Cone of Silence
By:
July 9, 2010
Over at Core 77, we learn that a Tokyo Burger King has installed a “Sound Spot” — a hanging speaker, connected to a wall-mounted dock for iPods and iPhones — covered in a transparent umbrella that funnels the sound to the table beneath it.
Wonder if it works better than the sci-fi technology (invented by “Professor Cone,” and sold to Maxwell Smart’s superiors at Control by a discount place) by which this particular Burger King was obviously inspired.
READ MORE essays by Joshua Glenn, originally published in: THE BAFFLER | BOSTON GLOBE IDEAS | BRAINIAC | CABINET | FEED | HERMENAUT | HILOBROW | HILOBROW: GENERATIONS | HILOBROW: RADIUM AGE SCIENCE FICTION | HILOBROW: SHOCKING BLOCKING | THE IDLER | IO9 | N+1 | NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW | SEMIONAUT | SLATE
Joshua Glenn’s books include UNBORED: THE ESSENTIAL FIELD GUIDE TO SERIOUS FUN (with Elizabeth Foy Larsen); and SIGNIFICANT OBJECTS: 100 EXTRAORDINARY STORIES ABOUT ORDINARY THINGS (with Rob Walker).