Slippery Slope: City Lighting
 

As a patent attorney I have the luxury of getting paid to read stories of how we got where we are when it comes to inventions. Every patent begins with a story of the shortcoming of the state of the art and why we need to ooch further down the slippery slope. The funny thing is that looking back at all of those stories and how many patents add up to nothing I realized that the slope is not slippery at all. We spend a lot of money and effort persuading each other to do things that we do not really want for ourselves. So why do we suggestive sell those things to our neighbors?

Take city lighting for instance. The common story is that we need more lighting at night because light makes us safe. For example light reveals burglars hiding in our shrubbery and all that.

But do we really want the light? Of course not. If we did then we would think the ideal building spot is in the middle of the city WHERE ALL OF THE LIGHTS ARE. But when we think of building a new home we never think of going to the brightest spot. Instead we think of going to the warmly lit spot.

What is a warmly lit spot? Urban dwellers that want to stay in the city might seek a warmly lit spot near an observatory. The Cranbrook Observatory comes to mind. Who in southeast Michigan would not want to live near Cranbrook? And why? Because it is bright? No. Because it is dark at night.

For the rednecks, as much as we like to work and build stuff such as lighting fixtures, do we really want more of them? I do not recall ever searching for the best lit campground.

The political fight is in the redneck camp. We need to learn to settle down. Take for example the following patent: US 8,541,949, Donners. It discusses the problem with too much lighting for nocturnal animals and teaches an invention that adjust the lights for them. It reminds me of when Rush Limbaugh made fun of lights and turtles.

We have reached a convergence. Rednecks want less light. Animals want less light. Urban dwellers want warm light.

So why do so many of us get sucked into the narrative that we need more lights? If you want more lights, why?

Based on the years of walking the neighborhood I'd say most of my neighbors have not bought into the need more lights marketing strategy. However the more lights group appears to be two markets: decorative and deterrence. The decorative lighting gang primarily lives in rebuilds and appears larger that the safety conscience. A significant number of more lights houses are in both subgroups. I like it dark at night.

I like to see more than the headlights show when driving around town. But once I'm in for the night, shut them all off.

As an amateur astronomer and budding astrophotographer who lives in the city.......... I'd like to snuff every damned street and security light I see. You want to see at night get some night vision goggles. The owls and I have had it with your flood light shit.

When we were searching for a home we drove to the house at night to see if it was lit up by streetlights. If it was we crossed it off our list.

Folks who sell street lights tend to also sell fear., a despicable commodity.

So, it's another Republican plot, then?:p

I'm not certain republicans have the mental capacity to "plot" any more. I'm thinking they just bumble along these days....

We live on a busy corner with lots of street lights that light up the house at night.

I love it.

I don't sleep well at night and can be busy in the house without turning on a bunch of lights and waking others.

Also.... There is a safety factor. I'm confident that if we weren't home, the burglar would pass on our house. (Not that we have anything worth breaking in for)

Power companies behind convincing those who fear the dark something is there?



Barney

The new LED street light the relevant assholes of my town have installed in front of my house about eight weeks ago is so FUCKING bright that I almost need sunglasses at night when I look outside. A nightmare. A damned nightmare. And this light is as ugly cold white as the light in a morgue. My entire front garden looks at night as if it was covered by a winding sheet.