Silencing everything else in life

[bm3719]

A noisy computer is definitely one of the most annoying noise sources, but not the worst. I'm trying to silence as much as I possibly can in my life. Here's some noise sources I've identified:

- Other humans. By far the most annoying source of noise. A lot of people really just don't know how to shut the hell up. Nothing's worse than some hysterical and/or stupid person generating mouth noise. The solution to this is obviously don't marry or have kids, and only be friends with people that speak only when they actually have some information to communicate. If you do have to get married, choose carefully, since most females will gladly gossip on the phone all day, and when they're not doing that, they're probably watching tv or doing something else to make noise.

- TVs/radios. The problem with these is that while you may be consuming some content you want, you'll also get a ton of annoying commercials blasted into your life. Plus, most tv and radio is garbage. Sorting through the crap is more work than any pleasure you get watching those few good shows.

- Appliances. Worst culprits of these: refrigerator, washer, dryer, faucets, dishwasher. IMO, consumers are idiots for just accepting the mindless noise these devices produce. If we have the technology to make a silent PC we can make a siilent fridge. This is just bad/lazy engineering.

- Dogs and other pets. Dogs are the worst here. Nothing's as annoying as walking down the sidewalk and some dude's dog starts barking at you from behind a fence. Makes me wanna come back and night and put their pet out of its misery. Most people ignore them all day anyway.

Anyway, there's some other obvious stuff, like cars and such. I'm still collecting some ideas on how to silence all these things, and will share any real solutions I come up with.

[andyb]

- TVs/radios. The problem with these is that while you may be consuming some content you want, you'll also get a ton of annoying commercials blasted into your life. Plus, most tv and radio is garbage. Sorting through the crap is more work than any pleasure you get watching those few good shows.

There is a very simple way round this, google "tpb" you can figure the rest out yourself


Andy

[xan_user]

How do i shut up my neighbors noisy birds? a few ornery parrots can really kill a neighborhood. When the Chihuahua and the parrots get in a shouting mach its hopeless.

[nutball]

How do i shut up my neighbors noisy birds?

C4. Solves all known noisy pet problems.

[FartingBob]

I like your suggestion of not getting married for the reason of "it'll be quieter". I should try this next time the girlfriend wants me to make a commitment.

[Reachable]

As far as women are concerned: Be aware that as time goes on you will probably talk less and less until you become essentially mute, and then your wife will be your only means of communicating with the outside world.

[Matija]

Silence is deafening.

[Strid]

A noisy computer is definitely one of the most annoying noise sources, but not the worst. I'm trying to silence as much as I possibly can in my life. Here's some noise sources I've identified:

- Other humans. By far the most annoying source of noise. A lot of people really just don't know how to shut the hell up. Nothing's worse than some hysterical and/or stupid person generating mouth noise. The solution to this is obviously don't marry or have kids, and only be friends with people that speak only when they actually have some information to communicate. If you do have to get married, choose carefully, since most females will gladly gossip on the phone all day, and when they're not doing that, they're probably watching tv or doing something else to make noise.

- TVs/radios. The problem with these is that while you may be consuming some content you want, you'll also get a ton of annoying commercials blasted into your life. Plus, most tv and radio is garbage. Sorting through the crap is more work than any pleasure you get watching those few good shows.

- Appliances. Worst culprits of these: refrigerator, washer, dryer, faucets, dishwasher. IMO, consumers are idiots for just accepting the mindless noise these devices produce. If we have the technology to make a silent PC we can make a siilent fridge. This is just bad/lazy engineering.

- Dogs and other pets. Dogs are the worst here. Nothing's as annoying as walking down the sidewalk and some dude's dog starts barking at you from behind a fence. Makes me wanna come back and night and put their pet out of its misery. Most people ignore them all day anyway.

Anyway, there's some other obvious stuff, like cars and such. I'm still collecting some ideas on how to silence all these things, and will share any real solutions I come up with.

Ahh! +1 on all of these! Especially the I-wanna-kill-all-pets. I think that when they matched words and objects, they misspelled pets .. AFAIK the correct spelling is pests!

And I agree with TV. SOOOO much crap that I end up watching no other channel than the two governmentally supported channels. I have like 25. Ok, I have a weak spot for Mythbusters, but that's about it. I don't want to sit through 1/5th of my TV time watching commercials for womens makeup and cars. Hell, all the TV shows I watch (which is not many) are downloaded DivX episodes. How I want it, when I want it. TPB FTW, to put it in three letter words.

Appliances, traffic, lazy engineered products etc. Can't be avoided in this century for some reason? The only way to cover this kind of noise is basically by masking it behind another form of noise. Which is why you see every that other person on the metro, train, car, at work, at home, walking around, jogging is wearing an MP3 player.

And yes the far worst kind of noise is idiots using their mouth. Which is the only thing (besides PESTS) that makes me want to have the use of double barreled-shotguns completely legal. Can't wait 'till my first divorce.

[Nick Geraedts]

- Appliances. Worst culprits of these: refrigerator, washer, dryer, faucets, dishwasher. IMO, consumers are idiots for just accepting the mindless noise these devices produce. If we have the technology to make a silent PC we can make a siilent fridge. This is just bad/lazy engineering.

Actually, this has started to change as well. Remember that in most cases, you pay a premium on top of regular hardware costs to make a computer system "silent". The same can be said for household appliances. My mother has a dishwasher that's quieter than most other things in the kitchen (including people walking around), and is by no means obtrusive. Her new fridge is audible when it's running, but not loud compared to mine (which used to be her old one...). In the end, you get what you pay for, and if you buy cheap - you're going to get loud.

[lm]

Some potential solutions to some of the OP's problems:

- Custom molded earplugs.

For those who really don't want to be disturbed - who want nothing more than to shut out all the noise around them and get a good night's sleep, we offer our Solid SleepTM earplugs. Just as with other Sensaphonics products, these plugs are made from soft gel silicone for exceptionally comfortable fit and tight seal against all environmental noise. Users should expect a minimum of 26 dB of noise reduction across all frequencies.

For those who don't want to hear the telephone, the snoring, or the passing trains that can prevent a good night's sleep, consider visiting your audiologist to be fit for our Solid Sleep earplugs.

Haven't tried yet myself, but getting a pair from them or some other place is on my list. I often use regular silicon earplugs when I need absolute concentration or uninterrupted sleep. They just aren't very comfortable because they don't fit to my ear too well, and they have trouble making a good airseal, so I need to push them quite hard to make a good seal.

- Soundproof doors

There's a place I go to, which has these very well insulated doors, they look quite heavy and have rubber sheets on those parts that connect with walls. Occupant of one office there had to shout "come in" three times, before I was really sure I heard correctly. I did hear something every time, but couldn't make out any words on the first 2 tries, and they were VERY much muted noises every time.

Haven't searched for a manufacturer for these, though I guess it should rather be more local than not.

If you are in a room with concrete walls and soundproof doors, wearing those earplugs, you should have pretty good chances of quiet.

[Reachable]

There was once the seeds of federal regulation of noise in the U.S., going back, if I'm not mistaken, to the early 70s. It all got thrown out with Reagan, and has not come back. In the meantime, the noise level has increased dramatically, and the population, as with so many other things, has come to despair that it is powerless.

Now we will have a new administration who just might be a little more amenable to good sense. There should be a clamor to have something done, and if something is done, it's apt to spread throughout the world. This includes restrictions on the noise level of trucks and other machinery, and it should also include home appliances. There must be noise regulations also on cheap appliances.

[deadfones]

My internal monologue needs silencing sometimes. People say to listen to the little guy inside your head, but he goes on and on and can be a real downer sometimes! Music and exercising helps with that, and when it's DDR he definitely takes a hike.

One thing I don't want to silence is my Model M. Clickity clack clickity click clack. It annoys my cat though when he's trying to sleep.

[ugrakarma]

Living rather close to a road is somewhat annoying at times. I assume that the only 100% working solution would be to move away but I guess thicker windows etc. could prove useful in short term. Interestingly enough the noise of normal traffic does not wake me up but even muffled speech gets me up in a jiffy.

[bm3719]

Road noise is a big problem. I would suggest planting a row of tall hedges possibly even backed by a few trees.

Of course, whenever you buy a house, consider the distance from high traffic roads. Even a long distance from a really busy highway will introduce a constant droning jet sound into your life. Proximity to airports and railroad tracks are another factor, and keep and eyeball on your neighbor's driveway to see if he's the kind of guy that likes working on land vehicles. Of course, even the peaceful suburban community turns into a lawnmower-fest every weekend.

Actually, neighbors are pretty much always going to be a problem. The average American male has silly hobbies that tend to involve a lot of noise creation. Get a house with a basement so you can go hide there when they break out their motorized toys.