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I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

nytimes.com

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Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#231

Post by nkurz »

They have their issues, but quality ear plugs can be a decent substitute for a quiet working (or sleeping) environment. The key is to find a variety that is comfortable and works well for your ears. I started by ordering a variety pack of 35 different types: http://www.earplugstore.com/unfoamtrialp1.html

From these I ordered a large box of the two that I liked best:

3M E-A-Rsoft FX: http://www.amazon.com/3M-E-A-Rsoft-Uncorded-Conservation-312...

Howard Leight Max Lite: http://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-LPF-1-Uncorded-Earplugs/...

The (green) MaxLite are the most comfortable I found and quite effective, and the (yellow) SoftFX are quite comfortable and extremely good at blocking noise. I mostly use the MaxLite for sleeping, and the SoftFX when I want something in the daytime. Since each pair can be reused at least a half-dozen times before they become too soft and start losing their effectiveness, I should be set for another 5 years or so.

If you've tried ear plugs before and felt that they weren't effective enough, it's possible that you weren't wearing them correctly. They need to be inserted quite deeply into the ear canal, and need to be rolled tightly before insertion to make this possible. And then there is the slightly-embarrassing-but-essential "pinna pull": http://www.e-a-r.com/pdf/hearingcons/tipstools.pdf

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#232

Post by smutticus »

I see lots of strategies for dealing with noise, so here is one of mine. I got a pair of one of those industrial ear protectors, the kind that carpenters or construction workers wear. Then I use simple in-ear buds and listen to ambient music or jazz. Anything without vocals.

I use this setup pretty much anywhere I am around annoying sounds and it's pricelessly quiet. I've tried numerous noise cancellation BS headphones and none of them can come close. On airplanes it's like entering a warm cocoon of sound that allows me to forget I'm there. I can listen to an airplane movie soundtrack at the lowest possible volume and hear nothing else. The only problem is when the captain pipes up and blasts me away with some stupid announcement. So I keep my hand near the socket to remove the plug and when I hear the click of the captain's mike I immediately unplug.

Forget about these overpriced over engineered noise cancellation whatever devices. My low tech solution is way better for concentration and it costs only around $50-$70. I've actually had people ask me what kind of noise cancellation headphones I'm using when wearing my ear-muffs. I even had a guy in a datacenter ask me if they were USB enabled ;)

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#233

Post by ashayh »

cr4zy wrote: post #32

I wear earplugs. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0033YLEGO?ie=UTF8&ref_=pd_... At work they're just enough for me to be able to concentrate while still allowing people to get my attention without raising their voice. At which time I take them out and repeat what I heard of their question.

I got an ear infection since I used them often (3-4 times a week st nights). The ears also dry out. My doc said I should use them rarely, but YMMV.

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#234

Post by eeeeeeeeeeeee »

robomartin wrote: post #130
pg wrote: post #68

It's so true. I can do routine work with noise, but not the kind that requires insight. The sad thing is that noise is yet another example of the phenomenon of "the tragedy of the commons." Which means things tend to get noisier and noisier. In fact, what has surprised me most about living in Palo Alto is how noisy it is. You'd think living in the suburbs would at least be quiet. It is on weekends. But the problem wi…

I hate front lawns. With a passion. But, guess what, I had to fall in line and make mine "pretty", put in some sod and match the rest of the neighborhood. For now I have the greenest and neatest front lawn on the block. Why? We have a culture where you lose value if you adopt arid climate landscape when people expect grass and flowers and that's what everything around you looks like. We had a nice arid climate front…

haha as someone who has to cut quite a bit of grass each weekend in the summer, I totally sympathize with wanting to kill all the grass and plant some fake stuff!

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#235

Post by dredmorbius »

pasbesoin wrote: post #83
pg wrote: post #68

It's so true. I can do routine work with noise, but not the kind that requires insight. The sad thing is that noise is yet another example of the phenomenon of "the tragedy of the commons." Which means things tend to get noisier and noisier. In fact, what has surprised me most about living in Palo Alto is how noisy it is. You'd think living in the suburbs would at least be quiet. It is on weekends. But the problem wi…

At this point, I'd gladly take the leaf blower. Car stereo sub-woofers and straight pipe Harleys: Two things that, in my opinion, should be outright outlawed. Live on a street where they are frequent, and your life will be difficult. Live next to someone who tinkers on them incessantly, and your life will be hell. Work is another problem. I wore out my health trying to cope with the "standard environment". (Which, of…

Some years back I walked into such an environment. Oh, and no receptionist.

The interior was essentially warehouse space furnished with ranks of Costco plastic tables as desks, aligned flush, ten abreast.

Waited to be acknowledged and sat through the interview but very nearly walked straight out.

Oh, and the security profile of the place was abysmal (they feature in one of those horror stories you hear online).

My feedback to the recruiter: thanks, that's now my benchmark for worst prospect ever.

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#236

Post by dredmorbius »

IvyMike wrote: post #21

So I can't find an online reference to this anywhere, but years ago I read a relevant anecdote about (I'm pretty sure) Isaac Asimov. He used to go into the most noisy environments he could find to write; places like a noisy restaurant or cafe. He found that this forced him to focus in a way that a quiet environment did not. For example, in a quiet environment, you occasionally still hear sounds, but it's rare enough…

That can work for me, but the nature and quality of the noise matters a great deal.

I'm increasingly finding that even voices on radio (typically PBS/BBC type broadcasts) are distracting and/or annoying. I've been listening to classical radio, though the station I tune to most frequently has the annoying habit of adding some "light" (mostly pretty condescendingly stupid, IMO) chatter to their morning program. I generally switch away during that period.

I noticed one announcer who would begin breaks with a question (again, light/trivia), just before a pitch would begin. I found that tremendously annoying once I clued in to it, and again, switched away from her programming.

In an office, the problem with conversations is that, well, they're work related, which is to say, the consequences of conversations may affect you.

Cafe / public discussions are rarely of this nature. You can tune them out because they have no impact on you. One downside of finding a regular cafe is getting to know enough people that they do start to matter -- at which point your lack of social significance to what they say goes away.

Increasingly I find I vastly prefer a quiet and non-distracting environment. Diametrically opposite of open-plan offices.

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#237

Post by dredmorbius »

anigbrowl wrote: post #100
staccatomeasure wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Im in Mountain View and I can tell you that at least half of the problem is shoddy construction. East Coast houses are made to keep out weather and West Coast houses are made not to hurt when they fall on you. And this issue is going to make someone a billionaire in the future. Urbanization is well under way and people are only getting noisier and more crowded. Also, another area for huge improvements is in the legal…

West Coast houses are made not to hurt when they fall on you True, they're junk. In most places it would be smarter ot make them out of brick, and the chances that they'll fall on the occupant are very low indeed. Some of the oldest (pre 1906) houses in SF are made of brick, ditto in Oakland.

The reason the pre-1906 buildings are made of brick isn't that brick is superior for surviving earthquakes, but that much construction of the time was brick, and that which wasn't was wood. And most of the destruction of the 1906 quake came from the fire which followed it.

So the only structures which could survive were brick and masonry.

Most of those brick structures have been very significantly reinforced over the years. And if you've ever been next to a brick wall as it's bulging in and out as S waves pass by, you'll likely reconsider your argument.

Steel cage buildings are far preferable to either, from a survivability standpoint.

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#238

Post by dredmorbius »

abraham_s wrote: post #122
westicle wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I will save you the rest of your life's labour. http://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-MAX-1-plugs-Uncorded/dp/... You're welcome.

I tried a similar product, but the silence became unnerving in 10-15 minutes.

I've become quite used to them, though if I can work in a non-distracting environment, I prefer that.

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#239

Post by dredmorbius »

msluyter wrote: post #19

I'm extremely sensitive to sound, and I've been hoping that the the powers that be will eventually come to the realization that open seating plans are highly suboptimal ( http://www.infoq.com/news/2011/08/open-office-layout , for example). I've used a decibel meter on occasion and have observed that my current office sometimes averages 75-80 db. Which, were I in a coffee shop, I could tolerate for some reason[1] much…

I've also used dB meters (there are Apple and Android apps), which can be quite revealing.

Server closets in offices can be amazingly loud, even through closed doors. The worst are false ceilings and hard-surfaced walls, which can reflect and amplify sound.

Agree on your anonymous conversations observation.

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#240

Post by toasterlovin »

ja30278 wrote: post #220
nnq wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Leaf blowers used by homeowners or the people paid to take care of their gardens are one of the most "typically American" and absurd and annoying things. You almost never hear/see these things around Europe, except some similar contraptions use to take care of very large city parks, for which they probably make sense, and even then they are used at reasonable hours. I mean, using a powered leaf blower to help clean u…

This is one of those insane comments that I only ever see on hacker news. Who gives a shit how they pick up leaves in Europe? Picking up leaves isn't some artful process..it's drudgery which consumes some amount of my (finite) life, and which technology has provided a quicker solution.

Muscle Over Motor: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/12/05/muscle-over-motor/
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