> hmm -- no mention here of the rising cost of silence. It is very expensive to purchase 8 hours of quiet in a major city. Not really expensive if you are onl

> hmm -- no mention here of the rising cost of silence. It is very expensive to purchase 8 hours of quiet in a major city. Not really expensive if you are only considering sleep. http://www.howardleight.com/earplugs/laser-lite http://www.howardleight.com/earplugs/laser-lite I buy them by the 200 count for about $30, works out to $0.15 per pair. I started using these for motorcycling years ago then woodwork and blacksmithing or any time I use loud machines. For sleeping I use them a couple of times before throwing them away, for other activities they're single use. I also run a fan in my bedroom and have a cheap ($20) white-noise generator for use with a baby that I can use when traveling.