Microphones

OK, so last week my wife and I were watching the TV show Brothers and Sisters.
I am not a big fan of this show and quite frankly sometimes neither is my wife, but for some reason she finds it strangely compelling.

Anyway, there was this scene where two women did a skit at a party, forgot to turn off the microphones and proceeded to have an argument about something back stage which ended up being broadcast for everyone to hear.

I made a comment that I bet this happens more often than one might think and really did not give it much more thought until I started looking for a topic for Fun Strip Fridays this week.

My first entry into this topic comes from PCWORLD and Top 10 Tech Embarrassments You'll Want to Avoid

Christopher Buttner, founder of PRThatRocks in Northern California, had just finished a two-hour speaking engagement in front of a large university crowd when he dashed off to the loo for a long-awaited respite. With his wireless microphone still on.
"I had to go so badly that when I made it to the urinal, I let out an incredibly loud moan of pleasure, augmented by the sound of streaming water on water," he writes. "The wireless lavalier mic I was wearing was still broadcasting live through the PA system in the lecture hall. My lecture, and subsequent moment of relief, was also being recorded."
When he returned to the hall, Buttner received a standing ovation. And, apparently, immortality. "I think my moaning sound sample, and various water-on-water audio clips, are used in a sound library somewhere at a major digital recording institute in Northern California," he says.
How to avoid having this happen to you: If you can't remember to unclip the mic, be sure to strap on a Motorman's Friend.


And last but certainly not least, a CNN reporter forgets to turn off her microphone at a press conference as she takes a break.