The modern world has turned the signal up too loud and for too long.

BBC: The quietest place in the US

According to a 2011 Monster.com survey, respondents reported that among their co-workers' impolite behaviors, gossiping "ticked them off, " along with texting during meetings, being too loud and leaving a mess.

WSJ: Why Your Co-Workers Don't Like You

Belgians tend to think of the Dutch as loud, dull and rather too keen on money.

ECONOMIST: Could Flanders be reinvented? | The

"We have been, on a number of occasions, preparing for mass production and in a room and realized we are talking a little too loud about the virtues of something, " he said.

CNN: Apple design chief: We nearly scrapped iPhone

Yes, and it'll go pretty loud, too.

ENGADGET: We've got iPhones, what do you want to know?

Democrats, trade unionists, anti-war protesters and the left-wing media in general had far too loud a voice, in his opinion.

ECONOMIST: Robert Bartley

At some point, it is late, too late, and you are standing on the sidewalk outside somewhere very loud.

NEWYORKER: Semi-Charmed Life