In praise of earplugs
There’s a great article on Slate about a writer who uses earplugs to block the noise of construction workers and ends up using them all the time. I’m a light sleeper and use them to block out party noise and things like that.
For writing, though, I prefer Bose noise cancelling headphones. They’re like the ones in the plane I fly and they really block out unwanted noise and help me concentrate on writing.
Technorati Tags: Quiet, writing, sleep, earplugs, slate, concentrate
Stephen Fleming wrote:
I find Led Zeppelin works too.
Low-tech but effective.
Posted on 22-Mar-07 at 10:53 am | Permalink
Matthew Stibbe wrote:
Yeah, I listen to the Wu-Tang Clan for the same effect. Wall of noise is like the exact opposite of silence and has a similar effect!
Posted on 22-Mar-07 at 11:07 am | Permalink
Jude wrote:
Don’t you find it distracting, though, when you wear earplugs or headphones, to hear the noise inside your head–blood pumping through your veins, a constant hum, and in the background, your heart?
Posted on 22-Mar-07 at 12:02 pm | Permalink
Zach Everson wrote:
I just use my original iPod earphones. They don’t block all of the sound, but they filter out enough to help me concentrate.
Posted on 22-Mar-07 at 3:48 pm | Permalink
Matthew Stibbe wrote:
I don’t hear my pulse or heart when wearing headphones or earplugs. Perhaps I’m not listening hard enough!
Posted on 22-Mar-07 at 7:38 pm | Permalink
TOMAS wrote:
I grew up in a small town and grew accustomed to peace and quiet (most nights felt as if I was in a library due to the lack of noise). When I moved to the city, I missed the peace and quiet so much that I would use earplugs to help me sleep and still do so until this day. I also own a set of Bose Noise canceling headphones, but usually reserve them for airplane and iPod use. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of it, but a great way to generate a pleasant writing environment is by using a Buddha Machine. I’ve owned for for a few months and it’s great!
Posted on 22-Mar-07 at 7:39 pm | Permalink
Schizohedron wrote:
Upstairs neighbors who never installed rugs and who clomped around at all hours in flipflops first drew me to foam earplugs. Now, three weeks after they moved out, I still find myself enjoying the dead silence they provide. I’m also thinking of wearing them to the gym to block out the lousy in-house pop and the inane prattle of folks lolling about the gear.
Posted on 22-Mar-07 at 7:41 pm | Permalink
Owen Lystrup wrote:
I’m not a big fan of over-ear headphones, so I use the E2Cs by Shure. They blog out noise like earplugs, leaving only the music. Nice sound and better price.
Posted on 23-Mar-07 at 3:13 am | Permalink
Gwen wrote:
I’d love to block out the neighbors at night, but then how would I hear the alarm clock in the morning?
Posted on 23-Mar-07 at 5:26 am | Permalink
Nick wrote:
My wife sets up a large fan, gently blowing over our bed during the hotter summer nights.
At first the constant humming and creaking as it changed direction drove me bananas. Like Gwen I also needed to keep an ear out for the morning radio alarm, so earplugs were not an option.
A solution came to me one night. Maybe it was a dream, or wishful thinking, but once I imagined that the droning fan was the noise of Zeppelin motors drifting me out across the dark Atlantic, sleep quickly followed!
Posted on 23-Mar-07 at 4:42 pm | Permalink
Robert wrote:
Matthew says,” I don’t hear my pulse or heart when wearing headphones or earplugs. Perhaps I’m not listening hard enough!”
Matthew, are you warm? Or maybe that coffin in the cellar is a dead giveaway?!
Posted on 26-Mar-07 at 11:29 am | Permalink