Milo-noise avoidance technique #1

I bought new headphones for my ipod t'other week and they've proved to be a big hit with Tom.

The microphones for Tom's cochlear implants sit on a short stem in the cup of his ear and these headphones sit quite neatly over them so he can now enjoy bouncing around while listening to his favourite tunes.

Music and cochlear implants is something of a niche area of study for audiology buffs; as you might expect, programming of the implants focuses on differentiating between the frequencies used in speech and is quite 'blunt'. Appreciation of music relies on the brain's ability to distinguish between subtle variations in frequency which are lost to most implant users.

The manufacturers are doing significant work in this area and Tom may well be 'upgraded' to software capable of this in the next few years.

Until then, simple pop and rock is the best and he has developed a penchant for rock with its less-than-demanding tonal range... The Ramones and AC/DC are popular. He also likes a bit of Bowie every now and then.

Top of the list today though - 'The Hairy Purple People Eater'.

Don't ask.