John KannenberginSound Beyond MusicThe Discovery of PulsarsOn this day in 1967, Jocelyn Bell Burnell discovered pulsars using radio wave data collected by the Interplanetary Scintillation Array, a…Nov 28, 2022Nov 28, 2022
John KannenberginSound Beyond MusicStone Age Phonograph Technologies as Depicted in The FlintstonesThe classic tortoise shell platter and bird beak stylus (no amplifying horn)Nov 26, 20221Nov 26, 20221
John KannenberginSound Beyond MusicJoseph Cornell’s ‘Museum’ (1949)One of Joseph Cornell’s many box constructions, 1949’s ‘Museum’ is a conceptual museum of sounds. The museum box contains a series of small…Nov 23, 2022Nov 23, 2022
John KannenberginSound Beyond MusicThe World’s First (Successful) Talking DollShe may not have been the first, but Mattel’s Chatty Cathy™ (originally produced from 1959–1965) was the world’s first successful talking…Jul 19, 2022Jul 19, 2022
John KannenberginSound Beyond MusicMuseums: Start Speaking UpWe know museums aren’t neutral — so why are they so afraid to have an opinion?Jun 3, 2020Jun 3, 2020
John KannenberginSound Beyond MusicOn Non-Musical SoundsWhy is it so difficult for experimental musicians and sound artists to accept the fact there are non-musical sounds?May 13, 2020May 13, 2020
John KannenberginSound Beyond MusicCritiquing the Political Utilisation of the Anechoic ChamberIn September 2019, the Museum of Portable Sound published a meme to cheekily aid students in creating titles for a Sound Studies thesis…May 8, 2020May 8, 2020
John KannenberginSound Beyond MusicQuestionable Science, Questionable Logic, Questionable Morals: London Transport’s 1988 Attempt to…Could the engines of tube trains on London’s Underground have been adapted to erase any recorded material brought on board? Maybe not, but…Apr 22, 2020Apr 22, 2020
John KannenberginSound Beyond MusicThe Freudian History of the Firearm SilencerIn one of the most poetically Freudian bits of sound-related history possible, the inventor of the firearm silencer (Hiram Percy Maxim…Dec 5, 2019Dec 5, 2019
John KannenberginSound Beyond MusicBenjamin Franklin’s Phonetic Alphabet (1768)United States ‘founding father’ Benjamin Franklin, a keen writer and inventor, not only wanted political independence from Great Britain —…Oct 18, 2019Oct 18, 2019