Sounds of Yesteryear

What I Still Hear  Sounds That Have Disappeared   Krulwich Wonders...   NPR

Click on the image to view test out the sounds.

I grew up with the sounds and smells of a coffee percolator brewing the morning cup of Joe in our household. I hadn’t thought much about it until I stumbled on to this story on NPR’s website about sounds that have all but disappeared.

The idea for the NPR story was inspired by a blog post on Mental Floss titled “11 Sounds That Your Kids Have Probably Never Heard.” Remember the rotary phone? Our home number took a particularly long time to dial. It had a 9, a 0, a couple of 7’s. It was a laborious and time-consuming phone call to make by today’s standards (as you can see in the video below).

NPR took this idea a little further and grouped the clips to allow viewers to play these sounds to create some natural sounds music, so to speak. And then they modernized it by finding today’s equivalent sounds and grouped them, as well. Have look – and a listen.  Brooks Institute visual journalism grads Maggie Starbard and Melissa Forsyth helped out with the project.

Marine Reunited with Dog He Befriended in Afghanistan

Marine Reunited with Dog He Befriended in Afghanistan

Chloe awaits the arrival of Cpl. Ward Van Alstine in Santa Barbara, Calif., on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2011. Van Alstine befriended the stray dog in August while serving a tour of duty in Afghanistan, and adopted him through a program called Nowzad Dogs charity. (Photo by Joe Gosen / Special to the Chronicle)

Marine Reunited with Dog He adopted in Afghanistan

Cpl. Ward Van Alstine is reunited with his dog, Chloe, in Santa Barbara, Calif., on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2011.

On November 23 I was inching along the freeway in pre-holiday traffic when my cell phone rang.

It was an assignment editor from the San Francisco Chronicle asking if I would be available to shoot an assignment on Thanksgiving.

I had to think about it a minute.

I already had plans for the day with my family and friends. Did I really want to work on a holiday?

“The story is about a marine who befriended a stray dog while on a tour of duty in Afghanistan,” the editor said. “He managed to adopt it through an organization and have it flown back to the U.S. They’re going to reunite on Thanksgiving day in Santa Barbara.”

I didn’t have to think a second longer.

“Yes, I’ll do that story!”

Have a look at the touching story that ran in the San Francisco Chronicle’s website – SF Gate. Four of my pictures ran in a gallery with the story.