An old vet who was a commo man in the Army during the last war felt that he
was getting rather
hard of hearing. So he decided to use some aids but the real hearing aid was
too expensive and he went
to a hardware store, bought some wire and put it in his ear.
"Do you hear better with that wire?" asked a friend.
"No," said the vet, "but the technical side always impresses. Friends talk louder."