As many of you know, our good friends Clay and Allene Blaker now make their home in ....Bocas Del Toro.., ..Panama.....  You may not know, however, that Allene is Editor at Large of the local newspaper The Bocas Breeze.  Allene published an article where the timeless question of a falling tree making noise was raised.  I responded and a fruitful and hearty discourse ensued which ended up being published in a subsequent issue.  Enjoy: 

If a tree falls in the forest, Part 2....
Dear Editor,
I enjoyed your story about the trees. My take on the matter is that a falling tree simply makes sound waves. If someone or something is there, those sound waves then move through the ear stimulating nerves which send signals to the brain which then interprets them as sound. If there is no ear, nerve, or brain to complete the process, the sound waves simply remain sound waves which are, of course, energy but not necessarily sound.
Regards,
Dub Miller....

Thanks for writing, Dub.
It's not clear to me yet. If there is a tape recorder around, and it has no brain or nerve or ear to complete the process, will it pick up the sound of the tree falling or not? Do tape recorders even exist anymore? And what if we attach it on the wrong side of the falling tree? Maybe we should use two of them? And hope the falling tree doesn't fall on the other?
Allene Blaker....

Dear Allene, editor at large and dutiful reporter, observer, and pointer-outer of all things Bocas and Breezy,
You pose a very interesting question. For the sake of argument, let us disregard the practical and/or pragmatic realities regarding the availability of necessary equipment. As for the tree and the forest, these are still readily available at least as long as such forests resist clear cutting so that we may have expensive furniture and cheap beef. As for the tape recorder, I suggest the Teac Tascam Series 144 4-track cassette recorder. If it is good enough for The Boss, it should be good enough for us. In fact, let’s use four of them on each side so that we have a greater probability of at least one of the recorders surviving the general wreckage that can occur in the event of a falling tree.
Now, you astutely point out that a tape recorder has no brain, nerve, or ear to complete the process I spoke of before. I must admit that this is true. I do not, however, see how this negates my original premise. A tree falls, thereby making sound waves. A tape recorder then takes magnetic tape and records a fluctuating signal by moving the tape across a tape head that polarizes the magnetic domains in the tape in proportion to the audio signal (sound waves). All we have really done by introducing a tape recorder to the scenario is give us the ability to play back these sound waves at a later date. Some kind of person or animal with the ability to hear is still necessary for the recorded audio signal to be interpreted as sound.
Also, you will have to forgive my ignorance in all things computer but I understand that there is such a thing as artificial intelligence and recognize that someday the argument may be made that some machine or robot or some other freak of technology or nature could actually “hear”. While this may be true, I choose to ignore such a thing and leave it in the capable hands of quasi-religious cults and Star Trek nerds.
I thank you for your reply. A hearty and public discourse is valuable and necessary for a healthy and free society. No matter how frivolous it may be.
Regards,
Dub Miller....

Thanks for writing again, Dub,
It’s all making perfect sense now.
I feel vindicated though. From what you said, I don’t think tape recorders are needed at all. As long as there is “some kind of person or animal with the ability to hear” then the audio signal from the falling tree can be interpreted as sound.
According to the animal presence per square foot facts for Central American tropical rainforests, there are approximately 642 faunal species per square foot on my property at all times, usually inside my house, with the ability to see, hear, communicate, do logarithms, predict solar eclipses, and know how to get the hell out of the way when a tree falls. As far as I know, these animals didn’t take any philosophy classes and that’s why I usually don’t take a flyswatter to them but cordially escort them out by other means, such as a ride on the bottom of my shoe.
But the fact remains that these entities CAN hear, and DO hear. And as long as they continue to occupy the jungle or my home – which they will, long after I am gone – falling trees WILL be heard.
I think.
Allene Blaker....

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