the "hum" in New Zealnd continues, worsens

by **yesferatu** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 4:22 am

<<Mysterious humming driving Aucklanders 'bonkers' Friday October 27, 2006 By Kate Chapman A mysterious humming driving people to despair across Auckland has pricked the ears, and curiosity, of scientists trying to find the source. Massey University computer engineering scientists Tom Moir and Fakhrul Alam have been contacted by more than 30 people, most in Auckland and the North Shore, who claim to have heard a humming noise. The symptoms are similar to those suffered by people with tinnitus, commonly associated with a prolonged high-frequency ringing in the ear. >> Can you hear humming? Email us your stories The scientists are visiting people who can hear the humming, and trying to measure the noise in the hope they will be able to identify its source. People from central Auckland to Kaiwaka in Northland have reported the sound, as have residents from the North Shore suburbs of Torbay, Browns Bay, Murrays Bay, Birkenhead and Beach Haven, and Stanmore Bay on Whangaparaoa. The scientists are measuring the frequency by playing a second low frequency to someone who can hear the humming. When the person can no longer hear the hum, the frequency they are playing is the same as the humming noise. Dr Moir said people could definitely hear a sound. "It's quite serious to them, it's driving them bonkers. I was there at the same time and I couldn't hear anything." He said the sound was well within the average hearing range for people. Most people can hear between 20 hertz and 20 kilohertz and the humming is around 56 hertz, according to Dr Moir's research. Not everyone could hear the sound, because of its low volume, he said. "We're all born differently - some people are better runners, some people are better hearers." An Auckland woman who heard the sound described it as a "low drone or rumble". The woman, who asked not to be named or have her suburb identified, said the noise had become so bad she was thinking about selling her home. "I absolutely love my home but last night I couldn't get to sleep before 5am. In desperation I even tried to put Blu-Tack in my ears," she said. But nothing works. The noise is louder inside and during the night when there are no other sounds to mask it. The woman said there was no point telling people who could not hear it because they thought she was "stark raving mad". The founder, patron and counsellor of the New Zealand Tinnitus Association, Joan Saunders, said some of the people who contacted Dr Moir did have tinnitus, but not all of them. She could not diagnose everyone without meeting them, she said. Dr Moir could not hear the sound himself but his wife, Jude, could. She described the sound as an "awful noise and sensation". "It feels creepy. It's not a place I'd like to live regularly," Mrs Moir said. Author Rachel McAlpine based her 2005 novel The Humming on her experiences of a mysterious humming in Puponga, near Farewell Spit. The book featured an unknown humming noise that plagued only certain people in a small town.>> <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10407822">here</a> I've gotten used to my tinnitus. This probably is something much different. External. Seems like all external noises on all spectrums, whether audible to the majority of human hearing or not, can and should be able to register using an instrument or device already in popular use. So this seems bizarre on that account as well. It mentions 56 hertz, so is this a guess, or was this registered on an instrument that identifies real noises? The article does not say. I doubt it was a guess, but rather an actual, verifiable reading. So, perhaps the reality of it is not in dispute, but the fact that the source of the noise eludes identity is what keeps the scientists from declaring that the noise is real. Which shows in just another small way another example of the failure of western science: the instruments have produced a reading, but because the noise cannot be explained as to its source, the scientists hold out the option of some psychological malady among a group of people. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/eyes.gif ALT=":rolleyes">

by **Sepka** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 4:56 am

yesferatu asks:<blockquote>Quote:<hr>It mentions 56 hertz, so is this a guess, or was this registered on an instrument that identifies real noises? The article does not say. I doubt it was a guess, but rather an actual, verifiable reading.<hr></blockquote> from the article:<blockquote>Quote:<hr>The scientists are measuring the frequency by playing a second low frequency to someone who can hear the humming. When the person can no longer hear the hum, the frequency they are playing is the same as the humming noise.<hr></blockquote> -Sepka the Space Weasel

by **Et in Arcadia ego** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 5:22 am

I wasn't aware that people could hear frequencies below 30hz and I've been doing Digital Audio for about 4 years now.. Not saying a body/mind wouldn't be affected by it, mind you. Any Industrial fans nearby? <a href="http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread19166/pg1">www.abovetopsecret.com/fo...d19166/pg1</a> Oh, crap..I just boosted abovetopsecret's keyjacking program. Hugh's gonna kill me. ____________________ Wehret den Anfängen

by **robertdreed** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 9:43 am

Below 30Hz, sound vibrations are "felt" by the whole body, rather than heard. There are infrasound weapons that operate ont this principle. 56Hz is just slightly lower than the 60Hz hum of open capacitors that get fed with 120Hz AC power. Open caps usually hum at either 60Hz or 120 Hz. That's the hum that one hears from malfunctioning audio equipment. The 120Hz sounds sort of warm, the 60Hz is a horrible "BRATTT..." and, oh yeah- analogue rules ;^P

by **yesferatu** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 11:31 am

<blockquote>Quote:<hr>The scientists are measuring the frequency by playing a second low frequency to someone who can hear the humming. When the person can no longer hear the hum, the frequency they are playing is the same as the humming noise.<hr></blockquote> emphasis mine. Right. I understood and read that. Problem with that process: They are using someones ear to make the determination. I was asking is there not a device which takes the human ear out of the equation. You know, science? If not, why not? Nothing like that out there???

by **Sepka** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 2:32 pm

<blockquote>Quote:<hr>I was asking is there not a device which takes the human ear out of the equation.<hr></blockquote> You're assuming then that the hum is present as waves in the air, rather than as an effect in the listener's mind or ear. I don't see where that's stated. I think that's part of the problem, in fact - a lot of people are experiencing this, but it doesn't seem to be measurable apart from the percipient. -Sepka the Space Weasel

by **yesferatu** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 2:58 pm

<blockquote>Quote:<hr>You're assuming then that the hum is present as waves in the air, rather than as an effect in the listener's mind or ear. I don't see where that's stated.<hr></blockquote> I'm assuming there are instruments which can detect auditory anomalies on all spectrums, whether heard by the human ear or not. I'm assuming they would have used this. I am perplexed in that there is no mention of what has been eliminated thru basic tests in the field, but rather, only that a psychological/physiological malady is the most likey reason. Either: it has to a real noise, external....or an internal noise not real outside of the skulls of a group of people on a particular part of earth. I'm assuming science can eliminate the former and establish the latter. Or vice versa. Is that unable to happen?

by **rocco33** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 6:24 pm

I have been hearing the hum ever since my area started to get bombarded by contrail/chemtrails. I have no doubt they're related. I don't know in the case of New Zealand, but more and more reports surfaced this summer from parts of Europe you wouldn't think. For example... <a href="http://en.xiando.org/WHAT_CHEMTRAILS_REALLY_ARE_-_The_Short_Scoop">Netherlands</a>

by **Sepka** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 10:28 pm

yesferatu said:<blockquote>Quote:<hr>I'm assuming there are instruments which can detect auditory anomalies on all spectrums, whether heard by the human ear or not. I'm assuming they would have used this.<hr></blockquote> You're assuming a pair of computer engineers from a university have got the resources to do something like that. They're working systematically with what they've got, and what they know how to use. That's how science gets done. Being what they are, what they'll have a lot of and know how to use are computers. It's relatively easy to use a computer to make precise musical tones. There's tons of off the shelf equipment for that. Using that equipment, they've now shown that the tone that people are hearing is 56Hz. That's more than was known before. They're making progress. A big money effort with lots of instrumentation and manpower could probably solve this in a few days. Outside of government projects, the big money doesn't get spent on things that have no potential to return a profit, though. -Sepka the Space Weasel

by **Et in Arcadia ego** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 5:39 am

<blockquote>Quote:<hr>and, oh yeah- analogue rules ;^P<hr></blockquote> <img src="http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/images/smiles/icon_naughty.gif" style="border:0;"/> ____________________ Wehret den Anfängen

the "hum" in New Zealnd continues, worsens

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