Whenever the power goes out in your neighborhood, whether it's from a storm or, as those of us here in California have experienced this year, a "rolling blackout," one of the first things you notice is how quiet it gets. All those electric and electronic appliances operating in our homes make us believe that it's normal to hear that constant hum in the background. We rarely even notice it until it goes away. Arthur D. Little, Inc. wants to quiet the hum and has developed a technology that it says can reduce the sound and vibration of common appliances and equipment by as much as 50 percent. The company says that its technology, called Lodengraf, can muffle sound in everything from air conditioners to aircraft. Lodengraf is comprised of lightweight, granular materials that, when placed inside or around a noisy item, can dramatically reduce vibration and sound, and Arthur D. Little was just awarded its fifth patent for the stuff. The company came up with the technology as part of a research program funded by the U.S. Military's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to help reduce noise radiated by submarines. In recent tests, the noise produced by a commercial window air conditioner was reduced by over 5 dB by treating the enclosure and the compressor with Lodengraf materials and the company says the vibration-damping qualities of the material can also improve sporting equipment. For example, when a golf club is filled with Lodengraf materials, vibrations in the club are reduced by up to 10 times, eliminating the "sting" golfers feel when they miss the sweet spot on the iron. Likewise, the ping of a softball bat is completely eliminated and reduced by more than 20 dB when filled with Lodengraf. We can only hope that it won't manage to dampen the sweet, sweet sound of a home run.