nicco miranda

1. I noticed a wide variety of voices, and even more variety in terms of the enthusiasm at which people were expressing themselves. There was a wide range of male and female voices, some of the more distinct voices were those at each polar end of the 'spectrum'. In other words, those with really deep voices were distinct as well as those with very high voices. 

Other sounds that I heard included the footsteps of passerby's, a skateboard, people laughing, keys, typing on a laptop, and the rustling of chip bags. 

An interesting pattern I noticed was with regards to the overall volume of the conversations. I was sitting in the hallway of Central Square, and it seemed as if the overall volume of conversations would rise and fall at the same time. So it was as if everyone in the hall collectively spoke louder at the same time, and would be quieter in the same way. 

2. In the two to three separate conversations, there was usually one louder more extraverted person leading the conversations. This person seemed to be the most confident within the group, as even if they may not have necessarily been loudest, their voices were the most distinct. 

What helped me to hear what people were saying was to really focus on listening to that persons particular voice. If the conversation was happening from further away, looking at the people would help, as I could correlate what they were saying to how their mouths were moving. The focus was very directional, and helped to filter out all the noise from elsewhere.

3. While trying to listen to all the conversations at once, the sounds of voices seemed to blend together. I was still evident that people were speaking, but it was very hard to determine what anyone was actually saying. 

I'm not sure if these would be considered to be adjoining sounds, but during laughter, people would usually laugh together. Some people would also be speaking while fiddling with their keys, or making some other noise. 

The space was a long hallway, so sounds could be faintly heard from far away, as they would be carried through the corridor. Sounds were condensed in a way, whereas attempting to listen to people outside or in large spaces like Vari Hall proved to be more difficult.

4. I was sitting in a hallway in Central Square around lunch time. Due to the nature of the setting, there were a lot of people walking by and thus a lot of snippets of conversations that would increase in volume as people walked closer, and decreased as they walked away.

Overall I learned that it is quite difficult to focus in on a conversation when in a fairly busy public space, especially when many people are talking. An active initiative is needed in order to be able to actually listen intently to particular conversations. Also some of these conversations made me uncomfortable, not because of the content, but rather in how callus some people spoke. Some people can be really obnoxious which made me want to distance myself from them.