Researchers at the National Physics Laboratory in the U.K. have modeled what they believe to be the perfect human ear. It will replace the “flawed” one created by the International Electrotechnical Commission in 1990. Perfect headphones for everyone! More »
New research says your ears are like snowflakes – completely unique in the world. Which is neat! But it also means you have two giant fingerprints on the side of your face, and airport security wants a look. More »
I used to be excited about iPhone turn-by-turn navigation, but the Pull-Navi system (straight from Tokyo University of Electro-Communications’ crazy folks) is way better. It comes with a stylish helmet and will yank on ears until they look like Dumbo’s. More »
To be honest, I wouldn’t want an ear mirror for the same reason I wouldn’t want an arse mirror—some territory on the body should remain unexplored.
Now that’s a headline you won’t see often, and yet that’s exactly what this gizmo does. You pop it in your ear, and squeeze it to create negative pressure outside your eardrum, thus compensating for the sometimes painful inward-flex caused as the aircraft you’re flying in descends from altitude. Or you climb back down a mountain. There is a safety vent, so nothing should go bang (ouch!)… as befits a device developed by a professor from the Tinnitus Research and Balance Clinic in Melbourne Australia. Still, since it costs a surprising $US60, I’ll be sticking with my Eustachian tubes, thankyouverymuch. [OhGizmo]
This is a momentous day for me (I won’t spoil the surprise) and what better way to celebrate momentous days than by knitting a pair of Spock ears for my lugs. If I were going to the New York meet-up you would be able to identify me by these furry little thingies—sod the fact that I would probably collapse from heatstroke before I even got to the sodding ballgame—and I could be the fount of mirth while you watched the rounders match, or whatever it is they’re playing on the pitch. Anyway. Ears. Spock. Knitted. Look like sideways boobies. What more do you want on a Friday? [Yarn Songs via Boing Boing]
Binaural sound recordings can be creepy enough, but knowing that they may have originated at this Otokinoko ear-mic might just make them unbearable. The concept of binaural microphones is elegantly simple: record sounds from the positions of human ears, creating the illusion of 3d sound at playback. This blue beast makes that concept very explicit, and like the binaural head mic before it, will rarely be able to record anything but people screaming “OH GOD WHAT IS THAT?” in glorious 3d. If that seems like something you might be interested in, the Otokinoko Binaural Mic is available now for US$3,899.
If we’re going to look inside our ears, we prefer something like the Ear Scope GXL. Unlike this Thanko USB Ear Scope, there’s a pick on the end of it so you can scrape out earwax. This Thanko one? It can only look.
However, Thanko’s version does support USB, which probably means it’s tons cheaper than the GXL’s $200. Plus, once you’ve got a shot of your ear canal on your computer, you’ve got an easy way to take screenshots and use them as wallpapers or the background of a mass email to all your friends with the subject “Does this look infected to you?” – Jason Chen
Product Page [Thanko via Everything USB] More »
