Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Hear's to You Newsletters
I'll be resurrecting this blog via the Hear's to You Newsletter, which you can find here by clicking on "Hear's to You Newsletters" button in the upper right.
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Moving to a new website
I'll be moving to a new website, effective immediately. I'll be keeping a new blog there but I'll have this site linked so you see archived posts. The page is under construction.
http://kkeasler.wix.com/onecooldeafdude
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Monday, December 7, 2015
CHRISTmas Time!
Merry CHRISTmas! The holidays are fun for everyone, even the folks who lack hearing; however, the joy can sour if they are with family/friends whom do not create a "deaf-friendly" environment. Here's some tips as you gather with your families or friends with hearing loss to celebrate Jesus as the true meaning of CHRISTmas:
1. Pay attention to lighting of the gathering place...too dim or too bright, we can't lipread.
2. Stay away from windows during daylight hours with direct sun shining in-the halo around your head makes lip reading hard!
3. Avoid playing background music. If you have to do so, low volume is best.
4. Arrange yourselves where everyone is visible. We don't want to have to turn our heads continuously to read lips!
5. Make sure to repeat as needed and HIGHLIGHT subject changes so that we can follow the conversation.
There's several more tips I can give. If you have any questions/comments/concerns about this post, shoot me an email at kkeasler@oconee.k12.sc.us.
1. Pay attention to lighting of the gathering place...too dim or too bright, we can't lipread.
2. Stay away from windows during daylight hours with direct sun shining in-the halo around your head makes lip reading hard!
3. Avoid playing background music. If you have to do so, low volume is best.
4. Arrange yourselves where everyone is visible. We don't want to have to turn our heads continuously to read lips!
5. Make sure to repeat as needed and HIGHLIGHT subject changes so that we can follow the conversation.
There's several more tips I can give. If you have any questions/comments/concerns about this post, shoot me an email at kkeasler@oconee.k12.sc.us.
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Top 10 Loudest Noises Ever
I became curious as I was doing some work with classroom acoustics and loud noise levels. Here is the result:
Source: Listverse
10. Rock Concert/Speakers
A 400,000 Wat rock concert or a similar set of speakers mounted in a vehicle can reach ear-splitting decibel levels. Is it any reason most promoters recommend you wear ear protection to stave off the 135-145 decibel sound waves?
9. Fireworks
Though not typically heard up close, fireworks are still explosions and are very loud. The sound heard from the sky is pretty loud, though not damaging, but at the bursting point the decibel levels reach a staggering 145-150. Even tests are performed under strict sound proofing to avoid any ear injury.
8. Gunfire
Gunfire for anyone unfortunate enough to be standing near it can be quite damaging to the ears registering at a quite loud 145-155 decibels. This is the very reason why you should always wear ear protection when on a firing range.
7. NHRA Dragsters
Sitting next to a dragster as it fires up its engines and screams down the raceway can be more than just loud; it can be damaging to your entire body. At the 155-160 Decibel range not only will it severely to permanently damage your hearing, but it also vibrates your vision and makes it temporarily difficult to swallow. That’s why no one stands next to them.
6. Space Shuttle Launch
When the rockets fire, it is wise and, in fact, fully enforced, that you stand at least a half-mile away lest you get inundated by 165-170 decibels of painful sound. Unlike many other loud noises, the shuttle rocket sound is constant as it creates the thrust necessary to lift it from the ground.
5. The Blue Whale
Blue whales mostly emit very loud, highly structured, repetitive low-frequency rumbling sounds that can travel for many miles underwater. These songs may be used for communicating with other blue whales, especially in order to attract and find mates. The call of the blue whale reaches levels up to 188 decibels. This extraordinarily loud whistle can be heard for hundreds of miles underwater. The whale is the loudest, and, the largest animal on earth.
4. Volcano – Krakatoa
The 1883 the Krakatoa eruption ejected more than 25 cubic kilometers of rock, ash, and pumice and generated the loudest sound historically reported at 180 Decibels: the cataclysmic explosion was distinctly heard as far away as Perth in Australia approx. 1,930 miles (3,110 km), and the island of Rodrigues near Mauritius approx. 3,000 miles (5,000 km).
3. 1-Ton TNT Bomb
Standing as close as 250 feet away from the impact, the resulting explosion from a 1 ton bomb creates a decibel count of 210. Without sufficient hearing protection, not to mention a complete sound-resistant bunker surrounding you, you could quite literally die from the intense vibrations that would literally shake you apart. Unless, of course, you were under the bomb.
2. 5.0 Richter Earth Quake
A sufficient enough quake to rend the ground in twain and destroy buildings, whole rock, and human life reaches a decibel level of 235. If you are caught in the epicenter and are unlucky enough to not be above the ground in a plane or helicopter, the intense noise and vibrations could kill you long before death by any falling object.
1. Tunguska Meteor
The Tunguska event was a massive explosion that occurred near the Podkamennaya (Under Rock) Tunguska River in what is now Krasnoyarsk Krai of Russia, at 7:40 AM on June 30, 1908. The explosion was most likely caused by the air burst of a large meteoroid or comet fragment at an altitude of 5 to 10 kilometers (3–6 mi) above Earth’s surface. It was measured with the similar impact of a 1000-Mega-ton bomb with a decibel rating 300-315. This is often considered to be the loudest single-event in history.
Bonus: Lake Taupo Eruption
Lake Taupo is a large lake in the middle of the North Island of New Zealand. The lake is the caldera that resulted from a massive volcanic eruption in 180 AD. It is New Zealand’s largest eruption in 20,000 years. It ejected around 120 cubic kilometers of material, of which 30 cubic kilometers were ejected in the space of a few minutes. It is believed that the eruption column was 50 kilometers high, twice as high as the eruption column from Mount St. Helens in 1980. The resulting ash turned the sky red over Rome and China. This eruption was reportedly heard in China. Lake Taupo today, is one of New Zealand’s popular tourist attractions for its beauty and swimming. The fact that the lake is the largest fresh water lake in Australasia, and approximately the same size as Singapore, ensures it is a huge ‘must do’ component to many tourists.
Here is a chart that I've referenced before just for your viewing pleasure. Any noise over 85dB is harmful!
Source: Listverse
Top 10 Loudest Noises
Loud noises occur every day. Wincing at the annoyance of a dog bark, or covering your ears as you pass a construction sight is the standard way to guard against the harsh sounds. The pain threshold for humans is 120-130 Decibels. Any sound above 85 dB can cause hearing loss, and the loss is related both to the power of the sound as well as the length of exposure. Here are 10 sounds produced throughout history and how incredibly loud they are. Just remember, human speech is only registered at about 25-35 decibels.10. Rock Concert/Speakers
A 400,000 Wat rock concert or a similar set of speakers mounted in a vehicle can reach ear-splitting decibel levels. Is it any reason most promoters recommend you wear ear protection to stave off the 135-145 decibel sound waves?
9. Fireworks
Though not typically heard up close, fireworks are still explosions and are very loud. The sound heard from the sky is pretty loud, though not damaging, but at the bursting point the decibel levels reach a staggering 145-150. Even tests are performed under strict sound proofing to avoid any ear injury.
8. Gunfire
Gunfire for anyone unfortunate enough to be standing near it can be quite damaging to the ears registering at a quite loud 145-155 decibels. This is the very reason why you should always wear ear protection when on a firing range.
7. NHRA Dragsters
Sitting next to a dragster as it fires up its engines and screams down the raceway can be more than just loud; it can be damaging to your entire body. At the 155-160 Decibel range not only will it severely to permanently damage your hearing, but it also vibrates your vision and makes it temporarily difficult to swallow. That’s why no one stands next to them.
6. Space Shuttle Launch
When the rockets fire, it is wise and, in fact, fully enforced, that you stand at least a half-mile away lest you get inundated by 165-170 decibels of painful sound. Unlike many other loud noises, the shuttle rocket sound is constant as it creates the thrust necessary to lift it from the ground.
Blue whales mostly emit very loud, highly structured, repetitive low-frequency rumbling sounds that can travel for many miles underwater. These songs may be used for communicating with other blue whales, especially in order to attract and find mates. The call of the blue whale reaches levels up to 188 decibels. This extraordinarily loud whistle can be heard for hundreds of miles underwater. The whale is the loudest, and, the largest animal on earth.
4. Volcano – Krakatoa
The 1883 the Krakatoa eruption ejected more than 25 cubic kilometers of rock, ash, and pumice and generated the loudest sound historically reported at 180 Decibels: the cataclysmic explosion was distinctly heard as far away as Perth in Australia approx. 1,930 miles (3,110 km), and the island of Rodrigues near Mauritius approx. 3,000 miles (5,000 km).
3. 1-Ton TNT Bomb
Standing as close as 250 feet away from the impact, the resulting explosion from a 1 ton bomb creates a decibel count of 210. Without sufficient hearing protection, not to mention a complete sound-resistant bunker surrounding you, you could quite literally die from the intense vibrations that would literally shake you apart. Unless, of course, you were under the bomb.
2. 5.0 Richter Earth Quake
A sufficient enough quake to rend the ground in twain and destroy buildings, whole rock, and human life reaches a decibel level of 235. If you are caught in the epicenter and are unlucky enough to not be above the ground in a plane or helicopter, the intense noise and vibrations could kill you long before death by any falling object.
1. Tunguska Meteor
The Tunguska event was a massive explosion that occurred near the Podkamennaya (Under Rock) Tunguska River in what is now Krasnoyarsk Krai of Russia, at 7:40 AM on June 30, 1908. The explosion was most likely caused by the air burst of a large meteoroid or comet fragment at an altitude of 5 to 10 kilometers (3–6 mi) above Earth’s surface. It was measured with the similar impact of a 1000-Mega-ton bomb with a decibel rating 300-315. This is often considered to be the loudest single-event in history.
Bonus: Lake Taupo Eruption
Lake Taupo is a large lake in the middle of the North Island of New Zealand. The lake is the caldera that resulted from a massive volcanic eruption in 180 AD. It is New Zealand’s largest eruption in 20,000 years. It ejected around 120 cubic kilometers of material, of which 30 cubic kilometers were ejected in the space of a few minutes. It is believed that the eruption column was 50 kilometers high, twice as high as the eruption column from Mount St. Helens in 1980. The resulting ash turned the sky red over Rome and China. This eruption was reportedly heard in China. Lake Taupo today, is one of New Zealand’s popular tourist attractions for its beauty and swimming. The fact that the lake is the largest fresh water lake in Australasia, and approximately the same size as Singapore, ensures it is a huge ‘must do’ component to many tourists.
Here is a chart that I've referenced before just for your viewing pleasure. Any noise over 85dB is harmful!
Monday, November 30, 2015
Noise Levels
Pass along to coworkers as you wish,
If you are interested in what your classroom noise level is,
download this free app to your iPhone or iPad:
If you do this, please send me your reports. I’d be interested
in seeing what your classroom noise levels are at various times of the day. No
worries-nobody is going to get into trouble with me for high noise levels.
As I am sitting in my small room, alone, the average dB level is
40dB. The culprit-the HVAC system.
As you try this, if you try this, imagine the obstacle (the big
one) that noise presents to students with hearing loss. If you aren’t pleased
with your noise levels, or have questions about classroom acoustics, shoot me
an email.
Give it a try and shoot me a response.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Oticon Products
Met today with our south east regional manager, Candace Depp. We just began using their products last year, and I have been thoroughly impressed with the customer service and the products themselves. Unlike other hearing aid manufacturers, Oticon strives to make as much of their products universal as they can, so that compatibility won't be as much of an issue. Do yourself a favor if you are a DHH education professional-check Oticon out!
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