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Of course. We should have known better. Lights Out SF -- happening this Saturday from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. -- is of an energy conservation movement, not a low-lighting aesthetic one. To wit:
On this night, we invite the entire city of San Francisco to install one compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) and turn off all non-essential lighting for one hour.
No. No! We cannot condone the purchase and installation of these ugly bulbs. The glare. The harshness. The gross fluorescent-ness of these every-saving gems. SFist offices have banned these bulbs for their sheer unattractiveness. The Castro gym came close to losing its fey clientele over last year's installation of said bulbs. Why can't these so that they don't make us want to throw up and/or slice open an artery?
Anyway, we will gladly shut off our lights during the 8 p.m.-9 hour (consider our two 25-watt bulbs out of commission!), as will the Transamerica building and Bay Bridge.
And be sure to check out the party happening in Dolores Park during Lights Out, featuring DJs, string quartets, and much more.
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In the spirit of cooperation I'll shut off my lights, but I hope they don't ask me to shut off my T.V.
Try giving CFLs another shot, the new generation (especially if you buy the slightly more expensive ones than what PG&E have put out for cheep) are a lot better than the ones from a few years ago and a whole world away from the flickering tubes hanging over cube farms.
I put them to the test with my roommates by replacing the bulbs in our bathroom and neither even noticed. I wouldn't put one in my reading lamp, but you can't tell the difference in the bathroom.
I don't know where you get your CFL bulbs from, but seriously I don't think you can tell the difference. Of course, I've used them for like 6-7 years or so now, so maybe I can't tell the difference. They are, I suppose, dimmer than regularly bulbs, but that's okay. And perhaps having a Japanese partner -- and the Japanese LOVE them some fluorescent lights: they think it's closer to sunlight -- also helps in this as he never complains about the light..
What you're looking for is CRI. It's usually listed on the tube box for the normal-type fluorescents.
The lights-out thing should be great for looking at the stars, if the weather is clear. Are there any Astronomy events planned?
Personally, I'm stock piling incandescent bulbs for the day when some misguided soul outlaws them.
Not only are CFL's hideous, they contain mercury, which creates an environmental problem of it's own.
My problem with these well meaning gestures, is that they tend to miss ways of dealing with the issue on a macro scale. Every downtown in America is lit up like a Christmas tree all night long. Office buildings should be required to have a lights out policy for unoccupied rooms, after 8:00p. Timers or motion detectors in the hallways after dark, would also go a long way towards saving a lot of electricity.
Has anyone tried an LED bulb?
They use those as those real bright headlights and the rears of Muni buses, and signal lamps.
Madame: forget office buildings. What about our government? The brightest, most obnoxiously lighted building in the city may be the Rosa Parks Senior Homes, which casts its pallid fluorescent glow on the whole Western Addition. Its twin, the JFK Tower Senior Homes, is similarly wasteful. And what about the building on on Otis at Duboce? City Hall? USF?
Businesses already have a perfectly good reason to turn out the lights: it saves tons of money. The government is not constrained by such incentives.
To KWillets: The San Francisco Amateur Astronomers will be having their city star party from 6:30 to 9:30 pm with public telescope viewing at Land's End. Info and a map are here -- http://www.sfaa-astronomy.org/calendar.php?drawevent:710
Have you ever seen the bright lights at St. Ignatius high school during the night on their football field? It's so bright that that light it's a huge bright spot that leaks out all into the Richmond district hills. The lights at Telephone Park are smart, they don't leak into the streets.
Mercury? How about the mercury released by generating electricity by means of burning fossil fuels.
Okay, this is a really stupid post, SFist. I am thoroughly disappointed.
First, it's true that fluorescent lighting of the past was really unpleasant with bad color and flickering. It's also true that some of today's CFL lighting is of lesser quality than incandescent. However, many if not most CFLs today have near- to full-spetrum lighting. In many settings, you would be very hard pressed to tell the difference.
Second, CFLs are funny-looking. However, in most places you can't even see them or would hardly notice them, so what difference does it make?
Cutting back on electricity use is important for countless reasons, not the least of which is reducing and hopefully one day reversing global climate change. You sound like a bunch of trust fund babies who don't want to give up your SUVs because it's easier to apply your lipstick in the rearview mirror. We are talking about saving humankind and you are concerned with the lights not looking pretty. I hope you will do some research and in the future support and encourage the greening of building and homes.
Please think before you post.
Sadly, I can still tell the difference even with the newer bulbs. Sadly, you are 100% wrong.
Wow, Brock. That was quite a helpful response. I'm 100% wrong? My entire comment?
You are one person. Other people don't notice the different and/or don't mind the difference at all. The fact that you are urging people not to buy the bulbs AT ALL is appalling, especially when we all need to contribute to solving the problem of global climate change and the looming energy crisis.
How about next time you suggest that readers try out just one CFL and see how they like it? Or how about you suggest places readers could use the CFLs where it won't bother them a whit? Another commenter mentioned it's perfect in the bathroom, but not ideal as a reading like, for example. I think they're great in the hallway, on the porch, and in the basement. I have one in a lamp with a colored shade, and it's really lovely.
Brock, please look at yourself. You are in a place where you can encourage people to do the right thing and make the world a better place. We all need to chip in, and, quite frankly, your article was really narrow-minded and shallow. Again, I urge you to think more about this for next time.
Here is a great reference about bulb light quality. Again, not great as reading lights, but excellent in many other settings.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/home_improvement/4215199.html
Agree. I demand that Brock give up his SUV, trust fund, AND lipstick. The sooner the better.
Since when has SFist turned into a personal sounding board for Brock? It's great that you tell us about the lights out event but keep your snarky opinion to yourself.
The SUV stays. As does the private jet.
I think Brock can keep his lipstick as long as it's made with environmentally sensitive materials and packaged in a recyclable container.
Most lipstick is made in China and is full of lead.
Use organic beet concentrate instead. Blueberry for the goth look.
It's sad to see such comments from this blogger - I can't believe he just said that he's going to go to waste 4 times more energy just simply because he doesn't like the look of the light bulb that he probably never looks at anyway.
I hope one day he realizes that we're all actually part of the same world.
I think what some people don't like is the quality of the light that some/all CFLs produce.
The bulb itself is quite fetching, I'm sure all would agree.