Much like finding the right romantic partner, finding the perfect lighting can be a difficult journey fraught with questionable choices, embarrassing miscues and impulsive decisions.

You could be attracted to the wrong type of light bulb or make the same bad choices in the lighting aisle. (more…)

We all know someone who always seems to have it before you can buy it. My best friend, Joel, is a prime example. From backpack-sized car phones and the Turbografx 16 (although the gaming system was an epic fail, Bonk’s Revenge was the jam) to Reebok pumps and a portable mini-disc player, Joel has been first in line for a lot of stuff. Joel is a classic example of (more…)

Before you commence reading this eye-opening entry, I must apologize for the horribly “punstastic” title. I’m nearly 100% certain that it would’ve received a few snide stares during “pun wheel” (a warm-up exercise commonly used by my improv group). Moving forward, let me shed some light on the subject (shucks, I did it again) of lumens and the future of lighting. (more…)

At a time when families are struggling to pay their energy bills, leaders in the House are pushing to roll back common sense standards for residential lighting that save families money by saving energy.

It’s important to remember that these standards were passed just a few years ago with overwhelming (more…)

I recently downloaded a new app to my iPhone called Bulb Blasters. (OK, full disclosure: it’s a game created by Xcel Energy that involves using a powerful laser-equipped CFL to blast incandescent bulbs that descend the screen a la Space Invaders.)

When I showed it my brother, he rolled his eyes. I’m (more…)

Christmas Lights … scrooge or savior? (an annual refrain …) Do you love those displays of Christmas (or Hannukah or Kwanza or …) lights? Are you awed by those so impassioned that they string up 1000s of lights in awesome displays worthy of a city center?

I once did, pausing on cold winter nights, white clouds issuing from my mouth, enjoying being in the glow of beautiful displays. And, in a way, I was inspired that they would spend $1000s (or $10,000s) on displays and the electricity to power them so that others could enjoy the sight on those cold winter nights. But … no longer … not for awhile.

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