Jig Blog

Smartphone with background noise cancellation - Google Nexus 1

  Here is my rough explanation of how noise cancellation works. I'm not hot on the physics of audio, so techies, feel free to correct me!

The google Nexus 1 smartphone has two microphones on it. The one for your voice, like any other microphone, picks up all the sounds coming into it. That means it receives your voice plus any background noise.

The extra microphone is positioned to pick up background noises MORE than your voice. That means it will be aimed away from your mouth (on the other side of the handset, I presume).

So there are two audio signals going into the phone, with some pretty much identical audio content (i.e. the background noise).

Basic noise cancellation involves taking two signals, inverting the phase of the waveform of one of them, then mixing them together. One waveform goes "up" and an identical one goes "down" (because it's been inverted). That way, the downward waveform "cancels out" the upward one. If both signals are identical, you get silence. If the two signals are virtually identical (as is the case with two mics at slightly different positions) you get a reduction in the volume.

It's only the bits of the audio which are different in the two mics (primarily, your voice) which don't get affected.

So this phone can turn down background noise. Cool, eh? It's the same principle that happens with noise cancelling headphones, and it's a technique I've used in the studio to check the phase settings of mics (e.g. recording a drum kit).

It's strange that this technology has not been effectively recruited up until now. I'd say that's a far more vital feature than many of the apps you get on other smartphones...

The world's greatest mullet

 Simon Varwell, like a sociopathic Apache with highly specific depilatory tendencies, collects mullets.

How does one go about doing that without incurring the wrath of the judicial system? His new book explains all.

Simon is a travel writer, and is also a friend (and occassional photographer) of the Jiggers Ceilidh Band. This, I believe is reason enough for you to consider buying his book.

Billy Collins - Litany

As a ceilidh caller and a performer, I always like to look for examples of how better to connect with an audience, hold their attention, make them laugh. Billy Collins communicates in a comfortable, droll way that is unhindered by false confidence.

BBC spending 08-09

My favourite radio station, BBC 6 Music is being threatened with closure. It costs 9 million pounds a year to run, and has had a growing audience since its inception, and "had an average weekly reach of 695,000 listeners in the final three months of last year". I agree with Richard Bacon's comments about 6 music that "6 Music is a beautiful example of the BBC at its best."

This chart shows spending of the BBC in 08-09. Click for bigger. From here

The obvious cuts the BBC should be making, in my opinion, are in talent. If times are hard, they should be investing in fresh presenters. Removing Ross, Robinson and Clarkson alone would keep 6 music afloat. I'm a fan of Top Gear, but I'd be happy watching reruns of the first 12 series on iplayer if they had to drop the presenters. Jonathan Ross is great on radio, but on TV he is cringe-worthy and doesn't deserve the slot (or the money) he gets.

6 music is a fantastic station, with a brilliant variety of witty, intelligent DJs who are passionate about the music they play. I've been a great fan of Adam & Joe, Jon Richardson, Lauren Laverne, Steve Lamacq to name but a few. How many stations can land Bob Dylan to present a radio show?

It goes on every morning in my house, and often throughout the day too. Nothing else comes close to the quality of this station's output. The fact that they deliver it on such a small budget is incredible.

Support the petition here

Avatar: a big h3Dache

I finally got around to seeing Avatar 3d yesterday.

Can I suggest that if you've never seen a 3d film before, don't pop your 3d cherry with an epic that seems to be about 9 hours long.

If you want to know why I felt it was a truly rubbish movie, check out my Jiggers facebook profile from today where I discuss it in laborious detail. 

The main problem with 3d is that you have a huge screen in front of you, and only certain sections are in focus: the bits you're *supposed* to be looking at. I don't know why, but I want to look at every possible section of the screen, and take in all the details. So I ended up with a rather distracting headache. I often just took off the 3d glasses (which cost 80p, mind) and watched it all "in blurry".

To find out more about "h3daches", see this article

Look at this...Don't look at this? Actually, I think I'd prefer to not look at any of it, James. It's a lovely sunny day outside in *actual* 3d. I might go and appreciate that instead.