I guess I am a radical rightie on the light bulb issue, until someone invents a better alternative.

There is a good reason no one is described as having a fluorescent personality.

I go mad in hotel rooms these days, it's like they have fitted me with blinders.

We are thinking of turning our entire little one car garage over to stockpiling 100-watt incandescents to last until our death. Maybe we'll retire to Georgia instead.

(And no, I don't consider trying out various new experimental bulbs @ $$$ just to see if they help my vision or make it worse a good alternative.)

This news bit gave me a good laugh, Emma.  I have an old track lighting system installed on my living room ceiling, courtesy of my slumlord -- it's gotta be from the 1970's, I swear. I think he stole it from the Partridge family's house. 

I put a new CFL lightbulb in one of the sockets about a week ago, and early this morning as I was sitting here at the computer, I noticed it flickering.  Before I could even get up to turn off the track lighting, I heard a pop and then a sizzling sound, and then I smelled smoke.   The light switch is across the room from my PC...damn you should've seen me move.  I practically jumped over the coffee table to turn off the lights in time.  Needless to say, just an hour ago I finally got the nerve up to unscrew the damn thing from the socket and now I have a good ole standard bulb in its place. 

Not surprisingly, there used to be a thriving black market in salvaged 5 gallon toilets at the several urban ore recycling venues in Berkeley/Oakland

On a deeper level, it’s about celebrating Creativity – not Destruction.

Celebrating creativity is about recognizing the advantages that
different products have, including regular simple incandescent light bulbs.
That is why they exist for people to choose.


President Obama, State of the Union Address 25 January 2011:
What we can do – what America does better than anyone – is spark the
creativity and imagination of our people.
We are the nation that put cars in driveways and computers in offices,
the nation of Edison and the Wright brothers…

Yes Mr President, Creative America, the nation of Edison:
Would you not have allowed him to create his popular light bulb?

And so it came to pass, in the autumn of 1879, after tireless effort
working with different materials, Thomas Edison finally arrived at the
ingenious invention we still see today, the Edison light bulb, in its
basic form the world’s single most popular electrical appliance and
the oldest electrical invention in widespread common use:
A beautifully simple, safe, cheap, bright light delivering construction.

Maybe the time will come when, like its cousin the gleaming radio
tube, it gradually fades away, the passing of old technology.

But let it be a democratic passing by the will of the people, not a
passing by committee dictats and decrees.

How many American, European or other officials should it take to
change a light bulb?
None.
How many citizens should be allowed to choose?
Everyone.
( http://ceolas.net/#fw1x )
.