THINGS THAT DON’T SUCK: I’ve always admired those Bose noise-cancelling headphones, but they seemed kind of big and expensive. But last week I ordered these Sony noise-cancelling earphones for $59.99 and tried ’em out on the plane. They worked very well, and didn’t take up much more room in my briefcase than a pair of regular earbuds. Technology marches on.

UPDATE: Reader Sam Wilson writes: “Glenn, Iʻve been using these units (and their predecessors) for 6 or 7 years. Their specs are just as good as the Boseʻs but so much easier to manage. They used to cost about $125 in the US, so I buy them at the duty free store in Narita, Japan. They are only 80 bucks there. But this is the cheapest Iʻve seen, ever. A good deal!”