A couple of days ago, I received the following comment from "Vman" in response to my blog about Dr. West , the co-inventor of the electret microphone used in almost 90% of all microphones built today:
"Kareem,
A question from my 10-year-old...
So, Dr. West, 'inventor of the microphone,' invented it
in 1962?
How were we able to hear Count Basie?"
First, let me say how impressed I am that a 10-year-old was so intelligent to ask that question. Of course, it’s true that microphones existed long before Dr. West. In fact, in 1827, English physicist and telegraph inventor Sir Charles Wheatstone (1802-1875) first coined the word “microphone.” In 1876, German immigrant Emile Berliner (1851-1929), working in Washington , D.C. , invented a microphone used in telephones to transmit speech. (He was also the first to invent the gramophone that recorded on disks, later called records. His company’s symbol was a dog listening to the gramophone.) Then in 1878, David Edward Hughes (1831-1900) invented the carbon microphone that is the model for the modern microphone. Which brings us to African-American Dr. James E. West and his co-inventor Gerhard Sessler, who received a patent for the electroacoustic transducer, and electret microphone. The electret microphone is more reliable, acoustically accurate, smaller, and cheaper than conventional microphones. So, while Dr. West didn’t invent the microphone, he invented a type of microphone that was small and so reliable that it could be used in everything from hearing aids to cell phones. It’s also used on the space shuttles.
Here are some more answers to your questions:
How has martial arts influenced your workout? Do you
continue to study? If so, how has your regimen changed?
-- Jon K
Jon K -- Martial arts has affected my training regimen
by making me conscious of how I need to anticipate the
various circumstances I will encounter in contests.
Training for basketball means that the fundamental
basketball skills -- shooting, passing and defense -- must be
worked on with an emphasis on endurance. A basketball
game is 48 minutes long, so the aspect of performing
the fundamental skills while being tired must be
addressed. So cardiovascular endurance is an absolute
necessity in your training regimen. These days I don't
work so much on my basketball skills, since I'm retired,
but the fundamentals of strength, flexibility and
cardio are always part of what I do. I try to include
other activities that are fun but keep the fundamental
skills sharp. So I'll jump rope, swim, run some cross
country, play squash or ride my bike.
Do you have any thoughts on why yoga studios are so
full of women and so few men practice?
-- Jaime
Answer after the jump...