Feel the noise: the art and science of making sound alarming

Finding meaningful patterns in meaningless noise

Interesting article in Scientific American on how our cognitive apparatus tries to create sense from noise, even if there is no sense to be had.

Violin Subharmonics

Mari Kimura is a New York composer and virtuoso violinist whose music includes haunting low notes on the violin called  “subharmonics.”  …Problem is, these sounds aren’t supposed to be possible.
The tones she playes are in the register of a cello, and usually cannot be made from a violin.  Even she is stumped about how it works.  “I don’t really know what it is I do,” she said, because she learned it by “trial and error.”
I don’t know about impossible, but violin subharmonics are certainly gorgeous.

Tone Generation

Tone Generation is a radio/podcast series on the history of electronic music. Looks a bit more geared to the academic composers, but great stuff overall.