I seem to have developed a taste for 90s trance

[andrewducker]

[Poll #1612610]

Poll inspired by me having discovered the band Union Jack, suddenly realising that I was bopping along to the music. I _think_ I managed to stop myself before any of my officemates noticed...

Comments

[spacelem.livejournal.com]

While you might be able to listen to music without disturbing the others in an office, it can lead to some resentment when some of those others absolutely cannot listen to music, e.g. because they're on the front desk.

Also no matter how low you put the volume, the sound will leak out, and a tiny tinny beat can become very annoying after a short time.

Especially when one of your co-workers puts a single track of some random Swedish death metal band on repeat for 3 hours. That can lead to... impure thoughts.

[andrewducker]

If sound leaks out then people have shitty headphones. I can't hear mine, in perfect quiet, from 6 inches away. And I'm easily annoyed on the bus by people with headphones that leak music.

About 50% of people here listen to music, because otherwise it's impossible to concentrate.

[spacelem.livejournal.com]

Okay, if you have good quality headphones then you're in the clear. However, a very large proportion of the headphone wearing population are wearing low quality, sound leaky headphones. And for some reason, they always seem to listen to the most annoying music, especially on the bus.

[usmu.livejournal.com]

Listening to music in the office when on headphones is GOOD if and only if everybody is able to do so. Otherwise, not. Nodding along is BAD because you're sending out signals you might not be concentrating on works as much as you should. Just like when replying to LJ during work hours it is GOOD when nobody sees it.

[andrewducker]

God yes. I loathe people that just don't seem to care that others are affected by their noise pollution.

[meaningrequired.livejournal.com]

I share this irritation.

I used to use headphones in the office but I used to adjust the volume, before putting them on (I have very nice sound canceling headphones because I just cannot ignore noise).

However I wasn't the only one in the office who used headphones, and the tinny sound of someone else's music drives me crazy, which means you then HAVE to wear your headphones if you want to block it out.

[despotliz.livejournal.com]

At the moment it is doubly GOOD because our air conditioning is a little broken and makes rattly noises all the time.

[anton-p-nym.livejournal.com]

I noticed an alarming trend recently of some fellow bus-passengers playing music from their cellphones... without headphones, instead using the speakerphone feature. Yes, they were using their phones as miniaturised ghetto blasters. *facepalm*

-- Steve had hoped that this had died with the '90s.

[andrewducker]

Ours kept making high-pitched whining sounds for a couple of days. Which was both worrying and annoying.

[bracknellexile.livejournal.com]

I have an office of one. It's all good :)

[joexnz.livejournal.com]

ghetto blasters had better sound. My tendency is want to shoot them for music abuse, if you want to appreciate it, get something decent to play it on, don't torture it with tinny speakers and an inability not to distort horribly. However, please bear in mind, once you have done this i do reserve the right to smash whatever you choose to use instead, for polluting my space with your bad american wannabe hip hop

[draconid.livejournal.com]

This is the very reason I am so glad I don't have to rely on buses anymore.

[meaningrequired.livejournal.com]

Yes, I've noticed this too.

Although I've that groups of 'em like to sing along as well.

[meaningrequired.livejournal.com]

I read that one way to deal with office noise problems, is to pump "pink noise" throughout the open plan areas.

[nuttyxander.livejournal.com]

They're trying to make our office more exciting by playing music at us.

Thus far I have managed to avoid this experiment by luck alone.

[andrewducker]

What on earth?

What kind of hellish office do you work in???

[xquiq.livejournal.com]

I would love to, but at the moment my chances of sufficient uninterrupted time to make it worthwhile digging out the iPod are currently slim. I sincerely hope this will change.

[meaningrequired.livejournal.com]

From a psychologist's point of view, that sounds kind of interesting!

I wonder if when the music stops, everyone's productivity increases because they breathe a sigh of relief that its over...

[nuttyxander.livejournal.com]

Possibly. It may also be a sneaky way of gaining extra free overtime as the music stops at roughly 5:30 sharp.

[pigwotflies.livejournal.com]

Eeek! I hate having music on when I'm trying to concentrate, unless it's something abstract and chamber music-ish like Bach pianos suites, or not too dramatic string quartet music. Having someone else dictate my working music would be terrible.

[pigwotflies.livejournal.com]

Music on headphones is good in theory, if they're decent headphones and don't disturb anyone else. Personally I find listening to music on headphones too distracting - the music's right in my ear and not just background, so it drowns out my thoughts.