Japanese researchers can finally claim to have invented a device that has left their colleagues speechless. Kazutaka Kurihara of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, and Koji Tsukada of Ochanomizu University, have created a “SpeechJammer” gun that can silence people by sending back their words to them to confuse their cognitive processes. I really need to get one of these for faculty meetings.
Here is how it works. The device records a person’s words and then fires it back at them with a 0.2-second delay. This derails the brain’s cognitive processes and causes speakers to stutter before silencing them completely. That has led to a concern that these mad Japanese scientists secretly experimented on Rick Perry during the prior GOP debates. The problem is that no one appears able to ask them the question.
The research is built on past use of a delayed auditory feedback (DAF) device used to help stutterers. If a stutterer hears his own voice at a slight delay, stuttering often improves. However, the same device on a non-stutterer produces stuttering.
One piece of good news for Perry and others is that the device cannot stop “meaningless sounds,” such as “ahhh.” That leaves most teenage speech, for example, intact.
The new device would appear this holiday’s must-buy item for the dictator that has everything. The scientists proclaimed “We utilized DAF to develop a device that can jam remote physically unimpaired people’s speech whether they want it or not.” Just in time for Vlad Putin’s return.
Source: Wired
pete,
Your hallmark is a love of the classics.
A very long time ago, while still working with junior high-school general music classes, I sometimes did a session on audio-recording on a three-head tape recorder (separate erase, record, play heads).
After explaining the advantage of this for the recordist (confidence monitoring with the play head during a recording session), I would I would invite students to volunteer to experience the delay between the record- and play-heads, while reading into a microphone and wearing headphones.
They would start reading with direct sound in headphones. Only after they had settled in would I throw the switch to “off-tape” whereupon they would be weirdly distracted by the delay between their own voice and the playback. This result would create general mirth. Off course I would oblige by putting myself through the same ordeal too!
i prefer to use the old-fashioned speech jammer
duct tape
It definitely is Mike and yes it could be conspiratorial. However I like to say that one should not believe that something is not possible without first looking at the possibilities. You and I both know governments have a way of taking out their adversaries.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Litvinenko
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099142/Mossad-training-terrorists-kill-Irans-nuclear-scientists-U-S-officials-claim–Israels-real-target-Obama.html
We know that Breipart directly threatened the president and promise to expose him. Which by the way started today.
Tony C.
🙂
Oro lee,
what screwed you up?
Reminds me of when I got out of my recovery bed at the hospice after a month or so and sat in front of the PC. Couldn’t remembe anything on how to begin and my hands and fingers would not respond, but then my mind would not either.
But then everything reminds me of myself. You too? HO HO HO!!!
it
happened
to
me
once
on
a
telephone
call
and
I
had
to
speak
like
this.
Any chance at all it might work retroactively on the Limbaugh’s of the world?
Guess not.
@Blouise: Of course, there’s always earplugs.
Ha! I didn’t think of that. You are a genius…
Blouise,
Yeah, just like ignoring the interruptions from your opponent, or those around the studio roundtable.
To build on Tony C’s and Denis’ points … anyone who has had to address a large crowd in a stadium or sing the National Anthem over a PA system has trained themselves to ignore feedback. Those who haven’t properly trained are the ones who appear to lose their place in the speech or forget the words in a song.
Once trained, it’s relatively easy to ignore feedback.
Of course, there’s always earplugs.
Finally, an antidote to senseless political debates.
“I wonder if we will ever know what device was used on Breipart to silence him. They are dropping like flies.”
Bdaman,
One may look at Breitbart’s death as conspiratorial. Just as easily one might say that God smote him for the evil he did. Perhaps the best perspective is the simplest. He died early and it is a tragic loss to his family.
I suspect it could be easily defeated with just a little training. I know other kinds of distractions can be overcome by reading a speech, and (interestingly) by pretending one is reading a speech; i.e. planning a sentence in silence and then “reading it” from memory.
And of course, it can be defeated by sign language….
There aee (or were) certain auditoria whose delayed echo cause speakers to have similar problems Was this intentional architect revenge on mouthy clients?
As to teenagers, that’s a whole science. Sound being only one of the tools.
Besides: “—but you said ———” falls out of the time interval, even though it does have effect.
And now we know him a Putin wins……
This would have applications outside faculty meetings…… Could it be used on judges questioning witnesses……
Hilarious. I think teens already use this technique to thwart their parents. Wouldn’t ear plugs or headphones prevent the disruption?
I am puzzled why this is “news”. This technique was used over THIRTY YEARS AGO in the UK.
The original purpose was to catch social security fraud cheats; people claiming to be deaf, and then claiming benefits.
So interesting though it is, I am puzzled why this is “news”.
I wonder if we will ever know what device was used on Breipart to silence him. They are dropping like flies.
STEVE BRIDGES 1963-2012
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Steve Bridges. His passing comes as a shock to all of us. The cause of death is not known at this time, but we will publish more information as it becomes available. Steve brought joy and laughter to millions and was a great inspiration to all who knew him. He will be sadly missed. Our prayers go to his family at this time.
http://stevebridges.com/
Wonder how this would work on a “mic check”?
It is obvious that technology is going to make overcoming the complete take over of the US by our corporate masters a lot harder this time than it was at the start of the last century.