| THORBURN ASSOCIATES INC. Acoustic and Technology Consultants eNewsletter |
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| December 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In this issue:
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| Happy Holidays! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| “Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration is being wreathed in smiles.” ~Author Unknown
Make some happy memories this joyful season: give of yourself, take time to savor, taste something new, follow a tradition, add a little spice, throw a snowball, give an unexpected gift, reflect on the past then turn to the promise of the blank page of the future. If you can't be with the ones you love this holiday season, keep them close in your hearts. We wish you and yours safe travels and Happy Holidays! Julia Nguyen, our Marketing Coordinator recently got married—Congratulations, Julia! A former Thorburn Associates employee, Avi Bortnick has recorded his CD entitled, Clean Slate. His music is a blend of jazz, blues and rock and roll. Avi’s website is: http://www.avibortnick.com/ As always, it is our goal to make sure that Thorburn Associates is your single point of contact for all your Acoustical and Technology Design services. If you have an idea, question or suggestion, please drop us a note at TA@TA-Inc.com. |
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| The Low-Down on Noise Cancellation Headphones | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traveling this holiday season? Do quite a bit of flying for business? Airplane noise, caused by engines, air flow, babbling neighbors and crying babies—combine to irritate at best, cause loss of sleep and work time. Noise cancellation headphones are the answer to bringing peace and enjoyment to your flight or anywhere else you'd like to block out noise. The headphones work by using a microphone that listens to the surrounding noise. A circuit inside the mechanism creates a sound wave that is the complete opposite of that sound, reducing the noise.
Most noise canceling devices fit around the ear, since the simple act of covering the ear blocks more noise. Higher frequencies are more difficult to cancel than low due to the shorter wavelength. For example, that screaming baby is going to be harder to squelch than the low throbbing hum of a jet engine. No headphone will cancel out all noise; however, noise cancellation combined with your iPod or movie, does greatly enhance your trip. All the headphones can be connected to CD players, MP3 players and DVD players and some come with airplane adapters. We sampled nine different headphones and conducted extensive performance testing. For the most part, low range music—that with a lot of bass, like hip-hop and rock sound cleaner with the noise activation circuit active; whereas higher frequencies such as speech sound modified.
If you’re budget isn’t large, you can’t beat the price of the Panasonic RP-HC100’s. For superior noise canceling effectiveness, we’d recommend the Bose Quiet Comfort 3; however, the noise cancellation feature cannot be turned off. but overall our top choices would be the Sony MDR NC50’s or the Sennhiser PCX 300’s. Whichever you choose, may your next flight be a safe and quiet one. |
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| In the Zone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| You may not know that Thorburn Associates also designs presentation lighting. Lighting is essential to the success of a facility. Lighting, like sound, creates its own ambience and either blends harmoniously while providing needed support or literally stands out like a glaring beacon, distracting from the intended mood as well as interfering with presentations and lectures.
The human eye accepts and merges together different types of lighting sources: incandescent, florescent and daylight; however, video cameras require special treatment to accurately render color. All lighting fixtures in presentation spaces should be zone controlled to provide low ambient light levels on the projection screen when the screens are in use. Indirect lighting should be used wherever possible. Night-light or emergency lighting should be located in the back of the room to keep interference with the projected image as little as possible. Lighting design includes the considerations of: quality of light, quantity, maximum contrast, fixture location, reflection and controls. Lighting design also includes the use of black out shades, either manual or motorized. Lighting controls compliment activities while minimizing glare. In the case of a presenter, lighting should minimize shadows, showcasing the person and lectern while allowing anything on the screen to also be seen. Lighting is basic to any project; how a space is lit is anything but basic. |
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| TA Project Highlight: Mountain View Senior Center | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thorburn Associates was hired to design the technology infrastructure, that is, locations for all the loudspeakers, projection screens, future locations for equipment racks, conduits and power requirements during the design phase of the Mountain View Senior Center. The one-story new construction building near San Jose, California, in the city of Mountain View, offers diverse programs and social services to those 55 years and over.
The spaces include:
A paging and background music system runs through out the building. The intent was that the audiovisual systems would be installed as a design/build by an A/V contractor but the City of Mountain View, seeing that TA knew the facility and had worked with the Senior Center users, realized they would be best served if TA designed the full audiovisual systems. The result is better communication and a successful project. The facility is designed with technology in use in our everyday lives to continue to facilitate and enrich senior's lives at the highest level. From calligraphy to yoga classes, on-site health services and a community garden, Mountain View Senior Center offers challenges and social opportunities. |
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| Where am I? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Or how fast am I going? Or how do I get there from here? GPS, or Global Positioning System, isn't just for finding the way from the airport to your hotel via the nearest Starbucks anymore.
GPS is a satellite navigation system funded and controlled by the U.S. Department of Defense. The signals from the 24 satellites orbiting Earth at 12,000 miles above us are used to compute position, velocity and time. GPS receivers are used on land sea and air, for map-making, land surveying, gauging altitude and speed with great accuracy. The satellites send radio signals to receivers in any weather, 24 hours a day. The satellites are placed so that at least 4 will be above the horizon and any given time. Thee satellites are required to triangulate longitude and latitude, a fourth will figure out altitude as well. GPS receivers are installed in cars, are hand-held devices used by mountain climbers, hikers, bicycle enthusiasts, marathon runners, glider pilots even pets. GPS receivers are often available with PDA's, cell phones, watches and car computers. GPS can be used by emergency services to find cell phones. Assisted GPS technology is used by cell phones because it reduces the power requirements and increases accuracy. Some GPS units have maps, built in compasses and voice navigation. Purchasing a GPS unit is largely determined by what you'll be using the unit for. Units start at about $100 and go up from there. Battery life, memory, screen size, whether or not its waterproof—these are just some of the criteria. Geocaching is a popular game using hand-held GPS units to travel to a specific site and search for objects hidden by other gamers. A cashe includes a logbook to record visitor's notes and often other items. A treasure hunt! The type of GPS you purchase should be based on its use. With so many ways to integrate GPS in your life, you can start plotting your next adventure with ease and with the confidence that you’ll always know where you are. Some websites to help you decide: |
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