1st February 2006, 8:52 PM
"Before"? You mean you don't now? Mine's been around every single waking hour of my life. I've never once heard complete silence. For that matter, I can't imagine what it might sound like. The only "silence" I can envision includes that background hiss. That IS my silence.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)