Obsolescence of Edison

Let there be Light.   And there is light, just not inefficient light anymore.  In the United States, incandescent bulbs ranging from 100 Watts to 40 W are being phased out in the name of energy efficiency.  100 W incandescent bulbs were phased out late last year and the manufacture of 75-Watt lamps halted yesterday.  This

Rethinking Retail

…And they’re off!  With Halloween days behind us, the retail world has shifted its profit-seeking gaze towards Christmas.  Well, not Christmas itself.  Not the time of year when we’re to be thankful for what we have and generous to those who have not.  Rather, Christmas to the retail world is that special time of year

Escaping the Rut

We don’t like change.  We don’t like moving to new and strange places.  We don’t like getting on a plane for the first time.  We don’t like changing jobs.  We don’t like the end of our favorite season. Even though we often fear change, we usually accept that  change is necessary.  We need to solve

A Call for Candelabra LED Lighting

I’ve recently moved into a place with several ceiling fans.  I think ceiling fans are fantastic for air circulation and important for reducing the need for constant air conditioning. But now I have a problem with the lighting situation.  In many rooms, these fans also serve as the primary light source.  Unfortunately, all of my

Enjoyable Earthship

Here are a couple more pictures from our trip to Taos, NM to the Earthship community.  Our Earthship was The Euro (for sale apparently), which I posted about earlier. The view of scrubland/desert and mountains on the horizon made our stay very enjoyable.  The nearby Taos Ski Valley provides recreational fun any time of year.

Bright Future in LED Lighting

There has been press lately about the new Philips LED bulb, retailing at (yikes!) $60 minus available rebates.  The slant of many posts state that it’s efficient but expensive, so hug onto your old Edison technology and stay tethered to your coal-powered  electric utility.  True, people are likely to be reluctant to pay $60 for a

Lost in Transmission: Energy

In light of agriculture and urbanization, the need for new and improved infrastructure to transport and transmit water, electricity, natural gas, oil, etc. is never ending  (see Keystone XL Pipeline frenzy). Oil spills have risen over the past decade.  There is 2.5 million miles of infrastructure to gather, transmit, and distribute oil and natural gas.