Also: can mp3s be totally represented as a text file?

  • SavvyWolf
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    128 months ago

    Sound is just vibrations in the air. We have devices that can wobble when they are hit by these vibrations. This can be plugged into an electric circuit to adjust it’s power which the computer can read as a number.

    Then later, the computer runs everything in reverse. Those numbers are converted back into electrical power. This causes the wobbly bit in the speaker to vibrate in the same way which produces that same sound.

    Since at the end of the day it’s all numbers, an MP3 file can just be converted to those numbers and back again. Although those numbers won’t mean anything to people reading the file. (This is true for all computer files - you can always convert them to and from sequences if numbers).

    • andrew_bidlaw
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      38 months ago

      This causes the wobbly bit in the speaker to vibrate in the same way which produces that same sound.

      Two of the things I wanted (but still find a bit overpriced and not as good sounding) are headphones that wobble your temples\skull and speakers using vibrations of any surface you attach them too. They are simple as a concept but still look like magic.

          • @[email protected]
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            38 months ago

            I’ve wanted a pair of bone conduction headphones for a while but I haven’t experienced them yet. I’m hoping to come across a second-hand pair to see if they’re truly worth the investment.

            • andrew_bidlaw
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              28 months ago

              They still seem pretty basic if you are concerned about the quality, but for a runner or a podcast lover they are great for they don’t block your ears while you are walking or training, crossing the road, and podcasts and radio stations are usually not that demanding at all. It’s great for these usecases.