A cool bit of technology

/ coldhandboyack

Hi gang, Craig with you again today. I want to talk about some new-to-me tech that you might appreciate, too. But first, I’m going to walk you in the long way, like I usually do.

Men in my family have a specific hearing problem that seems to show up as we get Bulldogolder. We can hear a pin drop as long as everything else is quiet. Add some kind of noise, and all bets are off. One of my worst is a running sink. There is also a bit of my ability to concentrate in this tale. We’ll start off by meeting Frankie.

She is the cutest bulldog ever, but she’s like several dogs wrapped up in one package. She’s the fearsome Rottweiler on the other side of the door. She’s a competitive barker when her friend wants to run the fence out back, or the squirrel steps into the yard. She also possesses this high pitched bark that could shatter glass. That’s the one that matters to this story.

Her brother, Otto, is more laid back. Whatever I’m working on is fine by him.

Bulldog

Add to this mix the fact that my wife never met a game show, or reality show, she didn’t like. What all this means is that I don’t stand a chance of doing anything on weekday evenings.

Frankie insists upon playing bones all night long. (Refer to the picture.) She encourages this by using her high-pitched bark. I play with her, but there’s no stopping her until bed time. (She’s a bulldog.)

In summary, I don’t stand a snowball’s chance of reading, writing, editing, or even basic blogging until the weekends.

Then my wife surprised me with a pair of noise cancelling headphones. These things have been around for a while, but I’ve never had any experience with them. They do a lot more than I need them to, like access Alexa, take phone calls, and more. What matters to me is they cancel noise.

Mine have settings to adjust the level of cancellation. On the highest setting, Frankie sounds like she’s down the street somewhere. The television disappears completely. On writing mornings, the landscapers beyond my fence simply vanish.

Their musical sound is incredible, and I have been enjoying that. Because they pair with my phone and iPad at the same time, I’ve been playing ambient noise some evenings while I work. Refer to this post.

I can read and write in the evenings now. I can even concentrate and retain what I’m reading. I made some ambient loops, like Good Liniment to go with the story I’ve been working on, and it works well. Simple nature sounds are great for reading, and I can do it while reality television and Frankie are trying to distract me.

I still take breaks to play bones, but it’s nice being able to go back and read a chapter in between.

They come in headphones, earbuds and probably other configurations. Mine just happen to be headphones.

If you’re interested, I’d consider waiting for Prime day, or the whole Black Friday fiasco. There are likely better deals then.

Like all things, they might not work for you. They really work for me.

77 thoughts on “A cool bit of technology”

  1. Pingback: A cool bit of technology – Jackanori, (MPD)

  2. Noise cancelling headphones are designed specifically to reduce ambient noise, usually by using special technology that can amplify the highs and lows of certain frequencies while dampening those that interfere with your listening enjoyment. While not all noise cancelling headphones are made equal, they all use the same basic principle.

    It’s important to note that these headphones aren’t new devices. The concept of using technology to cancel out unwanted noise has been around for some time now. What has evolved over the years is their aesthetic design and ease of use. Noise cancelling headphones used to be very bulky and heavy, but now there are many models available that look much more streamlined and lightweight.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. Those noise-canceling headphones sound wonderful if noise is a distraction, Craig. I can tune out a lot, though sometimes the television is just way to loud and I can’t think. I like the idea of the sound loops too. Thanks for sharing!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  12. I don’t mind a little background noise, but I have a Pomeranian whose barking might compete with Frankie’s. I’ve never tried noise canceling headphones. Now I’m tempted. That was a sweet and thoughtful surprise gift from your wife. Enjoy.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  13. I absolutely love my noise-cancelling headphones. I wear them at work when I am writing notes, because I am packed into an office with 3 other people, all of whom speak very loudly on the telephone. It allows me to concentrate and protects my ears from the constant cacophony.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  14. I’m just the opposite. I need noise. If there is no quiet, my senses tell me something is wrong. I have always worked in a loud environment, and that spills over to my home life. I do like that they do other things. I have ear buds that I love.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  18. They sound like the perfect writing tool, Craig! I’m easily distracted and think this might be a good addition to my wish list. Thanks for sharing them.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  19. It is so interesting how different people tick, Craig. I can work with background noise, the TV, the boys on their computer games, my mom cooking and banging around, and even my family talking to me [hahaha!] but I can’t work or write with any music at all. It is an immediate distraction. I used to work while watching my kids play sport and do swimming practice. Terence, on the other hand, also wears the noise cancelling headphones all day and all evening as he can’t tolerate any normal family sounds, but he listens to music! I’m glad you found something that works for you.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  20. I’m on my third pair! I bought the first ones in the hope that they’d help block out noises when I was trying to sleep away a migraine. It’s tricky getting a comfortable position at first but they’ve been wonderful. When I need to concentrate, and there’s lots going on in the background, I put them on and I’m able to focus again. I bought a cheap pair once but they were nowhere near as good as the brand I started with. Without wishing to sound like an advertisement, you do often get what you pay for! My granddaughter started at university last year and was in rowdy student accommodation. She loves her noise-cancelling headphones too. Frankie and Otto look like great companions with a generous share of mischief for added fun.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • I agree. Technology is one place the quality costs more. I’d heard of them, but never tried a pair until these showed up. They aren’t for every night, but can buy me some productive time when nothing else is going on.

      Like

      Reply

  21. What a godsend, Craig! Since I live alone, I’m mostly in charge of the noise around me, but there are times when these would come in handy. I do like to use earbuds when I listen to a guided meditation as it drowns out all outside noise. Technology can be very helpful in our busy and noisy lives at times. Thanks for sharing.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  22. Wonderful idea, Craig. Mark has a pair of these that he uses when he mows the lawn. He can get rid of the sound of the mower, but listen to a podcast to keep himself entertained.

    He and I both have major hearing loss and use hearing aids, but I don’t like to wear mine all the time, because I have some surgery scars on my ears that make them painful after a while. But I’ve been wondering what I was going to do when Mark retires in another year or two, as writing goes out the window when he’s home. I may have to give HIS a try one weekend and see if I think they’ll work for me.

    Funny, my hearing is awful when it comes to some things, like higher frequency sounds (even bird songs) and various vocal ranges. (Some people I can hear pretty well and others, I struggle with). But the background noises that do get through when I’m trying to work are very distracting. Yep. Gonna give Mark’s headphones out this weekend, and see if a pair would help me.

    Thanks for a great post, and I’m SO glad I’m feeling a little more energetic today so I could read and comment.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

  24. I automatically tune out the noise yet remain alert for some of the requests made frequently by the household. I have had noise-canceling headphones, and quite frankly, they are too insulating for everyday use. I used them mostly when traveling, but that is ancient history. Glad these work for you.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  26. Intriguing, Craig. Somewhere I think I have a pair of noise-canceling headphones, but I never use them and now wonder if they can do what you’ve described. I’m on a hunt to find them! 😃 My husband’s hearing aids link to the TV, such that he can turn off the sound and still watch whatever he’d like. It works for the two of us. Of course, if I say something, he doesn’t hear me at all. Hmmm, you gotta wonder… 🙄

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

  27. I used to have trouble tuning out noise, but I’m learning to adapt. Then again, I used to have evenings to myself. The thing that bothers me most is Sunday football – the announcers are annoying (at best), and I’m pretty much off all professional sports these days. I might have to consider a pair of these.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  29. These do sound wonderful, Craig. I rarely write in the evenings (I save it for weekends), but I have used headphones with my laptop for music which can block out the TV. They’re not noise cancelling, but they do a fairly good job. I’m sure these are awesome and I might have to look into them. For reading, I’ve gotten good at disappearing into a book even when hubby has the TV going!

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  30. Wow, Craig, my hearing is just the same. And some days my hearing is worse or better than others. Because of all that, hearing aids no longer work for me like they used to. But even when I did wear them, I found they amplified ALL the noise, so I was still deaf in the midst of any other noise. These sound fantastic, both for noise cancelling and for enjoying music/ambient sounds. As Jaye/Anita say above, these just might prove sanity saving for me. Thanks so much for sharing 🙂

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

We'd love to know what you think. Comment below.

Please log in using one of these methods to post your comment:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s