"Centennial Bulb" still burning after 107 years

"Centennial Bulb" still burning after 107 years
Wed May 14, 2008 10:44AM EDT
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Buzz up!on Yahoo!Hanging about 18 feet high in the engine bay of a Livermore, California firehouse, a humble, low-watt light bulb has been burning almost continuously since 1901. Take that, halogen!

The Los Angeles Times (via Boing Boing) recently ran a story on the remarkably resilient Centennial Bulb—a four-watt, curlicue carbon-filament lightbulb that, give or take a few brief interludes, has been burning for 24 hours a day, seven days a week for more than a century.

The bulb has become something of a lucky charm for Livermore firefighters, who (according to the LA Times story) won't even dust off the bulb for fear of damaging it.

Indeed, when the department moved to a new fire station in 1976, firefighters decided to cut the power cord rather than unscrew the fragile bulb from its socket. A motorcade of fire trucks then accompanied the Centennial Bulb (which, according to Wikipedia, was only off for about 22 minutes during the short journey) to its new home, where it's been burning continuously ever since.

What's the secret to the Centennial Bulb's longevity? As the LA Times story notes, there are many theories. One former firefighter thinks it's because the bulb, made by the long-defunct Shelby Electric Co., shines in a cool-burning vacuum thanks to a perfect seal. Others chalk it up to the fact that the bulb has almost never been turned off.

In any case, the Centennial Bulb has been drawing curiosity-seekers and news stories (including, of course, this one) since 1972, and the bulb even has its own Web site—which, unfortunately, appears to be down for now (probably due to a burst of traffic).

Check out the LA Times Web site for the full story, including many more details on the bulb's storied history.

So, any theories on why the Centennial Bulb has been burning for so long?

Related:
At 107, Livermore centennial lightbulb is still a real live wire [Los Angeles Times]


If you click on the Title at the top it will take you to the Wikipedia page about the light bulb

Friday, February 01, 2008

Miles Davis is dead. May 10, 1996-Jan.31, 2008

Miles Davis died yesterday in the early morning at the Vet. We had been together 11 years and 9 months. We were interconnected, knowing what each other needed. I will try and remember all the wonderful time we spent together but her death is harder to deal with than the fire in March.

I used this line many times in my poetry over the years and it's still true today.

"Life without Miles is inconceivable".

You were not just a cat, you were my child.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

My condo burned up Saturday morning, March 10.

I am okay and so is my cat. My friends and family have been so great and supportive.

I just can't believe all 25 years of my writing and all of my paintings and no photos of them. As if they never existed. I lost my keys ,wallet, clothes and just a few things survived but smoke will never leave them.

The photos are from a very good friend & neighbor. He came out of his apartment and started taking pictures. Which I am oddly glad he did. It kind of perserves the most devastating day in my life. He took around 50 photos. Some at the time of the fire and a few days after it happened. The photo on the top right is especially eerie to me. On the right side, you can see me in my underwear leaning against the ivy fence, wondering WTF? The photo of the firemen makes me think of Afghan Whigs "Black Love". Then there's the photo of me beside all my melted music. Can you tell I didn't want my picture taken? I was going to keep the cat carrier but decide against it.

I have Home Owner Insurance and have called the phone,cable,power co. and all that type of stuff. Does anyone have any suggestions of how to deal with such a disaster? Any thoughts and anyone with such experience would be most appreciated.

Thank you,

Robert

sleepmonk