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Comment by anotherevan | Hacker News Reader

My daughter has a condition called hyperacusis[1] defined as, "an abnormal intolerance, a heightened sense of volume and physical discomfort from ordinary, everyday sounds, which other people can tolerate well."

Because of this, I have become so aware of the sheer amount of noise in everyday environments. I remember sitting in a nice, peaceful environment for twenty minutes waiting for the local coffee shop to open. Come 8am they turned on the loud, thumping music. Why, why, WHY?

[1] http://www.dineenwestcottmoore.com.au/specialist-services/hy...

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I wish there were more people that come to this conclusion. I can't stand busy cities anymore because music bumpers in their cars, people playing TVs loudly with their windows open, people HONKing their car to get the attention of someone in a building, people clicking their cars, people opening and closing their car doors FAR more frequently than necessary.

I live in NYC. I've wear earplugs almost everywhere I go.

In Sydney I would always avoid the main CBD street (George St). It’s so noisy with cars, it doesn’t only prevent people from talking, but also thinking... It’s a classical case of 3-lane street with busses going 60kmh, with glass buildings on both sides, so as a pedestrian you’re stuck in a resonnance enclosure.

Politely asking to turn down the volume is effective, and generally welcome by other customers as well.

Well yes, that may work in the specific case of music being too loud. Not so much when the noise is just from people talking and moving about and the coffee grinder whirring and glasses clattering and the room is all hard surfaces that amplify all of this. Designing the audible environment can be as important as the visual design.

“How about if I turn it down to a level where it still drives you nuts but you're too shy to complain a second time?”

http://dilbert.com/strip/2001-09-20

Lucky Dilbert gets a cube!

Once in a restaurant I asked the staff to lower the volume (and they did) for three times, before finally requesting to turn off the music completely. The comic is right though, at least I do have a mental barrier for asking for such favours even as a customer. I likely wouldn't have asked even once if we weren't the only customers.

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