This tight little article does a bit more than just provide a survey of hearing aids, looking not only at current styles but goals of fitting; noise difficulties and the pros and cons of directional microphones as a solution; occlusion, comfort, and coupling/feedback issues (and several innovative solutions); and miscellaneous dawning features like datalogging/learning, waterproofness, cell phone controls, background noise for people w/tinnitus or a hankering for whale music, etc., etc. A quick muster of the incipient wonders of a young and ambitious science, no doubt old news to the audiologist but good as a survey for those in allied professions or for the interested layperson. Article appeared in Laryngoscope 119. ( )