Quote:
Originally Posted by DiapDealer
I definitely used to be that way (oblivious to surroundings while reading). I miss it terribly. I don't know how/when I lost the ability. I don't think I'm reading bad books!  |
Quote:
Originally Posted by latepaul
This.
My experience reading in my teens and 20s:
Start to read, within a few pages (possibly sometimes a few sentences) I'm involved in the story, immersed in the world. Some time later I stop reading, look up and it's as if the real world "snaps back" into focus. It's like I've been elsewhere and come back.
My experience now and for the last few years (I'm late 40s):
Start to read. Read for a certain amount of time and maybe I'll be distracted, maybe not but I'll always be aware that I'm reading. I may enjoy the book but the immersion is not the same and the "snapping back" doesn't happen.
I really miss it.
I actually have a number of ambient noise files on my phone and computer. I used them when I had a noisy neighbour. They drowned out his noise without pulling focus away from what I was doing. I got them from youtube videos of which there are many. My favourites are the some of an AC unit, TARDIS noise and Starship Enterprise noise.
This thread has inspired me to go look for them to and try them with reading.
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It's the same for me, and the reason why I started this thread. Latepaul, now that you mention the Enterprise, I remember something.
Have you ever played the game "A Final Unity" from 1995? It is one of the very best Star Trek games, and a great point-and-click adventure in it's own right.
It used original sounds from the TNG series, including the Enterprise warp core droning sound. It also had a very new age-like/spacey version of the Star Trek music repeating as a soundtrack.
When reading information in the Enterprise's computer, you'd hear the constant "Kadoompf... Kadoompf... Kadoompf" of the engine, with the backing track floating on top of that. God knows how many hours I spend reading the information in that game.
Maybe the warp engine drone is even better than white noise or surf/beach noise.