“There is it again!” my wife Martha raised her voice to ensure I heard her. “I’m almost resolved to this relentless freaking squeaking. It’s been a constant companion for days.”“Huh?” I queried, wistfully.“That beep, chirp, whatever it is. I hear it twice a minute now.”“I haven’t noticed, my hearing aid is off.”“Well, turn the damn thing on and listen.”Madam Martha was clearly at her wit’s end. I switched my ear device on and sure enough, tweety-bird was alive and well. “Calm down, no problem. It’s probably the hall smoke detector battery. I think it’s been a year since I changed...