Disinformation on BBC Radio 4 - Noise and War

BBC Radio 4 interview from the "Broadcasting House" show, 2 Nov 2008, discussing an RNID report about hearing problems experienced by Armed Forces personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The programme discussed simple strategies that can be applied by tinnitus sufferers to ameliorate the sleep loss which in practice is often the worst symptom of their condition. The interview recommends that people who experience sleep loss owing to tinnitus mask the ringing in their ears by playing very quiet and gentle radio static when they go to sleep at night, but the specific type of static best used is pure "white" noise, or the clean continuous hissing sound which can be found on some "quiet" FM radio frequencies. Further advice can be obtained from The British Tinnitus Association at...

http://www.tinnitus.org.uk

The tinnitus simulation that appears 19 seconds and also 3 minutes 20 seconds into this sequence could indeed be heard on the radio broadcast, but, even with headphones, is virtually inaudible after compression for You Tube.

The interview discussed other aspects of nocturnal listening - the influence that the SOUND of RAF Lyneham air base in Wiltshire (home of the Hercules C130 transporter planes) has on the imagery of the Disinformation sound art project, particularly on "National Grid" by Disinformation. RAF Lyneham is described as "one of the most musical RAF bases"...

http://www.slashseconds.org/issues/002/003/articles/jbanks2/index.php

"Broadcasting House" was presented by Paddy O'Connell and edited by Ryan Dilley.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytkRng7GZKk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjZQXMfcl-M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSGNRiU1bfo

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/news/bh/

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Disinformation
• BBC
• Radio
• Four
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• Lyneham
• C130
• Hercules
• National
• Grid
• Mona
• Hatoum
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• Tinnitus
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• Therapy
• Electromagnetic
• Noise
• Slash
• Seconds
• VLF
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• Mains
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• AHRC
• Anechoic
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[arcticf0x8]

WhenI shoot my rifles, the next day or for the rest of the day, I will have minor tinnitus. It's annoying...

[lagowski]

When I was small the sound of marching soldiers used to ring in my ears before I went to sleep. A few years later I realised it was my pulse pounding away in my ear drums...

[simonfromsydney]

This video reminded me of some thoughts I have about noise. Can we take the plastical quality of noise and understand it like music, like a soundtrack to our lives, instead of something to protect ourselves from? In the interview you talk of a noise you remember from your childhood that had almost a musical quality. If we abstract ourselves from our western concept of noise,I think we can find texture, rythm, melody, structure, etc, and take that kind of sounds as a soundtrack to our lives.

[CantCopeWontCope]

darn missed the beginning bit on my version

yours look more professional anyway! hahahahha