Silence is Golden
Urbanites have long used sunglasses for much more than merely protecting their eyesight, but to heighten concentration on the day’s various missions by warding off undesired eye contact with random passersby. But what to do when you’re trying to work at your local coffeehouse and find yourself getting caught up in the pointless conversation at the next table, or what’s worse, getting roped into nodding along to an endless monolog by a self-taught philosopher or New Age creep?
Answer: Ear plugs! They’re better than headphones because any fool knows you can’t truly concentrate while listening to music. With the coffeehouse table gradually emerging as today’s new office, we’re seeing more and more of these foam filters budding from the lobes of can’t-be-bothered workaholics.
We also dare to predict that the ear plug is the beginning of a larger filtering trend, wherein information-addled consumers will seek peace, quiet, and precious concentration by willfully choosing to shut out the world around them. As wi-fi become free and ubiquitous in urban centers, we expect to see some coffeeshops evolve into distraction-proof mental retreats where cell phones are checked at the door and all online content bounces off an invisible, impenetrable shell. With distractions relentlessly assaulting us at home and at work, these sealed brain vaults will be able to charge a pretty penny for the right to sit down and actually get something done.
