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Comment by Luc | Hacker News Reader

You can use a 9V battery powered amplifier with a loop around your neck to make a tiny permanent magnet placed in your ear canal vibrate against your ear drum.

It doesn't generate hi-fi sound, but speech is remarkably clear. Great for magic tricks. Or cheating at exams I suppose.

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I think the copper ring around your neck a.la Will Smith in Wild Wild West may clue in the test proctor to some suspicious activities

It was very thin, sewed into a 'wife beater' undershirt. You wouldn't notice it even if you're looking at it. In fact I'm pretty sure it was sold for the purpose of cheating on exams.

That's really cool, but the idea of sticking a magnet inside my ear gives me the willies. >shudder<

Has this actually been done before? It sounds fascinating. I have seen accounts of people embedding tiny magnets in their hands but not their ears.

I believe “permanent magnet” here refers to an object permanently magnetised, not a magnet permanently embedded in the ear canal.

Not embedded, just dropped into your ear canal.

I bought it maybe 15 years ago on eBay, so it's nothing new.

Dare to tell what you used it for? Or would you risk loosing some degree or something if you speak about it?

Wow the kids with my new found gift of telepathy. Plugged it into an iPhone mini-jack.

It was meant to be part of a roulette wheel prediction computer that never came to full fruition.

Okay this is legit hilarious.

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