On soundcloud.com, there is a powerful clip where the “Occupy Portland” group sang a song in chant and drum circle form: “We are the Ninety-nine, that One percent has got to go!”

Here is the clip:
http://soundcloud.com/organic-city-sounds/occupy-portlandI listened to it a few times, and like many of you got the song stuck in my head. I gave myself a miniature earworm – a tape loop that won’t leave the memory. Using Meanspeed Therapy, I measured the song for speed, and as can be seen in the charts, the average speed of the protest chant is 109.8 beats per minute.

Next I consulted my tempo catalog of songs. Within 1% of 109.8 bpm, I found PURPLE HAZE by Hendrix, MISS YOU by the Stones, POWDERFINGER, live on Live Rust by Neil Young and Crazy Horse and STAND by R.E.M. I sang on top of the sound as played, and then as just played in my head, et, voilà! Earworm gone, I changed my groove from about 110 beats per minute to one that I felt today, 65 beats per minute.
No big deal? Huge deal. Had I not knocked that right out, I’d still be bothered by it now. IN fact, I heard it so many hours ago when I just replayed it to check it for this post, I could barely remember it and it did not bother me at all. Very easy, very cool, right at your desk. And no, please no more emails about “registering for the site.” Everyone gets to see the same things unless I work with them privately.

updated and declassified 5/5/17 by matherton
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