music. Moreover, they will stick with the trend. Also, listening experience of music will never fulfill like the satisfying experience Jimmy had.

3. What distinctions does Krukowski draw between being “surprised” by music and “discovering” music? What are the differences between these experiences and according to Krukowski, why are they important?

Surprising and discovering has different kind of relations. First of all, when we hear a new type of music, it’s like a surprising moment for us and we eager to hear more type of music in the future afterwards. On the other side, discovering is what we are usually searching for. Such as we can get the same type of songs on the Spotify based on the songs we listened. Here technology cannot help us to get new vibes of music. In addition, we cannot get out from the same music taste. Therefore, many information about an innovative kind of music get disappeared.

 

EPISODE: 6

4. According to Krukowski, what is noise? What is signal? Why are these distinctions important?

First of all, the signal is the sound what we want to hear and the remainder of the sound is the noise. It relies upon our cerebrums/brains/mind. However, in the studio the musicians and producers increase the volume of signal and decrease the volume of noise, blended the music very excellently and make signal and noise sounds more clear so it can give us the full fulfillment of a song.

5. What central idea about noise does this episode convey? Why is it significant?

Producers and musicians usually maximize the volume of the signal and minimize the volume of noise. Noise is the unwanted sounds related to signal and this is very significant. Without noise the song may sound slightly better, but it will never sound like a perfect song all the time. Noise can upgrade the signal and makes the song more powerful and rhythmic. In the meantime, musicians use software to take out the noise. Nevertheless, they can reduce the noise insisted if removing it. Noise is inevitable and also carries the meaning of a song.

6. How does this episode relate to other episodes? 

The episode relates to other episodes of Ways of Hearing. Much the same as the ‘’noise’’ peoples/individuals ignore the unwanted sounds by headphones or cellphones. In addition, noise has been diminished in right now. For instance, until further notice anyone who doesn’t care for a conversation or anything can put on the headphones to ignore the surroundings or other interruptions.

Discussion Questions 7

Episode 5

  1. At the beginning of this episode, Krukowski asserts, “the marginal-the rejected-the repressed-is whatever the powerful have decided is of no use at the moment.” What does he mean by this statement? He goes on to ask, “But might it [the marginal-the rejected-the repressed] not be a key to alternate approaches to art, to society-to power itself?” (“Marginalized” is an adjective that describes a person, group, or concept that is treated as insignificant or peripheral.)

 

What is he trying to get at with this question? How does music indicate the differences between the powerful and the marginalized?

 

Music creates power on the Internet. The strong in music usually go to the top, and they can express themselves through sound. Marginalized people are often ignored, and they are not needed in the current mainstream culture.

 

2.  How are the music listening experiences enabled by Forced Exposure different from those that Paul Lamere is working on with platforms like Spotify?

 

The experience of forced exposure is one you can’t choose. You have to listen to all the music before you know what’s worth watching, and you build up an insatiable appetite for answers. Paul Lamere’s experience on platforms like Spotify is this magical music player whose system automatically recommends songs to help you find the right ones.

 

3.  What distinctions does Krukowski draw between being “surprised” by music and “discovering” music? What are the differences between these experiences and according to Krukowski, why are they important?

 

When Krukowski used Spotify, he was surprised to find that the system’s predictions of Krukowski’s taste in music were so accurate and disconcerting. According to Krukowski, we need to click away from any AD tracker before it has a chance to catch our attention because the control and predictability of advertising in the program replace the freedom and chaos of the entire Internet so keep our attention.

 

Episode 6

  1. According to Krukowski, what is noise? What is the signal? Why are these distinctions important?

The signal is whatever sound you pay attention to and focus on. Noise is the sound that you do not pay attention to. But all sounds can be noise until we decide what a signal is.

 

2.  What central idea about noise does this episode convey? Why is it significant?

 

The central idea about noise in this episode is that noise around us can be a meaningful signal, and it is depending on whether you’re interested in the noise. Noise is also an important aspect of the development of our digital communications.

 

3.  How does this episode relate to other episodes? 

 

In this episode, Krukowski emphasized the difference between signal and noise. but throughout the series, we discuss sound and music. The author wants to express that this is the most essential change experienced in the transition from analog communication to digital communication.

Episodes 5 & 6

Episode 5

  1. At the beginning of this episode, Krukowski asserts, “the marginal-the rejected-the repressed-is whatever the powerful have decided is of no use at the moment.” What does he mean by this statement? He goes on to ask, “But might it [the marginal-the rejected-the repressed] not be a key to alternate approaches-to art, to society-to power itself?” (“Marginalized” is an adjective that describes a person, group, or concept that is treated as insignificant or peripheral.)

What is he trying to get at with this question? How does music indicate the differences between the powerful and the marginalized?

  • The author here was talking about when he entered the record store where he finds those album and records are left for a long time and nobody is using it until they are expired. Nowadays, people prefer downloading music from the internet or upload the music apps as Spotify, Soundcloud or YouTube rather than going to the music store wasting time picking up CD’s. But music records store is a type of art and there are some people who use it. Krukowski mentioned that by visiting the record store, he discovered a lot of information there. He gave an example such as workers over there can provide you with information about years ago that you didn’t know. What’s more, they can advise you if you’re struggling in finding a specific song or a type of song.
  1. How are the music listening experiences enabled by Forced Exposure different from those that Paul Lamere is working on with platforms like Spotify?
  • Forced exposure started as a scene in the 80s. They listened to all the music they could get their hands on and told the rest of us what they thought was worth hunting down and back before the Internet, it really was a hunt. You had to write a letter with the self-address stamped on the envelope. You are taking for months or even years just to track someone down. Paul Lamere’s ultimate goal is the magic music player that automatically knows what you want to listen to. Instead of having to scroll through millions of songs to figure out what you want to play, you just hit the play button and it plays the right song for you. Around 2005, the way people thought about music recommendation was very similar to the way they thought about movie recommendations, if you liked Jurassic Park, you might like The Matrix. It turns out when you do that with music recommendation, you get assertive of funny problems. First you get that real popularity by music releases, two singers released album in the same week. People would listen to them as they are released at the same week although they are different types of music. People would get recommendation if you like this singer or the other one which is a poor recommendation. Those were a real struggle that people faced before Paul Lamere invented the magic play button
  1. What distinctions does Krukowski draw between being “surprised” by music and “discovering” music? What are the differences between these experiences and according to Krukowski, why are they important?
  • Suspired is not the same as discovered. Surprise in not really a helpful thing. He used a good example saying, “Does google want to surprise us when we use it to search for something?” “Does Facebook wang to surprise us when we are looking for our friends? They want us to find what we are already comfortable with.” Google give us the right answers. Facebook connects us to the people we already know. Same as music recommendation services, wants to give us the music we would like. On the other hand, discovering means that you enter another world. It may be confusing at first, even overwhelming. Spotify provides music without your participation. The algorithm will know what you want. All of the apps or websites’ data are collected about you and are trying to shape the world of information that you find inside their programs. You find the answers you want to the question you wanted to ask. You find the opinions of those who already agree with yours. You find the news that reinforces the opinions and the others too.

Episode 6

  1. According to Krukowski, what is noise? What is signal? Why are these distinctions important?
  • “Noise is the signal that you’re not interested in” says Alicia Quinel of Harvard Medical School. To doctor Alicia, signal is whatever sound we are trying to pay attention to. A good example was mentioned, if you’re in a crowded restaurant with your partner who’s trying to say something across the table that you’re trying to hear, that’s a signal and everything else in the restaurant is noise. On the other hand, if somebody on the other table says something that has interest to you, as your ears drop, that voice becomes the signal and whatever is being said at your table is now the noise. We are very skilled at shifting our attention from signal to signal focusing and refocusing on different sounds in the environment. All of this are considered to be noise until we decided to focus on what’s trying to be said, which is considered to be signal.
  1. What central idea about noise does this episode convey? Why is it significant?
  • Making any of signal or noise is an example of noise which result in the production of different sounds. Noise is described as any unwanted sound or a sound which is added to the original signal that is judged as loud voice and disruptive to hear where it begs for your attention to get the information. The difference between sound and noise depends upon the listener and the circumstances. If somebody got a music without any physical instrument, it would sound good, but if this person started combining too many music together it would be annoying. it can be hazardous to a person’s hearing.
  1. How does this episode relate to other episodes? 
  • This episode gives us the best invention ever which is the magic music play button. This button is used to play the song you need without even trying to search for it and waste a lot of time. What’s more, noise has been reduced in the present time. For example, for now anybody who doesn’t like a conversation or something can put on the headphones and listen to whatever they are excited in and ignore the outer environment and distractions.

Discussion questions for episodes 5 and 6

Episode 5

  1. At the beginning of this episode, Krukowski asserts, “the marginal-the rejected-the repressed-is whatever the powerful have decided is of no use at the moment.” What does he mean by this statement? He goes on to ask, “But might it [the marginal-the rejected-the repressed] not be a key to alternate approaches-to art, to society-to power itself?” (“Marginalized” is an adjective that describes a person, group, or concept that is treated as insignificant or peripheral.)

 

What is he trying to get at with this question? How does music indicate the differences between the powerful and the marginalized?

 

Krukowski is referring to the items in the world that have fallen out of fashion. The items that society has decided are not popular anymore. Music with time can become outdated and no longer relevant. He refers to power as the people or corporations, or even programs that make the decisions on what should be bought or played or listened to.

 

  1. How are the music listening experiences enabled by Forced Exposure different from those that Paul Lamere is working on with platforms like Spotify?

 

Jimmy from Forced Exposure listens to every single song in his portfolio. It has been hand chosen by him. He has decided himself what he considers great music and he has narrowed down hundreds of thousands of songs to around 50,000. Paul Lamere, on the other hand, is a computer programmer. He creates algorithms that can choose from many millions of songs and predict what songs you will like based on your personal tastes. It chooses things that can be similar to things that you have already heard before. 

 

  1. What distinctions does Krukowski draw between being “surprised” by music and “discovering” music? What are the differences between these experiences and according to Krukowski, why are they important?

 

Krukowski explains that being surprised by music is different from discovering music. The large digital corporations try to steer you towards finding the things you are already familiar with. They use complex programs that can predict what you want based on previous experiences. The digital corporations use the data they have on you to give you what you’re already comfortable with. This prevents you finding new experiences. Krukowski finds that being surprised by something allows one to find new experiences that the large digital corporations would prevent you from finding because their algorithms don’t see you with similar wans. This digital prediction is fine if you only want to experience what you already know, but Krokowski believes there is true value in being surprised by these new experiences.

 

Episode 6

  1. According to Krukowski, what is noise? What is signal? Why are these distinctions important?

 

Krukowski describes signals as the sounds you are trying to listen to. Signals are fluid because our attention can shift based on what we want to hear at any given time. Noise is everything we can hear besides the signal we are looking for. These distinctions are important in music because digital music allows producers to boost the volume of the signals and reduce the volume of noise. This has allowed modern music to increase the volume of the recordings 10 fold.

 

What central idea about noise does this episode convey? Why is it significant?

 

Krukowski feels that noise is very important. That there is something lost when you remove the noise and only keep the signal. He explains there is a richness to noise that allows our brain to choose its signals. He shows that if we cut out noise completely and try to layer signal with other signals, it just becomes competing signals. While if you layer signals with the noise still in the background it can create brand new sounds. When there is noise in the background the audio engineer gets to choose what to highlight as signal and what to leave in back. It allows the engineer to weave sound textures together to create a more complex sound. 

 

How does this episode relate to other episodes? 

Krukowski uses noise to tie all of the episodes together. He uses digital recording’s ability to eliminate noise to represent each episode separately. The elasticity of time in analog recording is similar to the noise in the background. In public when wearing headphones or earpods, we eliminate the noise around us and only hear the signals being fed to us through our headphones. Cell phones eliminate the noise and in the process eliminates some of the feeling or music in our voices. Digital downloading strip away things that go into making music and thus striped it of its noise. Krukowski then uses us as analogous to signals stripped of noise by the large digital corporations that feed us only what they want us to hear. He believes noise and signals represent the shift of humanity from analog to digital, and how this shift has led to a disconnect from each other.