
Drowning in Light (2014) - dnetesn
http://nautil.us/issue/11/light/drowning-in-light
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KineticLensman
The article talks about technological solutions (e.g. smart grids that
determine where light is actually needed) as well as legislation. I have to
say that I'm not confident that the lighting industry will self-police, except
in the sense of offering improved energy efficiencies (I think there are
analogies with internet-of-things and security here).

> If nothing else, communities may take the matter into their own hands

A good UK example of community-driven efforts is the Campaign for Dark Skies
[1]. This is a force multiplier for individual community efforts, offering
resources and support for local initiatives. As a sometimes amateur star-
gazer, I support their efforts whenever I can. Because it is something special
to see the non-augmented Milky Way, even if it is less colourful and detailed
than the long-exposure shots that crop up everywhere

[1] [http://www.cpre.org.uk/what-we-do/countryside/dark-
skies](http://www.cpre.org.uk/what-we-do/countryside/dark-skies)

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ax00x
There is nothing better than being at a place with low light pollution and
seeing something like this:
[http://theartofnight.com/](http://theartofnight.com/)

If you're interested in finding places with low light pollution, check here:
[https://www.lightpollutionmap.info](https://www.lightpollutionmap.info)

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seren
> There is nothing better than being at a place with low light pollution and
> seeing something like this.

As far I understand, you can never see with the naked eyes something similar
to a long exposure photo. Sure you can get a better outline of the Milky way
but you'll never see something that is the result of collecting photons during
minutes or hours.

~~~
ax00x
Yes, absolutely, but just reducing the amount of light pollution around you
and looking up in the sky is a wildly different experience than, say, looking
up somewhere close to a city.

~~~
tracyshaun
And I would posit that laying on your back with open attention to the night
sky in a place free from light pollution is orders of magnitude more moving
than any long-exposure photograph. It’s not just the visuals, but the grander
sense of being witness to the majesty of where we actually are on this planet.

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tejtm
Some of you may be in a position to come compare and contrast

[http://oregonstarparty.org/](http://oregonstarparty.org/)

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ballenf
When did inset quotes of the article itself begin to be placed after the text
quoted? I feel like this is a change from what I expect: that inset quotes are
optional, interesting asides that add value to the article. Not word-for-word
copy-pastes of what I just read.

Has this changed? I feel like the approach taken in this article is becoming
more common and I kind of hate it. But I also wonder if it's just my mind
playing tricks on me. If it is a change, is it due to digital publishing
constraints or does it serve some purpose or audience that I can't envision?

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themodelplumber
When? Well for one, I remember seeing this in desktop publishing projects in
the 1990s :-)

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ballenf
Ok, then it's purely my aging brain playing tricks on me.

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adamnemecek
I've been thinking about light a lot lately. I've been working on a photonic
computer, however I've been realizing the importance of light for our
existence. Your perception is largely light based and strangely enough all
religions draw a parallel between light and their respective God/s.

I'm a religious person but I found this Bible quote to be a good summary of
the book in John 5

"This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light,
and there is no darkness in him at all."

TL;DR "We spoke to Jesus and he said the same thing: God is light".

This makes sense considering how light or heat was the thing that turned
inorganic chemistry into organic chemistry.

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samatman
I know what you meant, but organic chemistry is distinguished by a carbon
nucleus. The chemistry of life is called biochemistry.

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trevyn
> _the average citizen of Babylon would have had to work a total of 41 hours
> to buy enough lamp oil to equal a 75-watt light bulb burning for one hour.
> At the time of the American Revolution, a colonial would have been able to
> purchase the same amount of light, in the form of candles, for about five
> hour’s worth of work_

Or either of them could have found a tree, broken off some wood, and set it on
fire?

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zellyn
That works the first time. Then the tree is gone.

