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This has probably been discussed before, but why not go around again? (...and, of course, I'm too lazy to dig through the archives...)
So my wife got me the new RWBY disk, and I was looking forward to the fun of working on a side project in Ruby (the language) while binge watching all the seasons. I had just finished up the Trigun series doing this project, so it was time to change up the entertainment.
Thinking about it, though, it seems that a kind of system has emerged. When I'm working on C projects, I usually put in a series of horror movies: Mama, Mirror, Altitude, the new/old Evil Dead movies, etc. Must be something about demons and pointers that just go well together. Ruby, my newest coding language, seems to have me pulling from the anime shelf in my collection.
When I'm in the home office for my day job, I have VLC running through some playlists or albums on my headset so I can concentrate. But even there, I seem to have some go-to music, depending on what kind of project I'm working on. If it's a C# project, I tend to play Five Finger Death Punch or Disturbed a lot (that might be self-explanatory).
If it's a Java project, I tend to have Green Day or Meatloaf. OTOH, if it's working on the database design, I tend to play a lot more 80s stuff.
So my question is this: Has anyone else noticed that their taste in music or background noise seems to change according to what kind of work you are doing? Or is it truly just white noise to help you concentrate?
vuolsi così colà dove si puote
ciò che si vuole, e più non dimandare
--The answer to Minos and any question of "Why are we doing it this way?"
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I can't say that my musical tastes change with the project, but they do change with my level of alertness.
I usually listen to either Classical music or opera, but on the (thankfully) rare occasions when I have to work more than 12 hours, I put on some marching music to help me stay alert.
If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.
--Winston Churchill
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Yup! J.P. Sousa for heads-down pumping out code.
Otherwise, I just pick whatever strikes me:
Classical, film S.T., jazz, rock (classical/progressive), other misc.
"Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed."
- G.K. Chesterton
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Absolutely, I have different playlists for different languages and even for specific projects. It has a big effect too, no concentration with the wrong project/playlist combo.
Maybe some sort of context-dependent memory thing going on?
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I used to just run through every song I had with shuffle on, but then (unintentionally) start to put certain albums or songs on repeat. I think that I've been seeing the same effects (good and bad), but wasn't really analyzing it until now.
Do you put together playlists and then pick them for a project/language type, or do you edit the playlists as you go along? I'm curious, because it seems like there might be something worth digging into a little. Maybe even a programmer-focused playlist addon to VLC or something?
vuolsi così colà dove si puote
ciò che si vuole, e più non dimandare
--The answer to Minos and any question of "Why are we doing it this way?"
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My playlists sort of evolve, I don't put any thought into putting them together (I'm not sure I could, I haven't found any particular logic behind it). Then I pick the one that "goes with" whatever I'm working on.
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If it's something that requires concentration, it's usually silence. If the background noise gets annoying then I'll put on something instrumental...like Steve Vai, Steve Morse, or Yngwie Malmsteen.
If it's robot coding, then I just put MP into shuffle and see what comes up. I still haven't gotten into streaming radio yet...I simply prefer my own collection...70's, 80's, metal, prog, blues, etc.  (in no particular order)
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse
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I'm the guy who prefers to code all day in total silence - if I can hear a pin drop, even better. Noise distracts me, I can't understand how it can help anyone concentrate on anything.
That said, in noisy environments, I have put on headphones to listen to white noise to drown out ambient sounds like phones, conversations or music. That is, the kind that doesn't draw your attention and has no discernible repeating pattern.
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This is absolutely what I was going to post, minus the white noise (which I think is something I must try). 
"Real men drive manual transmission" - Rajesh.
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I found it effective to drown out distracting noises, but it's not a long term solution - it's really just a different kind of "annoying"...
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I find it impossible to get anything done if I put on music or whatever else. It's extremely distracting for me. 
Like another poster said, I do not understand how could it possibly be beneficial for others to concentrate on work.
"Real men drive manual transmission" - Rajesh.
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I usually put on my usual palylist of rock and metal, the subgenres depend heavily on my mood rather that what I'm doing.
Noise distractsme, but my usual playlist is... usual. Many songs are there since 10+ years. So it's both a easy, repeating and discernible pattern helping me cancel out the backgorund noise of the farking open space. Also I like it so my mood goes up.
Idevelop better with Power Metal - nothing better than marching music at 140-160 bpm with lyrical singing about you being a hero marching to fend off the evil demons invasion to get a rhythm in coding. And the solos... come on hearing Luca Turilli sweep picking like a freaking god of metal really gives oomph.
GCS d--- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L- E-- W++ N++ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t++ 5? X R++ tv-- b+ DI+++ D++ G e++>+++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
If you think 'goto' is evil, try writing an Assembly program without JMP. -- TNCaver
When I was six, there were no ones and zeroes - only zeroes. And not all of them worked. -- Ravi Bhavnani
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I need a constant volume level but I find music too distracting - good music grabs my total attention and bad music annoys the living daylights out of me.
Spoken word radio works best for me (Radio 4 here in the UK). Test Match Special works best of all.
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Disturbed
For me its more dependent on the length of time I plan to sit down. If it's for the long haul I usually go with some psychedelic trance or ambient music which I pick out from youtube.
If I'm in a pinch or working on a tougher nut to crack I go with more intense music. Disturbed and Static-x makes up the corner stone along with Pridogy and then an assortment of random music I've collected.
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I find that I focus the best and produce better code when listening to video game music of all things. It's quick paced, instrumental, and repetitive. The quick pace helps me to drive forward. Without lyrics, there is nothing else vying for the attention of the language parts of my brain besides the code. The repetitive part lends itself to looping, forever.
These are some of my usual haunts:
EoSD Hong Meiling's Theme: Shanghai Alice of Meiji 17
DDC Raiko's Theme: Primordial Beat ~ Pristine Beat
if (Object.DividedByZero == true) { Universe.Implode(); }
Meus ratio ex fortis machina. Simplicitatis de formae ac munus. -Foothill, 2016
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I think that Hanselman's presentation is fascinating!!!
Think all the new platforms you can use and target - virtually from anywhere...
Skipper: We'll fix it.
Alex: Fix it? How you gonna fix this?
Skipper: Grit, spit and a whole lotta duct tape.
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Channel 9?
Is Hanselman the Dutch guy talking about cheese?
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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Channel 9 is an MS video blog, I believe.
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Shh!
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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Mark_Wallace wrote: Is Hanselman the Dutch guy talking about cheese?
eDamn I believe!
New version: WinHeist Version 2.2.2 Beta I told my psychiatrist that I was hearing voices in my head. He said you don't have a psychiatrist!
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I would have said "That's a gouda one!", but I know how it's pronounced*, so I won't.
* Pronounce the "g" like you're being strangled -- which is what should have been done to the buggers who invented the Dutch language.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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I think he was Swiss anyway! 
New version: WinHeist Version 2.2.2 Beta I told my psychiatrist that I was hearing voices in my head. He said you don't have a psychiatrist!
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Sorry, but your proposition is full of holes.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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Mark_Wallace wrote: Sorry, but your proposition is full of holes.
I beg to differ but let's ask a 3rd party, Ricotta know if I'm right or wrong?
New version: WinHeist Version 2.2.2 Beta I told my psychiatrist that I was hearing voices in my head. He said you don't have a psychiatrist!
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