  The Magnificent Seven have all been discovered by their exceptional soft
X-ray spectra and high ratios of X-ray to optical flux. They all are considered
to be nearby sources. Searching for similar neutron stars with larger
distances, one expects larger interstellar absorption resulting in harder X-ray
counterparts. Current interstellar absorption treatment depends on chosen
abundances and scattering cross-sections of the elements as well as on the 3D
distribution of the interstellar medium. After a discussion of these factors we
use the comprehensive 3D measurements of the Local Bubble by Lallement et al.
2003 to construct two simple models of the 3D distribution of the hydrogen
column density. We test these models by using a set of soft X-ray sources with
known distances. Finally, we discuss possible applications for distance
estimations and population synthesis studies.
