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  • Priest = Aura

    • 10 out of 10
    • The Church
    • Another of my all-time favorites, Priest = Aura is one of those rare albums where every song is simply fantastic, and a testament to how good pop-rock can be.

      Each song immediatel

  • Physical Graffiti

    • 10 out of 10
    • Led Zeppelin
    • This album bears every flavor of genius from the five records that came before. It is, I believe, the band's finest. With Physical Graffiti, Zep came raging back to their musical home territory -- har
  • Bowie at Beeb: Best of BBC Radio 68-72

    • 10 out of 10
    • David Bowie
    • The companion CD to a BBC television concert, BBC Radio Theatre has some of the best renditions of many of Bowie's best songs throughout his career. "I'm Afraid of Americans" is substantial

  • Suspended Animation

    • 8 out of 10
    • Fantomas
    • Mike Patton may well be one of the hardest working men in showbiz these days, and his latest with Fantômas underscores just about how far out he is willing to travel.

      Suspended Animation

  • Now Here Is Nowhere

    • 10 out of 10
    • Secret Machines
    • The Secret Machines' inaugural album, Now Here is Nowhere is both old and new in its sonic assault. The trio's surprisingly big sound evokes Pink Floyd (without ever sounding like any Pink

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News

Apple Patent Blends External Sounds into Headphones

Apple has applied for a patent in which a mechanism is proposed that would allow external sound, for example traffic noise that would otherwise be blocked by headphones, to pass through to the listener.

The patent application says, in part, "This external sound can be presented to users via the same interface, channel, or audio-output device used to present audio-media. External sound can be blended ... with audible media and/or it may be presented as it occurs (live) and/or stored so that it can be subsequently presented as recorded. External sound can be stored independent of the media presentation in accordance with, for example, various events, user input, or any other programmable criteria."

Various methods of manipulating and controlling this external sound source are described. For example, the external sound could be recorded and replayed.

The motivation may be hinted at in this part of the patent description: "As a result, users of the audio devices can conveniently switch between external sound and audible media ... without having to take headphones off."

Some states in the U.S. prohibit driving while wearing dual headphones. This patent could lead the way to a technical solution in which drivers can become aware of external sounds and, eventually, via revised legislation, become exempt from removing their headphones/earbuds while driving.

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