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How Golden Is Silence, Actually?

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31–40 of 59 posts

Re: How Golden Is Silence, Actually?

#31
post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Other HN users keep telling us that we should support dense housing development. I think those people have never lived in an apartment complex with trashy neighbors.

i live in shibuya and i have countless videos where it’s just make the damn building with noise in mind (RC, interior insulation, gapped flooring, etc). it’s very possible. (btw I am as country bumpkin as they come, my village has less than 200 people so i understand rural living.)

Japan isn't America. People, all throughout Asia, are a million times more considerate and reasonable, with Japan near the top of this list. There's also far fewer crazy people - be that mentally unwell, people on drugs, or whatever else.

Re: How Golden Is Silence, Actually?

#32
post #24
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Reader mode bypasses it. It's only a JS layer on top of content that's already inside the HTML doc. Disabling first party JS works too, using umatrix or similar tools. The site works perfectly without JS. Edit: because of all of that, of course view source bypasses the paywall too and reveals tons of inlined CSS.

This. Comment. ^ is going to change my life. Thank you!! I had no idea, and this is such an elegant fix.

There are many paywalls that send all the content in the html and then hide it with a script.

However there are many more properly implemented paywalls that send only a few lines of content and you don't find the content even on the archive sites.

There are several variations of those schemes. Sometimes there is text but not images. Sometimes the first party js is fine and you have to block some of the third party js.

Sometimes the content is in a JSON blob.

Sometimes the reader mode trick works but only for a short while before the js paywall removes it (the sibling comment hints about it.)

You have to experiment with each site.

Re: How Golden Is Silence, Actually?

#34
post #30
post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Other HN users keep telling us that we should support dense housing development. I think those people have never lived in an apartment complex with trashy neighbors.

I've lived in an apartment complex with weirdos before, including one lady who used to scream at random times, but we basically couldn't hear them. The screaming lady was only audible if the window was open. All the apartments were separated by brick or concrete, the front doors had lobbies that acted as baffles, and all the living areas were carpeted and had good thick ceilings.

This is very much my experience too. The difference between stout, newer buildings and old tenements are night and day. I used to live in a place made of massive thick concrete slabs with airgaps, and the only time you could hear neighbours was when somebody was using a drill, or on occasion, one neighbour singing in the shower so it travelled along the water pipes.

Other places, you can follow conversations through the wall if you're attentive and they're raising their voices.

Re: How Golden Is Silence, Actually?

#35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've done silent retreats as well, but I'm not a big fan. I live on my own and get plenty of silence that way. Being around other silent people was an odd experience, sort of like being on the train with people staring into space. It reminded me of being sent to Coventry. I did find it easy to communicate on silent retreat but not enjoyable. I just went off and read a book or took a walk.

Seems like you have already figured out a means that works for you. What works for some doesn't work for others. What is a problem for some, isn't a problem for others. Sort of like how some folks say 'everyone should meditate.' Maybe that worked for them and the issues they had, and that is brilliant, but lots of people don't have that problem or that response doesn't fit them.

> What is a problem for some, isn't a problem for others.

Even often so, what might be a problem for some, will be a desirable solution for others. Cue the utilitarians...

Re: How Golden Is Silence, Actually?

#36

I’ve been on several silent retreats now and one of the most surprising discoveries was just how much speaking is unnecessary. Without the pressure to speak amongst others, it became clear that I often said things out of anxiety - fear of looking weird or of making the other person uncomfortable. Nowadays I rarely speak when I feel that pressure and paradoxically it has led to far deeper relationships and more intere…

As much as I agree with you, I think a lot of introverts would have a different take.

Silence only works like that when all the extroverts are busy yapping away. If silence becomes trendy amongst extroverts, they will create the same pressures you temporarily found relief from.

All "no" policies (no talking, no running, etc.) eventually turn into a form of bullying (see reddit if you didn't have a childhood like that). All the interesting conversations would be "shushed" as swiftly as anywhere else with a power tripping moderator.

Re: How Golden Is Silence, Actually?

#37

I live in a apartment with a courtyard, it's taken me 10 years of knocking on folks doors. Normally it's new tenants who don't know how much noise they make and I have to ask them nicely if they could turn down their devices and show consideration. There have groans, feuds and aggressiveness towards me for asking for peace. I'm not unreasonable. If you wish to have a party, do it adult without DJs blaring till 3am. M…

I can relate, but the problem here is that you shouldn't live in an apartment. I never will again, for all the reasons you outlined. It's unreasonable to expect quiet in apartments. People have different schedules, they're different ages, and some are just assholes.

I rented for six, and the landlords offered me to buy it, I got an amazing deal.

It's been awesome for those six but in the last four, city construction and all the rest has come and ruined the noise.

The felling of trees near-by really ruined the peace.

Re: How Golden Is Silence, Actually?

#38

I’ve been on several silent retreats now and one of the most surprising discoveries was just how much speaking is unnecessary. Without the pressure to speak amongst others, it became clear that I often said things out of anxiety - fear of looking weird or of making the other person uncomfortable. Nowadays I rarely speak when I feel that pressure and paradoxically it has led to far deeper relationships and more intere…

As much as I agree with you, I think a lot of introverts would have a different take. Silence only works like that when all the extroverts are busy yapping away. If silence becomes trendy amongst extroverts, they will create the same pressures you temporarily found relief from. All "no" policies (no talking, no running, etc.) eventually turn into a form of bullying (see reddit if you didn't have a childhood like that…

>If silence becomes trendy amongst extroverts

That sounds like an impossibility, unless these extroverts are communicating non-verbally. How do you do the "extro-" part of extrovertedness without talking?

Re: How Golden Is Silence, Actually?

#39
post #6

Article is behind a paywall for me. Odd that it’s on HN front page :-/

Reader mode bypasses it. It's only a JS layer on top of content that's already inside the HTML doc. Disabling first party JS works too, using umatrix or similar tools. The site works perfectly without JS. Edit: because of all of that, of course view source bypasses the paywall too and reveals tons of inlined CSS.

Wow ok I needed to know this ages ago

Re: How Golden Is Silence, Actually?

#40

I live in a apartment with a courtyard, it's taken me 10 years of knocking on folks doors. Normally it's new tenants who don't know how much noise they make and I have to ask them nicely if they could turn down their devices and show consideration. There have groans, feuds and aggressiveness towards me for asking for peace. I'm not unreasonable. If you wish to have a party, do it adult without DJs blaring till 3am. M…

I can relate, but the problem here is that you shouldn't live in an apartment. I never will again, for all the reasons you outlined. It's unreasonable to expect quiet in apartments. People have different schedules, they're different ages, and some are just assholes.

> you shouldn't live in an apartment

I wish I were rich enough to distance myself from the noise of the riffraff. But with some 8 billion humans on the planet, that seems unsustainable.

Building with soundproofing in mind would be a good place to start. Asshole-proofing is trickier. There's nothing unreasonable about expecting people to behave in apartments (or elsewhere). Many (most?) places have laws about noise and nuisance, getting them enforced has not been easy in my experience.

Edit: 8+ billion people, apparently. I'm getting old.

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