
Echo vision: The man who sees with sound  - kqr2
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20227031.400-echo-vision-the-man-who-sees-with-sound.html?full=true
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amohr
When I was a kid, I accidentally sprayed wasp spray in my eyes, I had to wear
a bandage on both eyes for a couple days and one eye for several weeks
thereafter. I have distinct memories of lying in the ambulance with my eyes
covered and later in the emergency room hearing the people go by. I didn't
know I was practicing passive sonar at the time, but it has since become a
hobby of mine to just close my eyes and see what I can ascertain about my
surroundings. It's really interesting to see the things you can pick up. If
I'm sitting in a hallway, I can usually guess the gender, build, and style of
a person walking by. Similarly, I've taken to closing my eyes while walking
home, listening to the different cars go by and using it to locate trees. I
would recommend exercises like these to everyone - it really helps center you
in your surroundings. You get a really good sense of how complex the world
around you really is and how much you tend to tune out - either with your
headphones or just selective hearing.

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bcl
Fascinating article! I have a great uncle who was a blind marathon runner. He
used a guide and I wonder how he would have done if he had learned how to
echolocate.

[http://wwuvikings.cstv.com/sports/c-track/spec-
rel/082108aaa...](http://wwuvikings.cstv.com/sports/c-track/spec-
rel/082108aaa.html)

