"Moving to the countryside to get some peace and quiet" could backfire, especially in farm areas.
The real me covering his ears. You see Dan blew all his dough to move to the country thinking that he could get some peace and quiet, but instead got radios, bird-clearing rockets, kareoke, hunters' and their dogs and rifles, 24-hour radios to scare monkeys away from crops, smudge pots (smoke from fire to prevent cold damage to crops), also of course weed whipper motor noise and far floating pesticide odor.
Asking neighbors to cooperate doesn't always work.
Not long after moving to the hills, an international air route even appeared over my head.
There are folks who think it's great to go to the country and sing kareoke. However, their invisible neighbors for kilometers around don't necessarily wish to share the experience.
By the way, in Taiwan, schools often have bells and loudspeakers pointing outwards, so the surrounding community must share in each day's internal affairs.
Below I attempt to address solutions to some items. Of course if one can provide the equipment to the neighbors, this might better facilitate the solution.
Usually a radio is placed in a shack, to provide coverage for e.g., one hectare. However, this forces those people on the 500 hectares beyond to also listen along.
To determine the source, one can tune into the same station with one's pocket radio, and use speed of sound, 3 seconds per kilometer, to estimate the distance of the delay. Make sure it is the same station when you visit the source, to avoid bothering other parties.
(One can see, with this level of concern, one will be busy for years.) Average folks don't pay that much attention to surrounding noise pollution, they are too busy with their own business, as compared to us more empty headed types.
One can indeed listen clearer in every corner of the farm as compared to when one just hangs the radio in the shack. One can also change stations, etc.
Try providing a pocket radio, with rechargeable batteries and charger. (Note we are not talking about a "walkman" with earphones. Earphones are not needed!)
2007: Buy boxes of brand name quality pocket radios and chargers and batteries, as gifts. The radio should have a flexible wire-like antenna. Also bring the local tourism brochure, mentioning that we want to make a environment suitable to tourism.
2004.11.8 I returned home to find on a hilltop 500 meters away, two loudspeakers, each 60 watts, at full blast, 24 hours a day. Like an announcement truck parked at one's door.
Fortunately they allowed me to replace them with many face sized (20cm) flat speakers, further back behind the hill, with a timer to turn them off for extra measure, as monkeys are diurnal.
Unfortunately, when fruits are ripe, sound might be the most economical monkey scaring method for farmers.
I hear there is now a system where when a monkey breaks an infrared beam, and electronic firecracker sounds. Sounds like progress, but I just hope it can shut itself down at night, as perhaps swaying tree branches etc. might block the beam...
2007: Actually most farmers soon realize the long term ineffectiveness of radios upon monkeys, and use instead walls of black plastic cloth usually with electric wires beneath.
Farmers say such noises have little effect. Maybe they can try alternatives.
Farmers sometimes use a few firecrackers wrapped at intervals along a stick of incense to scare birds and monkeys of the daytime. But if not timed right, this can end up exploding through the night, wakening neighbors. The flash is gone before one can look, so one can't tell where the problem occurred unless there is enough smoke.
There are some pesticides that stink for days or at each rain begin stinking again. Perhaps the neighbor can try a different pesticide.
Pigeon ransoming bird nets must be eliminated with police assistance, to get rid of criminals loitering.
Looks like a major investment. Also trying hearing protection muffs...
Note: as weather gets colder, sounds transmit more clearly. Also natural masking sounds, e.g., crickets, decrease.
When the sun comes out rising air currents create somewhat of an isolating barrier effect.
Seems like one needs the cooperation of many neighbors to be able to go from day to day.
The amount of burning in the countryside is not small (lot of smoke).
Acoustic ecology, urban birds, ovenbird noise.
Stationary (neighbors', not hunters') dogs, chicken calls are easy to get used to.
Alas, I was raised in the comfy USA suburbs. If I grew up in Taiwan, I probably would not be affected.
All the tension mentioned above could easily provoke depression.
Protective headsets as the kind construction workers use are more comfortable than earplugs.
One can experiment with just blocking one ear. Has something to do with brain hemispheres.
"People differed dramatically in their ability to keep irrelevant items out of awareness." [Ref]
If you don't allow hunters in, they will vandalize your property.
Last modified: 2008-08-15 23:13:10 +0800