Tim Worstall

One Billion Bulbs

Man, I really did not know that these guys were so clever.

No, seriously, this is genius.

One Billion Bulbs.

The aim is to create social pressure (and to disseminate information) about compact flourescent light bulbs. Clearly, the name reflects the number that the campaigners hope to get installed, as replacements for conventional incandescent bulbs.

Here’s Daily Kos, for example, urging on the Kossacks, and Instapundit has a group as well.

But why do I say this is genius? Well, long time readers will know that I sell exotic metals into the light bulb industry (although not for compact flourescents, for metal halide ones, alas) and one of the companies that I know and deal with is a supplier of the phosphors and mercury required to make such CFLs work.

And the order book for the industry for this year alone is for one billion bulbs.

So, when I meet up with  the CEO of my customer next week I’m going to have to congratulate him on his understanding of the blogosphere and how to manipulate persuade it. I mean, that really is a pretty good use of it all, isn’t it?

Getting blogs to urge readers on, using the power of tribalism and competition, to get people to buy what you know you’re already making? I wonder how he learnt to do that?

What? It’s done by Symmetric Technologies? Not by my customer at all?

Guess I’ll just have to congratulate him on being a jammy bastard then, eh?

In

3 responses

  1. sortapundit Avatar
    sortapundit

    Imagine if people all over the world mobilized to replace one billion standard incandescent light bulbs with glow worms. What would that mean? It would mean that those people would save money each month on their electricity bill. It would mean they would save enough energy to dimly light tens of millions of homes for a year. It would mean the prevention of greenhouse gases equivalent to the annual emissions of millions of cars.
    They need to make them better, and work faster at it. My house is full of energy saving light bulbs, and they’re so awful it gets right on my tits – and I don’t even have tits.
    If you’ve never used energy saving lightbulbs, tape your eyes almost completely closed. Leave 3mm of space between your lids, and go about your business. That’s the first minute after you flip the switch.
    Make them better, and work faster. If the manufacturers can’t do that soon I’m switching back to regular incandescent bulbs, and I’ll burn a crap load of trees while I’m at it just to show I’m serious. Marketing techniques are no good to me when I cut off the tip of my finger in dim light when I just want to make myself a sandwich.
    Bah, humbug and the strongest swear words I can muster.

    Reply
  2. Internet Ronin Avatar
    Internet Ronin

    Call me cynical, but, every time I see one of those tote boards for “bulbs changed” on someone’s website, I wonder how many of the people who said they changed bulbs actually did it. Lots of people promise to do things like this and never seem to quite get around to it. So, I’m discounting the claims – heavily. I figure a 10% compliance rate is pretty generous. And half of those change back to the old bulbs within days.

    Reply
  3. DocBud Avatar
    DocBud

    Judging by the world map, North America has a monopoly on smug sanctimony.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Discover more from Tim Worstall

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading