Title rated 3.15 out of 5 stars, based on 6 ratings(6 ratings)
Book, 2010
Current format, Book, 2010, 1st ed, All copies in use.
Book, 2010
Current format, Book, 2010, 1st ed, All copies in use. Offered in 0 more formats
Like Edward Tenner’s Why Things Bite Back: The Revenge of Unintended Consequences (1996), this engaging book explores the unforeseen (and sometimes unwanted) side effects of our inventive natures. We usually use the word noise as a pejorative, a term denoting unwanted sound: somebody’s loud music, a blaring car alarm, the din from a nearby airport. But, as Keizer points out, noise is often—perhaps even usually—a product of human achievement, invention, or ambition. In broad terms, you can’t have civilization without noise. You can’t have construction without it, or some forms of entertainment, or mass transit. The author explores noise from a number of angles, touching on what he calls the logic of the loud (my noise is my right, says the noisemaker) and the curious fact that the phrase making noise is now an anachronism (because most noise is automatic these days, produced by machines). An enlightening look at an issue most of us ignore.--From publisher description.
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