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Wednesday, January 01, 2014

RIP The Incandescent Light Bulb


As of today, January 1, 2014, incandescent light bulbs can no longer be manufactured for the USA. (Contrary to popular belief, you can still sell them - there's lots of old stock still floating around out there. They just can no longer be manufactured anymore outside of industrial use. And once the old general consumer stock is gone, they're gone.)

I have two boxes of 40 watt Sylvanias. And they are my nest egg. There will not be just a mere eBay bidding war, but riots in the streets before I sell out.

It's the end of an era that saw us from the 1870s to 2013. Now the only light bulbs made are those weird curly CFL things and LED lights.

THESE fucking things. When they first came out, I thought they were pretty cool because you didn't have to change them as often. Until I had to see them everywhere.
Now I understand the reasons why we're going this way. Incandescent lights put out more heat than light and you do pay more in your electric bill for it. But my kitchen always seemed a little warmer with incandescents. More home-like. I get in the mood for actual cooking easier with incandescents.

And incandescents can last a VERY LONG time. Here's proof:


 I switched to all CFL in my place a year ago and my monthly electric bill went down by $10. But I'm light sensitive and these things are starting to seriously irk me. They glow too white.

It's like an analog to digital conversion. It's good, but too sterile. You can't work your Easy Bake oven with a CFL. And there was such a variety of incandescent lights. All colours and styles. It's going to take CFLs a LONG time to catch up with it all.

The CFL also lacks something else. A warm glow. That's what I miss. And LEDs are almost freakish in their brightness.

And then there's that little mercury problem. Granted it has as much mercury as an average transistor radio. Problem is, some of those radios lasted us for YEARS before they croaked.

My beloved Sears AM/FM transistor radio (1980-1983)....Sigh!
The CFL light bulb is also unpredictable. I put one bulb in a continuously running outdoor light. And it only lasted 5 months The next one burned for over a year. I seem to find that problem a lot with CFLs. 

But change happens.

I accept it. But something deep and subtle is always missing....

"Unknown Girl (Of My Dreams)" Clint Eastwood (1961)

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Happy New Year From History's Dumpster!



And now as we prepare to ring in 2014, I would like us to remember one man of whom it just hasn't been New Year's Eve without. Mr. Dick Clark.



Thank you all so much for a GREAT year!

Cheers!,

Larry

GREAT News For Fans of Classic Home Video Games Of The '80s!


Miss your Atari 2600 or 7800? Your Colecovision, Odyessy or Astrocade?

Guess what? Internet Archive now has hundreds of playable ROMs on their web site. Note: There currently is no sound for them. But IA is going to add it soon.

You can find them here.

Monday, December 30, 2013