Aside from noise cancellation headphones, sometimes I wear silencing earmuffs (something like this: http://www.envirosafetyproducts.com/product/Bilsom-Viking-V3...). Most brands I've tried have been pretty equivalent, though some will probably be more comfortable for your head than others. Those, coupled with good earplugs* , usually tunes out most human speech around me.
* Earplug reviews here: http://www.slate.com/id/2118800/ My favorites are the Moldex Rockets, not listed: http://www.labsafety.com/search/Moldex/12675/?type=brand . Again, fit is at least as important as noise reduction; you want to be able to put them in and forget about them. Earplugs are quite cheap, so you may want to get a grab bag with two pairs each of ten or more kinds.
Alternatively, wearing headphones with pink noise (like white noise, but with less hiss: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_noise) works well, particularly if you can wear earmuff-style headphones over earplugs.
Here is a pink noise loop I made by stitching together the sample loop on wikipedia: http://shenani.gen.nz/~scott/pink_noise.mp3 (It's released under the same CC license as the sample on wikipedia, as a derived work.) Also, mirror it if you like it, as I am moving this week and in a day or two it will disappear.
Of course, not having a cubicle or open-air office is the better solution. (And not having loud neighbors.)
For more thoughts and studies on ambient noise ruining productivity, see _Peopleware_ by DeMarco and Lister.
i like in-ear monitors (IEMs) from Shure, etymotic or westone myself. I'm looking at custom molded ones also. They usually talk about 25 dB of isolation/noise reduction, which is enough to make jet planes, subway trains, loud clubs, lots of other environments tolerable (I'm very sensitive to noise).
I have a pair of Shure canalphones. The noise reduction is impressive. It's fantastic on flights. The only drawback for me is that after a few hours I start to get ear fatigue from the pressure of the foam on the inside of my ears.
If this weren't so expensive: "Babble is the only voice privacy device currently on the market that offers voice confidentiality during a phone conversation. It camouflages conversations about rash decisions, or discussions about rashes. Babble accomplishes this by using a pre-recorded script of the user’s voice, which is “babbled” and emitted from proprietary speakers positioned outward from the user. The “babbled” voice provides cover, making a phone conversation unintelligible to individuals surrounding the user. “White noise” simply masks overall interior sound, Babble “babbles” the users voice keeping private phone conversations private."
Thanks for this post/thread. I am extremely sensitive to (human) noise in my environment. For me, any degree of audibility can become very distracting and therefore frustrating. One exception is when there are so many voices that they become unintelligle; it seems my brain is then "willing to give up" and the distraction can be less. The presence of all that sound is still somewhat distracting and is tiring, but I stop being forced to perceive individual elements of conversation.
I'd run across chatterblocker or a similar item but had not tried it. This is a good reminder to give it a go, the next time I find myself in an appropriate circumstance.
I wonder, has anyone found quality recordings of crowds, e.g. of conversation in a busy coffee house or cafe? In lieu of a computer and program, I've wondered whether such a thing would be useful, but I do not have the recording equipment to make a professional-grade (and therefore, comfortable for long use) recording.
In my struggles to get away from work environment noise, I've run across these resources:
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro closed headphones seal out external noise fairly well. They are professional DJ headphones and fairly rugged (and popular, too). They probably don't work as well as in-ear monitors, but they could serve as an alternative for people with sore ear-canals.
My pair is five years old, and well-used, and it still works. (Headband is slightly cracked, though. Be careful not to pull the phones apart too widely.)
* Earplug reviews here: http://www.slate.com/id/2118800/ My favorites are the Moldex Rockets, not listed: http://www.labsafety.com/search/Moldex/12675/?type=brand . Again, fit is at least as important as noise reduction; you want to be able to put them in and forget about them. Earplugs are quite cheap, so you may want to get a grab bag with two pairs each of ten or more kinds.
Alternatively, wearing headphones with pink noise (like white noise, but with less hiss: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_noise) works well, particularly if you can wear earmuff-style headphones over earplugs.
Here is a pink noise loop I made by stitching together the sample loop on wikipedia: http://shenani.gen.nz/~scott/pink_noise.mp3 (It's released under the same CC license as the sample on wikipedia, as a derived work.) Also, mirror it if you like it, as I am moving this week and in a day or two it will disappear.
Of course, not having a cubicle or open-air office is the better solution. (And not having loud neighbors.)
For more thoughts and studies on ambient noise ruining productivity, see _Peopleware_ by DeMarco and Lister.