Scientists say you can cancel the noise but keep your window open
Very timely. So, after boycotting a certain manufacturer for more than a decade on account of their root kit debacle I finally relented and spent some money on a noise cancelling headphone. It works pretty good, the tech has matured and the difference between NC on and off is remarkable. Even a neighbour mowing their lawn or using a chainsaw disappears to the point that I can focus on playing an instrument or writing a piece of code or text.<p>This was a key element for me in overcoming my insomnia, I used to stay awake at night because it was finally quiet enough that I could concentrate. After identifying that as a key part of the problem noise reduction became a focal point. It has created a new problem: the headphones are so good at this that it is very easy to creep up on me and scare the bejezus out of me when I don&#x27;t receive any other clue such as a changing shadow or something like that. I&#x27;ll have to figure out some kind of early warning system for approaching people.<p>Whoever cracks this particular nut without headphones and manages to create a bubble of 2 cubic meters or so that is silent from outside interference will make a lot of money. The article lists one entrant that seems to be a move in the right direction but it does not look like that particular version will be ready for prime time in the near future.<p>My &#x27;ideal&#x27; soundsucker (sonic black hole) is a ceiling mounted device that projects a cone of silence. One possible way in which it could work is by using a phased array of speakers to &#x27;fake&#x27; a larger one. But that ideal will likely never be reached due to limitations in physics, imagine the problem as applied to a wavy surface of water: create a wave pattern that cancels out the wavy surface in one circular area without touching the water directly.<p>Edit: Another - unexpected - benefit is that all the fan noise and other ambient noise in the room I&#x27;m in (which I normally don&#x27;t even notice) also drops by a very large factor with NC enabled.