Matthew Jordan, Professor Penn State University will be discussing his current research. About the talk: Joseph Pulizer is known for charting the course that modern newspapers and mass organizations would follow in the 20th Century. During a period of unprecedented economic inequality, New York City became the center of the financial world. Pulitzer's New York World was the biggest and most important media organization of the day reporting on the sights, sounds and culture experienced by all. Like many elites, Pulizer was increasingly fixated on the problem of noise in modern life. Not only did he call attention to unwanted sounds in The World, but he increasingly used his wealth to tap into the new field of acoustic engineering and noise abatement technology to prevent unwanted sound from entering the spaces where he lived. Pulizer's quixotic quest for quietness in the early days of mass media helps us make sense of the cultural urge to mediate our sound world through noise cancellation technology today.