2009.10.02 13:00 - Background Noise and Dangerous Places

The Guardian for this meeting was Eliza Madrigal, filling in for Ya. The comments are by Eliza Madrigal.

When I arrived for this rather full session, the discussion centered around background noise and concentration. We then shifted to talking about recent Kira workshops, and ended with talks of turbulent natural world events.

Zen Arado: Hi Agatha
Agatha Macbeth: Hello Zen
Fael Illyar: Hi Fox :)
Agatha Macbeth: Mulder?
Zen Arado: Hi Fox
Fox Monacular: Hi Fael, Agatha, Zen
Zen Arado: it's quiet tonight
Zen Arado: last time I came there were 17 or more
Fael Illyar: yes, surprisingly quiet
Zen Arado: ppl are afraid of silence
Zen Arado: do you think?
Fox Monacular: some people, yes
Agatha Macbeth: Not me
Fael Illyar: Hi Qt :)
Fox Monacular: some not so much
Fox Monacular: ji Qt
Agatha Macbeth: Hello QT
Qt Core: Hi all
Zen Arado: Hi Qt
Fael Illyar: I'm fine with silence ... in here. Apparently Still have some way to go for RL.
Fael Illyar can't really worry about other people seeing her gaze here.
Zen Arado: her?
Fael Illyar: Hi SophiaSharon.
Zen Arado: Hi SophiaSharon
Fael Illyar: sentence in third person
Fox Monacular: Hi SophiaSharon
Agatha Macbeth: Hello SSL
Qt Core: hi sophia
Fael Illyar: Hi Wol :)
Zen Arado: Hi Wol
Fox Monacular: Hi Won
Fox Monacular: Wol, sorry
Qt Core: readin g a lot in elglish at my pc changed my realtion with silence
Wol Euler: fhello zen, fael, fox, soophia, qt
Agatha Macbeth: Elglish?
Qt Core: hi wol
Qt Core: english (just logged in cold fingers)
Zen Arado: oh how come Qt?
Wol Euler: hello agatha (the world is rezzing very slowly)
Agatha Macbeth: Hi Wol:)
Qt Core: the first time i've read (and i'm speaking reading book lenght things) i discovered i needed all my attention
Zen Arado: on a PC only?
Qt Core: so even background music/radio (as i always needed) had to go
Zen Arado: ah yes
Qt Core: yes
Fael Illyar: what book is that?
Zen Arado: agree with that
Fox Monacular: I can relate to that:)
Fael Illyar: Hi Eliza :)
Wol Euler: hello eliza
Qt Core: so now i don't mind if i don't have background, while 5 years ago i would
Fox Monacular: Hi Eliza
Zen Arado: I paint and gave up listening to music doing that
SophiaSharon Larnia: Hi Eliza
Qt Core: even when reading on paper and/or in italian
Fael Illyar: Ah :)
Qt Core: hi eliza
Zen Arado: better to do things 100%
Zen Arado: when you can
Fael Illyar: Yes
Zen Arado: Hi Eliza
Fael Illyar: Although, if the music being there allows 80% and no music would mean 50%, it's an improvement :)
Qt Core: i always needed a background "noise source" so i would know the origin of background noise, if not i would get curious about every noise from outside
Zen Arado: difficult to assess that though?
Zen Arado: :)
Fael Illyar: very
Zen Arado: there is laways background noise
Fael Illyar: but you don't need accurate assesment
Fael Illyar: just feeling is enough
SophiaSharon Larnia: me too Qt :)
Zen Arado: ok
Qt Core: and investigating those noise was a good excuse for not studying ;-)
Zen Arado: :)
Wol Euler: it depends what I'm doing: creative problem-solving work can stand having background music, but number-crunching in excel requires silence
--BELL--
Zen Arado: I once had a noise meter for a course I was doing
Zen Arado: surprising how much noise there is even in a quiet neighbourhood
Fox Monacular: interesting, Wol, for me it's the opposite - creative work requires silence, and number crunching in Excel needs something else to attend to
Wol Euler: :)
Fael Illyar: yep, the music gives something to pay attention to so the attention at least stays stable :P
Zen Arado: but doesn't the brain switch from one thing to another?
Fael Illyar: since when was the brain a single threaded procesor?
Zen Arado: it can't do two concentrative tasks at once?
Qt Core: once it register the music going no
Agatha Macbeth: Mine can't
Wol Euler: nor mine
Wol Euler: at least, not with equal quality and attention
Zen Arado: thats why it is dangerous to use a cell phone while driving
Qt Core: one the music is a distraction, from really random stimuli, the other is the real think
Qt Core: thing
Wol Euler: may I ask, though: how many of us are listening to music in RL right now?
Agatha Macbeth: Me
Zen Arado: not me
Fael Illyar is not.
Wol Euler: me too
Fox Monacular: me too
Zen Arado: you have my full attention
SophiaSharon Larnia: not me, tv is my background noise
Zen Arado: except when my mind wanders :)
Qt Core: no, as i prefer the bird chirping and the passer by in rl streed arguing ;-)
Wol Euler: is it on, sophia?
Agatha Macbeth: Bruckner I think
SophiaSharon Larnia: yes, the new :)
SophiaSharon Larnia: news*
Fael Illyar: well, although... I decided to listen to this one song again now that the topic came up :)
Wol Euler raises an eyebrow. Bruckner!
Fox Monacular: I'm in a coffee shop, so there's music and conversaations
Agatha Macbeth: Well I think it is, I'm not sure
SophiaSharon Larnia: now thats another kind of distraction Fox
Wol Euler: Blind Willie Johnson for me, antique acoustic blues
SophiaSharon Larnia: aww nice Wol
Agatha Macbeth: Boogie
Agatha Macbeth: Not Robert Johnson then?
Wol Euler: no, but he's very good too :)
Agatha Macbeth: I agree :)
Agatha Macbeth: Goin' down to the Crossroads
Wol Euler: mmhmm
Agatha Macbeth: Hopefully I won't meet Hekate there
Wol Euler: and Son House, of course, who taught RJ to play slide guitar
Agatha Macbeth: Good old Son
Fael Illyar: ok, there. Now I'm back here.
Zen Arado: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZqiIB2xjRY
Zen Arado: Robert Pete Williams
SophiaSharon Larnia: Hi Mickorod
Fael Illyar: Hi Mick :)
Zen Arado: Hi Mick
Agatha Macbeth: Yo Mick
Mickorod Renard: Hiya
Qt Core: hi mick
Eliza Madrigal: Hi Mick
Zen Arado: now I'm listening to blues too :)
Wol Euler: nice, zen! thank you
Wol Euler: hello mick
Mickorod Renard: Hi ;)
Fox Monacular: Hi Mick
Zen Arado: done gone ost my babe :)
Zen Arado: and she cheated on me :)

Workshop Talk... 

Mickorod Renard: Did You do the phenemology group tonite?
Wol Euler: not personally, but I think it is on.
Eliza Madrigal: I attended today, it was fantastic
Mickorod Renard: yes?
Mickorod Renard: I was working,,boo hoo
Eliza Madrigal: Today there was a presentation, and it will be put up on a website soon
SophiaSharon Larnia: i was sleeping boo hoo too ;p
Mickorod Renard: I guess I will be able to keep track on wiki's
Eliza Madrigal: I was very impressed with the woman who spoke about her experiences with art, philosophy, phenomenology, and motherhood :)
--BELL--
Fox Monacular: sounds very interesting
Eliza Madrigal: I feel like you do about the Time workshop, Mick. They are going through TSK, and its in voice. I can go, but will always be late :)
Mickorod Renard: yes?
Mickorod Renard: thats a pity
Zen Arado: TSK ?
Mickorod Renard: I guess we all can't do everything because of time difs
Eliza Madrigal: These are the beginnings of the Phenomenology workshop, so it would be a good place to start if one can make the 8AM SLT time.
Eliza Madrigal: yes exactly :) Best not to be greedy
Eliza Madrigal: Zen, the book "Time, Space, Knowledge"
Zen Arado: ok
Fox Monacular: is it at 8am on firdays?
Eliza Madrigal: yes
Fox Monacular: oh, could be tricky for me:(
Eliza Madrigal: The transcripts being online will make it accessible though
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Fox Monacular: great!
Eliza Madrigal: And we can talk about things here too
Mickorod Renard: perhaps my mind is full trying to keep up with all the other things anyway
Fox Monacular: just yesterday I was at a phenomenology group in RL:) synchronicity:)
Eliza Madrigal: Ah, nice!
Agatha Macbeth: Synchronicity! Yay!
Eliza Madrigal smiles
Zen Arado: Tarthang Tulku?
Eliza Madrigal: Yes
Zen Arado: is it a Buddhist book?
Zen Arado: or philosophy?
Mickorod Renard: Hi sophia
Wol Euler: hello sophia
Zen Arado: Ho Sophia
Eliza Madrigal: Stim Morane, who is one of the PaB guardians, wrote that book with Tarthang Tulku, and it is Pema's inspiration for PaB
SophiaSharon Larnia: Hi Sophia
Eliza Madrigal: Hi Sophia :)
Fox Monacular: Hi Sophia
Agatha Macbeth: Hello Soph
Eliza Madrigal: Stim is his virtual name...
Zen Arado: ah
Eliza Madrigal: Steven Tainer in RL
sophia Placebo: hi ara
Eliza Madrigal: Hi Ara
Zen Arado: ok thanks for info Eliza
Wol Euler: ((I'm sorry, I'm going to have to go. I left my glasses int he office, and squinting at the monitior is giving me a headache))
SophiaSharon Larnia: Hi Arabella
Eliza Madrigal: YW
Wol Euler: goodnight all
Eliza Madrigal: Feel better Wol
SophiaSharon Larnia: bye Wol :)
Eliza Madrigal: Night :)
arabella Ella: hiya
Zen Arado: bye Wol
arabella Ella: nite Wol
sophia Placebo: bye wol
Qt Core: bye wol, hi ara
Mickorod Renard: bye Wol
Zen Arado: Hi Ara
Mickorod Renard: Hi Ara
Fox Monacular: Hi Ara
Zen Arado: one gain one loss :)
arabella Ella: :)
Eliza Madrigal: :) Nice to have fuller circles here lately
Eliza Madrigal: guess we're getting out of the summer lack of structure?
Fox Monacular: structure is something mythical for me:)
Eliza Madrigal: hehe
SophiaSharon Larnia: :)
Eliza Madrigal relates
sophia Placebo: hehe
Mickorod Renard: excuse my ignorance,,but is Tarthang Tulku well known?
Mickorod Renard: whats his speciality?
Zen Arado: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Knowledge-Ti...4515655&sr=8-3
Mickorod Renard: thanks
Eliza Madrigal: yes quite within Buddhist circles I think...
Eliza Madrigal: I think this way of teaching and this emphasis is very particular
SophiaSharon Larnia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarthang_Tulku
Fox Monacular: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarthang_Tulku
Fox Monacular: :))
SophiaSharon Larnia: ;P
Eliza Madrigal: and very accessible even for those who aren't Buddhist per se
Mickorod Renard: wow,,lots of reading,,thanks
Eliza Madrigal: which doesn't mean the book is light...hehe.. lots of excercizes
SophiaSharon Larnia: its definately not light
Eliza Madrigal smiles
Zen Arado: looks a pretty hefty book :)
Eliza Madrigal: and yet....
Eliza Madrigal: Hmmm
SophiaSharon Larnia: but is, in away
Eliza Madrigal nods
SophiaSharon Larnia: when i read it I have to concentrate, wouldn't even hear background noise.music
Eliza Madrigal: I bought it pretty quickly after deciding that PaB was something I wanted to be part of
Eliza Madrigal: and have often read it two sentences or paragraphs at a time... then stopping
Eliza Madrigal: thinking...
Mickorod Renard: wow,,pretty deep then
SophiaSharon Larnia: yes Eliza, I read it alot before i fall asleep, not to say its boring though
Eliza Madrigal: Well, yes because I wasn't trying to read it intellectually
SophiaSharon Larnia: like you said a few pages
Eliza Madrigal nods
Eliza Madrigal: I've heard that from others, too
Mickorod Renard: maybe its not so good 4 me
Mickorod Renard: I need stimulus
Eliza Madrigal: Why not... no need to put a timeline
Mickorod Renard: pardon the pun
Zen Arado: this is dealt with in phenomenology talks?
Eliza Madrigal: Ah, for me it is stimulus... maybe why SophiaS fell asleep after...
Zen Arado: thought that was philosophy?
Eliza Madrigal: ?
SophiaSharon Larnia: ive skipped around in it a lot too, read about time, and space, and knowledge at random :)
Eliza Madrigal: There are quite a few overlaps Zen
Mickorod Renard: does it give what one would call..answers?

Missed Mick's question which I couldn't have answered anyway... :)

Eliza Madrigal: Ara, how did you like the phenom workshop today?
--BELL--
SophiaSharon Larnia: no! i dont mean to imply it put me to sleep, i always read when i lay down
arabella Ella: it was very interesting but i crashed towards the end
arabella Ella: what about you Eliza?
Eliza Madrigal: Ah, yes I thought it was great
Eliza Madrigal: I was moved by the speaker who was not lofty at all... just talking about her life and inspirations
arabella Ella: yes ... a very inspiring person she seems to be
Eliza Madrigal: (sorry to talk through bell)
Eliza Madrigal nods
sophia Placebo: :)
arabella Ella: apologies are due on my part too
arabella Ella: but i risk crashing ... not that it is an excuse :)
Eliza Madrigal: yes understandable
arabella Ella: am having horrible connection problems these past few days
Eliza Madrigal: is the weather still uncertain ?
arabella Ella: perhaps its the weather here
arabella Ella: yes
Eliza Madrigal nods

We talk about floods, mud slides, and dangerous places in general. Also, I see now that I missed Sophia's question... Sorry Sophia!

arabella Ella: people died with bad weather in sicily yesterday and today
Mickorod Renard: ohh noo
Eliza Madrigal: Oh goodness
arabella Ella: it was bad in messina area
Qt Core: yes, about 20
Mickorod Renard: floods?
sophia Placebo: so whats the main points do the workshop covered?
arabella Ella: mud slides floods etc
Mickorod Renard: ouch
Qt Core: flood and landslides
Eliza Madrigal: This week has been turbulent to say the least
arabella Ella: it is all over the italian TV stations
Qt Core: i heard about a 3 meter high mud wave
Eliza Madrigal: Oh My
Mickorod Renard: yikes
arabella Ella: here lots of incoming and outgoing flights were cancelled or had to take a detour
Mickorod Renard: I feel for those who loose loved ones
arabella Ella: yes it is very sad as lots of ppl are missing in sicily
Agatha Macbeth: Don't we all?
sophia Placebo: thats really bad weather
arabella Ella: its not cold mind you
Mickorod Renard: yes Agatha
arabella Ella: but freak electric storms
Qt Core: messina is a sea city with stem mountains near so all the water come down quickly with heavy rains
arabella Ella: yes
Qt Core: step
arabella Ella: but it was very bad here too last night Qt i could hardly sleep with the loud thunder all night long and heavy rain too
Qt Core: and there are big problems about houses being where they should not be
Eliza Madrigal: Yes, always... the most beautiful places are usually not fit to set up a permanent structure .. Hmmm
Zen Arado: floods or fires
sophia Placebo: thats always what is said in each country with flood since ages
arabella Ella: what sometimes happens Eliza is that illegal buildings are built in valleys so the river beds are blocked and that causes havoc
sophia Placebo: the houses thing *
Eliza Madrigal: Well in some areas development causes tree removal too
arabella Ella: yes
Eliza Madrigal: Ooooh, I see
Zen Arado: they build on flood plains
arabella Ella: (oh and some legal ones too ... but ... it is not right)
Zen Arado: in England
Eliza Madrigal nods
Zen Arado: like ppl build where fires happen in California
Qt Core: from those step mountais there are several "temporary" river, something like the uadi in the desert, do you know what there is between them and the sea... a motorway and another big road
Qt Core: and houses too
sophia Placebo: i have to leave , see you all later
SophiaSharon Larnia: bye Sophia
arabella Ella: bye sophia
Eliza Madrigal: Here in S Florida we have houses on stilts... even though hurricanes are not unlikely... but, people seem to take their chances .. I'm sure that may be different, as they are always ready to pack up and go
Zen Arado: bye sophia
Qt Core: bye sophia
Eliza Madrigal: Bye Sophia! :)
Mickorod Renard: bye sophia
Agatha Macbeth: Adios Soph
Eliza Madrigal: I need to leave also...
arabella Ella: oh bye Eliza
Eliza Madrigal: Nice to see you all
Mickorod Renard: bye Eliza
Qt Core: noo, here you have almost to use violence to take people away
Fox Monacular: bye Eliza
SophiaSharon Larnia: i love those kind of houses Eliza, although they are bult that way for a dangerous reason
SophiaSharon Larnia: bye Eliza
Zen Arado: bye Eliza
Qt Core: from the houses tyhey have build and inhabitated for decades
Agatha Macbeth: C ya Eliza
Eliza Madrigal: (yes Sophia, I feel that way too.... something nice about the edges-heh)
arabella Ella: sometimes for a couple of generations too Qt
Eliza Madrigal: Bfn everyone
SophiaSharon Larnia: :)
Fael Illyar: Bye Fox, Eliza :)
Mickorod Renard: ok guys,,I am going too,,bye everyone
Fael Illyar: Bye Mick :)
SophiaSharon Larnia: Bye Mickorod
Fael Illyar: See you later Everyone, I'll go too.
Fox Monacular: bye Mick
Qt Core: bye mick
Zen Arado: Bye Fox, Mick
Agatha Macbeth: Ta ta
arabella Ella: bye Fox Micko
Qt Core: and bye Fael
arabella Ella: bye Fael
Zen Arado: Bye Fael
SophiaSharon Larnia: wow a round of goodbyes, i have to get ready to go to work ;p
Fox Monacular: bye everyone
Zen Arado: I'll go too
SophiaSharon Larnia: bye Fael, Fox
Zen Arado: will save me typing all thise goodbyes :)
Agatha Macbeth: Yeah, I think I'm going 4 a walk, C ya
SophiaSharon Larnia: bye for now, have a good day/night :))
arabella Ella: bye all those leaving
Qt Core: bye Zet
Qt Core: Zen ;-)
SophiaSharon Larnia: I dont think anyone did
arabella Ella: i think Eliza did
SophiaSharon Larnia: oh great!!! :)
SophiaSharon Larnia: see ya :)
Qt Core: i saw a claim
arabella Ella: i must go now too
arabella Ella: nite Qt
Qt Core: ok, have fun
Qt Core: bye
arabella Ella: u too :)