In modern society, silence has become a precious commodity.

The Sound of Silence

What's colorless, odorless, highly coveted, and often impossible to find?

Cell phone conversations often net a lot of unwanted noise.

Anywhere you find people, you're bound to find an indecent amount of noise.

Quiet.

Indeed, anywhere you find people, silence becomes a precious commodity, especially if you're trying to read, or sleep, or talk, or just be. And if . . . what's that?

Huh?

Wait, we can't hear you. Maybe it's because we've figured out how to use some interesting gadgets to make our world a quieter, and happier, place.

Take out those earplugs for a minute and we'll share solutions to your worst sound problems:

Problem: You're on a train and you can hear the music coming from the headphones of the person to your left . . . and he's listening to Mandy Patinkin.
Solution: Bose QuietComfort 2 Accoustic Noise Canceling Headphones (available at Bose.com for $299.00). These lightweight, foldable headphones don't just muffle sound, they actually counter sound waves and emit an opposite frequency in order to cancel out the noise. Flip a switch and you can also use them to listen to music.

Problem: You go out to hear music all the time but have been told that extended exposure to music over 85 decibels can cause irreversible damage . . . however, how are you supposed to know if something is or isn't that loud?
Solution: The Pocket Ear ($86). This tiny device will alert you when sound reaches prohibitive levels in order to remind you to slip in some earplugs (which, cleverly, can be stashed inside the contraption).

Problem: The headaches your leaf blower gives you has led you to avoid using it for so long that a thick wall of leaves is starting to create natural soundproofing around your house.
Solution: The Leaf It, a low-tech method for removing leaves without a blower. Just stake down virtually invisible netting in the early autumn; then, when the leaves collect, roll them up in the netting. The loudest thing you'll hear are a few crunching leaves.

Problem: You've never met the people in the apartment next to you, but let's just say you know more about their personal life than you'd like to. Your sleeping mate, however, hates white noise machines.
Solution: Sleep-Eze, The Snore Buster ($187.95). These are ear plugs and a white noise machine rolled into one happy package. You can turn the white noise volume up or down in order to find the right silence quotient for you.

Silence has never sounded so good.

Posted on June 05, 2006