Objects in Flux - RMIT Research Repository - RMIT University

something. Since I can’t hear who or what is keeping those
poor animals awake all day … I would like to start finding
out if someone is emitting some sounds the human ear can not
hear, but Flying Foxes can hear. (It is worth noting that I have
NO idea how well Flying Foxes hear, but I’m told that they do
NOT use sonar, but have “better than human” hearing. )
Its heartbreaking to see the poor Flying Foxes being harrassed
by who knows what on an ongoing basis (this has
been happening since late January and it is NOT typical bat
behaviour) … so if anyone help this electonically and gadget
challenged 59yo … it would be most appreciated.
Cheers Eva
Scott Says:
5 August, 2005 at 11:25 a.m.
Hi Eva,
Your comment that Flying Foxes do NOT use sonar took
me by surprise. I’ve been trying to listen to them with my
bat detector and (either through wishful thinking or nearby
running water) I though I was having some success. So I did
some research and of course you’re right, only Microbats
use echolocation and the Flying Fox is a Megabat (apparently
there is one Megabat that does use echolocation but
it’s not found on the Australian mainland). I need to find
myself a colony of Microbats.
As for your disturbed Flying Foxes it seems that a bat detector
would be of little use. I found this site (run by the Ipswich
local council) which states the Flying Fox’s “hearing range
is similar to that of humans, making high-frequency sound
inaudible to them”. Over at the Sydney Botanical Gardens
site is an account of the actions taken to disturb the Flying
Fox colony; these include sound, light and odour. It might
be helpful to compare your bats’ behaviour to these descriptions.
The only actions that seemed to produce a prolonged
disturbance were deep percussive sounds (and even these
have had little effect since 1998), so ultrasonics do not appear
to be your answer. In this case a simple tape recorder may be
useful. This will not extend your hearing range but it could be
used to emphasise any low frequency sounds and help locate
their source.
The best of luck, Scott.
Eva Newman Says:
11 August, 2005 at 11:40 a.m.
Hello Scott,
Thank you so much for bothering to reply. Much appreciated.
I’m aware of the two web pages you pointed out, and
they are pretty useless and really, not enough research has
Telling Stories
and deploying defensive devices to protect his
home from attack.
‘The zombie detector, or ‘ambivolometer’ gave
first warning of the impending attack with the
gauge showing a slight increase in the level of
general disinterest in life in the general area. A
Quick peek through the observer gave us our
first indication of the lay of the land... Our fears
were confirmed – zombies on the perimeter!
It was ‘all hands to the pacifier guns’ stationed
around the lab. These pressurised vessels con-
tain enough atomised bourbon and coke mix to
send the zombies packing.’ xxi
Here Wins makes a game of a situation that is
largely beyond his control, figuring an alterna-
tive world where he claims an active role and
regains a degree of agency. It is clear from
Wins’s writing that modding practices extend
well beyond the manipulation of objects. This
is in keeping with Schatzki’s description of
practice as ‘a temporally unfolding and spatially
dispersed nexus of doings and sayings’ (1996,
p. 89). Wins’s practice is scattered across his
everyday life; it appears in his blog writing, his
visits to second-hand stores, his holidays, his
New Years Eve costume and his appreciation
of art and culture. It threads itself through his
world, binding it together as a coherent whole.
5.4 Disembodied knowledge
Practices of object modification tend to encour-
age a ‘learning-on-demand’ approach were
problems are addressed as they arise. This
xxi. http://austeampunk.blogspot.
com/2008/07/zombie-assault.html accessed 6
January 2011.
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