No music for the last two rides

[Catrike Rider]

I was initially amazed to discover I could hear stereophonic recorded
music just as well as everyone else through bone conduction earphones,
which bypassed my damaged eardrums. Music, once again, became part of
my biking experience. These headsets essentially counter the ban on
wearing headsets while bicycling and driving.

Unfortunately, my old Aftershokz Titanium bone conduction headset has
bit the preverbal dust. I suspect the issue is sweat as the Titanium
model has no waterproof rating.

Aftershokz now calls itself Shokz and they have a new model with an
IP67 waterproof rating.

Yeah, <sigh> they're made in China..

[John B.]

Made in China, per se, is not necessarily bad. It depends on the
company manufacturing the "whatever". Cummins Diesel, for example, has
been building diesel engines in China for 20 or 30 years... with the
same guarantee as the U.S. made engines.
--
Cheers,

John B.

[Catrike Rider]

On Tue, 08 Aug 2023 18:59:51 +0700, John B. <sloc...@gmail.com>
wrote:

I didn't say they were bad, in fact they are IMO the best bone
conduction headsets made, and I did order the one with the IP67
waterproof rating. It's a multinational company with headquarters in
several countries, including the USA where the company originated.

I simply don't like buying stuff made in China, but there isn't much
electronic stuff made in the USA any more.

[John B.]

On Tue, 08 Aug 2023 08:37:00 -0400, Catrike Rider

It seems to be getting to the point that "here isn't much stuff made
in the USA any more." :-)

--
Cheers,

John B.

[Catrike Rider]

On Tue, 08 Aug 2023 21:01:52 +0700, John B. <sloc...@gmail.com>

That's true... Thanks to the steadily worsening US government
policies over the last 30/40 years. I fear it's only going to get
worse.

[Jeff Liebermann]

The web page says that the original might be available at various
retailers:
<https://shokz.com/blogs/news/titanium-discontinued-everything-you-need-to-know>
"Purchase the last quantities of AfterShokz Titanium at stores like
Best Buy, Fleet Feet Sports, Staples, and Sam’s Club."

If you really want the Made in USA model, it might be worth your time
asking if they have any left. However, the announcement is 3 years
old, so it's unlikely they have any in stock.

Also, the FAQ hints that the older model is IP55 rated:
"The newest AfterShokz wireless headphone model delivers the same
open-ear comfort, 6-hour battery life, and IP55 durability as
Titanium, but with new features..."

IP55 = "Protected against low pressure jets of water from all
directions, limited ingress permitted."
which it's still possible to get some water inside, via capillary
action or air pressure differences.

--
Jeff Liebermann je...@cruzio.com
PO Box 272 http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Ben Lomond CA 95005-0272
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

[William Crowell]

Could I please ask you guys a question about this. I'm a pretty old guy, and my hearing has been deteriorating in recent years. I've lost a lot of high-frequency response, which makes speech sound rather muddy and makes you often have to ask people to repeat what they say. I use headphones with my computer, but have recently found that my usual cheapie $30 Behringer headphones no longer cut the mustard. They don't seem to have enough high-frequency response. So I'm trying to decide whether to buy a more expensive set of phones that have more high-frequency response, or maybe a bone conduction headset like Catrike is using. Do you think a bone conduction headset would let me hear the high frequencies better? Thanks a lot.

[Catrike Rider]

On Tue, 08 Aug 2023 10:44:47 -0700, Jeff Liebermann <je...@cruzio.com>
wrote:

>On Tue, 08 Aug 2023 08:37:00 -0400, Catrike Rider
><sol...@drafting.not> wrote:
>
>> simply don't like buying stuff made in China, but there isn't much
>>electronic stuff made in the USA any more.
>
>The web page says that the original might be available at various
>retailers:
><https://shokz.com/blogs/news/titanium-discontinued-everything-you-need-to-know>
>"Purchase the last quantities of AfterShokz Titanium at stores like
>Best Buy, Fleet Feet Sports, Staples, and Sam’s Club."
>
>If you really want the Made in USA model, it might be worth your time
>asking if they have any left. However, the announcement is 3 years
>old, so it's unlikely they have any in stock.
>
>Also, the FAQ hints that the older model is IP55 rated:
>"The newest AfterShokz wireless headphone model delivers the same
>open-ear comfort, 6-hour battery life, and IP55 durability as
>Titanium, but with new features..."
>
>IP55 = "Protected against low pressure jets of water from all
>directions, limited ingress permitted."
>which it's still possible to get some water inside, via capillary
>action or air pressure differences.

The Titanium model was also made in China. When I bought it, it was
the only one I could find. Now there are many of them, all companies
with strange looking names. Aftershokz has had trouble with patent
thiefs.

I didn't even know the Titanium had an IP55 rating. I'm not known for
reading directions and owner's manuals. The cover for the USB port
never fit very well, and I know I'd poured water on my head without
taking it off. At any rate, it's trash, now and the new one is IP67,
and supposedly with better sound. It also has some sort of a magnetic
recharge thingy instead of the USB port.

[Catrike Rider]

On Tue, 8 Aug 2023 12:03:05 -0700 (PDT), William Crowell
<retrog...@gmail.com> wrote:

>Could I please ask you guys a question about this. I'm a pretty old guy, and my hearing has been deteriorating in recent years. I've lost a lot of high-frequency response, which makes speech sound rather muddy and makes you often have to ask people to repeat what they say. I use headphones with my computer, but have recently found that my usual cheapie $30 Behringer headphones no longer cut the mustard. They don't seem to have enough high-frequency response. So I'm trying to decide whether to buy a more expensive set of phones that have more high-frequency response, or maybe a bone conduction headset like Catrike is using. Do you think a bone conduction headset would let me hear the high frequencies better? Thanks a lot.

I can't answer that. Without the bone conduction headset all sound is
muddled and rumbly, but I don't notice any more issues with high freq.
With it, the sound is pretty much like it used to be. My eardrums are
shot, but the sound goes directly to the inner ear. It's so much
better.

[funkma...@hotmail.com]

On Tuesday, August 8, 2023 at 3:03:07 PM UTC-4, William Crowell wrote:
> Could I please ask you guys a question about this. I'm a pretty old guy, and my hearing has been deteriorating in recent years. I've lost a lot of high-frequency response, which makes speech sound rather muddy and makes you often have to ask people to repeat what they say. I use headphones with my computer, but have recently found that my usual cheapie $30 Behringer headphones no longer cut the mustard. They don't seem to have enough high-frequency response. So I'm trying to decide whether to buy a more expensive set of phones that have more high-frequency response, or maybe a bone conduction headset like Catrike is using. Do you think a bone conduction headset would let me hear the high frequencies better? Thanks a lot.

Bone conduction won't help much with high-frequency hearing loss. Bone conduction works best for lower frequencies, since higher frequencies are rather severely attenuated by all the soft tissue between the conduction device and the nerve endings in the outer cochlea (the high-frequency hairs/nerve endings are in the outer cochlea). Given that, bone conduction devices don't even _try_ to give high frequency response. If fact, for the consumer products it's the biggest drawback. Surgically implanted devices work much better, but they still lack any real fidelity. But that's surgery, and I'd be willing to bet an ENT would steer you towards a hearing aid first.

I have some experience in this area. I worked for a few years for a company that manufactured clinical hearing test equipment, which ended up with me getting a job as Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary in the Eaton Peabody lab developing early cochlear implants. One of the test methods was a "bone vibrator", essentially a coil wrapped around a magnet inside a plastic module (~ a 1" cube). This was placed firmly against the Mastoid bone and audio stimuli was presented. Patient response was recorded as part of a diagnostic suite of tests.

I'd recommend a visit to your ENT for a hearing test (most of them have a resident audiologist). There are likely some hearing aid options that would be the best solution if you're looking to recover some fidelity.

[Roger Meriman]

That is one of the reasons I’m a bit of a Exposure lights fan boy, their
lights are repairable and are maybe a hours drive away? They are also very
well made as like divers mountain bikers are rough with their kit! Nice not
to,have throwaway kit rear lights are particularly poor for that only
lasting a short while maybe a year before water finds a way and that’s
that!

https://www.exposure-use.com/Brands/Exposure-Lights

I also like the performance/usability of them.

Roger Merriman

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Tue, 8 Aug 2023 12:03:05 -0700 (PDT), William Crowell
<retrog...@gmail.com> wrote:

>Could I please ask you guys a question about this. I'm a pretty old guy, and my hearing has been deteriorating in recent years. I've lost a lot of high-frequency response, which makes speech sound rather muddy and makes you often have to ask people to repeat what they say. I use headphones with my computer, but have recently found that my usual cheapie $30 Behringer headphones no longer cut the mustard. They don't seem to have enough high-frequency response. So I'm trying to decide whether to buy a more expensive set of phones that have more high-frequency response, or maybe a bone conduction headset like Catrike is using. Do you think a bone conduction headset would let me hear the high frequencies better? Thanks a lot.

I don't have any experience with bone conduction earphones. Some of
my friends have various hearing aids, but none are bone conduction.
Sorry, I can't help here.

Incidentally, one of those friends was complaining that his hearing
was continuing to deteriorate to the point where his hearing aid was
inadequate. I found that his hearing aid tubes and earmolds were both
clogged with ear wax. Cleaning those made a big improvement, but he
still was having hearing problems. I talked him into driving 30 miles
(48.2 km) to a cheap clinic that offers ear wax removal:
<https://www.cvs.com/minuteclinic/services/ear-wax-removal>
That solved the problem. He claimed that he couldn't feel the ear wax
in his ear. I believe him because I later had a similar ear wax
problem.

[AMuzi]

On 8/8/2023 2:03 PM, William Crowell wrote:
> Could I please ask you guys a question about this. I'm a pretty old guy, and my hearing has been deteriorating in recent years. I've lost a lot of high-frequency response, which makes speech sound rather muddy and makes you often have to ask people to repeat what they say. I use headphones with my computer, but have recently found that my usual cheapie $30 Behringer headphones no longer cut the mustard. They don't seem to have enough high-frequency response. So I'm trying to decide whether to buy a more expensive set of phones that have more high-frequency response, or maybe a bone conduction headset like Catrike is using. Do you think a bone conduction headset would let me hear the high frequencies better? Thanks a lot.
>

Can't help with your question specifically but girlfriend
who suffers severe hearing loss has deluxe ($$$) hearing
aids now, which replace merely super ($$) previous model.

Of note, FDA has recently relaxed some rules about hearing
aids so there is a new market for no-office-visit devices.
Best of luck.

--
Andrew Muzi
<www.yellowjersey.org/>
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

[John B.]

On Tue, 08 Aug 2023 10:09:10 -0400, Catrike Rider

But is it solely "government policies"?

Harley Davidson opened a factory here in Thailand sometime ago and
certainly a large part of the reason was labor costs.

Mr. Muzi, some time ago mentioned that he paid some of his workers $20
an hour. My Housekeeper's daughter just went to work at Lotus, the
largest department store chain in Thailand (for the British reader, it
used to be Tesco-Lotus) her monthly salary is 10200 baht for a 30 day
month. In U.S. dollars that is just about $10, net of tax, a day for a
10 hour day with 1 hour off for lunch.

Disregarding any add on's in the U.S. salary - overtime and additional
employer paid costs, etc. that means labor is 1/16th the cost here
that it likely is in the U.S. Assuming, oh say, even 100 workers in a
factory that is a significant number.

--
Cheers,

John B.

[AMuzi]

US prices of food, gasoline, rent, utilities are markedly
higher and the cumulative tax burden is much higher.

[John B.]

Of course, I was trying to simplify the equation by using only salary.
--
Cheers,

John B.

[Catrike Rider]

On Wed, 09 Aug 2023 08:08:55 +0700, John B. <sloc...@gmail.com>

No, it was a combination of the governments, the unions, and the
employers.

[John B.]

On Wed, 09 Aug 2023 04:10:55 -0400, Catrike Rider

You might as well say, "human nature".

You want to be a politician? I read that, some years ago, a guy
running for Alderman in a ward in Chicago reckoned that it cost his
opponent (who didn't get elected) as much as $40,000 to run a
campaign. Have you got $40,000 cash money to spend to get elected to
a job that pays $5,000 a year?? Probably not so some of your mates
put up a bit here and there you get elected... Later one of those
chaps comes to see you, "can you do him a favor?"

There is an old saying attributed to Seneca The Younger (4 BC – AD 65)
applies to societies in general. Translated into modern English it is
"one hand washes the other".
--
Cheers,

John B.

[Catrike Rider]

On Wed, 09 Aug 2023 16:24:05 +0700, John B. <sloc...@gmail.com>

Oh, Hell, no. Like I said, I don't lead, I don't follow, I just try to
stay out of the way.

> I read that, some years ago, a guy
>running for Alderman in a ward in Chicago reckoned that it cost his
>opponent (who didn't get elected) as much as $40,000 to run a
>campaign. Have you got $40,000 cash money to spend to get elected to
>a job that pays $5,000 a year?? Probably not so some of your mates
>put up a bit here and there you get elected... Later one of those
>chaps comes to see you, "can you do him a favor?"
>
>There is an old saying attributed to Seneca The Younger (4 BC – AD 65)
>applies to societies in general. Translated into modern English it is
>"one hand washes the other".

The vast majority of decisions made by the Federal Government are made
by unelected bureaucrats, what some people call the deep state.
Congress and the President only decide which advisor's, briber's, or
bootlicker's proposition to select.

Yes, the Supreme Court are not elected, but that's by design.

[John B.]

On Wed, 09 Aug 2023 06:10:15 -0400, Catrike Rider

I can't say for all government employees but I did work with some at
Edwards AFB for a while and my overwhelming impression was that those
in a position of authority were very intent on improving their
situation. To the extent that they falsified data to make their
departments, and thus by inference themselves as manager, look far
more important they actually were. I can only assume that they were
not unique.
--
Cheers,

John B.