tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785207417164829425.post8716116539880627512..comments2024-03-19T02:34:30.151-04:00Comments on The Blue Remembered Hills™: dB Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07652670896513329236noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785207417164829425.post-83558004891008401632014-06-17T21:17:21.880-04:002014-06-17T21:17:21.880-04:00columnist, thank you. It's time, and I'm n...columnist, thank you. It's time, and I'm not too far from doing it, is to wear ear plugs. Earplugs and a flashlight to see by would be a great combination.Bluehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07652670896513329236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785207417164829425.post-43545323224925795762014-06-16T15:02:45.768-04:002014-06-16T15:02:45.768-04:00Laurent, thank you. I'm at home and the only n...Laurent, thank you. I'm at home and the only noise I hear is from traffic on the street below, birdsong and the beeping of the drier. Nothing added to what I cannot avoid.<br /><br />As to the plastic: it has grown abominably.Bluehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07652670896513329236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785207417164829425.post-51926365060023991592014-06-16T02:22:07.426-04:002014-06-16T02:22:07.426-04:00You address an affront across a broader front than...You address an affront across a broader front than dB per se, and degeneration beyond the cochlea, on a scale which amounts to a transformation of acoustic expectations in our lifetime, Blue, and goes vastly beyond the design and conduct of gastronomic commerce. Ironically our widespread capitulation to personal acoustic indiscretion, in the horrific intrusion of cellular telephone shoutings wherever we go, probably had its origin in the degenerately antisocial illusion of personal acoustic liberty of the portable music player, which in turn eradicated the expectation we grew up with, that lower sound levels are both a natural condition of life and a human right to be respected. We have observed an acceptance of diminished taste in this, which I’m not sure we can imagine seeing restored. Like your memorable entry on plastic packaging, you strike a chord here of undeniable universal regret. Laurenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17972899387484460347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785207417164829425.post-32116510863273411872014-06-15T00:03:40.040-04:002014-06-15T00:03:40.040-04:00Oh yes, loud music everywhere. I don't have my...Oh yes, loud music everywhere. I don't have my phone glued to my ear when I'm out and about, but occasionally I take a call or make one, and find it very difficult to find a place where I can hear what is being said by my caller. The Thais are generally a quiet-speaking group of people, but their tolerance for loud music everywhere is extraordinary. There is now a dreadful instance of advertising on LED screens at Skytrain stations - in the trains, on the platforms, on large billboards. The cacophony is quite horrifying.<br /><br />My aversion to noisy restaurants probably explains why I prefer to eat at home....harrumph! columnisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03764365428633038329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785207417164829425.post-69729317806072385322014-06-14T18:40:12.319-04:002014-06-14T18:40:12.319-04:00Chronica Domus, thank you. Loud music is everywher...Chronica Domus, thank you. Loud music is everywhere – even gas stations blare out music and advertising well into the night – and seems to be the least remarked form of pollution. Bluehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07652670896513329236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785207417164829425.post-61571237516278720292014-06-14T18:36:52.228-04:002014-06-14T18:36:52.228-04:00Daniel, I have nothing more to add to what you wri...Daniel, I have nothing more to add to what you write than to say thank you. I know from you how important your hearing is. Oh, and thank you for the link to Eytmotic. Bluehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07652670896513329236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785207417164829425.post-90292945571477887302014-06-14T18:35:04.625-04:002014-06-14T18:35:04.625-04:00ArchitectDesign, P.S. Apparently the noisier the r...ArchitectDesign, P.S. Apparently the noisier the restaurant, the more higher the sales of alcohol. Go figure. Bluehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07652670896513329236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785207417164829425.post-55287530441704728392014-06-14T18:34:02.679-04:002014-06-14T18:34:02.679-04:00ArchitectDesign, thank you. My favourite restauran...ArchitectDesign, thank you. My favourite restaurant is within one block of where I live, is walkable to (though I have been known to valet) and quiet with a garden. There is the occasional loud group but it's usually a celebration. Also, white tablecloths and proper waiters. Bluehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07652670896513329236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785207417164829425.post-56752727913054990672014-06-14T14:26:20.263-04:002014-06-14T14:26:20.263-04:00Blue, I so agree with you about the noise level in...Blue, I so agree with you about the noise level increasing in public places, especially restaurants. I'm writing another restaurant review where I address this very issue.<br /><br />The last time I was in London and had need to pop into Boots the chemist, I could not believe my ears. There it was, piped LOUD music. What a horrid experience. Who needs that in a busy shop where one already has a headache and has popped in to seek an appropriate cure? I recall making a comment to the security guard wondering if he could turn the music down. He sympathised with me but really I felt sorry for him having to work there. Chronica Domushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06732224119040843337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785207417164829425.post-78180592498654372342014-06-13T11:10:39.626-04:002014-06-13T11:10:39.626-04:00Oh, but it does cause damage, I am sorry to say. T...Oh, but it does cause damage, I am sorry to say. There is hard science on the effect of exposure based on decibel level and duration. 10-15 minutes at 100 decibels is what can be tolerated. After 10 minutes, the tiny cells in the cochlea are affected, hearing loss being noticeable after 30 precent of hearing in any given range is affected. Usually, a "notch" appears around 4K, which is where those with occupational deafness experience it—factory workers, and yes, opera singers. The thing to do is wear hearing protection, my favorite being Eytmotic, which are fitted to the ear, and do not damped higher frequencies which common foam ear plugs do, thus making it very hard to understand a conversation (sibilants are carried on higher frequencies). <br /><br />http://www.dangerousdecibels.org/education/information-center/decibel-exposure-time-guidelines/Daniel Shigohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12736080550398734909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785207417164829425.post-3045017250645469892014-06-13T10:35:30.440-04:002014-06-13T10:35:30.440-04:00what confuses me is that restaurants PLAN for the ...what confuses me is that restaurants PLAN for the noise. Gone are the days when white tableclothes, carpets, and curtains cushioned and quieted a restaurant in a hushed atmosphere as that is seen as 'stuffy'. For a restaurant to be successful it has to be LOUD and seem popular - if someplace looks crowded it MUST be good, right? Gone is anything which would absorb this money-making sound to be replaced with hard, sound reflecting surfaces. So uncomfortable making and why I nearly always eat at home!ArchitectDesign™https://www.blogger.com/profile/01481754380363676771noreply@blogger.com