If you fly a lot you’ll see more and more people wearing their own headphones, usually active noise cancelling.

My first experience with noise canceling headphones came the first year United flew the new Boeing 777. Upgraded to business class, the headphones were nicer and had a noise cancellation switch. It made a noticeable difference.

Active noise cancellation headphones work using a small microphone to listen to the outside noise then generate a sound pattern that neutralizes that noise as it reaches your ear.

One of my sales agency friends installed a new high speed internet/telephone system about 4 years ago from a company called cBeyond. It operated over a T-1 line (a business class high speed internet connection). Plugged into that T-1 line was a telephone system called a PBX (private branch exchange—once the providence of only very large companies).

You would think everyone has heard about VoIP, Voice Over Internet Protocol. It is advertised on TV by a number of companies, especially Vonage.

But apparently not. If your long distance bill is more than $30, it might be worthwhile to investigate VoIP as a cost saving opportunity.

One option in VoIP is a service like Vonage, Broadvoice, etc. Most cable companies also offer “digital phone service” that is VoIP. And many regular phone services are coming up with VoIP options.

First, I have yet to receive any response to my letter to Jeff Bezos, either from him or any other Amazon representative.

Terrible customer service.