Al Gore made me do it

I’ve been experimenting with the new compact fluorescent light bulbs. Maybe you’ve seen them in the store. Wal-Mart is really pushing them. They replace a normal incandescent bulb and use about ¼ the power. They also run far cooler than a normal bulb. You can easily unscrew a “100W” bulb that has been running for hours without singeing your fingertips. I put “100W” in quotes because it is really a 100W replacement. Because the process of generating light through fluorescence is four to six times more efficient than hot wire light, the bulbs are really consume something on the order of 25W.

Each bulb reportedly “lasts 10 times longer, produces 450 pounds fewer greenhouse gases from power plants and saves consumers $30 over the life of each bulb,” according to a NY Times article (link above). At the same time, they are eight times more expensive than a regular bulb. They also take a little getting used to because they aren’t “instant-on.” They take a second to flicker to life—like a traditional fluorescent tube bulb.

I’ve replaced about half the bulbs in our house. I don’t expect to see dramatic reductions in our power bill or anything like that, but I’m really curious to see if they last as long as advertised, because I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time changing burnt-out bulbs.

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My e-friend Ali was inspired to write about me in his blog. I think it’s the first time I’ve ever been the subject of a weblog. Ali and I have never met, but our interests have crossed at several different points. Like me, he’s a chemist and a fan of mysteries and books by Michael Slade and Stephen King.

I always find it interesting when I meet the same person two different ways. I first knew of Hunter Goatley from old listservs for VAX VMS computer issues before I encountered him again later as the webmaster of Robert R. McCammon’s site.

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I reread and edited the 1000 words of the new short story that I wrote yesterday morning and continued on with the tale. At the end of my session I thought that I hadn’t accomplished very much (in terms of length), and was surprised to discover that I’d added another 1000 words. I really like the POV character and her issues. And boy does she have issues. Can’t wait to get back at the story tomorrow.

House, M.D. was better than usual last night. The secondary story about Cameron and the dying man was a little bit “meh” but the interaction between House and the rape victim evolved nicely. I wasn’t familiar with the actress, Katheryn Winnick, but she was muy impressivo. And a Canadian, to boot.