[bayindirh]

Actually, I'm somewhere in between about Audio books.

First of all, for some books, that's great. Esp, if read by a good voice actor. It can convert a book to radio theater, that's magic.

However, if you're listening while you're driving, or being distracted, you lose the some parts of the picture.

Lastly, not all books are good audio books. Some of them need stopping, reflecting, and some re-reading sometimes.

So, horses for courses I may say.

[nicbou]

I'm paying more attention to an audiobook in my car than at a book in a busy place.

[TeMPOraL]

As long as you're paying more attention to the road than to your audiobook...

That's the main reason I never got into audiobooks and podcasts. They engage my brain just enough to prevent multitasking, but not enough to stop a part of me from getting bored and restless.

Similar to most work meetings when I'm not presenting or otherwise directly involved in specific topics under discussion. It's a pain.

[BeetleB]

> As long as you're paying more attention to the road than to your audiobook...

I am, that's why I hit "Rewind" on my audiobooks very often. But even though I'm "distracted" by the road, I find that I concentrate more on a (difficult) audiobook than the equivalent book. With a book, it's actually easy to zone out for a paragraph or two. With audiobooks, if I zone out, I feel quite lost very quickly. I need to rewind.

[bayindirh]

We are all different, and that's OK. Listening stuff while driving is impossible for me, but I can tune out pretty well while reading something.

I finished my Ph.D. in a Starbucks and thanked them to have me till closing for quite some time in my manuscript, too!

[nicbou]

Interesting! I guess it depends on the kind of driving. Once you hit the Autobahn it's pretty easy on the brain. Riding a motorcycle in a big city is a different experience.

I love working from cafés. That mention in your manuscript is a lovely touch.

[bayindirh]

> I love working from cafés.

Me too. The different atmosphere acts like a catalyst if I like the place and work comfortable.

> That mention in your manuscript is a lovely touch.

Thanks.

I drive a car, but city traffic is much more demanding than the Autobahn. Even then, I lately prefer to listen to the machine, and let my brain to do its background processing.

I somehow learnt to sit comfortable by myself and let what lies beneath to surface. It serves me much better than constantly consuming something.

[mysterydip]

Personally, even if I lose something listening to an audiobook while driving, I gain more than if I did something else. It's otherwise lost time. I can always re-listen and gain something I missed the first time.

[bayindirh]

That's one perspective. On the other hand, I find many missing pieces what I'm looking for while driving in silence. When I reach my destination, either have answers or new questions to jot down.

I think silence / noise is another form of breathing. After filling your brains' queues, you need to allow it to process these queues in its own terms. When queues are processed, there is loot to collect at the other end of the bar.