As it happens, there was a novel just out before that, July 2012, on a similar theme:
"The 100 Watt War" by American author and business coach Ron Wilder (business blog).
About the book, as descibed on the dedicated website...
Light bulbs against the law? Seriously?
Navy Captain Tom Jackson returns home from fighting Somali pirates on the high seas to discover that by act of Congress, he can’t buy incandescent light bulbs. Incensed, Tom decides to create a light bulb company as a high-risk bet that the bulb prohibition will be overturned.
Unbeknownst to Tom, Al Qaeda has launched a new wave of terrorism in the U.S., with Compact Fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) as their weapon of choice. As the Al Qaeda plot unfolds, Tom finds himself in an increasingly dangerous position, facing a corrupt congressman, a crony corporate executive, and a progressive media star bent on preserving their power at all cost.
After dramatic congressional hearings, Tom is on the run as a fugitive. The story culminates at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, site of the first battle of the Civil War, where once again, conflict threatens to tear the union apart.
As he says in the book itself, as can be read on the Amazon preview at the end, the website has an extensive 40 minute audio interview (listenable via signup).
The site is also going to be developed with an extended conversation with readers about the book and it's underlying free market, anti-ban message, via a specific blog (currently with a come back soon message).
Regarding the last post here "New study on CFL UV Radiation", an interesting South African article putting it in a greater perspective.
As the article says, South Africa, and indeed all the other BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China) have recently announced incandescent light bulb bans or "phase-outs", as have many smaller developing countries.
The United Nations (UNEP) switchover policy supported by the World Bank and other big sponsors is playing a part in this, a policy pushed at the recent RIO environmental summit also by General Secretary Ban-Ki Moon himself... I will do a post on this later.
The UNEP en.lighten initiative itself, and how Philips and Osram benefit from offloading otherwise unwanted bulbs, has been covered in an earlier post "Philips, Osram, the UN and the World Bank: How we will en.lighten the World in 2012".
The author Ivo Vegter, as the blurb says, is no stranger to controversy - but hardly controversial what he says here - at least for supporters of this blog!
Embedded Daily Maverick article source here.
His own website: ivo.co.za
Notice the book coming out in September... might rustle a few feathers alright!
My book, which has kept be very occupied in recent months, is at the printers. In September 2012, Zebra Press, an imprint of Random House Struik, will inflict upon an unsuspecting world “Extreme Environment”.
It documents how environmental exaggeration harms emerging economies like South Africa, and I expect it will result in a few entertaining debates...
Lighting designer James Bedell is quite unusual among lighting designers, in supporting the ban (or phase out) of incandescent bulbs for ordinary use.
Whatever one's opinion on that particular issue, he has, as reviewed before, written an interesting e-book on lighting, "Losing Edison" encompassing all areas of home use, thankfully including halogens for those who like incandescents, and with an interesting project development section as described.
His enthusiasm also shines through in welcoming feedback and offering personal lighting advice to those who purchase his e-book.
An update video by James himself talking about the e-book, including promotion price of $4.99 for May 2012.
The regular, or initial, price last December was 11 dollars, as per the linked review, which has also been updated.
Having done one review of a book that welcomes the demise of Edison's simple bulb, a blog like this might balance it with something that does not...
also in these holiday times when a good read might be welcome!
Published last summer 2011,
the latest December Congress developments may have halted things at "Death Row" level, but of course the ban has not gone away...
To begin with,
it should be clear that this cheap e-book, only around US $2 dollars (say on Amazon) is really about 2 lengthy essays or articles, than a book as such.
But for the price of a Cappucino, you certainly get good value, by 2 knowledgeable authors.
I, Light Bulb: A Death Row Testimonial demonstrates how the American economy has gone from free markets to politically correct, government controlled crony capitalism in the half century since Leonard E. Read wrote the classic essay, “I, Pencil.”
Author Michael Patrick Leahy tells the story of the ban on the current generation of incandescents from the perspective of a condemned 100 watt light bulb. In the voice of the light bulb, Leahy points out the need for political activism to reverse this ban, arguing that it not only prevents an innocent incandescent light bulb from continuing a useful economic life, it also deprives every American of their own economic liberty and freedom of choice.
Readers who buy I, Lightbulb will also receive the bonus companion e-book The Disastrous Lightbulb Ban by Howard Brandston, at no additional cost.
Brandston, the internationally recognized expert on lighting most well known for lighting the Statue of Liberty, explains why the federal government’s ban on the current generation of incandescent light bulbs is such a bad idea.
He explains how in 2007 a Democrat controlled Congress, the lamp manufacturers, the Department of Energy, and George W. Bush combined to force us to replace inexpensive and safe incandescent light bulbs with expensive, unsafe Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs that contain mercury. In this companion book to I, Light Bulb, Brandston concludes by encouraging citizen political activism to repeal this ridiculous ban.
The August 2011 Weekly Standard article by editor Joseph Bottum,
puts the issues raised in a wider perspective. Extracts:
It's Green and Blue, But Not Bright
The two essays in a new pamphlet in the "Voices of the Tea Party" series from Broadside Books — I, Light Bulb: A Death Row Testimonial by the editor Michael Patrick Leahy and The Disastrous Light Bulb Ban by Howard M. Brandston — both identify the primary cause as an activist and out-of-control government, manipulated by crony-capitalist corporations:
"If you want to find the ultimate roots of the movement... it all began when Herbert Hoover was named the Secretary of Commerce under Warren Harding, when he set about organizing manufacturers into cooperative industry organizations."
In this telling,
the otherwise forgotten 1924 "Phoebus Cartel" of light-bulb manufacturers looms large, but the story only really gets rolling with the oil crisis of the 1970s, when Congress decided energy policy lay squarely within its remit and began to pass laws mandating all kinds of usage standards for cars and factories.
In those days, of course, the announced purpose was American "energy independence" rather than our currently declared goal of reducing greenhouse gases.
But the real motives, say the Tea Party authors, were always the same: a mistrust of ordinary people and an insatiable hunger for increased government. All of which culminated when the 2007 Democrat-dominated Congress (led by Nancy Pelosi, Nanny of the House) set out to do something, anything, that expanded government power, changed the nation's lifestyle, and rewarded the large manufacturers such as General Electric that had supported the Democrats' election. An inattentive or uninterested President Bush signed the bill, and here we are.
But if it hadn't been incandescent bulbs, it would have been something else.
The truisms of the nannies, the trite expressions of public morality spraying from the religious weight of environmentalism, will not be denied. One way or another, they force themselves out into the public air.
Among Republicans, Fred Upton, the Michigan Republican who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is under some attack for having sponsored the amendment that kept the light-bulb ban alive in the 2007 energy bill. George W. Bush is tarred with the same indictment for having failed to veto the bizarre legislation. But, really, those poor men were just trying to do the right thing. They accepted the faux-science of CFLs and the pseudo-economics because they wanted to believe. They wanted to share in the great public morality of environmentalism, and everyone seemed to be telling them that light bulbs were the way to do it.
In the event, light bulbs weren't the way to do it,
but that's really beside the point.
You want to know where the light-bulb ban began?
It wasn't Nancy Pelosi, and it wasn't Herbert Hoover, and it wasn't even the shadowy Phoebus Cartel, though all who do evil love the darkness.
The light-bulb ban was carried forward by the placards about towels in motel rooms. It was nursed at the local coffee shop, where we are lectured in high moral language about how only sustainable coffee beans — gathered, if the illustrations are accurate, on the misty slopes of Ytaiao Mountain by Rima the jungle girl — can redeem us. Saving the planet, one Starbucks at a time.
The demand for CFLs was inculcated at "Earth Day" plays,
in which grade-school children got to act out the roles of bunnies and butterflies who've come to warn us that we must be nice to the Earth
(As James Lileks once noted, those school plays typically end with "a hymn to nature that makes the Romantic poets look like strip-mining company CEOs.")
The desire to eradicate incandescent bulbs grew up with myths of the Cuyahoga River catching fire and the smog of Los Angeles rolling through the Hollywood Hills like malevolent mud.
The truth or falsity of such things is a trifle, a quibble, a bagatelle.
What matters is that they form our national mythology and our cultural worldview. They form our public religion — the one moral vocabulary that can be spoken in this country anywhere and anytime.
Of course, the result is the kind of general feeling that something must be done about it all, and if that something is rather pointless — the peculiar rush to legislate 1.6-gallon toilets is a good example — nonetheless we have shown a righteous will by trying. We have the guilt-release of a noble attempt. We have the warm feeling of being on the side of good.
We have asserted our standing as children of light, even if rather ineffectual ones. We have followed the sayings of nanny.
I also refer to some interesting passages of the e-book on the Ceolas.net site
in relation to the famous (infamous) Phoebus cartel.
To quote, from Michael Patrick Leahy's I, Lightbulb:
During World War I, the War Industries Board was a government-authorized, industry-staffed effort engaged in industrial planning. General Electric executives such as Gerard Swope participated:
By so doing, and by watching Hoover in action in the sister agency, the Food Administration, they got the idea that by participating in such government authorized planning efforts, they could keep out competitors, control the market, and maximize their profits.
When Swope was named president of General Electric in 1922, he immediately set about applying those principles to the electrical lighting market.
Swope knew that the tungsten patent [vital to well-working light bulbs] would expire in 1927.
How was he going to maintain his monopoly?
The Phoebus Cartel
In 1924, General Electric, along with several major European corporations,
and with the implicit blessing of Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover, formed a cartel - a cooperative group of competing firms who agreed to fix prices, share technology, establish production standards, and use common marketing practices.
By sharing incandescent light bulb patents that kept competitors out, and by agreeing on exclusive geographic spheres of influence, the member companies could maintain high market shares and high profits.
Called "The Phoebus Cartel" after the Swiss company Phoebus, they set out to keep track of all their activities around the world.
Under the agreement, General Electric got the United States,
Associated Electrical Industries got the United Kingdom,
Osram got Germany,
Philips got Holland,
and Tungsram got Eastern Europe.
The European companies got to share the British overseas territories, and they all could compete in the rest of the world. General Electric was guaranteed that none of the other major manufacturers of incandescent light bulbs would enter the American market.
When the agreement began, General Electric had a 90 percent market share.
When it ended fifteen years later, General Electric still had a 90 percent market share.
Only a few dozen small, scrappy Japanese manufacturing companies dared to enter the American market and take on General Electric:
They ignored General Electric and related Phoebus Cartel patents, copied what they could, and shipped their less expensive, shorter-lasting incandescent bulbs into the United States. When they began to show some increase in sales, General Electric got friends in Congress to slap a tariff on imported incandescent bulbs, and the price advantage disappeared. Japanese inroads were stopped.
When the cartel was first organized, the life span of the average bulb was 1,000 hours. Fifteen years later, when the cartel came to an end due to World War II, it remained the same.
This is not the kind of progress you would expect if the full engineering and research capabilities of General Electric had been tasked with expanding the life span. Word in our family has always been that this was intentional:
Every 1,000 hours, you had to buy a new incandescent light bulb. Why expand the life span to 2,000 hours? You would just cut your sales in half...
Howard Brandston's contribution The Disastrous Light Bulb Ban is again illuminating, if such words may be used, especially in my view his direct personal involvement in light bulb legislation, having been consulted not only in the proposals leading to the 2007 legislation but also more recently in the Senate hearing this year that looked into reasons or not to proceed with the ban ("phase out").
He clarifies how light bulb manufacturers actively sought the ban
(slightly edited and highlighted extracts):
The NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association) Lamp Subcommittee was composed of General Electric, Osram Sylvania, and Philips, the same industrial giants who formed the old Phoebus Cartel back in 1924 and was conducting its own research and internal hearings that culminated in a recommendation to ban the incandescent light bulb.
When I asked NEMA for help in fighting the incandescent light ban, I was politely told that they could not be involved in any research program like that...
In April 2007, ahead of Congress hearings, NEMA announced its support for the Government's energy efficient lighting policy.
He also runs through reasons why the ban is wrong,
as I reference to on the website, and is unnecessary to repeat here.
Footnotes:
Michael Patrick Leahy biography, website, blog
As seen, an extensive background in business management and conservative politics.
Michael is currently the Series Editor for Broadside Books' "Voices of the Tea Party" series of e-books.
Also not idle on the light bulb front - helping to put out a rough service bulb that "beats the ban"!
Howard Brandston biography, commentary, business
As seen well known lighting designer with numerous projects, also a guest lecturer, visiting professor, and as noted the Congress choice of expert opinion on lighting issues.
Has written a book Learning to See, A Matter of Light,
full description here...
As one reviewer puts it,
“This is a gem of a book. For the design beginner it sets the approach to discovery. For the lighting professional it gives insights that can inspire creativity. The teacher will find useful methods for involving students in lighting concepts. The interested person will gain a higher understanding of how light affects the quality of our lives.”
Available via Amazon for Kindle reader around 11 dollars, other options click on image or the book title above.
Print-On-Demand version coming, says the author.
Since this book was written to show that phasing-out incandescents does not matter in making good lighting choices I was a bit sceptical, on getting a copy for review....
As the author introduces himself on his website
"It is my belief that all good lighting design must be sustainable lighting design."
But don't be deceived by the title,
it does therefore go way beyond that issue.
The author says it was his first attempt at any public writing longer than a blog post, but this certainly does not come across.
It is also well illustrated, both with useful functional drawings by the author, and photographs.
While on the content side I (and others) would argue that with incandescents one can make even better choices in some described situations, it is really a book about understanding lighting as a whole, and about how lighting designers reach their decisions.
As such it is of value not only to anyone making lighting choices, but also I would suggest to lighting designers themselves, in the breadth of the issues raised, which includes a very useful concluding part about how lighting designer work fits in with architects, interior designers, builders...
But to take first things first, in this book of three parts.
Part I,
usefully covers definitions such as lumens (which everyone will have to deal with rather than Watts), color temperature, color rendering index (CRI), and their roles.
It also covers Halogens, CFLs and LEDs in that respect, with good tips on what to look for in buying them, depending on the purpose they are for
- and with a good US Department of Energy Lighting Facts Label illustration.
EISA specifications follow, that is until 2014
(EISA specifications will also rule out the replacement Halogens in following years,
but fortunately for the sake of lighting advice, given also that the author is not overly fond of their still relatively high metered electricity use, Halogens are included in the book).
Then, different uses of different lighting and typical running costs based on defined electricity rates finish the first part.
In Part II,
the three basic concepts of residential lighting are covered,
ambient, accent, and task lighting,
with explanations of the principles involved in reaching relevant decisions of what
to use and how to use it.
Apart from the various types of lamp lighting and uses,
natural light and fire in various forms are included too, in a comprehensive overview.
Lighting control is not forgotten,
explaining the three major types of control systems:
local dimming/switching, single area controls, and whole-home systems.
As the author says, a common failure in lighting control is that the controls, whether a slide dimmer or a keypad, are misplaced in the room.
Ever on the sustainability note (which recurs with useful savings tips throughout),
a reminder how dimming makes lighting more sustainable.
Again,
for completion, outdoor Lighting is also covered:
Acknowledging that not everyone has such surroundings (or control of them),
entryways driveways and Walkways, patios and decks, trees/shrubbery are mentioned:
"Outdoor and landscape lighting is probably the least thought-out aspect of residential lighting for most homes."
The final Part III,
then takes a given lighting idea from concept to implementation.
Or, to put it as an edited extract:
"Having a lighting designer on board, let's figure out who else should
be on your team. I'm going to assume that all projects have an
electrical contractor and, in many cases, a general contractor.
Since we're talking about lighting design here, I've broken down potential
projects into three basic categories, which will serve as a rough
guide to who should be on your team:
1. Re-lighting a room. Here's a good opportunity to work with a
lighting designer; no other designers/collaborators are necessary.
2. Redecorating a room. If there are one or more spaces in your home
you'd like to redecorate, it's time to bring in an interior designer.
3. Total Renovation. If you are gutting one or multiple sections of
your home, you'll need the most complete team. Here's where bringing
in an architect."
Helpful advice on finding good architects, interior designers and lighting designers follows, along with choosing and working with project managers,
creating project budgets - and indeed sticking to them, and to any time limit that may apply.
Again, with practical and easily forgotten tips,
such as designing with an eye toward maintenance,
and guides to buying light fixtures as well as light bulbs.
The author also helpfully offers to give further advice to readers, in respect of his time.
To sum up then,
do not be misled (one way or the other) by the title of the book.
Edison is still included, of sorts, in describing the use of Halogen incandescent derivatives, and the book usefully covers home lighting in all its aspects.
(Look forward to that whiskey bottle now James ;-) )
Here is an update video by James himself talking about his book, including promotion price $4.99 for May 2012:
Lighting designer 
