Romney "whisper" mystery-- explained?
Sun Jan 27, 2008 at 12:06:37 AM PDT
By now, you're all familiar with "the whisper".
During Mitt Romney's last debate, he was asked if he would "do what Ronald Reagan did in 1983" to fix Social Security. Next, we hear a disembodied voice whisper "he raised taxes", after which the Mittster immediately responds with "I'm not going to raise taxes."
The internets are filled with speculation. There's no obvious earpiece or receiving device on Romney's body. We don't see any other candidates whispering into their microphones. MSNBC claims the voice came from an "open mic", but nobody has figured out where the mic was, or admitted to being the whisperer.
Want to hear another possible explanation? Follow me below the fold.
What if the "open mic" was Mitt Romney's microphone all along?
Huh? How is that possible?
Take a look at this nifty gadget.
Researchers have developed technology that can project a beam of sound so narrow that only one person can hear it. "Directed" audio sounds like it's coming from right in front of you even when transmitted from a few hundred meters away.
http://www.wired.com/...
That's right. A "beam" of sound aimed straight at Mitt Romney, so that only he can hear what it says.
The Audio Spotlight converts ordinary audio into high-frequency ultrasonic signals that are outside the range of normal hearing. As these sound waves push out from the source, they interact with air pressure to create audible sounds.
Think about it. Somebody in the back of the auditorium sending answers to Mitt that only he could hear. Would the device be too large to conceal?
The Audio Spotlight transmitters range from several inches in diameter to about 20 inches and generate a column of sound between one to three degrees wider than the transmitter.
Several inches in diameter-- or larger-- in the shape of a dish. To someone looking right at it, it might even appear to be a directional microphone, like the kind used to record a debate.
The technology is still pretty expensive, but money is no object to Mitty McMoneypants.
So if only Mitt can hear the sound, why the whisper? Why didn't they just talk normally?
Two reasons.
- The co-conspirator didn't want other people in the audience to hear him talking into the device's microphone.
- The co-conspirator knew there was a chance that Mitt's microphone might pick up the sound, so he whispered a very short and quiet answer to play it safe.
It was almost the perfect plan. Mitt Romney was clean-- no wires, earpieces, or back "bulges" to conceal. And plausible deniability for any sounds that happen to get picked up by his own microphone.
Have we entered a high tech Brave New World of cheating during debates???
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