ANTI-NOISE: Fight fire with fire, OK. But...

ANTI-NOISE: Fight fire with fire, OK. But can you fight noise with noise? At least one researcher says the answer to the jetliner noise that irritates Burbank Airport’s neighbors is . . . more loud sounds. But these would be counter-sound waves, precisely controlled by a computer to blank out the jet roar (B1). Big question: Is this possible? Some experts have doubts. . . . The airport’s board of directors will consider whether it should spend up to $2.1 million to support research that would look for the answer.

DIGITAL YODA: High-tech movie-making, with digitized characters and settings supplanting actors and sets, is starting to take off, but George Lucas has been there for years. Now he appears to relish playing the wise Yoda to the brash Jedi warriors--like the “Dream Team” that includes his old pal Steven Spielberg--struggling through the swamp of new media (D1). . . . It all began with “Star Wars,” crafted in the mid-1970s in a mini-studio Lucas built in an industrial building near Van Nuys Airport, using techniques that already seem as quaint as once-upon-a-time.

FRIENDLY COLLECTION: Speaking of Lucas, now that “Casper” (his Industrial Light and Magic company gave substance to the film ghost) has made more than $22 million at the box office, expect the friendly apparition to raise some spirits among Valley comic-book collectors. . . . Published in 1949, the first issue of “Casper the Friendly Ghost” is valued at $550 and is expected to rise in value, according to Jason Sheffey of Continental Comics in Northridge. “You’ll see a lot of people trying to find the comic books” in their attics, Sheffey says.

PARK IT, HEAR: Nostalgic for those lazy Sundays on the green? The 20th season of the Concert in the Park series kicks off today at Warner Center Park. Today’s concert at 4 p.m. features three jazz vocal groups: Billy Mitchell Uptown band, the Four Freshmen and Beachfront Property. . . . Sponsored by the Valley Cultural Center, the summer concert series will showcase new and established talent, as well as children’s shows. The series runs through Sept. 3.

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On Track

In 1876, a Golden Spike was driven between Saugus and Palmdale to complete the rail link from L.A. to San Francisco. Many landmarks of pioneer railroading still survive in the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys (B2) . . . some of them in use again for Metrolink.