2019 NHCA Annual Conference

Hearing is our most fundamentally human sense. Humanity wouldn't have advanced to its present level without the way hearing and its companion, voice, enabled early people to communicate and collaborate. In fact, the words communicate and community share the same Latin root! But, while language began with the sound of the spoken word, over time technology has translated it to visual form: from books to e-books, from letters to email to SMS to WhatsApp. Today, the world is dominated by screens and visual interfaces controlled with our fingers. At the same time, life has gotten faster and more complex, with vast amounts of information at our Cloud-connected thumb-tips and these interfaces have become increasing sources of distraction from living life, being present in the world around you. Today, however, headphones and earphones are poised to change this for the better. This may seem odd because stereo headphones are best known as a way to isolate yourself and enjoy music, privately. But, earphone technologies I'll describe will allow you to connect better with those around you, give your ears new powers akin to your eyes and allow us to better balance and mix our engagement with the physical and the virtual world.