Computers/Keyboards + Dorm Room = No Zzzzzz?

mmortal03 asks: "Not until recently, by living with a roommate in college, had I noticed how annoying mouse clicks and keystrokes could be to someone who is trying to sleep. Often, one of us will be up using our computer while the other is tring to catch some z's. Whether it's just to do some late night browsing, type a draft of a paper, read an important email, or whatever else, the clicking of the mouse and typing at the keyboard can drive the other up the wall. Some temporary solutions have been using alternate keyboard strokes instead of mouse clicks, and going to use the school's own computer labs, but those are only open so late, or so early. I would like to hear from Slashdot users as to what their solutions have been, in the dorm rooms, for this matter. Besides the clicks and taps, another bother is that, when the lights are off, our monitors light up the room like small lamps. Outside of handing each other earplugs and eye shades, are there any available input devices that lack the noisiness, or screen filters that dim the light output of monitors outside direct viewing, that might solve this problem? Any other ideas?" We've touched on this subject tangentially, twice in articles from December. Do you have other hints or suggestions you want to pass on?

Comments

Voice recognition

[Anonymous Coward]

Would shut up the keyboards and mice. If you turned the monitor off, the light wouldn't be a problem.

Get earplugs.

[n1ywb]

Real geeks are lulled to sleep by the gentle sound of mouse and key clicks!

Re:Get earplugs.

[lambent]

I've had this experience, also. After living in close quarters for many years with a computer (or 3) whirring quietly to it self for 24 hours a day, I found that I could not live without it.

Once I moved into a new apartment where (ghasp) there was enough room to create a dedicated home office, and move the computers out of the bedroom, I had a ghastly time readjusting to the sound of silence ... horrible insomnia, random waking up in the middle of the night, not being able to shake the constant feeling of ... "there's no noise! the fans must have died!"

It was like an addiction ... a hellish two weeks, but eventually the cravings went away.

Why not?

[thelenm]

What's wrong with earplugs and eye shades?

easy

[dont_think_twice]

If you turn the music up loud enough, your sleeping roomate wont be able to hear the mouse or keyboard at all.

One button at a time

[tickticker]

read an important email, or whatever else, the clicking of the mouse and typing at the keyboard can drive the other up the wall.

How loud can one handed browsing be?

--
Sigs aren't just for memos anymore!

be glad he/she's not using voice recognition

[rcpitt]

On the other hand, if she is, you can always yell out in your sleep "format c: yes"

and claim it was a nightmare ;)

On a more practical note - while I love the IBM keyboards, I recently purchased one of the Logitech "Internet Navigator" keybaords (thumb wheel on the left and lots of extra buttons that Linux doesn't yet seem to see) that is really quite quiet. That along with one of the add-on "skid-pads" (like the ones on laptops) should lower the noise a few decibels.

Add to this one either a piece of relatively heavy fabric hung between the desk and the bed(s) or a (used) free-standing partition (like cubicles are built from - haunt the local auctions) and you can get some much needed rest.

My roomate causes the same problem for me...

[ForestGrump]

My very simple solution is have your roomate "kill himself". As a bonus, you can stop studying and get straight As for the quarter/semester.

oh wait...it was a movie?
-Grump

Re:Get a fan.

[adamjaskie]

cat /dev/urandom > /dev/dsp

also works...

Suggestion: A quieter keyboard will help

[flikx]

Scour the university surplus for an old IBM Model M keyboard. I have a few of them on various boxen, and I have to admit that they are the quietest keyboards I've ever come across.

My solution

[Cuthalion]

Even before college I had difficulty falling asleep. Eventually I figured out a technique which hasn't failed me yet:

Get really really tired first. If you haven't slept for 56 hours, a little 'clicka click click' isn't going to keep you awake! Neither is a small nuclear war, for that matter.

Re:Desktops are surprisingly portable.

[lambent]

You either have very large pockets, and consequently very large pants .... or very small keyboards, and consequently very tiny hands.

Laptop

[falsification]

Get a laptop and do your late night typing outside the room.

If I had only done that back when I was in college....it would have been much, much better. I would not have fallen behind in my studies, become depressed, got stressed out, had a major fight with my roommate, ruined the best friendship I ever had, and lost out on an opportunity for a menage et tois with the two cute neighbors down the hall.

But no, I didn't want to spring for another $200. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid.

Call yourselves students?

[vrai]

Real students don't sleep and wake! They pass out and come to. If you can't sleep through the noise of a few mouse-clicks then you're not nearly drunk enough.

I got a first-class (CompSki) degree from a good university without pulling any work-related all-nighters and drinking enough to drown a small country.

You're going to spend the next forty years working your arse off, at least spend the time you have at college/university having fun. You don't want your fondest memory of university to be the time you spent 36 hours debugging a server!

Re:not bothering the sleeping roommate/spouse/gf

[Chess_the_cat]

My IBM keyboard is crazy loud. I don't know too much about it but it says 'Model M' on the bottom. ;)

No problem

[splattertrousers]

Easy solution:

If you have to work late on the computer, tell your roommate that you're going to be up for a while making noise. He'll grumble a bit, get up, and walk down to the girls' side of the floor. He'll knock on a random door which will be opened by a beautiful blonde.

He'll say, "My roommate is making noise, can I sleep here?" She'll let him in and he'll see that her hot roommate is totally naked. Five seconds later, the three of them will be having sex for hours and hours (with the lights on at full intensity of course).

You'll be working on your geeky project the whole time, constantly adjusting the tape on your glasses and making nerdy expressions.

Or maybe I've been watching too much porn...

EARPLUGS

[sir_cello]

Did you hear me ?