Music at Work

[sevenhalo]

I wear headphones almost all day (I take them off for meetings and leave them around my neck while I'm on the phone). My last two jobs were ok with this, but I'm curious how common of a practice it is.

[iPrank]

I can't concentrate while music is playing.

[sevenhalo]

I've been doing it so long, I can't imagine not listening to music while I work. It actually helps me concentrate, because I only have two things happening around me. The code infront of me and the music playing. If I take them off, I get distracted by people walking by, shuffling papers, loud printers, other people on the phone, etc etc. When too many things are happening around me, it breaks my concentration.

Call it ADD if you want (I'm not diagnosed or taking medication, but I don't dismiss the idea), but I'm fine with it.

[thegreatone]

Where's the option "Not allowed, but still do" ?

[sevenhalo]

That would just be "No"

I'm curious about the company policy.

[thegreatone]

Various claening jbs my aunties had - No.
Various phone jobs my friends have had - no.

Thats 2 more for your collection at least

[mendhak]

We're allowed both as long as it's within 'tolerance levels'.

In our team, I have the daunting task of picking the music to play.

But I like to go back to the headphones, it's distracting listening to them keep saying "oooh I love so-and-so-artist-name!"

[zuperman]

I can't concentrate without smashing pumpkins...

[mendhak]

Shakedown, 1979... cool kids never had the time

{I hate earworms }

[capsulecorpjx]

My company actually provides the headphones.

[sevenhalo]

All their songs are like that though... Zero, Everlasting Gaze, Perfect.

[penagate]

I could bring headphones, but I'd be forever having to take them off. And my hearing sucks, so I crank them full bore and it would distract everyone else.

Plus I'd have to cart my music collection around

At home, I live with them on though Silence is so distracting.

[damasterjo]

At home I just listen to my REALLY LOUD ceiling fan, but it exploded the other night (literally), sparks, smoke, smell and all. No "fire" though... So it was quiet for a day, till I started sweating then I got a window fan... But hopefully tomorrow IM MOVING OUT! YEAH!!!!!

[illebille]

We're not allowed to, but i'm using my headphones anyway.
In all other departments of the firm (production-unit etc) they have the radio on all day, but we are not allowed to do so, because "we wouldn't be able to concentrate"...

[tommygrayson]

We are allowed to work with music as long as other departments could not hear.

We are also allowed to use the Internet.

What a beautiful life!!!!

Oh yeah and I think I need music and coffee while I am working. Keeps me awake.

[mendhak]

I'm allowed to wear clothes when I listen to music.

[wossname]

I can't concentrate unless there is music playing or at least some random background noise, I hate working in silence.

I favour most decent rock and thrash metal. They let us have headphones on any time we like here: "as long as it doesn' stop you hearing the fire alarm, we don't care what you do"

I usually stick a few tunes on windows media player.

System of a Down / NiN == good coding music.

[wossname]

I'm allowed to wear clothes when I listen to music.

Such freedoms lead to complacency of faith.

[NoteMe]

I can't concentrate unless there is music playing or at least some random background noise, I hate working in silence.

Echo that


I usualy move my head and uper body at the same time as I write code. Techno is great. Probably look like I have big problems though. SOmething I might also have..

[Valleysboy1978]

...Techno is great...

Debatable at best

[sevenhalo]

Debatable at best

bah, pshh...

I'm glad to hear that it is a little more common than I originally thought. That is my biggest fear in finding a new job. I wouldn't last at a place where I couldn't rock out all day. Not only would I have the hardest time trying to concentrate on work and fighting misery; I would probably bring the rest of the office down with me (not out of spite, but just because I couldn't fake it).

[Static]

were allowed to here... but not thru the internet. but I do anyway. Using XaMp destop to listen to XM radio

then have the stupidest method to block sites... its a script. so all I have to do is go to internet options, connections, lan settings, then uncheck the :Use automatic config script: LOL.. UH!

[Hack]

At the company that actually pays my salary, headphones are perfectly acceptable.

However, I've been doing onsite work at another company since before Thanksgiving last year, and their policy is absolutely no music of any kind.

The only people allowed headphones are the customer service people who spend their life answering telephone calls. Radios are not allowed, external speakers are not allowed on any computers, and part of the standard desktop and laptop configuration that is placed on computers prior to giving them to employees disables the internal speakers.

The silence in this building is deafening.

It gets better.

All internet email sites are banned, so it is not possible to check internet email while at work.

All sites dealing with Games are banned.

All Travel sites are banned.

Sites like eBay are banned.

Without specific permission, it is not possible to download ANYTHING from the internet.

It is not possible to install ANYTHING on a company computer. If you require specific "non-standard" software, someone from the IT department has to come to your desk, logon your machine as an administrator and do the install. NOONE is an administrator of their own machine except the IT department.

It is a real joy to work at this place.

[sevenhalo]

We have uniforms here. All of our shirts have to be purchased through the company ($25-$35 each). We're required to own atleast 3 and have to buy new ones each year.

[NoteMe]

I am so happy with my job here.


- I am right now listening to music (without headphones)
- I am surfing the web every time I need to wait for a script to finish, or sometihng to compile.
- I am on MSN all the time
- I can if I want send personal e-mails both with my CERN mail or web mail. (but I seldom do it at work anyway)
- At coffee break 4pm today the british guys have chalanged us Scandinavians for some footie, so we will take an hour off in the sun and play some.. The weather is soooo great.



I love my work..

[sevenhalo]

Yeah... NoteMe, you need to get me a job; seriously. I'll revert back to C# and refresh myself on C++ as an added bonus. Hell, I'd even lean DB2 and Oracle.

I'm mad jealous. m(_ _)m

[NoteMe]

The skills you need for most jobs here is:

- Python
- Root
- Fortran
- C++
- And some languages made here. + CERNs own version of Linux, and Solaris is ok to know a bit.

and a few have:
- Java
- PHP



No .NET though..:

[the182guy]

The skills you need for most jobs here is:

- Python
- Root
- Fortran
- C++
- And some languages made here. + CERNs own version of Linux, and Solaris is ok to know a bit.

and a few have:
- Java
- PHP



No .NET though..:

do you still use those punch cards also for programming?!?!?

as for music, you cant beat blink-182 or angels & airwaves while I take over the world from VB

[sevenhalo]

I've only been in .Net for a year now. It wouldn't take much for me to revert back to my old ways

[NoteMe]

do you still use those punch cards also for programming?!?!?

Havn't seen them around, but then again, I havn't been in 1/100th of the buildings here... So you never know..

[yrwyddfa]

Music at work is essential.

It relieves the enevitable boredom of more sequence, selection, and iteration.

[yrwyddfa]

I've only been in (a) .Net for a year now.

Another one of M$'s little fishes.

The more I look, the more I can see them . . . .

[sevenhalo]

Yeah, I'm one of the little fish... I like to stay little though. Then I'm faster then the bigger fish. So when the fish that's bigger than the big fish comes aroud eating everyone. I can make it to the next lake quickly. Or if the lake goes dry, I can survive in less water than the bigger fish. Also, if I get caught by a fishermen; they can't legally keep me cause I'm too small. They'll throw me back in the water hoping I grow... But the jokes on them, I'm only going to grow a pair of legs.

[Valleysboy1978]

You need help

[sevenhalo]

Naww, I'm alright. I just have a skewed corporate perspective. It's worked out for me though.

[wossname]

At the company that actually pays my salary, headphones are perfectly acceptable...

I was once seconded (thankfully briefly) to a department that was accessibl by the general public. The kiosk thing that I was forced to wok on was a nasty plastic thingy with a touchscreen and little else. Under the desk was a recess in the table that (if you had a flashlight and a penchant for caving) could get access to all the ports on the PC (via a load of extension leads, oh they had SO nearly locked this station down, so nearly).

Anyway, the windows shell they had installed meant that only the system administrator could reboot the PC. (It was a mofdified RM educational shell running on Win95 if anyone is interested).

Short of actually corrupting the registry there was no way of getting the damn thing to reboot apart from shoving something metallic into the PCMCIA port. Bingo, it promptly BSoDs and obligingly offers "hit any key to reboot".

Wait for it.....now!

<F8>
<Commandline only>

c:\edit system.ini

...shell=explorer.exe

pwnd.

They don't make operating systems like that any more. Shame really.