Reading Response #1

I listened to the full episode of “Mapping” from the radio program, This American Life. The episode was about five individuals who partake in the hobby of mapping but who all did it differently than each other. Each person had a different style of mapping the world, each one using one of the five senses; seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and smelling. The program first began with the story of sidewalks in New York City. The law states, in New York City, that if someone should trip, fall and hurt themselves over a crack in the sidewalk, they are not allowed to sue the city unless the city had already been told to fix the crack prior to the injury. A group of lawyers then decided to hire a mapping company to go out every year and chart every crack and bump in the city, a map of cracks in New York City.
The program then followed a man whose hobby was to map certain things in his neighborhood. He had mapped all of the lights in his neighborhood as well as every house that had Jack O’Lanterns on their porches during Halloween.
Then, shifting to hearing, we visited a man who mapped out all the ambient sounds in his life, he compared certain musical notes to certain emotions and thought about during what situations you might hear those noises. For instance, being stuck at work in a cubicle could be compared to hearing music that made you sad.
Smell was explored by visiting a man who mapped out his world by smell while also visiting Cyrano Sciences in Pasadena, California where researchers are attempting to create an electronic nose.
The program then visited a woman who mapped out her own body by the sense of touch as well as a man who revisited Los Angeles and created a map based on taste.
I thought the program was very interesting. It seems like it could be a very interesting and fun hobby especially the sight technique. Although that may be the least abstract technique of the above listed, I thought it was interesting and cool how he was able to compare different maps he made based on sight. He compared the Jack O’Lantern map with that of a map that indicated the houses of people who were mentioned in newspaper articles or who wrote letter to the editors and was able to find parallels between the two.

Soundwalk Response, 9.10.08

1. It was difficult to find a good spot because traffic constantly blocked background sound but once we made our way into the more residential neighborhoods with only two lanes of traffic it became easier.
2. Walking alone I believe it would have been very possible to move while making minimal sound, however we were traveling in a group of about 10-12 which made our motion quite audible.
3. Plugging my ears did not escape me from the sound of nearby traffic but other than that I did hear wind and a low rumbling.
4. I was able to hear:
An airplane flying overhead
Motorcycle accelerating
Cars on the pavement, driving over bumps
Cars applying the squealing brakes
The bushes rustling in the wind
Feet kicking a soccer ball
A bike riding past, the clicking of the wheels
Construction workers talking
A dog breathing, collar jingling
Kids laughing, talking and yelling excitedly from a playground
Chainsaw buzzing, cutting
Water from a sprinkler raining down and sprinkling onto the sidewalk
People talking at a bus stop
The engine of a bus, the squealing brakes as it comes to a halt
Church bells ringing in the distance over the traffic
5. I was always able to determine the source of each sound I logged.
6. I heard sounds from all three; human, mechanical and nature.
7. I did not hear any subtleties.
8. Both. Sounds were produced very near me and very far away without identification by sight.
9. The only sounds I heard that the wind played a role in was the rustling of trees and bushes.
10. I refrained from creating my own sounds and instead focused more on sounds that happened to be produced as I strolled by.

Drift 1

This blog will document my experiences as I walk the streets of Milwaukee to find new places, sounds and sights. I will follow a random set of directions (for example: two lefts, one right, one left, right, repeat) so I can find new places and things with a microphone. I will take what the streets of Milwaukee give me.