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Gizmo Cafe Video: Office Space MP3 Players

The office space cube farm is a reality of working in this modern 'age of information', but our labors needn’t be completely bleak. Despite toiling in prefab cubes designed with soul crushing off-white fabric that glistens beneath the delicate hue of dental office fluorescence, there are many positive developments. The modern day office space affords the worker casual, comfortable attire and my personal favorite luxury - the MP3 player. Even managers can rejoice, as studies show music increases productivity. In this video I’ll explore how to get the most from your office space MP3 player.

With a power outlet and a static seating arrangement it’s strange that people who work to music insist on using stock earbuds. Since portability at your cube isn’t an issue you can even go with AC-powered headphone amplification along with real headphones.

iPod hi-fi Resources

HeadFi.org Forums - Great resource to learn everything you need to know

Get more info on lossless codecs

Beginner's Guide to MP3 Players

Info on Apple's FairPlay DRM including how to remove it!

Troubleshoot an ailing iPod

Published Tuesday, August 15, 2006 1:13 PM by Wayde

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Thanos said:

Music increases productivity?? Nonsense . . . These new ideas never cease to make me laugh . . . Next thing your going to tell me that the Egyptians beat drums because they found that workers seemed to instinctively work with the beat . . . Or ship captain's found that drumming helped the rowers . . . Or that wardens and drill sargeants both figured out that having the men sing songs seemed to keep up their spirits while they were working and marching. . .
You can't trust employees with something as volatile as music anyways . . . music only leads to free thinking, and we all know what that is . . . well some of us do.

Nice work on the vid Wayde.
August 16, 2006 1:52 PM
 

Drake said:

I think your going a bit excessive in your iPod setup, but I guess if you're going to listen to it in a cubicle for 8 hours a day it's justifiable and the amp does look cool heh.

Awesome quality on the videos btw, glad you didn't go the upload to youtube approach.
August 16, 2006 2:40 PM
 

Wayde said:

Thanks guys.

Oh and Thanos, do you like movies with Gladiators in 'em?
August 16, 2006 5:09 PM
 

Alissa said:

I think I would die in the 'soul crushing walls' of my cubicle if it weren't for my mp3 player...classical music (emphasis on classical) has actually been proven to increase concentration and foster creativity - skills a lot of people are significantly lacking in the workplace, nowadays. And even working with your favourite tunes of any genre can be a huge pick-me-up. At any rate, it absolutely beats the incessant keyboard clacking that is ever-present in a 'cube farm'.
Haven't gone so far as to set up a sound system though.  Stock phones are about all i can handle.
August 18, 2006 2:27 PM
 

Wayde said:

Welcome Alissa.

When you say "all you can handle" - do you mean volume?

High volume will wreck your ears. Better quality headphones using an amp that delivers greater current so the speakers inside your phones reach their full potential can actually save your ears some volume. The headphones will provide greater equalization across the full range of audible frequencies so you won't find yourself pumping the volume because a certain range sounds flat.

At least that's how it is with me. I have some classical too. I like lots of electronic music, some of it imitates classical in its scope.
August 18, 2006 3:03 PM
 

Alissa said:

Thanks for the welcome Wayde.

It's not so much the volume, as the complexity - stock headphones keep it simple, plug and play. I wouldn't know where to start with anything else.  But i have to admit, i am intrigued by the idea of amps...maybe i'll be a convert yet!
August 21, 2006 10:02 AM
 

Office Space iPod Experience|Home Theater Blogs|Home Theater Shack said:

PingBack from http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/home-theater-blogs/1426-office-space-ipod-experience.html#post10227
August 24, 2006 5:15 PM
 

Nokkar said:

I gotta get me a setup like that. Earbuds are a pain in the ear (literally).

I like the quality of Apple's lossless compression, but it still takes up a lot of space compared to an mp3... too big to be practical for a Nano and especially a Shuffle.
September 29, 2006 10:23 AM
 

Gizmo Cafe Blog said:

Jake Ludington’s MediaBlab has some photos of the two portable MP3 players that are entering into a death-match...
October 2, 2006 9:57 AM
 

Wayde said:

Hey Nokkar!

There are two kinds of people on this world. Those who accept Consumer Electronics companies invading their aural orifices with their 'buds' and those who would rather die than submit to their torture.

I am counted among the latter! Death Before Earbuds!
October 6, 2006 3:36 PM
 

Gizmo Cafe Blog said:

What happens when you get an iPod full of hi-bit AAC and Apple Lossless files, a hi-fi Tube Headphone...
February 22, 2007 3:28 PM

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About Wayde

Wayde’s super power is fixing electronics by smacking them. Fixing his way through college he repaired TVs - monitors, stereos and even a pinball machine. He was finally defeated by arch nemesis - Planned Obsolescence in issue #280 and now enjoys super-hero retirement as an editor and gadget blogger.