Mostly, conditioning for me. It just takes time to learn to ignore and be as one with the computer. It's a real PITA that's not easily overcome and I have a real appreciation for your dilema. If you can afford them, Bose makes a set of headphones that will make it seem like the world has no noise to it at all. Some of the folks I know where them without playing music just because of their active noise cancelation which works so very well.