Phil Cook wrote:

>>> ...WTH?
>>
>> Actually, I do this, but not to that great an extent.
> 
> What deliver babies in parking lots?

I was wondering...

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/

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news: op.tyhva2x4c3xi7v@news.povray.org...
>
> What deliver babies in parking lots?

I was told ... storks?

Marc

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M_a_r_c wrote:

> I was told ... storks?

+15

-- 
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On Tue, 11 Sep 2007 15:46:04 +0100, Phil Cook wrote:

> And lo on Tue, 11 Sep 2007 01:55:28 +0100, Jim Henderson
> <nos### [at] nospamcom> did spake, saying:
> 
>> On Sun, 09 Sep 2007 20:13:21 +0100, Orchid XP v3 wrote:
>>
>>> "Most people don’t notice bad nighttime lighting; if you do, it can
>>> make you slightly crazed. When I’m driving at night, my wife has to
>>> tell me to watch the road instead of looking back over my shoulder at
>>> a yard whose trees have floodlights in their branches, or at an empty
>>> parking lot so bright that you could deliver babies in it."
>>>
>>> ...WTH?
>>
>> Actually, I do this, but not to that great an extent.
> 
> What deliver babies in parking lots?

Um, no, I leave that to my wife. ;-)

>>  But when someone's
>> coming at me with their bright lights on, I can't help but stare into
>> them for some reason.
> 
> It's a pain - hello where did the road go. The road is grey, the
> pavement (if any) is grey, the kerbstones (again if any) are grey; drive
> along our up and down and side to side roads and it's real good fun.

Yeah, it's difficult at best - I've gotten better the last couple of 
years, but there's still a bit of that 'moth' reaction - bright light, 
must stare at it...

My wife's got occular albinism, so she *can't* drive at night (bright 
lights blind her for 10-15 seconds, which is an eternity when driving), 
so I have to.

> Oh wait we'll stick some cat's eyes down the middle of the road, great
> except the standard cleaning mechanism relies on them being run over and
> that clearly hasn't happened in years so they reflect as much light as a
> speck of glass.
> 
> Hmm how about glow sticks down the road, same styling as the cat's eyes,
> but with a sturdy little solar panel on top just enough to trickle
> charge some LEDs. The input from the charger drops the lights come on, I
> also know that they've come up with a better cleaning method. Brighter
> and cleaner.

Well, you still want headlights, though - otherwise you can't see the 
cars coming at you from any direction.  That's one of my pet peeves about 
driving, people who drive after dark without their lights.  Makes me want 
to ram them...

Jim

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And lo on Tue, 11 Sep 2007 20:55:30 +0100, Jim Henderson  
<nos### [at] nospamcom> did spake, saying:

> On Tue, 11 Sep 2007 15:46:04 +0100, Phil Cook wrote:
>
>> And lo on Tue, 11 Sep 2007 01:55:28 +0100, Jim Henderson
>> <nos### [at] nospamcom> did spake, saying:
>>
>>> On Sun, 09 Sep 2007 20:13:21 +0100, Orchid XP v3 wrote:
>>>
>>>> "Most people don’t notice bad nighttime lighting; if you do, it can
>>>> make you slightly crazed. When I’m driving at night, my wife has to
>>>> tell me to watch the road instead of looking back over my shoulder at
>>>> a yard whose trees have floodlights in their branches, or at an empty
>>>> parking lot so bright that you could deliver babies in it."
>>>>
>>>> ...WTH?
>>>
>>> Actually, I do this, but not to that great an extent.
>>
>> What deliver babies in parking lots?
>
> Um, no, I leave that to my wife. ;-)

Good call, you just drive her there.

>>>  But when someone's
>>> coming at me with their bright lights on, I can't help but stare into
>>> them for some reason.
>>
>> It's a pain - hello where did the road go. The road is grey, the
>> pavement (if any) is grey, the kerbstones (again if any) are grey; drive
>> along our up and down and side to side roads and it's real good fun.
>
> Yeah, it's difficult at best - I've gotten better the last couple of
> years, but there's still a bit of that 'moth' reaction - bright light,
> must stare at it...

But even if you don't everything vanishes, especially regarding the ponces  
with halogens 'Well it allows me to see where I'm going more clearly'  
shame it prevents anyone else.

> My wife's got occular albinism, so she *can't* drive at night (bright
> lights blind her for 10-15 seconds, which is an eternity when driving),
> so I have to.

That must be an annoyance for her, making you the default designated  
driver.

>> Oh wait we'll stick some cat's eyes down the middle of the road, great
>> except the standard cleaning mechanism relies on them being run over and
>> that clearly hasn't happened in years so they reflect as much light as a
>> speck of glass.
>>
>> Hmm how about glow sticks down the road, same styling as the cat's eyes,
>> but with a sturdy little solar panel on top just enough to trickle
>> charge some LEDs. The input from the charger drops the lights come on, I
>> also know that they've come up with a better cleaning method. Brighter
>> and cleaner.
>
> Well, you still want headlights, though - otherwise you can't see the
> cars coming at you from any direction.

Oh sure, but why do they need to be angled where they are; why do you need  
two pair I wonder what would happen if we went back to war-time conditions  
with cardboard stuck over the lights with just small slits cut out of them.

>  That's one of my pet peeves about
> driving, people who drive after dark without their lights.  Makes me want
> to ram them...

Mines the reverse, people driving along with full lights on when they  
don't need to. Really don't see many people driving without lights at  
night, some faulty ones perhaps or just side-lights (which is legal in  
street-lit areas). Biggest bugbear now is those cars that switch the  
side-lights on automatically regardless of light conditions Seriously  
people if I can't see your car in full bloody daylight having two dim  
lights on at the front ain't gonna make a difference.

-- 
Phil Cook

--
I once tried to be apathetic, but I just couldn't be bothered
http://flipc.blogspot.com

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Phil Cook wrote:
> street-lit areas). Biggest bugbear now is those cars that switch the 
> side-lights on automatically regardless of light conditions Seriously 
> people if I can't see your car in full bloody daylight having two dim 
> lights on at the front ain't gonna make a difference.

I see a staggering number of road users with full-beam lights on hours 
before the daylight begins to go. I know some cars have automatic 
side-lights etc, (e.g. Volvos) but I really can't believe that all these 
blazing beacons are helpless automatics. Sometimes I feel I'm the only 
driver on the road without my headlights on, at 5 or 6pm in the summer. 
Ludicrous. And wasteful.

The other one is people driving around with one busted headlamp - it's 
really offputting, especialy on motorways etc cos they look like 
motorcycles. I don't understand how you can fail to notice that. And 
changing the bulb isn't exactly complicated. Laziness.

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> I see a staggering number of road users with full-beam lights on hours 
> before the daylight begins to go. I know some cars have automatic 
> side-lights etc, (e.g. Volvos) but I really can't believe that all these 
> blazing beacons are helpless automatics. Sometimes I feel I'm the only 
> driver on the road without my headlights on, at 5 or 6pm in the summer. 
> Ludicrous. And wasteful.

I always have my headlights on no matter what the weather or time of day if 
I'm driving on the autobahn.  The reason is simply so that people will 
notice me sooner/at all when I am approaching from behind (and hopefully not 
pull out infront of me).  Wasteful doesn't really come into it, the lights 
are using 80 W and my engine is developing 80 kW.

However, once off the autobahn I always turn them off if the light is good. 
I know that there are lots of other road users (pedestrians, cyclists etc) 
that do not have the opportunity to have a pair of socking great big 40W 
bulbs on in broad daylight.

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scott wrote:
>> I see a staggering number of road users with full-beam lights on hours 
>> before the daylight begins to go. I know some cars have automatic 
>> side-lights etc, (e.g. Volvos) but I really can't believe that all 
>> these blazing beacons are helpless automatics. Sometimes I feel I'm 
>> the only driver on the road without my headlights on, at 5 or 6pm in 
>> the summer. Ludicrous. And wasteful.
> 
> I always have my headlights on no matter what the weather or time of day 
> if I'm driving on the autobahn.  The reason is simply so that people 
> will notice me sooner/at all when I am approaching from behind (and 
> hopefully not pull out infront of me).  Wasteful doesn't really come 
> into it, the lights are using 80 W and my engine is developing 80 kW.

Hmm, in broad daylight I don't notice cars any quicker if they have 
their lights on but I guess I can't speak for everyone.

As for the waste, well, I am speaking as an owner of a 1.1L tiddler 
whose idling engine pitch significantly alters when the lights go on! 
:-) Even so, 0.1% of 30 years of petrol multiplied by the number of car 
owners and all that...

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And lo on Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:17:03 +0100, Bill Pragnell  
<bil### [at] hotmailcom> did spake, saying:

> scott wrote:
>>> I see a staggering number of road users with full-beam lights on hours  
>>> before the daylight begins to go. I know some cars have automatic  
>>> side-lights etc, (e.g. Volvos) but I really can't believe that all  
>>> these blazing beacons are helpless automatics. Sometimes I feel I'm  
>>> the only driver on the road without my headlights on, at 5 or 6pm in  
>>> the summer. Ludicrous. And wasteful.
>>  I always have my headlights on no matter what the weather or time of  
>> day if I'm driving on the autobahn.  The reason is simply so that  
>> people will notice me sooner/at all when I am approaching from behind  
>> (and hopefully not pull out infront of me).

So you're compensating for everyone else's poor driving skills ;-)

>>  Wasteful doesn't really come into it, the lights are using 80 W and my  
>> engine is developing 80 kW.
>
> Hmm, in broad daylight I don't notice cars any quicker if they have  
> their lights on but I guess I can't speak for everyone.

When they're coming at me I do, but I've got to side with Scott on this. I  
do notice the cars behind me with their lights on, mostly because I now  
have a set of lights reflecting off my mirrors and directly into my eyes.

> As for the waste, well, I am speaking as an owner of a 1.1L tiddler

'Well they say the car is inversely proportional to one's manhood' said  
the smug owner of the 800cc Matiz.

-- 
Phil Cook

--
I once tried to be apathetic, but I just couldn't be bothered
http://flipc.blogspot.com

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> Hmm, in broad daylight I don't notice cars any quicker if they have their 
> lights on but I guess I can't speak for everyone.

It still amazes me how some people *don't* notice a car approaching from 
behind.  I don't know about everyone else, but when I see something moving 
out of the corner of my eye it gets my attention.  Then it's blatantly 
obvious when they suddenly see you :-)

> As for the waste, well, I am speaking as an owner of a 1.1L tiddler whose 
> idling engine pitch significantly alters when the lights go on! :-) Even 
> so, 0.1% of 30 years of petrol multiplied by the number of car owners and 
> all that...

...comes to 0.1% :-)  I'm sure that far more is "wasted" by other methods, 
like air-con, going too fast, having your windows open, braking, etc.

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