The World According to Sound

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A miniature radio show that tells stories with sounds instead of, well, stories. Sign up on our website to receive new episodes: http://bit.ly/1oGTcHz. Every ninety-second episode is about a different sound. You could hear Earth Whistlers, mudpots, or bridges; a dying language, a forgotten language, or a way to communicate without words; what it's like to have auditory hallucinations, hearing loss, or tinnitus; famous music made by accident, by a murderer, or by a computer; or the call of the world's loneliest whale. We release new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. You can sign up to get the show by RSS, email, and soon text message. Or you can follow us on social media to catch the latest episodes. http://apple.co/1QgLKi1 www.theworldaccordingtsound.org https://twitter.com/Thewatsound https://www.facebook.com/TheWorldAccordingtoSound

Chris Hoff and Sam Harnett


    • Jun 17, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 7m AVG DURATION
    • 193 EPISODES

    4.9 from 78 ratings Listeners of The World According to Sound that love the show mention: entertaining and thought provoking, bite, sounds, clever, short, longer, space, cool, fascinating, can't wait, every episode, looking forward, enjoyed, show, world, wonderful, right, interesting, fun, like.


    Ivy Insights

    The World According to Sound podcast is a unique and captivating auditory experience. In just 90 seconds, it transports listeners to different places and evokes a wide range of emotions through the power of sound. The concept of exploring interesting sounds and delving into their backstories is intriguing, and the execution is flawless. The narrations are well done, providing just the right amount of information to pique curiosity without overwhelming the listener. This podcast is thought-provoking, entertaining, and leaves you wanting more.

    One of the best aspects of The World According to Sound podcast is its ability to make you see a picture in your mind solely based on sound. By closing your eyes and immersing yourself in the audio experience, you can visualize the subject in vivid detail. Each episode brings something new and interesting, presenting a variety of sounds that you wouldn't normally pay attention to in everyday life. The show's brevity allows for quick consumption while still leaving a lasting impression.

    However, the short duration of each episode can also be seen as one of its drawbacks. Just as you're getting fully engaged with a particular sound or story, it abruptly ends, leaving you craving for more information or further exploration. Some listeners may find themselves wanting longer episodes that dive deeper into the background stories behind each sound.

    In conclusion, The World According to Sound podcast offers a delightful escape into the sonic possibilities of our world. It's a bite-sized show that packs a punch in terms of entertainment and thought-provocation. While there may be room for longer episodes or more detailed storytelling, this podcast offers a unique listening experience that opens up your mind to appreciate and explore the world through sound. Highly recommended for those looking for something offbeat and intriguing in their podcast lineup.



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    Latest episodes from The World According to Sound

    Ways of Knowing 08: Ethics of Technology

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2025 12:21


    Episode 8 of Ways of Knowing -- Season 2, an audio series about the humanities. Made by The World According to Sound and The University of Washington. This episode features the work of professor of philosophy, Sara Goering.

    Ways of Knowing 07: Glitches

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2025 17:38


    Episode 7 of Ways of Knowing -- Season 2, an audio series about the humanities. Made by The World According to Sound and The University of Washington. This episode features the work of Mal Ahern, professor of cinema and media studies.

    Ways of Knowing 06: Sound Studies

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2025 11:55


    Episode 6 of Ways of Knowing -- Season 2, an audio series about the humanities. Made by The World According to Sound and The University of Washington. This episode features the work of professor of cinema and media studies, Golden Owens.

    Ways of Knowing 05: Abstract Pattern Recognition, or Math

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2025 14:13


    Episode 5 of Ways of Knowing -- Season 2, an audio series about the humanities. Made by The World According to Sound and The University of Washington. This episode features the work of professor of Math and the Comparative History of Ideas, Jayadev Athreya.

    Ways of Knowing 04: Global Disability Studies

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2025 11:35


    Episode 2 of Ways of Knowing -- Season 2, an audio series about the humanities. Made by The World According to Sound and The University of Washington. This episode features the work of professor of International Studies, as well as law, societies and justice––Stephen Meyers.

    Ways of Knowing 03: Ge'ez

    Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2025 12:46


    Episode 2 of Ways of Knowing -- Season 2, an audio series about the humanities. Made by The World According to Sound and The University of Washington. This episode features the work of professor of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures Hamza Zafer.

    Ways of Knowing 02: Paratext

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2025 15:26


    Episode 2 of Ways of Knowing -- Season 2, an audio series about the humanities. Made by The World According to Sound and The University of Washington. This episode features the work of professor of French Richard Watts.

    Ways of Knowing 01: Digital Humanities

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2025 17:17


    Episode 1 of Ways of Knowing -- Season 2, an audio series about the humanities. Made by The World According to Sound and The University of Washington. This episode features the work of professor of English and Data Science Anna Preus.

    Media Objects 06: Artificial Intelligence, Vol. 2

    Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2025 73:38


    In the previous episode, we heard how so-called artificial intelligence is being sold to the public as a revolutionary, inevitable technology that is going to completely transform society. This claim is built around the misleading metaphor of “artificial intelligence,” which equates machine processes with human intelligence. Generative AI products are being marketed as proof that machines will very soon be doing everything a human can do, but better, faster, and more efficiently. We're being told we can't stop this technology. Only learn to live with it. In this episode, we're going to show how so-called generative AI is not revolutionary. Instead, it's an evolution of societal trends that have been a long time in the making and which were not inevitable…Things like the automation of labor, growth of mass media, and vast increases in monopoly power. By understanding this context we can get a much clearer picture of what so-called generative AI actually is, what the companies behind it are really up to, and all the ways it can affect our lives. This is Media Objects. A Ways of Knowing podcast. Produced by the World According to Sound, in partnership with Media Studies at Cornell University. Support from the college of arts and science and the society for the humanities. Editing and academic counsel from Erik Born, Jeremy Braddock, and Paul Fleming. Guests include Cornell professors Steven Jackson, Mendi and Keith Obadike, Daniel Susser, Lee Humphreys, and Chris Csikszentmihalyi.

    Media Objects 05: Artificial Intelligence, Vol. 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 20, 2025 60:33


    With today's so-called generative artificial intelligence, we're being told that we have finally arrived. We're now beginning to build true “thinking machines,” machines that will do everything a human can do, only better, faster, and more efficiently. This will change every aspect of our lives, for good…or for bad. Either way, there's no turning back. We can't stop generative AI. Only learn to live with it. This is not true. Today's machines are far more powerful than those in the past, but their so-called “intelligence” is not like yours or mine. The belief that they can or soon will is a myth being used to obscure what so-called generative AI actually is, how it works, and what the companies behind it are really up to. AI companies are using the hype around artificial intelligence to build computer infrastructure, rewrite laws, and alter norms that will fundamentally change how we work, recreate, communicate…And ultimately, how we think about what it means to be human. None of this is inevitable. The changes being brought on by so-called generative artificial intelligence are not the result of some forward march of technological progress, but instead of decisions and values that we all have a say in. This is Media Objects. A Ways of Knowing podcast. Produced by the World According to Sound, in partnership with Media Studies at Cornell University. Support from the college of arts and science and the society for the humanities. Editing and academic counsel from Erik Born, Jeremy Braddock, and Paul Fleming. Guests include Cornell professors Gili Vidan and Chris Csikszentmihalyi.

    Media Objects 04: Typewriters

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2025 56:34


    Text written with a typewriter is not the same as text written by hand, composed on a computer, sent in a text message, or generated by artificial intelligence. Like all media, the typewriter does not just transmit what a person wants to write. It is its own particular medium. In the 20th century, it changed the way writers write and the way people read—profoundly altering warfare, commerce, literature, and, perhaps most dramatically, gender relations. Media Objects is produced in collaboration with Media Studies at Cornell University. With support from the college of Arts and Sciences and the Society for the Humanities. Editing and academic counsel from Erik Born, Jeremy Braddock, and Paul Fleming.

    Media Objects: Buttons

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2025 57:58


    We increasingly interact with the world through the binary, on/off medium of buttons—from keyboards and appliances, to the digital interfaces of phones and tablets; but it didn't have to be this way. “There is nothing natural or inevitable about buttons or the act of pushing a button. Various constituencies over the years—especially advertisers and manufacturers—have marshalled tremendous resources to make buttons popular and alluring,” Rachel Plotnick, author of Power Button: A History of Pleasure, Panic, and the Politics of Pushing. Media Objects is produced in collaboration with Media Studies at Cornell University. With support from the college of Arts and Sciences and the Society for the Humanities. Editing and academic counsel from Erik Born, Jeremy Braddock, and Paul Fleming.

    Media Objects: Containers

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2025 37:06


    While extensions are masculine coded and deal with tools that extend what human beings already do, containers offer a different and more feminine concept of media: something that selects, stores, and processes information. Containers primarily allow for preservation, but this goes far beyond things like food, water, or other materials. They also determine cultural and intellectual production. For a primer on how to think about the way objects around us select, store, and process information, we're going to consider one of America's most iconic objects of containment: Tupperware. Media Objects is produced in collaboration with Media Studies at Cornell University. With support from the college of Arts and Sciences and the Society for the Humanities. Editing and academic counsel from Erik Born, Jeremy Braddock, and Paul Fleming. Guests in this episode include professors Brooke Erin Duffy and Jeremy Packer.

    Media Objects: Extensions

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2025 32:38


    Writing is an extension of our voice, cars of our legs, guns of our fists, telephones of our ears, televisions of our eyes…Marshall McLuhan considered all media to be technology that extended the human body. The arrival of a medium like writing can completely reorder social relations because it has the power to “shape and control the scale and form of human association and action.” McLuhan's idea of extensions is arguably the beginning of modern media theory, but it is not without its limitations. Media Objects is produced in collaboration with Media Studies at Cornell University. With support from the college of Arts and Sciences and the Society for the Humanities. Editing and academic counsel from Erik Born, Jeremy Braddock, and Paul Fleming.

    Media Objects: Intro

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2025 4:15


    We're surrounded by media—not just when we look at our phones, turn on the TV, or get on the internet. Everything from Tupperware and office plants to buttons and smartphone apps is exerting pressure on what we think, how we think, and what is even possible to think. This is Media Objects, produced in collaboration with Media Studies at Cornell University. With support from the college of Arts and Sciences and the Society for the Humanities. Editing and academic counsel from Erik Born, Jeremy Braddock, and Paul Fleming.

    The Imaginary: The U.S. Constitution

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2024 14:40


    While the U.S. Constitution is constantly invoked to justify how the country should be governed, it actually provides very few specifics on how that should be done. Instead, the designed ambiguities of the document require the imaginative powers of its citizenry to interpret it and decide which laws should be implemented and how they should be enforced. Episode guest is George Thomas, professor of American Political Institutions at Claremont McKenna College. Produced with the Gould Center for Humanistic Studies and the Salvatori Center at Claremont McKenna College.

    The Imaginary: Utopia

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 9, 2024 12:25


    Given the option to plug into a world totally free from conflict and struggle, most would choose to remain in their current reality. A true utopia would be too boring, stifling—with no problems to solve, there would be no outlet for creativity, for the imagination. Episode guest is John Farrell, professor of literature at Claremont McKenna College. Produced with the Gould Center for Humanistic Studies and the Salvatori Center at Claremont McKenna College.

    The Imaginary: The Knowledge Argument

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2024 12:28


    If a person spends their entire life seeing only in black and white, is it possible for them to truly know what it would be like to experience color? Philosophers have debated this for decades, but one thing they have often overlooked is the power of the imagination. It is a skill, and like any other skill it can be honed, perhaps enough to allow one to achieve deep knowledge of an experience they've never had. Episode guest is Amy Kind, professor of philosophy at Claremont McKenna College. Produced with the Gould Center for Humanistic Studies and the Salvatori Center at Claremont McKenna College.

    The Imaginary: Poetry of Perception

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2024 8:34


    Media are increasingly monopolizing attention: Your mind is prevented from wandering, from generating thoughts, having associations, coming up with ideas. Over time, this dulls the creative faculties and weakens the power of imagination, which is essential for the creation of art…as well as for a clear perception of reality. Episode guest is Radhika Koul, professor of literature at Claremont McKenna College. Produced with the Gould Center for Humanistic Studies and the Salvatori Center at Claremont McKenna College.

    Ways of Knowing: An Inexact Science

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2024 125:14


    Science is not some purely rationalist endeavor that exists in an isolated realm of objective observations and hard data that can deliver absolute truths. It is built on and intertwined with the modes of analysis, intellectual history, and ways of knowing in the humanities. 0:00 Intro 2:19 Part 1 –– Metaphors We Live By 5:52 Part 2 –– Metaphors in Science, an Ancient Paradox 10:32 Part 3 –– Embryology 23:10 Part 4 –– The Clockwork Universe 32:04 Part 5 –– The History of a Dead Metaphor: Cell 44:00 Part 6 –– Black Holes 51:10 Part 7 –– The Body 57:50 Part 8 –– Pain, in 78 Adjectives 1:05:29 Part 9 –– Natural Selection 1:09:47 Part 10 –– A New Metaphor for Science 1:20:22 Part 11 –– The Solar System Model of the Atom 1:24:35 Part 12 –– Uniformitarianism 1:31:35 Part 13 –– Glia, the Gendering of a Cell 1:39:15 Part 14 –– Light Bulbs and Seeds 1:46:04 Part 15 –– War and Disease, the Domination of a Metaphor 1:51:26 Part 16 –– Social Darwinism 1:55:05 Part 17 –– The Universe 2:02:08 Part 18 –– Anthropomorphism An Inexact Science is a production of The World According to Sound. It's part of our series, “Ways of Knowing,” audio works dedicated to humanities research and thought. It was made in collaboration with the University of Chicago's Institute on the Formation of Knowledge. Special thanks to Shadi Bartsch-Zimmer, who spearheaded the project at the University of Chicago. Editorial support from Hans Buetow. Academic advising by Andrew Hicks. Voicing work by Tina Antolini. Mathematical consultant, Steven Strogatz. Intro music by our friends, Matmos. And to see a complete list of musicians used in this show, visit our website: www.theworldaccordingtosound.org

    Listening Experience 01: Transposition

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2024 82:15


    The first in a 9-part series dedicated to deep, intentional listening. Episodes of "The Listening Experience" will be released about every four months.

    Cosmic Visions: Sounds of Space

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 21, 2023 8:45


    There's a lot to hear in outer space if you change the way you listen.

    Cosmic Visions: Sonic Gravity

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2023 13:34


    The story of how gravitational waves were finally discovered and how we are making sense of them.

    Cosmic Visions: Picturing the Universe

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2023 11:43


    Some of the most iconic images we have of the universe closely resemble 19th-century landscape paintings of the American West. A big part of the reason has to do with how scientists interpreted visual data from telescopes like Hubble.

    Cosmic Visions: Dante's Universe

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 18, 2023 11:09


    With the telescopes of the 20th century, astronomers began to see a universe that just so happened to resemble the cosmos as described by a 13th century Italian poet…Dante Alighieri.

    Cosmic Visions: Aliens

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2023 11:09


    An observational error in the 19th century leads to a belief that there is an advanced alien civilization on Mars...which leads to a boom in astronomy investment, research, and actual discoveries, including the first sighting of Pluto.

    Cosmic Visions: Kepler's Fiction

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 16, 2023 14:16


    "Somnium" is considered one of the first pieces of science fiction. The short story, written in 1608, recounts a trip up to the moon. There are magical beings, aliens, drugs, and a perspective of the stars that would fundamentally change how people understood the solar system.

    Cosmic Visions: Deep Patterns

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2023 12:04


    Near the end of the 11th century CE, there was a crisis in China's Song Dynasty. The imperial calendars were filled with errors. To fix them, the imperial court would have to reform one of the most essential institutions in the empire: The Bureau of Astronomy.

    Cosmic Visions: The Mayan Zero

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2023 13:26


    In the 9th century CE, Mayan astronomers were able to calculate the period of Venus down to the minute. They were only able to achieve this unrivaled accuracy because they had developed one of the most important mathematical concepts in human history, the zero.

    Cosmic Visions: The Beautiful Order

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2023 10:49


    In the 6th Century BCE, Ancient Greeks began thinking about the cosmos in a fundamentally new way. Their novel approach led them to believe the things they saw in the night sky were not ethereal, but solid bodies—balls of fire or rock that may even have inhabitants of their own.

    Cosmic Visions: Babylonian Astrology

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2023 11:31


    Some four thousand years ago, Babylonians began collecting celestial data for what is arguably the longest-running project in the history of science.

    Cosmic Visions: Moon Stories

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 11, 2023 12:51


    Episode 1: Storytelling was one of the earliest ways humans tried to make sense of the heavens. The first object of major study was the moon, and that's because of an uncanny ability it has to keep time.

    Cosmic Visions: Intro

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 11, 2023 2:37


    A new podcast about the history of astronomy

    Ways of Knowing: Reading

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2023 15:04


    Episode 1 of Ways of Knowing, an audio series about the humanities. Made by The World According to Sound and The University of Washington. This episode features the work of Jesse Oak Taylor.

    Ways of Knowing: Close Reading

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2023 11:34


    Episode 2 of Ways of Knowing, an audio series about the humanities. Made by The World According to Sound and The University of Washington. This episode features the work of Charles LaPorte.

    Ways of Knowing: Close Reading Redux

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2023 11:54


    Episode 3 of Ways of Knowing, an audio series about the humanities. Made by The World According to Sound and The University of Washington. This episode features the work of Habiba Ibrahim.

    Ways of Knowing: Environmental Humanities

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2023 12:48


    Episode 4 of Ways of Knowing, an audio series about the humanities. Made by The World According to Sound and The University of Washington. This episode features the work of Louisa Mackenzie.

    Ways of Knowing: Disability Studies

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2023 13:42


    Episode 5 of Ways of Knowing, an audio series about the humanities. Made by The World According to Sound and The University of Washington. This episode features the work of Jose Alaniz.

    Ways of Knowing: Visual Literacy

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2023 10:24


    Episode 6 of Ways of Knowing, an audio series about the humanities. Made by The World According to Sound and The University of Washington. This episode features the work of Diana Ruíz.

    Ways of Knowing: Material Culture

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2023 10:26


    Episode 7 of Ways of Knowing, an audio series about the humanities. Made by The World According to Sound and The University of Washington. This episode features the work of Chad Allen.

    Ways of Knowing: Translation

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2023 11:57


    Episode 8 of Ways of Knowing, an audio series about the humanities. Made by The World According to Sound and The University of Washington. This episode features the work of Maya Smith.

    Ways of Knowing: Translation Redux

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2023 7:13


    Episode 9 of Ways of Knowing, an audio series about the humanities. Made by The World According to Sound and The University of Washington.

    Listening Club Promo

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2022 1:23


    We're launching a virtual audio salon June 2! Details here: https://www.theworldaccordingtosound.org/listening-club

    Outside In Waves

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2022 4:25


    A preview of our Outside In show this Thursday! Get tickets at www.theworldaccordingtosound.org

    Centennial Sounds Preview

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 30, 2021 2:01


    Tickets to this listening event at https://www.theworldaccordingtosound.org/tickets/centennial-sounds

    Solitude

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2021 6:42


    These sounds are all part of our Solitude show on March 10th. Get tickets at https://www.theworldaccordingtosound.org/tickets/solitude

    Time

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 10, 2021 8:41


    These sounds are all part of our Time show on January 20th. Get tickets at https://www.theworldaccordingtosound.org/tickets/time

    Bodies

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2021 4:15


    These sounds are all part of our Transposition show on February 17th. Get tickets at www.theworldaccordingtosound.org

    Transposition

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 28, 2021 6:13


    These sounds are all part of our Transposition show on January 27th. Get tickets at www.theworldaccordingtosound.org

    Winter Listening Series 2022 –– Trailer

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2021 1:42


    Come listen with us, starting January 6, 2022! https://www.theworldaccordingtosound.org/tickets

    HWGH Part 9: Where We Go From Here

    Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2021 8:42


    Part 9 in a three-hour radio documentary about why workers in America are so disempowered and precarious.

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