Google Glass: is it a threat to our privacy?

The tech giant's 'wearable computing' project is now being tested by volunteers, meaning you might already have been surreptitiously filmed and uploaded on to Google's servers. How worried should you be?

Alvin Lucier - Music on a Long Thin Wire

And, by the way, there have been some tests lately, there's a recording called "An Eighty-Foot Wire" or  "Music By a Long Thin Wire"–I thought this was a joke recording. It's an eighty-foot wire, they strung an eighty-foot wire out and they played a single tone through it and then they recorded it, but the eighty-foot wire did a single oscillation. The oscillation never varies. The oscillation [is] absolutely steady, the pulsations fed through the wire. And they recorded four LP sides, that wire creates the most incredibly beautiful sounds you've ever heard. And it doubled back, the sound[s] would come back and overlay each other, and there will be intervals of exquisite beauty. This is just an eighty-foot wire.

-Philip K. Dick, January 10, 1982.

 

Sonic Graffiti

Mr Underwood - "I was recently commissioned by VIVID and Capsule to produce and install eight pieces of Sonic Graffiti in Digbeth, Birmingham. These are sound objects, embedded in the built environment. The commission was split between four pieces that featured the “Crash EP” of music inspired by field recordings taken in the area and four others which were more “playable”.

Feonic Speaker Technology

 Whispering Windows – Attract New Customers How do I Attract New Customers into my store? Answer: Use sound to attract attention Every store owner with a window display asks themselves “how do I attract new customers into my store”. The first task is to attract attention to ensure people passing by actually look at what you have to offer.



Consider FeONIC Technologies Whispering Window® which has a proven track record in substantially increasing sales by up to 40%. A unique technology that delivers audio advertising messages from your shop, store, cafe or restaurant window display. These are not tacky speakers stuck on the outside of your building, instead our sound transducers gently turn your shop window into a speaker.

CRiSAP Presents - Not for Human Consumption

This is the launch of an intriguing online exhibition featuring a collection of sounds that were not intended for humans in the first place. The exhibition reveals weird but inspiring sounds, ranging from the almost inaudible, to the sounds of languages evolved by robots to communicate with one another. Inspiring!

Niftymitter

Niftymitter is a short range FM transmitter based on the open source hardware design by Tetsuo Kogawa, housed within a cardboard body, with a variety of options for hacking. The transmitter is tiny and handy for small scale radio broadcasts, building a distributed PA system for performances, linking your personal audio player to your car radio, or for general audio experimentation.

David Toop - Making Sounds

David Toop is a musician/composer, writer, and curator. He has written four books, currently translated into eight languages: Rap Attack (now in its third edition), Ocean of Sound (included in the Observer Music Monthly’s 50 Greatest Music Books Ever), Exotica (a winner of the 21st annual American Books Awards for 2000), and Haunted Weather. His first album, New and Rediscovered Musical Instruments, was released on Brian Eno's Obscure label in 1975; since 1995 he has released seven solo albums.

David Toop - Making Sounds from Expression Design on Vimeo.