A week ago, I took the bike on a series of buses that got me to Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill, starting in McCandless. Yesterday, I tried the entire trip there on two wheels. That, and I did it in a cold drizzle, too. It took less time, too.
I started at 2:40 p.m., and might have made it in just over an hour, but took 46th St instead of 44th St through Lawrenceville, which dead-ends at St. Mary's Cemetery (adjacent to the larger Allegheny Cemetery). In respect to its residents and those who were just visiting, I walked the bike through. This delayed me maybe 10 minutes, though it did make for a pleasant stroll. (I like cemeteries.)
My path: Perrymont, Lindisfarne, various small streets in Ross Twp., Babcock Boulevard, Maryland Street in Millvale, the sidewalk along Rt 28, 40th St Bridge, Foster St, 46th St, aforementioned cemetery, Friendship Avenue, Taylor St, Liberty Avenue, South Aiken, R on Fifth Avenue, L on Wilkins, R on Murray, and proceeded to Douglas Street. I made it to the far end of the 40th St Br in just over a half hour, and the entire trip in 83 minutes. At end, I was fairly wet (no fenders), but not that cold. Last week, with considerable bus help, it took 90.
The return trip, close to 6 p.m. when it was fully dark and raining steadily, was done with a lot of help from buses. I biked to Forbes and Murray, following, of all things, someone on a bicycle. My biggest problem getting home was that there isn't that much bus service on a Sunday night, so I stood shivering, waiting for anything to show up. Fortunately every bus that did show had racks. My situation would have been greatly helped by having figured out a bus itinerary in advance, but I just winged it.
The first bus was a 59U, which I grabbed right away, but I should have waited for the 61C that was right behind it, because the 59U (which the 61C passed) only got me to Oakland. Then I stood, dripping and shivering, waiting for anything going Downtown. A 71C eventually did, and from that I was able to get to a 500 that I'd already missed in Oakland (which I would have caught if I'd waited for that 61C).
The 500 got me all the way to West View, and in 15 minutes, I was home. Good thing, too. If I knew there was a 12A coming along just after the 500, I might have waited for it, but that would have meant standing in the rain 10 more minutes, and I would have been 25 minutes later getting home, since the 12A takes such a torturous path through Ross Twp. It took me less time to bike three miles from West View than it would have taken the 12A to travel two miles from Siebert Road to Perrymont.
The only scary part of the trip was coming down the hill on Perry Highway toward Three Degree Road. I had the green light, but did not know if the car making a left off of southbound Perry could see me, in the dark, in the rain.
I really need to get head- and tail-lights.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
I hate leaf blowers (Nov. 10, 2007)
Current mood: 
Throw on a sweater and go for a walk. Take in that refreshing cool air. Rustle your feet through the gathering piles of leaves.
Leaves!! I love leaves! I love raking piles of leaves together and then going FWAAAA!! and leap into them. With the kids! Without the kids! Still!
But hey, what's that sound?
rrrrRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
What I can do without is all the leaf blowers. Especially the gas-powered ones, which sound like miniature chain saws, which in fact they pretty much are. The sound of those things carries a half mile. On a crisp autumn day here in the 'burbs, I can sometimes hear five of them at a time. Even one nearby is enough to wake me from a nap.
What happened to rakes? Why is it that if some "labor saving device" gets put on the market, that everyone has to go out and buy one? Of course, they're all Made In China, too, but that's a rant for another day.
Is it any wonder that we are a nation of overfed fools who can't run one mile or walk three if our lives depended on it? Is it any wonder why we have such a demand for petroleum? Not that the leaf blowers use that much, but they use any, and make an infernal racket doing so.
Here's how I take care of my leaves: I take the old sheets that I last used two weeks ago to cover the tomato plants. With a couple of people's help, I spread them out over parts of the yard. I rake leaves onto one. Someone else (occasionally it's me alone) folds up the four corners of the sheet, picks it up (maybe 20 pounds), and carries it either to the big pile in the yard to have fun with, or to the side of the street for the vacuum truck to come along and take them all away. Repeat.
Take a hint: Lose the stupid blowers, get a rake, and then get some exercise. Maybe have fun, too!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
My first stint as Judge of Election (Nov. 7, 2007)
Current mood: 
Today was Election Day, and I volunteered to work as the Judge of Elections in a fairly busy district, one corresponding to a portion of the on-campus population of University of Pittsburgh student body. My son Gabe was one of my clerks. My two inspectors were a man I know through transit circles, and a woman I had never met. (The fifth position was vacant.) With the exception of the woman, who had many years of experience doing this, none of us had even the slightest. Gabe hadn't ever even voted, having just turned 18 in July. Nevertheless, we pulled off the feat of running a busy polling place, with neither mishap nor major error.
It's real late now, nearly midnight, so I'm pretty much drained. Before another 24 hours goes by, though, I will type and post the diary that I wrote as the day progressed. Stay tuned!
*
Rather than start a new blog, I'll just add the detail as a comment.
Saturday, November 3, noonish. Reizenstein MS is an easy walk to and from the East Busway's ELib station. I'm glad I didn't pick up this "suitcase" by bicycle. It's the volume and mass of a full milk crate, but with a handle and wheels. One thing I notice right off: The lid could use a bungee cord to tie it down. It popped off when I hit a large crack in a sidewalk. The thing is pick-up-able with two hands, provided you can lift 45 pounds correctly.
12:30 p.m. It can be lugged onto a bus, but it's difficult. On a 3100-series articulated bus, it only fits in the space directly behind the driver, and I can fold up in the little seat behind that, almost facing forward. Otherwise everyone is tripping over it. Such is the case on a 5400-series Gillig. I had to put it on the seat next to me. Later, I have little trouble lugging it 3/4 mile along Perrymont Road, though I can tell that big mass is there every time I climb a grade.
4:00 p.m. I take a look inside. I hoped to see a "Quick Start" page, a packing list, and charts indicating what's what and how to repack it after closing the polls. A photo would be nice, too. Ideal location for this: Underside of lid.
5:00 p.m. I do discover the green binder, which has a lot of really well written detail, and is organized well.
Tuesday, 5:25 a.m. Spent the night at a friend's house in Oakland so as to be near the polling place without a commute. Another judge in the same house is calling her other pollworkers to be sure they're up. It never even crossed my mind. Really I should have looked them up a couple of days ago to identify myself and say I was going to give them all a reminder call.
6:00 a.m. On site. Turns out 4-8 and 4-14 share a space. Good. Being close together can be useful.
6:10 a.m. Lee is here. She's been doing this for 40 years. Good. Jim Love is here, too. Jim and Gabe set up the machines, and Lee starts them, while I get the paperwork going.
6:45 a.m. Signing paperwork, swearing oaths, hanging signs. We look a bit disorganized, but it's coming together.
7:00 a.m. We're open for business; so is 4-14, who gets a couple of people in the first 15 minutes. We don't have anyone before 7:30. Our constable is here (Carol), as is 14's (Tom). Most of 4-8's clientele is on-campus students, while 4-14's is off-campus students and permanent, older Oakland residents. Carol runs out to Panera for coffee and bagels so we don't starve. In our rush to get here early, neither Gabe nor I ate. (Turns out, all day, only one set of food gets delivered to us. 4-14's staff has experienced deluges of deliveries in past years.)
7:45 a.m. First two customers. Also, Guy G, a campaign worker, comes by. He and the two constables recall an incident last year in which all the campaign signs got repeatedly torn down by Pitt maintenance staff during the day, and it took Chancellor Nordenberg himself to settle it. (Turns out, we have no trouble with this or anything else involving keeping order.)
9:30 a.m. Jim calls Downtown. Fifth person never showed. We're not that busy (9 so far), but Lee says we should have five. They take my information, but said I was in better shape than some of the districts.
9:55 a.m. A lady shows up, has ID, but no paperwork. She did move, so upon further thought decided to look there. I look for but do not find the URL of the website which can be used to verify voter status. Note: Later (like 2 p.m.) I have a student look it up for me, so here it is, for the record: http://apps.county.allegheny.pa.us/VoteDistricts/Lookup.aspx
10:00 a.m. Lee notes that we have 3,662 registered voters in the district, which overfills two "cans", i.e., long cardfile boxes. I had brought in my own 3x5 box to hold the overflow, but it's still tight to work with. The explanation is that a lot of students registered to vote in 2004, then graduated, but did not change their registration. 4-14 has 937 people, and a lot of them are former off-campus students now living who-knows-where. Lee's old district had maybe 300.
10:15 a.m. We actually have a short line.
11:00 a.m. Very busy, about five in five minutes. Lee notes that tops of hours tend to be busy.
12:15 p.m. Call Downtown. What is the number to find out where you vote? Call is disconnected. I suspect they're being hammered. Promoting that website would have been a good idea.
12:30 p.m. Constant trickle of voters. Now 40 on roster, a few more than 4-14. Had three machines busy at once a few minutes ago. We've settled into a routine of Lee on register, Gabe on card file, Jim on PEBs, and me on the numbered list or anything else when it gets busy. No problems. Several have come by either not knowing where they should vote, or thought they could vote anywhere since they were registered (i.e., some other town/ward/district). No fleeing voters yet; most voters are familiar with the iVotronics, but also note nearly all voters are under 25, and most had never used a lever machine. Also, no problems so far with the wires on the floor. We have enough cords across paths that I thought we might be a problem, but our "Please use other door" signs must be doing the trick.
2:10 p.m. In a flurry of activity, we thought four people came in to vote. Only two were found qualified (the other two were just asking questions), with cards were pulled for the two. This caused a mix-up in one log book. I think that if I do this again with a district this big, I will split the register in half. Finding the right card and register entry for each person is a time-consuming task. Gabe and I clearly can read faster than the others, so we can look up people a lot faster, but it also takes time to log each person as well as mark voter cards.
2:20 p.m. We finally get the URL of the website which allows you to figure out where you're supposed to vote: http://apps.county.allegheny.pa.us/VoteDistricts/Lookup.aspx
I made up a couple of sheets that say "Not sure where to vote? Check on this website." I allow students to borrow this, go over to one of the several terminals nearby, use it, and return the slip, usually smiling, and usually knowing where to go. We realize that non-students would be helpless here, so really what is needed is for District staff to have a laptop handy with Internet access, so that we can look up people's voting status and location for them. While it would be a significant drain on our resources if we were really busy, we may be able to help a lot of people vote, since they would be able to go directly to their polling place, assuming it is nearby. Beyond this, it would be a good idea to have a table set up at fairs, festivals and the like, through the summer and early part of the school year, while there is still time to register to vote, or change one's registration.
4:15 p.m. Film crew from a Pitt class films a pretend candidate. They've been filming themselves off to the side for 20 minutes or more, not bothering us or anyone. Four, I think: One well-dressed woman (like a reporter or PR person), one well-dressed man (the "candidate"), and two average dressed students with camera. They ask permission to film the candidate operating a voting machine. I say it's OK, provided nobody else is voting and the machine is blank. Constable Carol reviews the rules with them in a little more detail, but they are OK with that. They complete filming and leave without incident.
4:20 p.m. We grow tired of the one inside door flying open, as it is very cold and windy. I have Gabe put up "Please Shut Door" signs just as the Facilities Maintenance guy shows up. He suggests putting a chair in front of the door to deter usage. He comes back around 4:30 to work on it some more, and post a more official "Please Use Other Door" sign. He suggests placing a chair in front of the door to keep it from blowing open.
4:25 p.m. We compare notes with 4-14. We have something like 90 voters to their 40. For a while in the morning, we were neck-and-neck. I think a lot of the permanent residents voted early, then went to work, while students were just getting up. Lee is right, we get crowds at one-hour intervals, corresponding with class-change times.
4:40 p.m. The wind pushes open the door along with the chair. I have Gabe duct-tape down the chair. About an hour later, the wind yanks the door open, along with the chair and the tape. Re-attaching it, the wind dies down enough that the chair stays put the rest of the night.
5:15 p.m. District 4-14 has a machine that sounded like a fleeing voter. The machine was right behind me, and we weren't busy at that moment, so I looked at it and called their attention to it. (4-14 had at that moment only one machine with a customer, an elderly couple at the machine to its left. I do not know what happened prior to the machine going into "fleeing voter" mode, since it was occurring behind me, and wasn't my district.)
When I looked at the machine, the ballot did not appear to have ever been started. One of 4-14's clerks came over and filled out a minimal ballot and entered it (red light then green square). I got the Judge in 4-14 to try to cancel this blank vote, but he was not quite sure how to deal with it, so they have a vote discrepancy of one, a problem that could have been avoided if their Minority Clerk had -- or used -- the proper training. (Sorry to say, he isn't too bright.)
6:15 p.m. All four of 4-8's voting machines are in use at once for the first time all day. Four young women came in as a group; none had ever voted before. At that moment, I was the runner manning the PEBs. The fourth machine in line (S/N: V5184887), after use, went to the opening screen. I had started all four of these voters, one at a time, with the same how-to-use-it speech. All knew to push the red button at the top when done, then the green square to confirm. I stepped off to the side, casually observing them from some distance. When the fourth one was done, I noticed that the machine had changed to display the beginning-of-poll screen. I personally verified with this voter (Tess Sanders, 118 on 4-8's log of voters), before she even stepped away from the machine, that she did follow all instructions properly. She said she did.
She left, and Gabe and I watched the terminal for several minutes, expecting it to go into "fleeing voter" mode. It did. Gabe then inserted the red PEB and canceled the vote, selecting "Problem with terminal". When this was done, the message "Public count 66" appeared; the time was 18:25:30. Gabe and I then counted the paper stubs in the envelope; total was 67. Sorry, Tess.
We tape the machine closed. It was not used again that night. (We closed it officially along with the other three at 8 p.m.)
6:50 p.m. With the permission and supervision of 4-14's Judge, I count slips on their machine that had malfunctioned in the same way (S/N: V5181467). I find 14 slips, but "Public count 15". This was because of the Minority Clerk's filling out of an empty ballot to clear the problem on that machine.
7-ish. Gabe canceled a voter's vote at the voter's request. At the close of polling, we find that our vote count is under by 2. One of these undervotes was this requested cancel; the other would have been Tess Sanders.
7:45 p.m. Began going through suitcase, assembling collections of recyclable paper, forms to complete, envelopes to go back, etc.
8:00 p.m. Went outside at two exits, as well as inside, and announced loudly and generally inside that the polls were closing. I think our last customer was at 7:57.
8:05 p.m. Gabe and Jim yellow-PEB the machines, pulled and stored the flash cards, and took them down. Lee took care of envelopes and paperwork. I posted returns and got signatures on forms. Called my wife (who had the car) to ensure she was on her way.
8:28 p.m. Machines down and loaded on cart. Suitcase and envelopes ready. Final stages of getting stuff posted, packed and filed.
8:42 p.m. Sarah and Amy here; Amy came in to find us while Sarah circled, looking for a parking space. Jim left. Lee left with us, as she lives near Reizenstein and it's still blowing bitterly outside.
9-ish At Reizenstein. Lee, Gabe and I take the suitcase to the first turn-in line. Since Lee had done this several times before, most of our ducks were already in good order. As we got closer to the front, we/she could see what specific things they were looking for and in what order, so when we were up to bat, she had it ready. Repeated this at the 2nd and 3rd tables inside. One poor guy "had a mess", as the Table #2 lady observed. Nothing was filled out. But us? Bing-bing-bing, we were in and out of there in less than five minutes, all with smiles and thanks from the other side of the table. Then off to her place of residence and saw her in. Then home before 10, and finished writing this (long-hand) by 10:30.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Why bus service to 3 Pittsburgh malls should stop (Nov. 3, 2007)
Current mood: 
In the latest case, Simon Properties Group, owner of Ross Park Mall, Century III Mall, and South Hills Village, has ordered bus stops moved away from convenient mall entrances, to areas distant, dangerous and difficult to access. Would you park your car in the most distant space possible, even on the other side of the road circling the mall?
SPG did this because it does not want bus riders' business -- something about undesirables, lower-income, lower-class citizens. This fact has been independently corroborated (from a former inner-office employee), and as such it proclaims blatant race and class discrimination. The fact that it also endangers its rider clientele, especially the elderly, the disabled, and small children, appears to be lost on mall management. Who takes the heat for this? Port Authority, of course.
Two can play at this game, however. To drive this point home, Port Authority can and should terminate all service to these three malls unless and until curbside service can be guaranteed. While this would surely upset people, not the least of whom would be existing riders willing to tolerate the malls' stupidity, PAAC needs to make clear whose decision prompted the action, and whose would restore service.
The last I checked, riders' money is just as green as that of customers arriving in cars. Thus, if PAAC cannot deliver its clientele there safely and conveniently, it should not go there at all, and most importantly, not be afraid to say why.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
What? No candy on Halloween? *What* then?! (Oct. 27, 2007)
Current mood: 
I give out coins. No, not plain old money, collector coins. I'm a numismatist.
Each year that I've lived here in the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh, I've given out something different. Let's see if I can recall some of them:
* "V" nickels.
* 1943 steel cents, with a magnet
* Eisenhower dollars
* Silver Certificate $1 bills
* Canadian provincial quarters (the first year we had our U.S. state quarters)
* British pennies; note that the U.S. has only and always minted cents, and has never referred to them as "pennies".
* Medals with dinosaurs on them, the year that one of "The Land Before Time" movies came out.
* Kennedy half dollars.
* 1897 Indian Head cents, in 1997.
The point is, there are plenty of ways to make kids' eyes bulge out with things they've never seen before. My job as an educator is to instill in them a sense of wonder and excitement.
What a wonderful opportunity I have each year! Kids come up on my porch by the dozen, looking for a handout, and I willingly give it to them! Only in my case, they do not get something they eat, but instead they get something they can keep! Forever! It might even be worth something.
In the last few years, as I've seen my clientele get younger and younger, I've included a note along with the coin, explaining what it is, and why I give them out. I also include my name and address, in case any parent wonders where the kids got the thing. While I never have had a parent call me to question the handout, I've had some neighborhood kids come by a couple of days later to see if I have any extras. (Which I did, and gladly gave them what I had.)
Of course, I cannot give out things that have a whole lot of value. On a good evening, I might get 25 kids. If I got 250, it might be a different story and not be able to give out anything. But on the other hand, I know plenty of people who drop $30 to $40 on candy.
Don't expect me to hand out gold pieces from the 1840s, but stop by my house and you will get something that will make you think a bit!
Happy Halloween!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Second Monroeville bike trip (Oct. 26, 2007)
Current mood: 
Getting back was a different story. I tried to catch the very same 67A trip as last Friday, but this bus did not have a rack. I ended up bicycling all the way to the Wilkinsburg station of the East Busway. And there I sat for nearly a half hour, waiting for a bus in service that would both stop and have a bike rack. Nearly 10 buses were headed back to the East Liberty Garage, all with racks. Fat lot of good any of those did me!
Finally an EBS arrived with a rack, a huge articulated (i.e., bends in the middle). I almost freaked when the driver pulled almost past where I could squeeze myself and the bike past the end-of-station barrier, but I managed somehow. I cannot believe he didn't see me: I was wearing my orange safety vest, had a helmet on, and was standing right there with the bike in full view.
Downtown, when my 11C showed, it too was rackless. No biggie; the 11C is not a designated bike route, so I wasn't too surprised. I noted that it was bus 5021. Headed across the 7th Street Bridge, I was passed by bus 5022, a 500 which would get me to West View. I charged ahead, caught the bus at a traffic light, and Yay! it had a rack! While the light was still red, I mounted and boarded, and off we went.
Somehow, though, I managed to munch a knuckle while loading the bike that time. I'm still not sure how I did that, as I've had plenty of practice, and have never done it before. I had riding gloves on, too.
The trip there required an hour and five minutes, but the trip home 2.5 hours. It took me 25 minutes to bike from the Expo Mart next to Monroeville Mall to the Wilkinsburg station, about as long as waiting for the bus at the Wilkinsburg station. I thought about biking home from there after waiting so long, but the idea of a mid-day 25-mile ride didn't quite thrill me.
Anyway, one more trip under my belt!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Fire hoses and flower gardens (Oct. 23, 2007)
Current mood:
Insane, right? No, wait -- I forgot that the fire hose also has a leak right at the nozzle that sprays you straight in the face with a jet of water. Doubly insane, but the analogy is accurate when we tackle the topic of outdoor lighting. Looking around, I estimate that at least 80% of all outdoor lighting is overdone, misdirected, wasteful, and always does more harm than good.
In most cases, the outdoor lights we as a society have installed pour light as much sideways as down. The cobra-shaped public streetlight is a prime example. You can see them from a mile away, yet the amount of street that they actually illuminate well is fairly small, at best 200 feet away, beyond which any object fades into the shadows. OTOH easily 30% of the light goes sideways and even up, relative to the base of the metal fixture holding the bulb. Thirty percent of your tax dollars are lighting up the night sky. The wasted light may be close by, such as trespassing directly in a window, or lighting up the sky many miles away. Recall that our atmosphere scatters light, so all sideways light is "up" to someone, Either way, that, dear readers, is harm.
Even worse is the private yard light that looks like a crystal hornet's nest. These are everywhere. Fully 30% of their light, too, goes anyplace but down into the yard where supposedly needed. Same goes for those side-mounted box lights often found over doorways or on the sides of buildings, and floodlights pointed towards parking lots. Think fire hoses.
All of these lights typically draw 250 to 400 watts of power. At 10 cents per kilowatt-hour, or one cent per hour per 100 watts, a 250-watt bulb running 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, costs its owner $9/month, closer to $15 for the brighter ones, $28 if they run 24/7, as some do. Those fixtures, while inexpensive to purchase ($20), cost over $100/year to run. (Is that sirens I hear? Where are my flowers?)
I do not see where people get the idea that light glaring directly into one's eye is desirable, but any fixture that directs or allows light sideways as well as down is doing precisely that. It's nuts! The human eye works very nicely in dim-light situations, thank you, but not when nearby lights are bright. In fact it takes our eyes several minutes to recover from brightness when it is otherwise dark. Think leaky fire hoses.
The solution is to replace lights that shine sideways with ones that shine down. I know of areas which have both types of lights installed (Mars, Butler County, is one). It is actually brighter under the downward ones than the omni-directionals, though from a couple hundred feet away the omnis appear to be brighter. Further, the downward ones use far less juice, 50 watts, vs. 250, with whiter light than the omnis' peach-pink glow.
The point is, if you want the sidewalks to be lit, light the sidewalks, not the walls and roofs of every building in town.
Why is this important? First, cost. Whether you own the light, or run the business that pays for the light, or pay the taxes to whatever governmental body operates it, that's your money down the drain. Second, pollution. Much of that power comes from coal, and no matter how clean you make it, that's still smoke going up, as well as greenhouse gases.
Third, and this one is nearest and dearest to my own heart, is the loss of the night sky. That sideways and upwards light becomes the sky glow that blots out the stars in the sky. In a central city or the glare of a mall parking lot, you might be lucky to see 10 stars overhead, maybe 100 in a suburban yard. Dozens of miles out from the city, you might see 1,000. But in very dark areas, anyone with reasonably good vision should be able to see about 15,000 stars. If you cannot see the Milky Way, your sky has been wiped out by bad lighting.
Fourth is plain old safety. Those who want bright lights have bought into the very common idea that lots of light means security. Piffle. Define security! How secure are you when an attacker can clearly see you, and has positioned himself so that the nearby lighting is right in your face? How much better it would be if lighting were subdued so that your eyes were adjusted to the dark, with just enough downward light so that you can see not to trip over something!
How secure is your building from vandals who can see clearly what they're doing because you've provided them the light to do so? How safe is your yard when an intruder can see everything there, and hide in the shadows until people have left, before making a move? How much better if the place was always dark, but became flooded with light when someone walks in and trips a motion sensor? Light might make you think you and your property are safer, but it doesn't make you any safer.
The sensible approach to lighting is this: Less is better. Save money. Avoid waste. Avoid pollution. Think.
Use a sprinkler, not a fire hose, and don't spray yourself along with the flowers.
More info: International Dark Sky Association (or their resources page), and this link for one product anyone can buy and install.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)