The concept of The Golden Record feels so uniquely human; we want to share the story of our planet and convey our existence through music (NASA). The Golden Record is a time capsule that was added to the voyager, a rocket that is indefinitely shooting through space in the hopes of coming into contact with extraterrestrial life (NASA). The NASA team selected a record that is plated in gold as their vessel for storing the music because most of the current digital methods of storing information would not last thousands, if not, millions of years. The data and information stored on our digital devices face many obstacles to preservation, such as the physical integrity of our products, as well as ensuring our programming infrastructure can continue to support old files (Smith, 1999). 

The NASA team was sure to include a broad selection that covers a range of cultures, musical frequencies, languages, and narratives. The two pioneers behind The Golden Record, Tim Ferris, and Linda Salzman Sagan, aimed to select pieces that could be interpreted from several facets (Twenty Thousand Hertz, 2019). 

Among the 27-seven pieces of music chosen on the record, I selected 10 that I found captured the diversity and creativity of human life. 

1. “Melancholy Blues,” performed by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven. 3:05

I selected this song because I am a fan of Louise Armstrong, and I like that they added music that had a variety of instruments. Armstrong was well known for being a soulful trumpet player, and this song in particular really demonstrates an emphasis on the trumpet because there are no vocals. Further, this song captures African-American subculture, which birthed blues and jazz music during the 1920s.

2. “Johnny B. Goode,” written and performed by Chuck Berry. 2:38

This song is a quintessential rock song that represents American identity with its upbeat fast-paced rhythm and romanticization of the American dream. The Rolling Stone (2011) claimed “‘Johnny B. Goode’ was the first rock & roll hit about rock & roll stardom”. The song is autobiographical and accounts for Berry’s rise to success, by playing in the big cities until he became famous.

3. Bulgaria, “Izlel je Delyo Hagdutin,” sung by Valya Balkanska. 4:59

I liked this song purely for the auditory experience it provides. Despite not knowing the language or the meaning behind the words, I felt entranced by the vocals that have long soulful notes. Balkanska’s voice is complimented by bagpipes, harmonizing together to create a very unique sound. 

4. Mexico, “El Cascabel,” performed by Lorenzo Barcelata and the Mariachi México. 3:14

“El Cascabel” is a Spanish song that has many Mexican music elements, including the Spanish picking guitar. The fast-paced song has the kind of rhythm that makes listeners want to get up and dance. Further, this song would generally be performed by a mariachi band and a performer singing the vocals. I think this piece adds another unique cultural element to the song selection. 

5. Japan, shakuhachi, “Tsuru No Sugomori” (“Crane’s Nest,”) performed by Goro Yamaguchi. 4:51

This Japanese song is about cranes nesting; cranes were considered spiritual birds in Japan and this piece is an homage to the appreciation of these animals (The International Shakuhachi Society). The song is played using a traditional Japanese instrument called a Shakuhachi, which is a wind instrument that resembles a flute. The Shakuhachi is made of Bamboo and is a representation of ancient practices and spirituality (The International Shakuhachi Society). 

6. China, ch’in, “Flowing Streams,” performed by Kuan P’ing-hu. 7:37

This song is played using a guqin, which is a “seven-string Chinese musical instrument” (Wikipedia). The player, Kuan P’ing-hu, is picking a few strings and strumming others, causing a contrast between higher and lower notes. The song is exclusively a recording of the instrument being played, and nothing else. 

7. Navajo Indians, Night Chant, recorded by Willard Rhodes. 0:57

“Night Chant” is a recording from the Navajo Nation. This song was used during healing ceremonies and “in endeavors to ameliorate strained relations between Man and the Universe, thereby restoring order, balance, harmony, and health (Hillerman). The song has a spiritual purpose for the Navajo community and is one of the few songs in the record that clearly has several singers. 

8. New Guinea, men’s house song, recorded by Robert MacLennan. 1:20

This song came from a small village in Oroha, Malaita where only a few hundred people speak the Oroha language. This type of music is generally “reserved for traditional special occasions, like feats” (ABC Pacific, 2018). The vocals, which can only be understood by less than a thousand people on Earth, will now be shared with Space – which in an interesting concept to appreciate. 

9. Peru, panpipes and drum, collected by Casa de la Cultura, Lima. 0:52

This song is particularly interesting because it is played with panpipes and flutes. These instruments are among some of the earliest recorded instruments in human history (World History Encyclopedia). Therefore, this song really captures the evolution and development of human life, culture, and identity. 

10. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F. First Movement, Munich Bach Orchestra, Karl Richter, conductor. 4:40

Tim Ferris opened the record with this song from Bach because he wanted to “represent some music with a strong mathematical foundation because we might be communicating with creatures who don’t have hearing or who don’t have hearing in the range” (Twenty Thousand Hertz, 2019). I think it’s so creative to think of music beyond the phenomenological experience, but rather through other methods of analysis. This demonstrates that they were deeply considering how the music could be interpreted and the limitations that might impact the aliens’ ability to perceive and understand music.

References 

Cartwright, M. (2011, June 17). Pan Flute. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved April 8, 2023, from https://www.worldhistory.org/Panpipes/

Murray-Atfield, Y. (2018, December 27). Pacific: How songs from villages in PNG and Solomon Islands are now floating in Outer Space. ABC Pacific. Retrieved April 8, 2023, from https://www.abc.net.au/pacific/programs/pacificbeat/how-songs-from-the-pacific-ended-up-in-outer-space/10671290

NASA. (n.d.). Voyager – what’s on the Golden Record. NASA. Retrieved April 8, 2023, from https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/golden-record/whats-on-the-record/

Nelson, R. (2023). Tsuru no Sugomori (Dokyoku). The International Shakuhachi Society. Retrieved April 8, 2023, from https://www.komuso.com/pieces/pieces.pl?piece=2218

Rolling Stone Magazine. (2011, April 7). 500 greatest songs of all time. Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 8, 2023, from https://web.archive.org/web/20170312024059/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-20110407/chuck-berry-johnny-b-goode-20110516

Smith, A. (1999). Why digitize? Microform & Imaging Review, 28(4). https://doi.org/10.1515/mfir.1999.28.4.110

University of New Mexico. (n.d.). Night way. Night Way | The Tony Hillerman Portal. Retrieved April 8, 2023, from https://ehillerman.unm.edu/node/1705#sthash.a1h5XsO0.57CagfKa.dpbs

Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, March 10). Guqin. Wikipedia. Retrieved April 8, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guqin 

Invasive technology is overtaking our homes and lives. Even though we may welcome technology, like phones, computers, smart watches etc… into our spaces and daily routine – that doesn’t change the fact that they can present major risks. Right now, there is a new form of digital literacy that is increasingly more challenging to tackle: consent and privacy of personal data. Partly, because surveillance technology is intended to be deceptive and the issues are complex and challenging for even the best researchers to comprehend. Further, The London Group notes the need to educate individuals on these changing digital landscapes, particularly focusing on the following realms of our existence, “our working lives, public lives (citizenship), and our private lives (lifeworld)” (New London Group, 1996, p.65). As the boundaries between these landscapes blur with integrations of advanced technology, our digital citizenship overlays our private world. So, while one might have a generally high level of digital literacy, one may still not know the relationship between technology and privacy. Modern digital literacy requires far more knowledge than knowing how to physically maneuver devices and their applications, it requires some level of understanding of broader socio-politic conditions. 

The London Group identifies “the term ‘multiliteracies’ as a way to focus on the realities of increasing local diversity and global connectedness” (1996, p.64). These large tech companies have found their way into the corners of the home, of millions of users across the globe. The use of speech recognition technology is used as a method of creating audio scene analysis. Essentially, companies are using our at-home speech recognition devices (ex Alexa and Google Play) to collect auditory data and scrape for sounds beyond our device-directed speech (Turow, 2023). The collection of audio data can reveal intimate details about our identity and the dynamics of our closest relationships. Joseph Turow says in The Voice Catchers, “few of us realize that we are turning over biometric data to companies when we give voice commands to our smartphones and smart speakers, or when we call contact center representatives, but that’s exactly what is happening” (2023, p. 227). However, data is almost an inescapable byproduct of device usage and it’s deeply embedded into our social practices. Clearly, there is a need for users to learn about the collection of their personal data and how to protect their personal information. 

In the following video, I perform an experiment with my viewers. The purpose of this exercise is to reimagine what’s in my bag and to understand how a soundscape without any speech, is still very revealing of a person’s space (or bag, as we see in this example).

I ask the listeners to listen to an audio clip of me riffling through my bag and perform an audio scene analysis. I subsequently share the audio with the video and ask them to assess if they were correct in guessing what the objects were.

Can my viewers tell what the contents of my bag are based on the sounds of the objects? 

 Some sounds are very telling of the object. Whereas, other sounds are more ambiguous and harder to pinpoint. The sound of a pill bottle is very distinct. You can hear me shake a pill bottle, followed by clicking sounds as I open the child safety lock on the cap. Then, a slurping sound. At this point, the listener is likely able to discern that I am drinking. One would likely assume that I am taking a pill and swallowing it down with some kind of drink. This sound could signify that I am not feeling well, or I’m taking some kind of medication. This pill bottle came out of my handbag, which I carry with me everywhere, so one could make the assumption that I take those pills often enough to warrant having them on hand. Through this analysis, one could make some assumptions about my health and well-being. Our health is an intimate topic we assume is only shared with those we entrust, but an audio clip of my bag reveals that that information is far more accessible than we might assume. 

 Hopefully, this exercise demonstrates that an integral part of digital literacy is knowing the risks of technology. We need to develop our education about technology to include a sense of self-awareness of how our technology collects our data and who has access to that data. 

References

The New London Group. (1996). A pedagogy of multiliteracies: Designing social futures. Harvard Educational Review, 66(1), 60–93. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.66.1.17370n67v22j160u

Turow, J. (2023). The voice catchers: How marketers listen in to exploit your feelings, your privacy, and your wallet. Yale University Press.