Law Technology

Tune Out to Tune In: A Look at White Noise

By Yana Siganur

Not everyone is lucky enough to have their own office or a private space where they can work uninterrupted.  Most people have to deal with loud traffic, obnoxious co-workers, loud students, or even minor nearby conversations ? whether you?re at your law school library, internship, or any other kind of office.   For those of us who need a little help keeping our focus, but can?t listen to music to do it, there is the sound-distracting white noise.

A simple description of what white noise sounds like would be to think about the ?snow show? on TV.  It happens when your television doesn?t have a signal (either via satellite, cable, or the dvd/vhs player isn?t connected) and all you see is a mess of white, black, and grey dots and hear TV ?static.?   This resembles the sound you make by going ?shhhhh.?   By listening to white noise instead of music, all outside noise is drowned out while still keeping your mind focused on your work.

So grab a pair of headphones and try these out:

Simply Noise

There are many websites that offer a wide variety of white noise styles.   The top site is SimplyNoise.   It offers two variations in addition to the standard white noise, namely, pink and brown /red, which slightly alter the noise you hear.   And there is a new oscillation feature that oscillates the volume the noise.

As the site itself explains, white noise provides a sleep aid, blocks distractions, masks tinnitus, and soothes migraines ? just to name a few.   To use, plug in your headphones, visit the site, pick your style, and adjust your volume so that you don?t hear anything or anyone else.

Rainy Mood

Another site that is great for helping you focus, and one of my new favorites, is Rainymood. Instead of white noise, you get to enjoy a fifteen minute audio loop of a rain storm.   One of the benefits of this service over Simply Noise is that you get to listen to a more organic noise and not feel like you are listening to machine noises.

If you close your eyes, you can almost imagine sitting outside on a covered porch while the rain comes down around you.   The site even recommends that you play this audio loop along with your favorite music to get an interesting enhanced effect.

Of course, if you feel that classical music or jazz better help you concentrate instead, then forget everything I?ve said.   But for those of us who really need to focus but cannot handle the variations and distractions of any kind of music, give these sites a chance.

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Full post as published by Social Media Law Student on March 01, 2010 (boomark / email).