Reading and random noise

[latepaul]

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!

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.

[Apache]

The only way I know how to explain how I read is I am watching a movie behind my eyes.
I see the characters and I see the action unfolding as I read. I am currently reading The Conquering Tide: War in the Pacific Islands, 1942-1944 by Ian W. Toll. An excellent book by the way. This is the second in his trilogy. I just put the book down to read the forums and I was suspended in the air watching the aerial dog fights during the Battle of the Philippine Sea.
Apache

[cvkemp]

I guess I am lucky, I am hard of hearing and I wear hearing aids. When I am really interested in what I am reading, I mute my hearing aid mics, I can still hear some of the background noise but not near as much as with my hearing aids unmuted. I have two reading modes, reading every word and sounding them out in my brain, and just swiping down the page and moving to the next page. I find myself reading and sounding every word if I am in a really noisy place, and I find myself speed reading or swiping down the pages if I am in a really quiet place. I cannot normally tell my brain to not hear the noises around me because I have taught myself to listen to everything due to my hearing loss, I have to concentrate very hard to understand what is being said around me. I love reading and now that I am retired I enjoy reading much more than watching TV or movies.

[Katsunami]

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!

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.

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.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by cvkemp

I love reading and now that I am retired I enjoy reading much more than watching TV or movies.

I can't remember the last time I actively watched something on TV. I hate TV. If it wasn't necessary to have one to watch my favorite movies (which have become fewer over the years), I even wouldn't have one. I know, I can watch DVD's on a laptop screen as well, but it's just more relaxing to watch them on a TV.

I sometimes get asked how I can read so much. My simple reply is: "How do you watch TV 2 or more hours a day? Well... my reading's the same."

[QuantumIguana]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I need a "cone of silence" a la Get Smart.

Though I guess I should start with something like a good pair of noise cancelling headphones. I may experiment with that with some various white/pink noise generators. Or perhaps some gentle rain/surf stuff. Music's out though--been there/tried that. Words get sung; melodies get whistled/hummed. It's automatic.

EDIT: Anybody have any good Android noise generator apps to recommend? I've found a few free ones with some good sounds, but none of them seem to continue to play in the background. Wouldn't have a problem paying $2-5 for a good one with no time-limit that can continue to operate in the background.

I use White Noise Lite on my phone. It's free and does a decent job of cutting out bothersome noise. People talking or music makes it very difficult for me to read, I find that I can't shut it out. Non-human sounds don't bother me, there's nothing to listen to.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by QuantumIguana

I use White Noise Lite on my phone. It's free and does a decent job of cutting out bothersome noise. People talking or music makes it very difficult for me to read, I find that I can't shut it out. Non-human sounds don't bother me, there's nothing to listen to.

I went ahead and spent the $2 on the upgrade for that program. After playing around with several apps and different sounds, I discovered that I may have some very mild tinnitus that was keeping me "anxious" and unfocused. I didn't really notice it (the ringing) was present until I discovered some sounds in the right frequencies that cancelled it out. When it happened, it was like the biggest full body sigh and release of tension imagineable. A giant woosah moment.

The downside is that now that I'm conscious of the ringing, I can't NOT hear it any more (even though it was apparently already affecting me without being entirely aware of it). The good news is that I now have several sound loops that can provide instant relief from it!

A crackling fire or certain water sprinkler sounds seem most effective right now. I've settled on a mix of "Space Station Sleeproom" and "Water Sprinkler" from the White Noise app/market (with over-the-ear headphones).

I'll monitor how it affects my reading, but early signs are very positive.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I'll monitor how it affects my reading, but early signs are very positive.

Damn. Don't thank me for posting this thread. A good deed never goes unpunished, you know.



And it happened before I actually read your post

Today I had exactly the opposite experience. One guy getting into the bus just started talking to random passengers at a volume of a hundred decibels or thereabout.

"HI, HAD A NICE DAY?"
- "...."
"LOOK, IT'S RAINING AGAIN!"
"I REALLY DID A LOT TODAY AT WORK."
"OEEEWWAAAAAAHH!!!"
"I'M SO TIRED! AREN'T YOU TIRED?"
- "...."
"OH, GOT A MESSAGE ON MY PHONE! ONE MOMENT!"
"IT WAS FROM MY BROTHER!"

He's either an idiot, or suffers from some sort of Tourette Syndrome or something.

[QuantumIguana]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I went ahead and spent the $2 on the upgrade for that program. After playing around with several apps and different sounds, I discovered that I may have some very mild tinnitus that was keeping me "anxious" and unfocused. I didn't really notice it (the ringing) was present until I discovered some sounds in the right frequencies that cancelled it out. When it happened, it was like the biggest full body sigh and release of tension imagineable. A giant woosah moment.

The downside is that now that I'm conscious of the ringing, I can't NOT hear it any more (even though it was apparently already affecting me without being entirely aware of it). The good news is that I now have several sound loops that can provide instant relief from it!

A crackling fire or certain water sprinkler sounds seem most effective right now. I've settled on a mix of "Space Station Sleeproom" and "Water Sprinkler" from the White Noise app/market (with over-the-ear headphones).

I'll monitor how it affects my reading, but early signs are very positive.

What extra do you get for the upgrade? I like the sound that's sort of like the hum of an aircraft engine. I'll sometimes use the white noise if people in the office are having discussions about politics. ;-) I some tinnitus, had it as long as I can remember. It's more pronounced in my left ear than in my right. I don't notice it unless it's quiet or if I'm reminded of it. It's pretty mild, it doesn't bother me. I can completely shut out mechanical noises, like printers running, but music and people talking (or humming, singing or, worst of all whistling) I just can't tune out. I can get to a point where I can't even get through a paragraph if I have external noise.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Apache

I am unaware of my surroundings, when I read. Even in the noisiest places. People can talk to me while I read and I do not hear them.
Apache

Generally this, but it depends a bit on the book. Some books suck me in and only release me when I've turned the last page, and some books only barely hold my attention. It also depends on my state of mind. When I have tough problem to solve at work, I'll be chewing that over while reading...

[HarryT]

I suffer from quite bad tinnitus (a high-frequency "hum"). It doesn't affect my reading, but I find that playing a "nature sounds" album at a low volume on my iPhone on my bedside table is enormously helpful in getting to sleep at night. I always sleep like a log on ships; the background noise of the engines, generators, etc, puts me out like a light . It's quiet places (like my house) that are the problem.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by QuantumIguana

What extra do you get for the upgrade? I like the sound that's sort of like the hum of an aircraft engine. I'll sometimes use the white noise if people in the office are having discussions about politics. ;-) I some tinnitus, had it as long as I can remember. It's more pronounced in my left ear than in my right. I don't notice it unless it's quiet or if I'm reminded of it. It's pretty mild, it doesn't bother me. I can completely shut out mechanical noises, like printers running, but music and people talking (or humming, singing or, worst of all whistling) I just can't tune out. I can get to a point where I can't even get through a paragraph if I have external noise.

I'm not entirely certain what the upgrade got me, to be honest. I tried so many apps that I can't be sure what I got with which. I've got two purchased apps that call themselves "White Noise." I needed the paid version for one for it to be able to play in the background, and the paid version of the other got me access to free soundloop downloads through the market app.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I always sleep like a log on ships; the background noise of the engines, generators, etc, puts me out like a light . It's quiet places (like my house) that are the problem.

I've got a couple of creaking ship mixes that are quite enjoyable/relaxing, but they don't seem to cancel out my ringing. Still some of my favorite soothing sounds, though.

[GERGE]

Best reading I have ever experienced was when I was bored in a class. With lecturer talking at the background and other students are mostly doing various things to waste time. That encompassing feeling of boredom around you... like spice =)