Detecting nervousness on the telephone (patent)

Businesses need a way to detect nervousness on the telephone, says a recent patent, which offers a computerised means of accomplishing this. Inventor Valery Petrushin obtained his doctorate in computer science from the Glushkov Institute for Cybernetics, Kiev, and now works in Illinois in the US. His patent, granted last year, is for “detecting emotion in voice […]

Plausible: Sounds & Shoes & Skirts (Stradivarius)

Two looks at a new study about the famously superior sound of Stradivarius violins: Jennifer Ouellette (Cocktail Party Physics): “Anatomy of a Stradivarius.” [BONUS (Jan 3): Musician buys old violin at flea market worth thousands.] Ed Yong (Not Exactly Rocket Science): “Violinists can’t tell the difference between Stradivarius violins and new ones.” [BONUS: Comments by one of the study […]

Improbable Research