The history of headphones

The Walkman goes into history as a social distancing device, isolating people who would want to stay immersed in music, blocking out the rest of the world. This was later termed as the Walkman Effect.

The headphones served as both a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign and an instant way to get transported to a different world.

The 80s saw celebrities like Donna Summer, Paul Simon, Andy Warhol and many others flashing the Walkman, turning it into a status symbol.

Earphones, earlier associated with geekery or hearing problems, suddenly turned cool.

It’s best to listen to music you are familiar with if you need intense focus for a project. 

New music is surprising; since you don’t know what to expect, you are inclined to listen closely to see what comes next.

For activities that don’t require concentration, music with lyrics has some benefits. But with immersive tasks, lyrics are especially destructive to our focus.

Trying to engage in language-related tasks ( e.g. writing ) while listening to lyrics would be akin to holding a conversation while another person talks over you… while also strumming a guitar.

• In the summer of 2004, Adam Curry decided to program and develop the first podcatcher application using Apple scripts. The program was able to read through the RSS and download the audio. It would use the iTunes API to add the files to the playlist.
• George W. Bush became the first President of America to create a podcast when the RSS 2.0 feed was uploaded on the White House website.
• As more people became aware of the meaning of podcasting, the numbers continued to grow. In 2015, there were 100,000,000 searches from people across the globe.
• One year after the founding of the first podcast directory, Apple joined the ranks by setting up its directory to iTunes. Steve Jobs referenced podcasts to becoming the future of audio.
• The entry of Apple into the market increased the accessibility of podcasts all over the world.

The name podcasts were the combination of 'iPod' and 'broadcast.' The name is the result of the process of getting music into your iPod.

At first, you had to download music or audio to your computer, then move it to your iPod. The iPod needed an internet connection to function. But technology today is not the same. The development in iPhones and 4G network strength makes it easier to stream and listen to podcasts.

When a task is clearly defined and repetitive in nature, music makes it more enjoyable.

It isn’t the music itself, but rather the improved mood your favorite music brings that will give a boost in productivity.

Moderate noise level can get creative juices flowing, but the line is easily crossed; loud noises made it incredibly difficult to concentrate. 

Bellowing basses and screeching synths will do you more harm than good when engaging in deep work.

We get to see further than our predecessors, not because we have a greater vision or greater height, but because we are lifted on their gigantic stature.

There are giants in every field. Don't let them intimidate you. Take from anywhere that resonates with you and inspires or fuels your imagination. Build upon it and improve it. Doing this will make your work authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent.

Steve Jobs's intro sentences were so great because they clearly outlined what the product did while creating intrigue.

Rather than rambling on, he used them to perfectly convey his message as compactly as possible.

Examples of one sentence summaries of the product he was presenting: "Mac Book Air: the world's thinnest notebook", and "iPod: One thousand songs in your pocket."

Whether you're networking or presenting, it's important to realize that it should never be a one-sided conversation.

Your audience is in the room for a particular reason. It's critical to understand why they're listening to you so you can tune your presentation in a manner that makes them more receptive listeners,

They may boost our attention span, calm our anxiety and promote pain relief, although evidence is still insufficient. Studies showed that the effects increased the longer people listened.

But whatever mechanism is creating these changes remains unknown.

You can hear these beats best with a pair of good headphones. When each ear picks up a slightly different pitch, the brain tries to compensate and finds a frequency somewhere in the middle. This supposedly causes both hemispheres of the brain to harmonize their brainwaves, a phenomenon called neural entrainment.

Brainwaves are the regular patterns that firing neurons create in our brains, so binaural beats could be bringing these rhythmic patterns into alignment (some research still debates this).

Many reviewers see the Joker as a dangerous film because it might inspire incels to identify with the character as a hero and copy him.

The real evil to be feared is a broken, frustrated society that is willing to participate in almost purposeless acts of violence, then put deeper meaning into it, and ultimately use it as a springboard for mass violence and brutality.

Gotham City in Joker is a fundamentally broken city.

• Arthur Fleck (the Joker) is failed by every level of society.
• However, every class in Joker wants to shift the blame.
• When Arthur commits murder, society turns this purposeless act of violence into an act of social rebellion.
• Despite knowing nothing about the reason for the murder, Gotham's people imbue it with shared meaning, forcing this event into their narrative, and held Joker as a hero.
• When Arthur commits another purposeless murder, it sparks riots.
• The real villain of the movie is the broader society that latches onto actions and imbues them with nonexistent meaning to justify their own crimes.