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            We’ve all winced at least once at the deafening sound of a commuter loudly conversing with someone on a mobile phone. But why is shouting like this so common?

The answer begins by looking at an aspect of telephone design that pre-dates the mobile phone, called “sidetone” – a feature whereby a caller could hear their own voice in the phone’s speaker when talking.

This reassures the user that they can be heard, leaving no reason to raise one’s voice. Landlines have sidetones specifically to prevent bellowing in offices and indoor space. But did mobiles do away with them? As acoustic technologist Nick Zakarov notes, no, they didn’t – there are international guidelines that suggest a recommended decibel level for sidetone in mobile phones.

But the problem with mobiles is that they are mobile, and a fixed volume of sidetone isn't always sufficient where background noise is very high.

Plus, there's also the Lombard effect to consider. This is our natural tendency to raise our voice to match the noise levels around us. We tend to try and match the loudest sound we can hear. A pneumatic drill on a building site, for example.

Hence the phenomenon of overly audible mobile phone chats.

It’s worth pointing out, however, that this would not be the first time that our use of phones has challenged the idea of good manners. When phones were originally invented, they raised all sorts of questions for Victorians. Should one have a phone conversation when undressed? Was it proper to stand up when speaking to a woman on the phone?

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Taken in: Deutschland / Bayern / Schmölz (show map)

Taken on: September 8, 2017

Tags:

Neil Moralee

Neil Moralee Nikon D7200

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Sets appears in: • The Germans • Street more » • Faces « less

Groups appears in: • Portraiture Photography (of real people) • Portraiture (of real people) more » • Portrait (real persons only) • Black & White Portraits • One Face @ a Time ~ Street Portraiture • just faces • Portraits in B&W and monochrome • Portraits... Get Closer! • Portraits That Tell a Story (READ RULES BEFORE POSTING!) • The Portrait Group • Faces and faces - H.I.G.H.Q.U.A.L.I.T.Y. • PORTRAITS - A Gallery for your Best Portraiture • Black and White Portrait • Faces of Portraits • RAW Street Photography • portraits in black & white • Strong Portraits (Creative High Contrast and Dodge & Burn) • Portraiture/Self-Portraiture • Faces of Maturity • National Geographic Faces of the World • man portrait • *****Street Photography***** • Monochrome portraits • All Street Photography • FACE ON flickr (men & women) • World of Faces • Street B&W shots • !Portfolio of People (HIGH QUALITY, ADMIN MODERATED p1/c2) • Face Studies Of The World • Catch The Male Portrait • [][][]Not only Facebook[][][] • Portraits and Faces • Image Portrait Gallery !!! - B&W or Color !!! • Aspiring Street Photographers • The Portraitists.. by invitation ~ P1/C2 • !* Gazing/Staring ☯ *portraits that feature gazing eyes* • Portraits from the Street • People Portraits World • Portraits - gesichte - faces - ritratti (hard selection) • Wonderful world of Portraits • PORTRAITS *** • Street Photography Magazine • Mastering Portraits « less

Camera: Nikon D7200, f/6.3, 1/400 sec, 300mm (=450mm), ISO 640 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D7200
Lens:	18.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-6.3
Aperture:	f/6.3
Exposure Time:	0.003 sec (1/400)
Focal Length:	300mm (35mm equivalent: 450mm)
ISO:	640
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Center-weighted average
White Balance:	Auto
Gain Control:	Low gain up
Contrast:	High
Sharpness:	Hard
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3.6 (Windows)
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