Some scary (non-music related) ish right here. Picture a phone in your pocket next to your special place… (via S dot X)

Instrument creation isn’t just for those crazies out there. Take the scientist and politician Ben Franklin; a man that even the most conservative American could appreciate. Franklin apparently created an instrument called the glass armonica, a piano-like tool designed to replicate the echo of wine glass rims. It has a series of glass bowls laid out in scale from large to small, sanded to the perfect pitch. The glasses are wrapped around a spinning wheel so the player doesn’t have to roll around the rim, freeing them to hit multiple notes at once.

Most people have heard stories of how common it is for a surgeon to listen to music while they operate. But while this probably conjures up the sounds of Bach and Mozart in the minds of most readers, the reality is that doctors listen to a wide range of stuff. Bob Marley, the Beatles, and Coldplay are among the names that come up in this article by the New York Times.

One doctor who likes jazz changes up his selection during more complex procedures and turns to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, for example. "That’s good pancreas music," he told the Times.

The Associated Press even found a doctor that listens to 50 Cent in the operating room.

Who knew?

(Quick Fact: In internet time, these articles are historical documents, being published an astonishing one and two years ago!) 

People seeking to discover new forms of culture - like music, books, and films - tend not to turn to the web, but rely first and foremost on their friends and family to expose them, according to a recent study. While they do use the internet, the report finds, it is usually to follow up on cultural information received by other sources, such as the people close them or more traditional forms of media.

The study, performed by the University of Toronto’s, Barry Wellman, a sociologist, and Jennifer Kayahara, a doctoral student there, shows that people generally do not have enough leisure time to spend searching for culture online - unless, of course, it proves more efficient than other means.

One study subject, identified as Carter, 24, said he uses it for certain purposes. "[I'll go online if] I need to look for a schedule for a movie, or if I need to see information about where I’m going like festivals or concerts—things like that. That’s faster."

Indeed, using the web to find out about local cultural events proved very common.

But the unlimited amount of information available online makes finding something as vague as new music too daunting for most people in the study, which was performed in the East York neighborhood of Toronto.

"[W]ith the Internet, I also find it’s almost too much; it’s just very hard to filter it," says Kate, 41, another study participant.

Also, while some people would go to a music store, for example, and just browse, nobody in the study mentioned using services such as Amazon’s recommendations.

But there is a glimmer of hope for blogs like this: The vast majority of subjects with passionate interests or hobbies uses to the web for whatever it is they are dedicated to.

From The Washington Post