Do you still buy physical books?

[cfrizz]

Originally Posted by Renate

What? Listening to music when you read?
No. When you read there must be deathly silence all around you.
How else could you read?

It's called multitasking! If I didn't have my music playing while reading on the subway system I would end up killing someone. But being able to block out everyone else with my music and get absorbed in my book to ignore that I've been sitting still stuck on a train for an hour is the only way I keep my sanity.

I can have anywhere from an hour 1/2 to 3 hour commute depending on what breaks down, who gets sick, what stops working etc.!

On the weekends, my system goes on when I get up and plays all day long while I read to my hearts content. Most of my brain is focused on my book.

[Sirtel]

For my part, I can't stand any background noise at all, at any time, and that includes music. I must have silence at all times, always (unless I specifically watch a movie, a football match, a documentary etc, of course).

I live alone and that means there's nothing I need to block out.

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

For my part, I can't stand any background noise at all, at any time, and that includes music. I must have silence at all times, always (unless I specifically watch a movie, a football match, a documentary etc, of course).

I live alone and that means there's nothing I need to block out.

Be careful with loud noises. Tinnitus isn't fun!

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

Be careful with loud noises. Tinnitus isn't fun!

I never have anything playing loudly - for one thing, I live in an apartment house with neighbors on all sides, secondly, I have a blind cat who relies on hearing and finally, I have a strong aversion to loud noise myself.

When watching a movie/documentary not in my native language, I use subtitles, so I can have it playing relatively quietly.

[Karellen]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

I have a strong aversion to loud noise myself.

Yea, me too. I have learnt to hate noise. Unfortunately I live in an area that is quite noisy, and no-one would have guessed it by just looking at the area - parks, lots of greenery, a slightly semi-rural feel.

Unfortunately I live just off a road that is a main tourist road, and also contains 3 major nurseries, council quarry, council depot, council animal impound. The amount of traffic is just overwhelming for a small residential road. Of course it is hilly so cars and trucks accelerate up the hills, and noise echos through the little valley, and trucks use their compression brakes all the way down the 1.5 km hill which is about 90 seconds worth of noise for each vehicle.

Of course there are also all the idiot neighbours with their backyard accessory, also known as dogs, that are undisciplined and barking day and night.

Oh, lets not forget the flight paths over the house.

Yea, I have learnt to hate noise. I wear ear plugs to bed most nights and on many days when at home I wear ear muffs. If only I could afford to move.

[Sirtel]

There are flight paths over our house as well, but fortunately the air traffic here is pretty sparse (perhaps a couple of airplanes per day, if that). Overall, the noise level is tolerable for a city, and my immediate neighbors are pretty quiet folks (one of them has a dog, but I almost never hear it barking). Many people walk their dogs near the house several times a day, but again, there's seldom any loud barking.

It was worse 20 years ago when I moved to my current home - people used to play extremely loud music with windows open, but since then the general behavior has improved a lot.

[Apache]

Just like DSNB, I am oblivious to what is going on around me when I am reading. My wife has to call me multiple times just to get my attention.
Apache