Dial the volume down applies to many things. I can easily launch a page or more on each one of them.
Volume is commonly applied to sound/air pressure generated in the electronic production/reproduction of music and musical analogs. There is much that has been written about the annoyance caused by vehicles refitted to serve as mobile PA systems. While it is possible to reproduce sound at a volume that causes metal fatigue due to sound over-pressure, there is no logical reason to do so; particularly on public roads, in parking lots, or in proximity to others who may wish to retain what hearing they still possess. Appeals to the commonly rude rarely result in lowering volume levels. Shotguns may be effective against such behavior. A turkey load fired into each speaker may help to restore quiet. Amazingly, until the power supply is disrupted, the noise from the shotgun may not even be noticed.
Volume may also apply to the levels of rhetoric used and misused in political campaigns. The current levels are un-necessarily high. Given the vehemence of response between the two main political parties and the recent beginnings of the 2012 campaign, the level will rise markedly. The Medicare debate and the taxation debate are going to push the current polarization far beyond any hope for realistic compromise. The support of billionaires on both sides of the continuum, and the Supreme Court decision that corporations are somehow equivalent to humans will result in ad agencies and demagogues pushing the rhetorical volume to new limits. Perhaps we will be able to send many of the unrealistic and poorly prepared teavangelists back to their day jobs in 2012. We can hope.
The recent tornadoes pointed out to us the necessity of using our NOAA weather alert radio. In the absence of power, television, and internet, it is our major source of information and warning. I’ve plugged it in, tuned it in, and it works as designed. It is, however, an early model, which picks up and announces every alert that is broadcast in many surrounding counties in VA, NC, and TN. The last few nights have been less than restful. It seems some sort of weather phenomenon occurs every morning in the 0400-0430 time slot. The alert triggers a warning siren sound designed to wake sleeping people. It does. I crawl out of bed and stumble into the next room in the dark to learn the nature of the alert and to reset the alarm function.
Currently we get all the weather alerts. We normally don’t need them for VA and for NC. We don’t even need them for all of local TN. Yesterday and today have been spent selecting a new, programmable but affordable weather radio. Criteria for selection include battery and AC>DC power, ability to change the alert indicator from auditory to visual, ability to limit what alerts are announced, small size for portability, and non-volatile memory. We found an Oregon Scientific WR 601-n at Oregon Scientific’ outlet store. The original packaging is somewhat damaged. As long as all the components are inside the package and functional, I’m not overly concerned about the box. I don’t expect this to be a collector’s item. Even if it should become one, I don’t save original packaging in hopes that something will somehow become the object of nostalgia collections involving NOAA radios. All I care about is that the radio works as advertised and that its selectivity and programmability allow me to dial the volume down and sleep through the night. . Since I began to write this entry, I’ve jumped up, trotted into the living room to find out what the alert is, and reset the alert function. One was a severe thunderstorm watch, four were severe thunderstorm warnings. It promises to be an active evening and night meteorologically
Dinner tonight will be a Japanese style hot pot soup.
Shabbat Shalom!
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