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A friend recently nudged my shoulder and pointed out a mother and her baby who were in the stands with us at an Oakland A’s baseball game. He rolled his eyes. The baby was wearing earmuffs. "Our parents never did any of that stuff," he told me with a smug look. "And we came out just fine." He and his giant foam finger turned back to watch the game. Suddenly outfielder Yoenis Cespedes hit a towering home run to center field and we jumped up out of our seats and started shouting wi …

Noise levels will be high around the San Francisco Bay this weekend. Fleet Week is here and with it the loud, loud sound of six F/A-18 Hornets flying overhead at Mach 1. It's something you can feel through your whole body, but it's your ears that are in the greatest danger. Maximum decibel levels for spectators has been measured between 100 and 115dB, which is pretty darn high. While this level is still in the realm of the acceptable for short doses during fly-over, it is still incre …