…my nose in a bookFood, research, yoga and music. . . is there anything else?

I have been reading Plato’s The Republic, and have had a few different thoughts bouncing around in my head.  In the world of education, Platonic thinking seems to arise when you least expect it, and the more I read, the more I feel like I do not know enough.  Five million questions came to mind when reading Plato, like whether or not he truly believed a perfect City could be achieved, or whether it was simply an idealistic fantasy. Either way, I know I have only started to brush off the surface of understanding what Plato was trying to say.

Nonetheless, here are the three main thoughts that arose from my reading Plato’s The Republic – Books 1 – 4:

Learning:

Persuasion is only possible when the other person is listening, as noted in the statement “But can you persuade, if we refuse to listen?” in book One.  In the context of education and the shaping of impressionable minds, I find this statement to be noteworthy.  If a student is not open to the concept of listening, and the possibility of growing their knowledge base, their opposition hinders the learning process.

The Ideal City and Music:

The education of the members of the ideal city focuses on following the rules, and a strictly censored learning and content.  I found Plato’s stance on music education to be fascinating, as his belief that certain harmonies evoke certain emotions, virtue and a “good” soul, while “bad” harmonies or music can corrupt and “latch onto” the soul.  Now in today’s society, and as a musician/composer myself, I find it difficult to wrap my mind around having my Art censored.  Upon consideration within the “Ideal Just City”, I can completely understand why there would be specific restrictions on the types of music that will be a part of education, as creativity and thinking “outside-the-box” could be catastrophic to the organized structure of the just society.

An Interesting Side Note on “Bad Music”:

Throughout history, certain types of music have been banned for their potential to evoke emotions that were incongruent with the ideals of that time.  The augmented fourth interval, also known as a tritone, has been used consistently as an example of a “bad” interval, with a historical connotation of being dissonant and “evil” (even used today in horror films to evoke “evil”).

As there are different overtones that occur from different intervals, it could be quite possible that certain harmonic scales could be particularly disturbing to someone who associates the tritone with “evil”, due to their societal music education.  Overtones are the natural resonance of an instrument, as instruments emit harmonic frequencies in addition to their fundamental pitch.

There were so many themes and ideas that came out of my readings, yet I felt that these three topics were my favourites. Any thoughts?

Ciao

Deanna

I have been testing out the Panasonic RP-HC500 Noise Cancelling Headphones for the past few weeks.  I have taken these lightweight silver headphones with me to various pubs, coffee shops and libraries to test out their ability to mask out talking and ambient sound around me while I try to study or write.

Panasonic RP-HC500 Headphones While Writing

The Pros:

These headphones are very clear in the treble and mid-range, with the ability to have the volume turned up quite high without distortion.  The bass sounds are good, yet there is room for improvement, in comparison to the Bose Quiet Comfort 15’s.  The earcups that wrap around the ear, are extremely comfortable, and allow for even my loop earrings to fit inside the headphone cup.

I was skeptical at first that headphone cord would not be long enough, yet it has not bothered me at all, and the headphone cord length seems to be the perfect length while working with a Macbook Pro sitting on your lap while drinking coffee/tea/beer.  The headband portion of the headphones has a comfortable squishy headband that keeps my head from hurting, and there is enough extension room in the headband to allow for large heads or even large hair that you dont want to muss up.

The noise-cancellation is wonderful, and does a great job of cancelling most sounds in the ambient environment.  As I will note below in my Cons list, the high treble frequencies of pop music are unavoidable with this headphones, and those sounds still seem to seep through the comfortable bubble of silence that these headphones provide.

The Cons:

As I mentioned before, the bass range of these headphones in comparison to the Bose Quiet Comfort 15’s could be a little better, though in comparison to every other headphone I have tried so far, the Panasonic RP-HC500’s are far superior. Sound-wise, the noise-cancellation is great, though background music at a coffee shop or pub isn’t completely cancelled by the headphones.  Unfortunately, it seems like most of the lower frequencies are cancelled, but the very high treble of the pop music or bad 80’s rock doesn’t go away.  You are left with a comfortable cone of silence, with the occasional burst of Cindi Lauper’s high pitch voice coming through.  I would have to say in comparison to almost all other noise-cancelling headphones, these are wonderful, though a bit more adjustment to eliminate outside ambient music would be fantastic.

Other problems with the headphones, in comparison to the Bose QC15’s include the fact that while the headband portion is quite comfortable, there is almost a tension that could create a headache over a long period of use.  The earcups hold very close to the head, and seem to create a pressure just behind the temples for people who may have a very large head. By large head, I mean someone who has more than a 24″ Inch head circumference an inch above the ear.

The Verdict:

All in all, I am extremely glad I bought these headphones, and have been thoroughly enjoying the noise-cancellation and wonderful sound that they have provided me.  @nachoman, from http://blog.nachbaur.com/ has taken to borrowing these headphones while he has been working on his Apple iPhone App development, and since he has a much smaller head circumference that I, he is able to fully appreciate these headphones without “large head” headaches.  So my final verdict on these headphones is: Wonderful headphones for $209 Canadian dollars, amazing sounds, great noise-cancelling, and comfortable for your ears.  If you have a large head (hat size 24″+), you likely will get pressure headaches after 4-6 hours of straight headphone wearing.  If you are looking for a cone of silence, with no outside noise in the least, you will want to get the Bose Quiet Comfort 15’s instead, though at $350+ it may not be worth it. These headphones are completely worthwhile, and I plan on keeping them for a while.  Plus they come with their own hardshell carry-case that makes tossing them into my laptop case a breeze.

Have a great day everybody!

Ciao

Deanna

As I mentioned yesterday, I have been on the hunt for a comfortable and good quality pair of noise canceling headphones.  I have always enjoyed sitting at a coffee shop or restaurant (typically sitting on a cushy couch) and spending several hours on my laptop, studying or reading.  Sitting at a cafe means that headphones are pretty much essential for blocking out the horrible pop music incessantly playing, or to block out the unwanted chit chat from fellow cafe visitors.  Since I have decided not to buy the Bose Quiet Comfort 15 headphones (as they are sold out in store anyhow), I have narrowed down my search to two slightly cheaper but comparable options.

The Audio-Technica ANT-ANC7 Quiet Point Noise Cancelling Headphones

or

The Panasonic RP-HC500 Noise Cancelling Headphones

After looking at the reviews of both pairs of headphones it seems that they are both comparable in quality and comfort.  It looks like the Panasonic headphones may be a bit more comfortable around the ears though, since they supposedly have a roomier ear-cup.  According to their manufacturer’s websites the Audio-Technica’s are 7.4 ounces and the Panasonic’s are only 6 ounces, though I am not sure if this is including the AAA battery that goes in the right headphone to power noise cancellation.  Either way, my original choice in a headphone was the Bose Quiet Comfort 15’s that weigh in at 7.3 ounces, so the Panasonic headphones seem to be the big winner out of all three at a whole ounce lighter.

I have decided to get the Panasonic RP-HC500 headphones, with a pricetag of $209.99 over at Best Buy.   I know I could just order them online for about $150 USD plus shipping, but then again I really am needing the headphones for this week, and I don’t want to wait a week or two for the shipment to show up.

Once I get my hands on my new shiny fun headphones, I will be sure to write about the difference between them and the Bose QC15 headphones.

Ciao for now,

Deanna