Back when I first began flying on commercial flights back in the Seventies, courtesy of Uncle Sam, the street lighting was all mercury vapor. Coming in over a major city was always a breathtaking sight...the blue-white lights below looked like a million tiny diamonds spread out on a tapestry of black velvet. With the advent of sodium lighting, I was disappointed on a recent flight to find one of my favorite sights has turned to a topaz yellow, which I suppose is pretty in its own way, but I miss the older lighting. Maybe when the street lighting is changed to LED, the diamonds will return...
Anyone else got a sight or sound they miss?
IP: Logged
06:49 AM
PFF
System Bot
Wichita Member
Posts: 20656 From: Wichita, Kansas Registered: Jun 2002
I don't make a habit of flying places, so what cities look like from above is a bit of a low priority. But I'd sure like some whiter street lights. Orange lighting is just weird, and it makes it Very hard to identify the color of anything. I suppose I should be thankful for a city where nearly every street is lit at all...
IP: Logged
07:07 AM
Vonov Member
Posts: 3745 From: Nashville,TN,USA Registered: May 2004
Yeah! I get what your saying on flights, although I'm probably too young to remember mercury vapor lights.
You still see them used in large gas stations and gymnasiums...they're the brilliant blue-white lights that take a few minutes to warm up to full intensity, and are also used in HID headlights.
IP: Logged
07:39 AM
Finally_Mine_86_GT Member
Posts: 4809 From: Hyde Park, New York Registered: Sep 2006
a sight or sound i miss? it would have to be that familiar smell of a mechanics garage. the sounds too... the air hoses, smell of oil, grinders, ect. ect. wow... thank for that memory.
I miss most of the stores that were around during my youth.
*looks at the dull line of cell phone shops, calling card shops, cheezy hello-kitty "fad" stores", bars, resturants, and "mega stores that have everything"...*
Miss the local
Bike shop Stationary store Pet shop Toy store video game shop video store arcade book store radio shack
IP: Logged
10:56 AM
tutnkmn Member
Posts: 3426 From: York, England, U.K. Living in Ohio Registered: May 2006
I miss most of the stores that were around during my youth.
*looks at the dull line of cell phone shops, calling card shops, cheezy hello-kitty "fad" stores", bars, resturants, and "mega stores that have everything"...*
Miss the local
Bike shop Stationary store Pet shop Toy store video game shop video store arcade book store radio shack
We still have Radio Shack --- only it's in a mall.
For some nostalgic reason I miss the little "Photo Hut" things that used to be located in the middle of parking lots. I used to do doughnuts around them
[This message has been edited by tutnkmn (edited 01-26-2007).]
My pet peeve is just the opposite, I don't want no darn street lights. O.K. well I do live in the country, but our neighbor just put a little trailer house on the hill above us and added 3 yard lights, then my brother in law moved in a trailer next door and added 2 yard lights!
What happened to the lights like grandpa had that you turned on with a switch on the pole if you needed it. There are so many lights out here in the country that the stars are disappearing! I actually have to close the curtain on my bedroom window at night to sleep because of the neighbors " runway of lights " .
When we moved into our first house there was already a yard light up, I went to the electric company to have it removed. They took the 8 dollars a month off the bill, but never turned off the light itself, I honestly gave it a few months before I shot it out with a pellet gun. The house already had flood lights that lit up all the property if I needed it, and the darkness at night was awesome.
There are also the sudden streetlights on interstates, just put up in my belief because the local government had some extra taxes at the end of the year, your driving along seeing just fine with your headlights, and BAM your blinded by this Yellowish light from the sky!!
Rant off, Brad
IP: Logged
11:32 AM
AquaHusky Member
Posts: 1234 From: Sedalia, Mo Registered: Dec 2006
I miss the smell, fun, thrill, feel and sound of my old 76 Malibu. That car rocked! Just too bad that idiot t-boned my dad in it. I'm gonna buy me another one someday, only a 2 door instead of the 4 door..
IP: Logged
11:48 AM
PFF
System Bot
Vonov Member
Posts: 3745 From: Nashville,TN,USA Registered: May 2004
My pet peeve is just the opposite, I don't want no darn street lights. O.K. well I do live in the country, but our neighbor just put a little trailer house on the hill above us and added 3 yard lights, then my brother in law moved in a trailer next door and added 2 yard lights!
What happened to the lights like grandpa had that you turned on with a switch on the pole if you needed it. There are so many lights out here in the country that the stars are disappearing! I actually have to close the curtain on my bedroom window at night to sleep because of the neighbors " runway of lights " .
When we moved into our first house there was already a yard light up, I went to the electric company to have it removed. They took the 8 dollars a month off the bill, but never turned off the light itself, I honestly gave it a few months before I shot it out with a pellet gun. The house already had flood lights that lit up all the property if I needed it, and the darkness at night was awesome.
There are also the sudden streetlights on interstates, just put up in my belief because the local government had some extra taxes at the end of the year, your driving along seeing just fine with your headlights, and BAM your blinded by this Yellowish light from the sky!!
Rant off, Brad
I dig what you're saying...I'd actually like to see a law passed that reduces light pollution (no light visible from fixtures above the line of the horizon, with only exceptions being for runways, etc, where upward-directed light is necessary/desirable), but until the advent of widespread LED lighting (because LED's are so directional), it isn't likely to happen.
