Cob Pile
I'm still trying to beat the digital damage my psychic self has to endure.
PT isn't lying. Not only does he turn the heat waaaay down, I think he can see in the dark and only turns on those 40 watt bulbs to make his guests feel comfortable.
PTG: I am replacing my incandescent as they burn out with the compact fluorescents. However you make a good point about the mercury issue. None of the compacts have burned out yet but there is nothing set up or even any discussions on how to handle the burned out compacts. If ther had a special depot, I would have no problem using them to do my bit to same canuck polar bears,unlike you, you cheapskate tightwad incandescent bulb burning planet destroyer and despoiler.
Take a break, CG. Watching that global warming snow pile up on your roof seems to be unnerving you. You may be in "God's country" as I think you once put it, but in a few more years you could find yourself without much of a summer up there and wishing you had some nice warm incandescent bulbs around your igloo.
When I was a kid one of my friends mined mercury ore, cooked out the mercury and sold it. It was a small operation, but he gave me a big peanut-butter jar full of mercury for helping out.
I took it home and played with it for years. Eventually, all of it was gone, lost down through the wood floor. I suppose it eventually fell into the dirt in the crawlspace, the house had no basement.
Now and then I wonder if I ought to warn the people who live there now.
Pasted from some web site:
"Mercury used to be used in the making of hats. This was known to have affected the nervous systems of hatters, causing them to tremble and appear insane. Mercury exposure can cause aggressiveness, mood swings, and anti-social behaviour.
The use of mercury compounds in 19th century hat making and the resulting effects are well-established - mercury poisoning is still known today as 'Mad Hatter's disease'."
Dadgum, you think this might explain PTG?
CG: You should get yourself a jar of mercury and find out.
I work at a lighting company, and there is no reason to worry about the ban of incandescent bulbs. LEDs will become common place in what I'm guessing is about 5 years. There's no mercury in them, so you can set your mind at ease on that front. And the LEDs we are currently using for undercabinet and recessed cans lights have a great color. Much closer to incandescent than fluorescent is, even thought they've made tremendous strides in the color of fluorescents in the last few years. (With the residential stuff, not the commercial stuff.)
For what's it's worth, I don't mind the CFLs I've put in around my house, but I can't wait for LEDs to get to that point. It will be better all around.
As it happens, I like the warmth of incandescent bulbs. Not just the warm color, but the heat itself. LEDs are cold, the color temperature sharply defined. If incandescents become unavailable, I'll use candles or Aladdin lamps. Its a matter of principle; the principle of freedom of choice.
Why not just pass the Regulation of Everyday Life Bill and be done with it? I want a law requiring everyone to wear white underwear and change it twice a day. Its for the public good, you know.
There was a rather large discussion on this last week at slashdot.org....turns out that on average, the amount of mercury produced by the average power plant to power and incandescent bulb is 7 mg. The maximum allowed mercury in a CFL is 5 mg, but many have less. As for the 11-step process, the amount of mercury and type of mercury poses very little threat. As I told my mother-in-law the other day, if you break one, just don't be licking up the mess.
As for the color and noise, it's not the same as the old florescent bulbs....the operating frequency is much higher now..beyond the audible range of hearing by the human ear, and to prevent visible flicker. They also use different filters inside the glass to make the light less harsh to the eyes.
In the end, it's certainly and upgrade from the 110 or so year old technology of the incandescent lights. LED lights are the way of the future though. They use less power, last nearly forever, and will someday be affordable.
Commenting by HaloScan
