What is The Hum?
“The Hum” is a generic name for a common class of phenomena consisting of a persistent, invasive low-frequency sound from an unknown source. In addition, the phenomena is only audible to certain people, existing at the far low end of the audio spectrum, with a peak power spectral density between about 10 and 60 Hz. The Hum is generally difficult to pick with microphones, though it has been on many occasions, and its source is difficult to localize. There has been some limited scientific research into The Hum, and its existence is well accepted. It is said to be heard loudest at night, and can cause great distress among “Hum sufferers.” Some locations that have reported The Hum include Bristol, England, the Big Island of Hawaii (where its source is thought to be subterranean volcanic activity), the North Shore area of Auckland, in Taos, New Mexico, and several other locations. A specific Hum is usually named after the area where it is heard, i.e., the “Taos Hum” or the “Auckland Hum.” T
I think that it’s the sound of a muted TV. This married couple is unhappy. They fall asleep in the same bed watching the same TV. They don’t have sex. So, one of the people in the couple (let’s say the dude) cuts through the bullshit and says “Hey, we’re both unhappy. We come home from work everyday, have dinner, and fall asleep with Jay Leno on the TV. Falling asleep to Jay Leno is NOT THE WAY TO LIVE!” The woman says “I agree…I hate Leno. Conan is way better, but we’re both asleep by the time he comes on.” In unison: LET’S GET A DIVORCE!!! OR, maybe the hum is a life support machine in a hospital. One person loves the other that’s on life support (maybe this person is in a coma, or is like Terri Schiavo) but can’t take it anymore and decides to leave the hospitalized person in the past. I’m really terrible at song interps. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Gentle Hum”, url: “http://www.barbarism.net/2005/05/gentle-hum.
Some residents of Taos, New Mexico suffer from it, and it seems to happen elsewhere, too. Listen to it here and here (.wav files, and not actually very dramatic). No one knows quite what the hum is, and even refutations don’t really work. There are some “scientific” explanations, but The Hum Remains mysterious and sinister.
