[stonesixone]

One thing that intrudes on attention that has been around even before computers is noise pollution. Living in a city, loud motorcyclists and fire (and police) sirens are constant irritations. Unlike visual intrusions, you can't look away or close your eyes. Even plugging your ears only muffles loud sounds.

And in cafe settings where you might be working, there's the problem of people who talk on their phones, as well as not silencing their phone, so you hear a "ding" every time they get a text, etc.

[k-mcgrady]

This is a problem for some people, not all. Particularly noise pollution. I'm easily distracted and live in London and noise just doesn't bother me anymore. I used to need complete silence to sleep and now (in summer) I have my windows fully open, there are loud cars, sirens, people etc. going by all night, and I sleep soundly.

I take issue with the point about working in cafés as I see it a lot with tech people (so this isn't specifically directed at you). A café is a place for people to eat/drink and socialise and it has been for at least over 100 years. The rest of the world shouldn't have to redefine the social constraints of an established venue because people cheap out on an office and choose to work there.

[stonesixone]

I actually don't mind people talking and socializing, etc, in cafes. It's when people talk on phones in cafes like it's their personal office space that I find it annoying (at least for me).

[anigbrowl]

Very true. Some sounds are worse than others, depending on the degree to which their frequency distribution differs from that of the environment. Thus, construction noise (jackhammers and so on) is annoying, but you can get used to it. The warning beeps on reversing vehicles, on the other hand, drive me towards suicidal despair, and no, I am not exaggerating for effect. I have never seen any actual evidence that they reduce accidents; they seem like a good idea that was adopted to reduce liability without any evidence of actual effectiveness.

Other unnecessary but infuriating sources of noise pollution are car alarms that don't know when to quit, and leafblowers, which are not only extremely noisy due to the 2-stroke engine, they pollute heavily with fumes (very unhealthy for the operator) and typically just move dirt and debris off private property and into common areas, exploiting three externalities for a very small labor saving. I must confess that I fantasize about meeting the person who invented them and exacting a horrible revenge for the intense distress they cause me - again, I'm not exaggerating for comic effect. If someone starts one of those up within 30 feet of me it takes all my strength not to fall to my knees and start vomiting.

I liked living in cities when I was younger but these days I'm trying to figure out the logistics of living in a remote location like a forest or the Mojave desert, which is the only place I've ever felt truly relaxed. I worked there for a month (with a film crew) a few years ago and it was heaven.

[dredmorbius]

Noise pollution, and complaints of city noises (and smells) pre-date industrial times. You'll particularly find diatribes about this from writers, scientists, and philosophers. Horse's hooves and carriage-wheels on cobbles and pavingstones, for example.

Prior to organised sanitation systems, olefactory assaults were also far more common.

[Arizhel]

I have a terrible time with work because of distractions, but the noise pollution in a city doesn't bother me much at all. Loud motorcyclists are a pain, but it helps to live in places where there aren't too many of those (i.e. places with culture). Sirens are the main thing that you can't get away from, but those really aren't that common unless you live in a really dangerous place perhaps.

Even working in a cafe using WiFi is a nice experience for me. Cafes I've sat in don't have people yakking on their phones; I've never seen that as it seems to be quite forbidden by the unspoken social code of such places. There might be some phone beeps, but it's not that big a deal, and I don't have much trouble shutting it out.

The problem I see, and have personally, isn't noise in a city, it's noise in the workplace, because of the open-plan office. I could concentrate far better in a city park or a coffee shop than I can in those stupid open-plan offices, where I'm constantly overhearing (whether I want to or not) the conversations of coworkers, and constantly worrying about coworkers sneaking up behind me. Honestly, I would do far better having a remote-only job where I'm required to work in a coffee shop all day long than I do in open-plan offices.