If energy needs to be saved, there are good ways to do it.
                                                               Government product regulation is not one of them

Thursday, October 4, 2012

The Edison Obama Light Bulb...





Given the US election campaign kicking off in earnest with the first TV debate last night, there have of course been plenty of satirical images around on the light bulb issue, which (unfortunately) is a clearly split partisan issue:

While I know of several against the ban on "right wing" freedom of choice grounds, there are also those against on environmental grounds, readers of the blog who Í know would otherwise have a "left wing" political orientation.

Still, I am sure the latter won't mind a little fun with some politically oriented images against the ban ;-)
The image sources are on the images.




















Explaining the above for those unfamiliar with the context, President Obama has at various times praised the American entrepreneurial spirit, citing past examples that he nevertheless has sought to ban, or to implement and strengthen a ban on (different light bulbs) or to alter by federal regulation in various ways - and not because the products were unsafe to use...


President Obama, State of the Union Address 25 January 2011:

What we can do - what America does better than anyone - is spark the creativity and imagination of our people.
We are the nation that put cars in driveways and computers in offices,
the nation of Edison and the Wright brothers...

A year later, in the 2012 State of the Union address, he also said
"I will not back down from protecting our kids from mercury poison"...








How Regulations are Wrongly Justified 14 points, referenced: Includes why the overall society savings aren't there, and even if they were, why alternative policies are better, including alternative policies that target light bulbs.
 

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Mock Memorials... Tombstones


See the previous post.
To start with then, tongue-in-cheek memorial activity was included in the otherwise also serious German Light Bulb Ban Memorial 2010 "Das grösste Birnendenkmal Deutschlands", Germany's biggest light bulb memorial, as posted on before (a 2012 follow up was planned, but seemingly not taking place).
As seen it had several components, including "trash" video, people's stories about the bulb, and many amusing images...



source  birnendenkmal.de

"banning the protester against banning the bulb"








Related,
perhaps predictably, various tombstone/gravestone images are also appearing...




As it happens, the above is from a good recent September 2012 article "Incandescent ban evokes nanny state" on ECN by technical editor Jason Lomberg, finishing

....An acute manifestation of the nanny state has slipped in the back door.
The incandescent ban cannot and should not be allowed to stand.
Should the federal government facilitate adoption of newer technologies by legislating older ones from existence? Or should consumers have a say in the matter?



Meanwhile, Icelandic lighting designer Kristjan Kristjansson also made imaginative use of the idea, promoting a memorial installation (some photos from which on Facebook)...




Honoring Incandescent Lighting


A series of posts looking at how incandescent lighting is celebrated/remembered in various ways, although their departure should certainly be seen as premature, for the time being anyway, and pending promised reviews in different jurisdictions that already have bans.

There are many imaginative ways this has been done, from mock tombstones to
real memorials and installations, bulbs being put to new uses, bulbs being put in cans and commemorated on stamps and even in tattoos...
Experimenting here in putting up some different themed pages with images, pages which might be updated, usually with further image additions.
Some standalone posts included on for example installations.
Previous posts mentioned and linked to, as and when relevant.
 

Monday, October 1, 2012

A probably legal incandescent bulb!


As readers may know, and as covered before eg "UK/EU Distributors Clarify:
Candle, Golf Ball and other Incandescents also to Stay Available
", rough service type bulbs are still legal in various jurisdictions, although supposedly now more subject to scrutiny in the EU...

Still, this probably meets any requirement of a legal industrial rough service shockproof incandescent light bulb :-)
Maybe one that remains available for future domestic fittings too?!
(image origin unknown)