Monday, November 17, 2014

The man who can hear Wi-Fi wherever he walks


Frank Swain has been going deaf since his 20s. Now he has hacked his hearing so he can listen in to the data that surrounds us

I AM walking through my north London neighbourhood on an unseasonably warm day in late autumn. I can hear birds tweeting in the trees, traffic prowling the back roads, children playing in gardens and Wi-Fi leaching from their homes. Against the familiar sounds of suburban life, it is somehow incongruous and appropriate at the same time.

As I approach Turnpike Lane tube station and descend to the underground platform, I catch the now familiar gurgle of the public Wi-Fi hub, as well as the staff network beside it. On board the train, these sounds fade into silence as we burrow into the tunnels leading to central London .... http://www.newscientist.com