I’ve reviewed a few different noise machines on here because my wife’s a light sleeper and I’ve found that these things are more effective than earplugs in a noisy hotel room or apartment. This LectroFan Alpha one I’ve used recently is marketed to parents of young children, with a place to clip it onto a crib or a flip-out stand to use on a table, but it’s fine for travelers with no kids too. It has a range of continuous sounds that include calm and heavy ocean waves, regular and heavy fans, pink noise, and brown noise. There’s also a heartbeat option that seems creepy to me, but maybe that’s good for a baby or pet. Recharges by USB, easy to pack and 4 ounces.

Remaining Golden Visa Options

If you have enough money or assets, a quick path to residency and even citizenship is to get a “golden visa” that fast-tracks you in exchange for investing in the country. Some of these have worked too well, like in Portugal, so governments have scaled back. There are still more than 30 of them out there though and the New York Times ran down a few, complete with minimum investment levels. See the full story here. (Paywalled, but available free with e-mail, Google, or Apple sign-in. Via Kevin Kelly.)

Narcissism Drives Return-to-Office Mandates

You probably had a feeling that the bosses making everyone come back to the office were doing it because they’re too full of themselves, but now we have proof. This scientific study won me over from the start with its title: Worship me at the office altar: Why narcissistic leaders resist remote work. This is an exhaustively researched study, with hundreds of supporting footnotes and links, and the conclusion is clear. In short, these leaders want to see, be seen, exert power, and demonstrate control, all much tougher without physical proximity. “The sparseness of remote communication can make it more difficult for narcissists to satisfy these cravings for power and status.”

Add TSA PreCheck to Google Wallet

I’m sure I’m not the only one that has had problems with the tiny TSA PreCheck icon not showing up on a boarding pass sometimes. As of last week, it’s going to get a lot easier to show proof of enrollment because you can now add touchless ID to Google Wallet on a phone. “Now, once a traveler creates a digital ID pass using their passport within Google Wallet, the app automatically handles the TSA enrollment connection during flight check-in.” This means that Touchless ID availability “goes from just six airlines to all 100+ participating TSA PreCheck airlines.” See more info here.

A weekly newsletter with four quick bites, edited by Tim Leffel, author of A Better Life for Half the Price and The World’s Cheapest Destinations. See past editions here, where your like-minded friends can subscribe and join you.