「搬到鄉下享受安靜」可能享受不到，特別在農業區。 "Moving to the countryside to get some peace and quiet" could backfire, especially in farm areas.
The real me 真的我蒙著耳朵， 因雖然把錢花了了搬到鄉下， 仍得不到安靜。 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. 收音機、 嚇鳥炮竹、 卡拉ＯＫ、 獵狗、人、槍、 防寒煙、 割草機嗡、 趕猴喇叭廿四小時， 另難免的割草機聲、 農藥味遠飄。
Asking neighbors to cooperate doesn't always work. 拜託鄰居效率有限。
搬上山不久頭頂又出現一條國際航線。 Not long after moving to the hills, an international air route even appeared over my head.
有的人覺得 「到山上高唱卡拉ＯＫ」很棒， 但他們看不到的幾公里內的鄰居不見得也想欣賞。 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.
順便提， 為什麼台灣的學校都弄擴音系統， 「某某同學，請到某某室」何必同時通知周圍兩公里？ 校鐘亦同。
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.
以下針對個別噪音來源提供可能改善辦法。 當然若能送設備給鄰居， 效果更大。 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.
往往是放在工寮插電， 開很大聲， 為了一整公頃地走到那兒， 聽到那兒。 問題是後邊五百公頃的人被迫跟著聽。
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.
尋找來源， 能將手上收音機調至同一台， 以聲速三秒一公里， 估距離。 到現場確定是同一台， 以免找無辜。
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.
（可見這樣在乎， 我們就忙很多年。） 一般的人太忙自己的事， 不太會注意周圍的噪音， 不像我們較會發呆的人。
(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.
比工寮掛著更能聽到那兒， 亦能隨時轉台。
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.
可試提供口袋型收音機配充電電池、 充電器。 （並非插耳機的隨身聽， 耳機無必要！） 亦能掛樹上。
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年: 買一箱正牌口袋式收音機，及一箱正牌充電器與電池，送人家。收音 機配軟式線狀天線。加上本地推廣觀光手冊以強調大家營造觀光環境。 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 回家發現於五百公尺遠山頭設兩支各六十瓦特喇叭廿四小時全開， 如宣傳車停在門口一樣。 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.
還好允許我換成數支臉孔大的扁喇叭又退後坡， 另加定時器晚間切掉，因夜間無猴。 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.
不幸， 果實成熟期間， 聲音可能是農民最經濟防猴法。
Unfortunately, when fruits are ripe, sound might be the most economical monkey scaring method for farmers.
聽說今有如猴子穿紅外線電子鞭炮則響， 聽起來很進步，惟希望晚上自動關閉， 萬一有搖動樹枝等等斷光線… 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年:一般農民快發現喇叭對猴無長效， 轉採黑蘭花棚布牆， 內或藏電線。 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.
農民說嚇鳥炮竹效果不大… Farmers say such noises have little effect. Maybe they can try 替代方法 alternatives.
以趕白天的鳥與猴， 農民有時用一枝香綁幾枝鞭炮。 惟若時間沒把握， 可能一直爆整夜，叫醒鄰居。 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. 爆後，閃光已過，若也無濃煙則已無法辨釋從哪理。 The flash is gone before one can look, so one can't tell where the problem occurred unless there is enough smoke.
有些農藥長臭或每下雨又臭起來。 看鄰居能不能試另種。
There are some pesticides that stink for days or at each rain begin stinking again. Perhaps the neighbor can try a different pesticide.
勒鴿鳥網必須請警方根除， 以免除惡棍徘徊。 Pigeon ransoming bird nets must be eliminated with police assistance, to get rid of criminals loitering.
諾伊斯聲學之家； 投資好像不少。 還有耳罩。 Looks like a major investment. Also trying hearing protection muffs...
天氣越冷， 聲音傳得越清晰， 加上大自然能蓋的聲音， 如蟋蟀， 也減少。 Note: as weather gets colder, sounds transmit more clearly. Also natural masking sounds, e.g., crickets, decrease.
出太陽氣流往上，路具自然屏障效應。 When the sun comes out rising air currents create somewhat of an isolating barrier effect.
好像需要很多鄰居的合作才有辦法過日子。 Seems like one needs the cooperation of many neighbors to be able to go from day to day.
鄉下每日燒的東西也不少（煙多）。 The amount of burning in the countryside is not small (lot of smoke).
Acoustic ecology, urban birds, ovenbird noise.
鄰居固定狗、雞叫能快習慣，獵狗則不。 Stationary (neighbors', not hunters') dogs, chicken calls are easy to get used to.
可惜我於美國郊外長大， 若於台灣長大大概不受影響。 Alas, I was raised in the comfy USA suburbs. If I grew up in Taiwan, I probably would not be affected.
以上種種壓力易引發憂鬱症。 All the tension mentioned above could easily provoke depression.
耳罩比耳塞舒適。 Protective headsets as the kind construction workers use are more comfortable than earplugs.
可試只罩單耳， 或許此與左右腦有關。 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]
Last modified: 2008-03-21 05:48:56 +0800