From the monthly archives:

April 2011

DONT FLUORESCE ON ME

Don’t Fluoresce on Me: Big Government and CFLs

by mark on April 21, 2011

Nobody that I know likes the light produced by compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). I don’t like the 60Hz flicker that accompanies them, and the color is very displeasing. I’ve given them a chance more than once, but even my kids complained about the light quality. So I used them where we’re generally not living, reading, eating, cooking. I’ve been using them outdoors (but they take forever to warm up in the cooler seasons), and in rooms that we don’t spend much time.

They may cause migraines. They contain about 5mg mercury per bulb, requiring that they be disposed of at CFL recycling locations — inconvenient enough that many people will just toss them into their regular garbage and end up in landfills. What’s so environmentally friendly about that?

So now they might cause cancer?

Energy saving light bulbs ‘contain cancer causing chemicals’:

Their report advises that the bulbs should not be left on for extended periods, particularly near someone’s head, as they emit poisonous materials when switched on.

Peter Braun, who carried out the tests at the Berlin’s Alab Laboratory, said: “For such carcinogenic substances it is important they are kept as far away as possible from the human environment.”

Ann Althouse also justifiably rants about the activism that never ends. It’s always something that has to be made a big deal out of and the activists have to force their conclusions on the rest of us.

So before we have an adequate replacement for the incandescent bulb, politicians around the world are banning them and trying to force people into using fluorescent bulbs or alternatives that just plain suck!

Don’t take my choices away from me! Let the market deal with it in it’s own way, and when we have viable alternatives, people will switch to the best product that saves them money, is safe, and provides them with sufficient quality light.

If the government is going to mandate them, then consumers no longer have a choice. Manufacturers won’t have to expend any real effort to improve their CFL products or develop alternatives. If consumers don’t have a choice, where is the incentive to innovate?

UPDATE: Amy Alkon recommends a place to get a good deal on incandescent bulbs if you want to start hoarding them by the hundreds.

UPDATE: Don’t expect the GOP to come through for us on this one either.

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Are You Celebrating “Screen-Free Week”?

by mark on April 20, 2011

It’s the middle of my kid’s school vacation this week. The kids are spending a portion of the week at their grandparent’s house, and a long drive to and from.

We’re also in the middle of Screen-Free Week. This used to be called “TV Turnoff Week”. We once threw together and promoted a “PC Turnoff Week”.

What’s one week when you have fifty-one other weeks in the year where kids are going to gorge themselves with screen-time no matter what? How many screens do your kids interact with. There’s the TV, the computer, the iPod, the smart phone, etc.

Managing screen time is something that parents should be doing all year long.

You can limit computer time, but they might just get on their iPod touch and play games, or text their friends on and off when they should be doing homework.

It’s a challenge to manage multiple kids and multiple screens. Have you been effective at doing this within your family, or have you thrown your hands up?

ComputerTime will do the job on your Windows PCs to reign in excessive use, and more importantly eliminate the arguments between parents and the kids, but are you using any tools to help with the other technologies in your home?

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Playlists Fine-tuned To Your Mood with stereomood

by mark on April 2, 2011

A tweet from @Ramit linked to stereomood, which describes itself like this:

behind every song there’s always an emotion. we don’t know why but maybe that’s why we love music.

so we’ve created a way to suggest songs that follow your feelings: stereomood is the emotional internet radio, providing music that best suits your mood and your activities.

After reading that, I wonder if they have music that fits the mood of people who are averse to using the SHIFT key.

But it’s a neat concept and for people who like to be introduced to new artists that appeal to them, it seems like a great resource, as are the popular Pandora, and Radio Paradise.

Radio Paradise is particularly awesome since I purchased a Roku, because not only do they stream their music to your home audio system, but you get listener uploaded HD photos that go along with the music.

FM? What’s FM?

Do you have a favorite Internet music stream? Let us know in the comments below.

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