CFL Government Mandate...

[devilof76]

One practical consideration about CFL bulbs that has always annoyed me is that they do burn longer, but it doesn't take long for the brightness to degrade. An incandescent bulb stays fully bright until it's dead. CFL's spend the majority of their lifetime much dimmer than their initial brightness.

 

[dr_teng]

Shortsighted? I'm afraid you're going to have to be much more specific.

Electricity would be much cheaper if oil supplies weren't being artificially restricted (hence inflating price) by zealots on a power trip.

Of course, there's nothing shortsighted about giving the institution with a legal monoploy on the use of force the power to dictate energy policy. Nothing shortsighted about that at all, comrade.

It's pretty simple, electricity requires resources. Resources are finite. Reducing usage of resources while renewable resource technologies are in their infancy is necessary, unless you're looking forward to huge increases in energy costs are resources become more scarce.

So like I said, most people that aren't incredibly shortsighted, and yes, that includes the governments that enforce the energy policy.

 

[devilof76]

Malthus was debunked a long time ago. Resources are only as limited as one's imagination, which I suppose is reaching the end of the line since the symbol for ingenuity used for 100 years is now being removed from the market by the political force of men with very little.

Aside from that, predictions that oil is running out have fallen short every time. There is also nuclear power to consider. Energy is only as expensive as the greens (and their accomplices) want it to be. The more power they get, the more obvious it is that when they have the guns, they will be more than willing (eager, even) to use them. This is an opening salvo, and they can take their bulbs and insert them in the appropriate sockets as far as I'm concerned. The entire movement is a fraud; in theory and in practice, and those who take it seriously will get what they deserve.

 

[Ultimate Weapon]

Regardless of whether or not the "greens", government or cartels are creating fears over oil and "finite or not" fuel resources, there are better alternatives out there that are naturally renewable that we should be moving towards and improving for the sake of our own health and environment. It isn't 1920 anymore and the industrial revolution is over. It just makes sense to move towards cleaner and more efficient energy. We live in a finite space with only so much left to consume. Whether it happens in 50 years or 500 years, we will eventually consume every resource this planet has to offer if we don't strike a balance of sustainability. Of course one could argue that in in a few billion years it won't matter anyway once the sun becomes a red giant.

Anyway, besides Ikea, CFL's can be properly disposed of at Lowe's, Home Depot, and even Best-Buy if I'm not mistaken. Since they do have Mercury they are supposed to be dropped off at an official place like those so they can be recycled as the trash bin is off limits. I'm not sure if Wal-mart or Target have adopted recycling yet or not.

Personally I think they should skip CFL's altogether and just push for lower cost LED's - they last forever, the light quality is better and they have no mercury, but change is a lumbering dinosaur ...

 

[dr_teng]

Oh, my mistake, I thought you were trying to raise a reasonable point somewhere, not a wonderland of paranoid fantasies.

Ultimate Weapon : Oh yeah, totally agreed, I've seen some prototype LED lit rooms and they're amazing. Not just from electrical efficiency, but light quality and light placement were pretty nuts, you can come out with well lit and downright artistic rooms. Our future collectible rooms will be pretty badass.

 

[devilof76]

If you can debunk my alleged fantasies instead of copping out with ad hominems, then I'll stop looking at the limited resources hysteria of yourself and Ultimate Weapon as an arrogant and morbid delusion.

 

[dr_teng]

Haha, we both know if you're living in modern times and denying that resources are finite, while having access to decades of research that say the same thing, there's no possible way I could debunk that sort of wacky belief. But maybe all those studies were paid off by BIG GREEN

So don't you worry, I'm perfectly ok with you thinking people taking responsibility for their actions and using slightly less resources is "hysteria", and that it's an "arrogant and morbid delusion" to believe that physical resources run out instead of springing forth from the earth in unlimited quantities, possibly by magic.

 

[devilof76]

That's what I thought.

 

[Ultimate Weapon]

If you can debunk my alleged fantasies instead of copping out with ad hominems, then I'll stop looking at the limited resources hysteria of yourself and Ultimate Weapon as an arrogant and morbid delusion.

You can believe whatever you want man. Most people don't change their opinions whether you show them cited materials from noteworthy sources or not. I'm sure that for whatever citation I show to you, you could show me one that counters it.

My point is simply that if you could use a renewable resource that costs less, don't negatively impact the environment or your health then why wouldn't you want to?

Take solar power. Would you not place enough solar panels on your home to provide all the electricity you need for free from the sun so that you would never need to pay another dime to the power company again for coal/nuclear/oil based electricity/heat regardless of whether these fuels would run out or not, if you could?

If you could be disconnected from the grid and totally self-sustainable, why wouldn't you want to be? It isn't impossible. It can be done. Regardless of your views on global warming, environmental ecology or fossil fuel longevity, what's so wrong with using only what you need and trying to minimize your impact on consumption?

 

[devilof76]

Why do you need to minimize your impact at all?

 

[dr_teng]

If you could be disconnected from the grid and totally self-sustainable, why wouldn't you want to be? It isn't impossible. It can be done. Regardless of your views on global warming, environmental ecology or fossil fuel longevity, what's so wrong with using only what you need and trying to minimize your impact on consumption?

When someone is willing to ignore physical reality and pretend there's a never-ending supply of magic fuel on the planet, you're not going to get anywhere. You might as well spend your time trying to explain evolution to a creationist, it's not worth the effort.

 

[GrueSam]

One practical consideration about CFL bulbs that has always annoyed me is that they do burn longer, but it doesn't take long for the brightness to degrade. An incandescent bulb stays fully bright until it's dead. CFL's spend the majority of their lifetime much dimmer than their initial brightness.

Another complaint of mine is that they won't "dim". I have a dimmer switch on my dragonfly Tiffany lamp and I don't always want it all the way up.

So I, also, will be stocking up on incandescents.

 

[BadMoon]

Another complaint of mine is that they won't "dim". I have a dimmer switch on my dragonfly Tiffany lamp and I don't always want it all the way up.

So I, also, will be stocking up on incandescents.

Sam we need them to dim! I can't get it on in full bright light.

 

[GrueSam]

I hear ya! No licking of necks in bright light.

I'm off to OSH now...

 

[ProgMatinee]

this is one of the few things implemented by the government that I don't see a problem with, i'm gonna need as much savings on the electricity bill as possible so I can pay my increased share of taxes to help fund Obamacare.

 

[BadMoon]

this is one of the few things implemented by the government that I don't see a problem with, i'm gonna need as much savings on the electricity bill as possible so I can pay my increased share of taxes to help fund Obamacare.

I'm loving this! People kept asking and guess what? They got it! I can sleep at night because he didn't get my vote.

 

[teemu]

I knew about this a year ago...I suggest stocking up on those old school light bulbs...if you use those mercury filled light bulbs and one breaks..your house can be quarantined/evacuated and will cost you a good penny for cleaning it up...plus when the mercury bulb is done, you are responsible to take them to a special place for disposal.Isnt government control great??? I know you all love it!!

 

[dr_teng]

I knew about this a year ago...I suggest stocking up on those old school light bulbs...if you use those mercury filled light bulbs and one breaks..your house can be quarantined/evacuated and will cost you a good penny for cleaning it up...plus when the mercury bulb is done, you are responsible to take them to a special place for disposal.Isnt government control great??? I know you all love it!!

No, your house can't be quarantined or evacuated if one breaks, because they don't contain quantities anywhere near a dangerous range.

A 5 second trip to Snopes would've debunked the above.

Your second point is almost as incorrect, in the majority of states, you can be as lazy as you like and dump it in the trash, like most people do with other things that contain toxic elements (the vast majority of electronics, computer parts, batteries, etc...). If you want to be environmentally responsible, then just like computer parts, you dump it off at places that can properly dispose of them. In some states, it's illegal, but no one really cares. Feel free to try to find one person so much as fined for it, you won't.

 

[Deak Starkiller]

Jesus Christ this thread has derailed big time. My only concern (and thanks for draggin politics into it A-Holes ) is that these things drain color from anything for long periods of time. Haven't any of you worked in an office and noticed things are muted in color because of the fluorescent lights? Seriously does anyone know what I'm talking about? I feel so...funky.

Can we keep the LEFT & RIGHT out of it please? Thank you for your cooperation.

 

[Ultimate Weapon]

Meant to hit edit