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I sympathize with whoever criticized the guy for loud typing. Seriously, it's distracting/disruptive. I learnt to type on (manual) typewriter too but laptops an
by cletus 14y ago
I sympathize with whoever criticized the guy for loud typing. Seriously, it's distracting/disruptive. I learnt to type on (manual) typewriter too but laptops and keys don't need to be stabbed with the force of a thousand suns to register the press.
It can be just as loud as people talking and (IMHO) can be harder to tune out. After all, we're used to hearing people talk all the time.
Oh and while I'm in the mood for ranting, people who eat with their mouths open--particularly when it's something crunchy--or who slurp in any way are going to be first up against the wall when the revolution comes.
I don't catch long distance trains in the US at all. I sometimes take the subway but more often than not you're just standing for 10-15 minutes. In Germany, I don't recall having a lot of problems with noise (although, on one train back from Oberhausen, the smoke was so thick you couldn't see one window from the other in a very Cheech and Chong moment). England varied but was generally fine.
What I'm not looking forward to is when cellphones become usable on planes because you know someone is going to sit there and talk loudly for the entire flight.
One tip though: my Bose noise cancelling headphones are worth their weight in gold.
- cglace 14y agoI sit by 3-4 loud typers at work and it regularly makes me lose focus for 10-20 minutes at a time and that is with my headphones on.
- pavel_lishin 14y agoAs a loud typer myself, please let them know. I'm usually wearing my headphones and have no idea how loud my keyboard sounds are - and if I'm in a bad mood, it tends to get louder, without me being consciously aware of it. I wouldn't be offended if someone pointed out how much noise I'm generating, and I doubt they would be, either. This would work especially well if your boss is willing to spring for quiet keyboards for them, and if they're willing to use 'em.
- city41 14y agoIt's one reason I'm a big fan of the current gen Apple keyboard, it's very quiet. Keyboards from PC manufacturers tend to be loud.
- robryan 14y agoYeah, back in high school people would constantly point out that I type too loudly. I think the Apple keyboards have helped a bit, still a bit noisy but not annoyingly like I probably would be on other keyboards.
- cglace 14y agoYeah, the large PC keyboards really exacerbate the problem.
- redwood 14y agoAs a loud typer, I appreciate the reminder that my typing can be annoying to people. I don't know what it is exactly, but I can't seem to get quiet. I've never even used a typewriter! I think it's because I don't type with the traditional method since I self-learned before I could be taught... My method uses fewer fingers which may force them to move faster and thus hit harder, on average. I'm sorry, from those of us who type loud, to all of you.
- jhandl 14y agoI'm with you. But my Bose headphones cancel best the kind of sound that is easily ignored. Typing and talking go right through and even become more prominent against the quieter background. I found that full isolation can only be achieved by playing some music, which is better but still not ideal. Anyone starting a Kickstart project for a better system can have my money.
- dhimes 14y agoI use "white" noise (ocean waves, rainfall, etc.) to both block out distractions and improve concentration. It works very well for me.
- caseyohara 14y agoI have been using Chill[1] periodically in lieu of music for a few months. It has the typical generators (airplane, beach, city, etc) but also blue, brown, pink, violet, and white noise tracks. I like brown noise; it has the low-frequency rumble of an airplane but the higher frequencies also block out ambient noise. Great for working in an office. [1]: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/chill/id421696351?mt=12 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/chill/id421696351?mt=12
- gadders 14y agoPresumably not the same as the Brown Note: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_note http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_note
- miles 14y agoAnyone starting a Kickstart project for a better system can have my money. No need to reinvent the wheel: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00009LI4K http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00009LI4K
- Kuiper 14y agoLooking at some of the reviews, it sounds like this hardware has its limitations, namely that it does a poor job of blocking out sounds in the frequency of human voices, which is the main thing that jhandl seems to be looking for.
- polyfractal 14y agoTotally agree about the slurping...but it should be noted that this is also a cultural phenomenon. In some cultures, it's a sign of appreciation for the food. Not slurping means you don't like your food and it's disrespectful. That said, holy hell I can't stand the sound. Nothing will make me flee a place faster than listening to someone slurp their food as they shovel it into their gaping maw.
- w1ntermute 14y agoYeah, in Japan it's considered rude not to slurp noodles, because that means you're not enjoying them, which would be an insult to whoever made them.
- spitx 14y agoIn some other cultures, female genital mutilation isn't prohibited. Now, whats your point?
- shadowfox 14y agoAh, hyperbole. Such an elegant way to continue a conversation.
- corporalagumbo 14y agoNot hyperbole: most perfectly weighted comment I've seen on HN so far. Thank you, good sir.
- ekianjo 14y agoWell, I would not go as far as saying it becomes an insult. Especially if you are foreigner, they would understand you are not used to slurping.
- w1ntermute 14y agoOf course, anything will go when you're a foreigner (the so-called "gaijin smash"). But I can definitely see them taking offense when a fellow Japanese person makes this mistake.
- dylanvee 14y agoAt my internship last summer, several devs were partial to those super-clacky keyboards one can buy. I can't stand working without (or even with) headphones in places like cafes when loud conversations are going on around me, but I found the keyboard sounds very easy to tune out.
- sdfjkl 14y agoThose are called tactile keyboards and have many advantages (and the disadvantage of being noisy, although this varies by switch type): http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/mechanical-keyboard-guide http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/mechanical-keyboard-guide
- cglace 14y agoI find the keyboard sound the hardest to tune out. I think it's the constant change in speed and duration of the typing.
- Puer 14y agoI might be a little biased considering I own one, but many people find the click clack sound produced by a keyboard with Cherry MX Blue switches to be quite relaxing.
- fse 14y agoI've never been, but have read that Germany has very strict laws governing when and where noise can be made. In fact, only 2 years ago there was an amendment to the law giving children in Berlin the right to make noise, but only during specified hours: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8520941.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8520941.stm
- joezydeco 14y agoI'd like to know how loudly you need to type to exceed the ambient noise on an Amtrak car, of all places.
- bpatrianakos 14y agoDepends on your keyboard and force. For example, a MacBook is generally quieter than other laptops but then again once those keys get old they can get quite loose and clackety. What I can say for sure is that those train cars can be pretty damn quiet. I know the quiet car I ride in is possibly quieter than my own car. And when it's silent the ambient noise tends to sound even more faint until someone on the inside starts making some really annoying sounds. I'd also say its sometimes not so much about the volume itself but rather the type of sound. Someone talking on a cellphone is less annoying than a phome ringing which is less annoying than that damn texting keyboard "click" sound which is equally annoying as typing too hard.
- randallu 14y agoThe trackpad "CLUNK" on an MBP is pretty loud and annoying, and incredibly random if you're not the one doing it...
- bpatrianakos 14y agoYes! This and the comment below points out the space bar is also a very loud key we can single out on all keyboards. I set my trackpad to use tap to click because I prefer it and it avoids that sound but I do occasionally click by pressing it. Now you've got me thinking how disturbing I might be with my occasional clicking on my MacBook Air on the quiet car.
- anthonyb 14y agoI have a model-m. Do I win a prize?
- Joeri 14y agoOnly if you use it connected to your laptop while sitting in a train.
- tobias3 14y agoNever had a problem here in Germany either. Smoking is luckily not allowed anymore, as well. There is a quiet car, too, but it is hardly necessary. Talking on the cell phone loudly is frowned upon everwhere, even in the underground train -- at least I haven't seen too many people doing it. Just don't take the same trains the drunken soccer fans take (if you're not in the mood). This is must be a somewhat American problem. I once was at a Cheescake factory there, where it was so loud we could hardly talk with each other. We hypothesized that they do this for a higher turnover. The people in the Amtrak trains, subways or buses did not bother me -- it was more the screeching noises those old relics made. I would be extremely annoyed by music in a library though.
- kgermino 14y ago>We hypothesized that they do this for a higher turnover. I can (anecdotally) confirm that many places do this. One place where my friend worked adjusted the background music volume based on the wait time, and I know of several restaurants by me where the waitresses will say that the music goes up as the place gets busy to persuade people to leave after eating.
- jacques_chester 14y agoBars have loud music because, during the lulls in conversation caused by the inability to hold a conversation, you drink. And therefore you drink more.
- corporalagumbo 14y agoEconomic logic at its finest.
- greenyoda 14y ago"This is must be a somewhat American problem. I once was at a Cheescake factory there, where it was so loud we could hardly talk with each other. We hypothesized that they do this for a higher turnover." I've heard that the loudness in restaurants isn't meant to increase turnover - it's actually used to attract people to the restaurant. The average restaurant-goer in NYC seems to have an aversion to places that are quiet enough to carry on a normal conversation. They apparently find the noisy environment to be stimulating and exciting. There are even special sound systems designed for restaurants that amplify certain components of the ambient noise if the natural acoustics of the room aren't noisy enough.
- jseliger 14y ago>I sympathize with whoever criticized the guy for loud typing. I actually don't mind typing: to me, it sounds like ideas. It's also regular enough to become part of the background, whereas something like music isn't, because it's too variable. >my Bose noise cancelling headphones are worth their weight in gold. I'm going to be that obnoxious guy: Amazon lists Bose QC 15s (the model I have) as 7.4 ounces. The spot-price for gold right now is about $1,700 per ounce. Are they really worth $12,580?
- nh 14y agoobnoxious guy #2: his Bose noise cancelling headphones are.
- akeck 14y agoIf the headphones let you finish a project worth six figures, you could justify them being worth far more than 12k...
- derekp7 14y ago>Are they really worth $12,580? I hate to be the other obnoxious guy that responds to the self proclaimed obnoxious guy, but I see the quite a bit lately, even paraded in XKCD. Is there a significant group of people that absolutely abhors all rhetorical figures of speech? Or is it only specific ones, such as metaphors and hyperbole, with simile being mostly OK? Just curious.
- VexXtreme 14y ago> Is there a significant group of people that absolutely abhors all rhetorical figures of speech? Or is it only specific ones, such as metaphors and hyperbole, with simile being mostly OK? Just curious. In medical circles it would be called "learning disability". On a more serious note though, mocking people who use a lot of metaphors is a good way to try to make yourself look intellectually superior. I see it a lot these days and I find it very passive aggressive. Back in school people making those kinds of comments would be called smartasses and have their asses kicked for using that kind of language.
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- ww520 14y agoLoud typing is a symptom of the lack of private working space in the office. That means the company is too cheap to set up offices or good insulating cubicles for the developers.
- reledi 14y agoThings aren't always like what they seem. Here's my perspective. I use a ThinkPad that has a noisy keyboard. When I type on a Macbook Pro, my typing is silent. The noise in my case is because of keyboard design, not because of my typing force, I prefer the audible feedback. If I'm in a shared space where all I can hear is my typing, I try not to type. I have slight breathing problems due to a small nasal passage. When I eat, I sometimes have to breathe through my mouth. I try not to, because eating with your mouth open is considered rude.
- bambax 14y ago> In Germany, I don't recall having a lot of problems with noise Here in France all train cars are "quiet cars" and most people respect that. Sometimes you come across somebody who insists on talking on their cellphone while seated (you're supposed to make your calls on the "platform" which is the space between cars), but it's rare and usually doesn't last.
- rodelrod 14y agoTrue. French/Swiss trains are my absolute favourite place for work. On the other hand, they make the worst audience for rock concerts.
- epsylon 14y ago>Here in France all train cars are "quiet cars" and most people respect that. I wish it were true... I took the train last week and was in the same wagon as 4 "rednecks" who ate their lunch while drinking wine, chewing loudly and laughing. The whole wagon could hear what they were talking about. The SNCF employees didn't even care... I am a regular train user and it is unfortunately pretty frequent occurrence.
- MortenK 14y agoQuietComfort 15 right? They're a life saver :-)