telephonic extra-sensory perception

[franksolich]

this is for our esteemed colleague cavegal

As most know, I can't hear; born that way, absent ears.

The absence is covered up by my wearing my hair a little bit longer than the average non-hippie adult male wears his; it's a little odd, but I'd sooner people comment about the hair, than the missing ears.

In all respects, franksolich is utterly normal-looking, or average-looking.

Because it's a hearing world, and a natural human wish to be assimilated, I do a pretty good job of mimicking hearing people; such a good job that even people who've known me for years and years occasionally forget I can't hear.

Once in a while, it's happened that I've been sitting next to a telephone, and the telephone's rang.

I have no idea it's ringing, until another person, at another end of the room, looks over at me, wondering why I'm not picking it up, and pointing to it.

I get the message; the telephone's ringing.

I pick up the receiver.

Because of sound-conduction through vibrations in the skeletal structure, it might happen that I will grasp what's being said--incompletely, but grasp something--from the other end.  That's a phenomenon that happens about every hundredth time or so, and only with land-line telephones, though.

Usually I hear nothing, and hand the receiver to the other person.

"Who is it?"

"I dunno," I reply; "some guy wearing brown socks."

The description just comes out of the mouth, with no conscious thought on my part.

The other person arches his or her eyebrows, and takes the call.....and towards the end of the chitchattery, curious, asks the caller the color of his socks.

It freaks some people out.

"Who is it?"

"I dunno," I reply; "some woman with Christmas-tree-bauble-sized earrings."

The other person arches his or her eyebrows, and takes the call.....and towards the end of the chitchattery, curious, asks the caller the size of her earrings.

"Who is it?"

"I dunno," I reply; "some guy with a beard."

"Who is it?"

"I dunno," I reply; "but she's got a run in her stockings."

"Who is it?"

"I dunno," I reply; "but she's got really good teeth."

This just really freaks people out, because I've gotten it right.

I have no idea why this happens, but it happens.

Being deaf, I am not telephone-savvy, and I always forget to cover the speaking end of the receiver before saying something, meaning my comment is overheard by the caller.

"Who is it?"

"I dunno," I reply; "but she's really fat."

[cavegal]

I do not really know how to take that... so I will say I do go on and on without thought....

[BattleHymn]

Because of sound-conduction through vibrations in the skeletal structure, it might happen that I will grasp what's being said--incompletely, but grasp something--from the other end.  That's a phenomenon that happens about every hundredth time or so, and only with land-line telephones, though.

Can you elaborate more on this?  Is it electrophonic sounds, or is it like you said- vibration based?

When I take out the telescope and binoculars for some stargazing, I will occasionally hear "sound" from falling meteors that everybody else swears up and down they cannot hear.    

[Chris_]

 

That was great.

[franksolich]

Can you elaborate more on this?  Is it electrophonic sounds, or is it like you said- vibration based?

When I take out the telescope and binoculars for some stargazing, I will occasionally hear "sound" from falling meteors that everybody else swears up and down they cannot hear.    

I have no idea; I guess "vibration-based" is plausible.

Now, sir, when you're holding the telescope or binoculars, you're holding something solid through which sound-waves can travel, causing a vibration ranging from minuscule to monstrous in intensity, although nearly all the time, minuscule or near-minuscule.

Those vibrations might be from something else; sounds of a faraway automobile coming down the highway, for example, that you can't see or hear (through the air).

Who knows.

As a little lad, I was always getting into trouble for trying to jam my head and arms, or my head, or my arms, into one of the two loudspeakers of the stereo-console, tearing up the fabric.  When I was seven years old, in the second grade, one of my older brothers finally got the idea of building thin-brass grates to cover the speakers, but I did a pretty good job of bending those inward, too.

Everybody has the ability to hear sounds through vibration, but nearly everybody doesn't use it because they don't have to, instead it being easier to simply pick up sounds out of the air.

[cavegal]

I have no idea; I guess "vibration-based" is plausible.

Now, sir, when you're holding the telescope or binoculars, you're holding something solid through which sound-waves can travel, causing a vibration ranging from minuscule to monstrous in intensity, although nearly all the time, minuscule or near-minuscule.

Those vibrations might be from something else; sounds of a faraway automobile coming down the highway, for example, that you can't see or hear (through the air).

Who knows.

As a little lad, I was always getting into trouble for trying to jam my head and arms, or my head, or my arms, into one of the two loudspeakers of the stereo-console, tearing up the fabric.  When I was seven years old, in the second grade, one of my older brothers finally got the idea of building thin-brass grates to cover the speakers, but I did a pretty good job of bending those inward, too.

Everybody has the ability to hear sounds through vibration, but nearly everybody doesn't use it because they don't have to, instead it being easier to simply pick up sounds out of the air.

this is interesting i will add.

[BattleHymn]

Cavegal, frank had a really good story (I know, I know, that doesn't really narrow it down) about the speakers, and I think it also had some anecdote about him hanging out in the sound booth at his brother's college, or something along those lines.  I'm sure if you search, you could find it.


Frank, I hear these sounds at the same instant I see the meteor.  Almost a fizzy/gurgling type of sound.  I cannot tell if I am hearing it through my ears, or what.   

[Chris_]

I'm curious, have you ever gone to any live concerts?  Not the froo-froo kind where they make you wear a tie, but an enormous concert with walls of speakers?  Generally, you get the best sound at a concert standing next to the guy at the mixing board since he uses his location to tune everything, but if you get up close -- within twenty or thirty feet of the speakers -- the vibrations are spectacular.

[franksolich]

Cavegal, frank had a really good story about the speakers, and I think it also had some anecdote about him hanging out in the sound booth at his brother's college, or something along those lines.  I'm sure if you search, you could find it.

Frank, I hear these sounds at the same instant I see the meteor.  Almost a fizzy/gurgling type of sound.  I cannot tell if I am hearing it through my ears, or what.

I think that was in the story about my visiting Sir Adrian Boult, the famous British symphony conductor, during the late 1970s, when he was a very old man and I was a shallow callow youth; a musical professional (and obviously a very good one) trying to explain music to someone who couldn't hear music.

I disremember; once I write something, I forget about it and write something else.

That that might be sounds from galactic objects is not implausible, but one has to be really careful in trying to discern the source of vibrations (in this case, sound vibrations); when having my hands, palm-down, on the hood of a running automobile, for example, I get confused as to the real source of a humming sound.

In your case, when I'm around other people, I have noticed hearing people tend to "shut out" sounds unfamiliar to them, and it could very well be that you don't do that, and hence hear what you hear, while others don't hear it.

[franksolich]

I'm curious, have you ever gone to any live concerts?  Not the froo-froo kind where they make you wear a tie, but an enormous concert with walls of speakers?  Generally, you get the best sound at a concert standing next to the guy at the mixing board since he uses his location to tune everything, but if you get up close -- within twenty or thirty feet of the speakers -- the vibrations are spectacular.

Nope, never did; the worst place for a non-hearing person is in a crowded mob.

However, you get the idea of what sound-vibrations are, from what you just described so well.

[BattleHymn]

Cavegal, found it:  http://www.conservativecave.com/index.php?topic=40305.0

[Wineslob]

I have noticed hearing people tend to "shut out" sounds unfamiliar to them

I'm pretty good at that, much to my wife's dismay.

[cavegal]

Nope, never did; the worst place for a non-hearing person is in a crowded mob.

However, you get the idea of what sound-vibrations are, from what you just described so well.

So your computer has closed caption on videos?    I thank you for sharing this..

[vesta111]

Frank, I as a kid spending summers on a fresh water lake found out that on shore one may hear a buss from the engine of a boat across the lake.  Just a slight buzz, but when swimming and head under water the sound is very much lower and clearer. Then one hears just the sound of the Propeller.

My Dad was a 20 year vet of the Navy and a hard hat selvage diver.  He explained to me why divers of all kinds put up a diving sign in their area.  When in port and divers are down all ships in the area are alerted so as to not test out their Sonar as the waves will kill the divers.

Ears are odd, when working I had to use ear plugs and heard Machine Music with them in place.  Ear muff were different.--------Also the jaw bone picks up vibrations and send them upward to the inner ear.

Don't forget the story of Joshua that brought down the walls of Jericho with sound waves from thrumpets.

 When I Kayak I have a basket on the bow that I put one of my little dogs in, a beautiful clear day all to often when NOA radio says is clear has caused on a few occasions to save us problems as we watch the dogs ears and when they move about we head for shore.  A lightening strike has caused problems and death from 20 miles away on a clear day.   The dogs pick up vibrations same as some dogs will howl a minute or more before a siren for fire alarm or tornado  goes off.

Frank, you mention you have no external ears, what about the internal workings of the ear, are there any parts to the actual working of the ear in place?  Please forgive the intrusive personal question,  as we know when people are born missing a sense of one kind or another, the others become much stronger.

Then the question of why some people with hearing will hear voices in their head, this is not so unusual.

I myself experienced this just one time in my life.

I was about 10 years old when I fell out of a tree I was climbing and banged my head.  I actually heard someone calling my name, so odd was this experience that I remember the experience to this day.

Hearing can and is so weird, people will say something and the receiver will hear it differently.    Often someone will say something and others in the area will hear the sounds differently as interpreted by the receivers.

English is a big problem as it involves accent and regional meaning.    English man in New York asks a stranger if they have a Fag on them will get a black eye. 

Hubby in DC was asked by a Brit if he had any Vesta's for him, Hubby did not know what to say, A Vesta is a Match in GB.  I had to jump in before hubby sent me on my way with a strange Britt .