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In the end, it's all about the total time you save, including building and using. Much like this xkcd comic.
That's probably why I'm so keen on optimising programs...
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I do it for fun. If it isn't fun, then it really isn't worth doing IMO. 
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But you could have more fun with the time you saved! 
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Good point. Booze. Women. Pubs. Or I could waste it. 
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That reminds me of the joke where someone tells a smoker, "If you smoke for 30 years, you'd waste enough money on cigs to buy a Ferrari!" To which the smoker retorts, "As you don't smoke, where's your Ferrari?"
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But seriously folks.....my employer celebrated 40 years in the business by giving everyone an Ipod Shuffle.
Within 30 minutes the team had found a Python hack that allowed it to be used as a drag and drop player.
Then Apple put barriers up so that the hack couldn't be used/was illegal, and hey presto, my 2GB music player can only be filled by DRM bloatware, assuming I have a Windows VM running somewhere. Not a time saver, and apart from beautiful design, not a particularly good player.
Now, I have a BB10 phone(NOT iphone/android), which is 20 times bigger, has a better amp, an interface and is also a phone. And I can put anything on it and it will play. Only drawback is my Linux machines have to use wifi to access it, because BB10 bloatware isn't available. Narf.
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Well, I am here on one floor with ca. 100 colleagues (no cubicles). After 6 years got used to the noise.. The cellphone stuff is disturbing..
The signature is in building process.. Please wait...
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Cell phone noise problems? Easy fix!
Just join in the conversation, ask to have them repeat what they said, or chime in with advice.
They might not stop their jabber, but in they will (at least) avoid your vicinity.
| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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Or as an alternative, have a massive chilli con carne, allow to process, then stand close by and let rip a massive fart at an appropriate moment....
If your neighbours don't listen to The Ramones, turn it up real loud so they can.
“We didn't have a positive song until we wrote 'Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue!'” ― Dee Dee Ramone
"The Democrats want my guns and the Republicans want my porno mags and I ain't giving up either" - Joey Ramone
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Great Idea. We get too many people who don't set their phones to vibrate. They just let it ring and they usually go of when they are in a meeting. And, the owner doesn't have any respect for the work space. These people need to be reprimanded.
But, your idea about asking to join the conversation is a new tactic.
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James Lonero wrote: But, your idea about asking to join the conversation is a new tactic.
Who said anything about asking?
Just join in - abruptly - and with an air that it's all perfectly natural.
| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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three words: noise-cancelling headphones
it's mostly quiet where i work, but there are times when conversations can get loud. but, the earbuds take care of things nicely.
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What would you recommend with regards to noise cancelling headphones?
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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it's really hard to say. i had good luck with Shure for many many years. but their current models just don't fit my ears correctly (and actually hurt). so now i'm using some from Klipsh, which feel better but don't sound quite as good as the Shures (though they were 1/2 the price).
i try not to spend more than $100 on a pair.
buy some and try them. you can usually return them if they suck.
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They are pricey, but I got the Bose QC15s last year and highly recommend them. You realize they work as soon as you flip the switch. The only problem with them is that I don't always hear my deskphone or cell phone ring with music playing. I suppose you could use them only for the noise cancelling feature without music.
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse
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I would recommend trying the $0.50 foam ear plugs as a first purchase. And they are comfortable enough for me to wear all day. I get a headache wearing any kind of a headset for more than a few hours.
Analog cancellation (i.e. foam plugs, headset cups or ear buds) work instantaneously. The foam attenuates the higher frequency sounds as well as active headsets & probably get 50% of the low frequency sounds compared to an active headset.
Active headsets work great on repetitive wave forms, the lower the frequency the better. But they don't do that well with random noise like people talking. It needs to "listen" to the sound wave and then calculate a cancellation wave, which does not work if the wave form has changed in the mean time.
Before you say "your" active headset works on the random noise, re-read the above - it is the analog ear bud or cup that is killing most of the random noise.
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Headphones work for some distractions. However, lots of traffic and people with loud voices aren't fixed by headphones, unfortunately. 
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there's always annoyed coughing and anonymous nasty notes !
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Noise distraction is relative.
i grew up in a family with 9 children; I learned to be alone in a room full of people. It doesn't bother me to have others making noise around me.
Also, I lived next to an airbase where jets were scrambled all times of the day and night over our house. We learned to ignore it.
So, in that light, do you like your job enough to learn to ignore the noise or are you going to change positions?
Tim
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Tim Carmichael wrote: So, in that light, do you like your job enough to learn to ignore the noise or are you going to change positions?
Normal people do not ignore sound, due to evolution. People ignoring the sound of a lion (or the fire alarm) are less prone to survive and reproduce.
..I live in a cold and wet place. Turn your heating down and learn to code at the same temperature as your fridge. Some type o' problem, same solution.
Bastard Programmer from Hell 
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
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'Normal people'? Who died and made you god?
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12 noise pollutants children here! 
Most years there were babies demanding attention. I actually put some babies to sleep by playing some fast-paced game music from Crystal Towers 2, which really perturbed me. Wouldn't fast-paced wake you up? 
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At my company they are very conscious of how distracting a noisy environment is. They strive to maintain an atmosphere conducive to concentration. I was even once frowned upon for taking a stroll down a passage that I could have avoided 
But I must admit that I can get a lot more done (without as many mistakes) in a quiet environment. Either that or get to have a nice long uninterrupted sleep
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FredWi wrote: How am I supposed to concentrate on work when the employer seems to discourage it by the environment?
You did talk to your manager about this, right?
FredWi wrote: Are there employers out there that actually encourage productivity?
They all do, it's just that not all of them do it correctly.
FredWi wrote: Maybe I live in the wrong part of the US?
Or maybe you’re in the wrong line of work. You could try contracting from home or look for smaller companies. Sure they may not pay as well but I'd rather maintain my sanity and get paid less than be stressed and hate my job to get a higher salary.
Sure, you're always going to have the incessant yappers, insensitive boors but they are like dog bombs on the lawn, sometimes you step in it but you learn to look for and avoid the bombs. I wear headphones sometimes, I've also learned to deal with the nuisance when it happens. If it gets bad I take a break and walk away for a few minutes.
It was broke, so I fixed it.
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S Houghtelin wrote: look for smaller companies
There's no guarantee that a small company will provide a quiet work environment...sadly.
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