Ears Wide Open

The Silence of the Lands - Interesting "acoustic cartography" project based in Boulder, with related projects underway in Devon and Plymouth, UK. Website includes background on the research approach, community engagement, academic papers, and maps with sound files (Firefox optimized). [WEBSITE]

Ocean Conservation Research Sound Library - A great set of ocean sound samples, in three categories: Fish, Mammals, Human, with songrams to better see the "shape" of the sound. [WEBSITE]

Neil Horne Music Spaces - A java-based soundscape composition/play environment, in whichHorne has put together seven different sets of 20 sounds each: Sky Music (insects), Rock Platform (tidal pools), Urban Music, etc. In any "space," you can trigger any or all of the 20 sound files by clicking on a square of his folk-art grid; sounds toggle off with another click and rolling on. Very fun, though it can be addicting! Horne also has a blog, which includes sound, video, and philosophy. [MUSIC SPACES] [dotAtelier BLOG]

Listening to Birds - A two-year anthropological study based at the University of Aberdeen (Scotland) is exploring the relationships that people have with bird songs and calls. The project's blog is off to a dynamic start, with many interesting posts, and they are actively soliciting contributions from anyone, worldwide. [WEBSITE] [BLOG]

90 Degrees South - New York-based sound artist Andrea Polli, whose work often centers around natural systems, is in Antarctica for much of December and January. She is posting regularly, with short notes and many sound files: some field recordings, many intereviews with scientists about their work, and about listening. The sound files take a little while to load, but it's worth the patience (let the page load while you read the posts or do something else); once loaded, you can click to listen on the page, or download the MP3s to listen at your leisure. [WEBSITE]