Slashdot Mirror
Christmas Lighting in Abundance
gral writes "My boss really gets into setting up Christmas lights. He has been interviewed by a couple TV stations, because of his displays. He usually has them setup at his house. This year he has moved to a Church Yard for more space. For 2003, his display sports over 200,000 lights, each string is controlled by computer to light to the tune of a Radio Station playing christmas music. Check out his website at Planet Christmas. Some pictures of this year's display can be seen as well. Have fun and Happy Holidays."
Further proof that Management is useless.
Sorry, forgot this in the writeup, but there are some Gentoo packages out for lighting for your Christmas trees and houses.
Check out Gentoo.org for more details.
You may need a 3D card to view demos though.
I highly doubt that you will get anymore money out of him. Your Xmas bonus is going to more lights and your co-workers are going to start calling you Rudolph the Brown-nosed reindeer.
I had a friend who did something like this. He hooked 8000 (yes, eight thousand) lights up and made one continuous string across the entire yard, then set it up as a chaser. It looked REALLY good.
As soon as he finds out that it was you that slashdotted him...
Here is the house about 5 minutes from mine which is by far the most decorated house in the area. It is actually some Elvis impersonator, so his display always has an Elvis theme and usually has Elvis music playing. The display requires the police for traffic control, and it's been said that the gentleman has worked out a special agreement with O&R (or maybe PSEG), the local energy company. I haven't been to the house in about 5 years. They say he adds more lights every year, so I have no idea if it still looks like the pictures.
I guess, he watched too many episodes of "Home Improvement".
Windows 2000 - from the guys who brought us edlin
Planet Christmas knocked out of orbit by asteroid Slashdot122103
"Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
the /. effect hits again
Do we really want to encourage this sort of behavior? It may be cool and pretty, but not cool and pretty enough for the resources it consumes (both in electricity and also manufacturing, etc). Not to mention less explicit costs like the impact on traffic, wildlife, neighbors, and stargazers.
And time.
They've just raised the national terror alert level to ORANGE. YES, ORANGE! Orange means high, by the way, or 4 out of 5 on the chart.
This is due to two factors:
1, they suspect that terrorists are collecting funds by standing in front of Walmarts with a red kettle, and ringing bells.
2, They discovered 12 Saudis that were taking leasons on how to fly sleighs and getting instruction on basic deer husbandry.
The Dept. of Homeland Defense requests that anyone spotting any flying sleighs that are being led by deer like animals assume it is a Saudi terrorist. Initial indications are they plan to attack on the eve of birth of Christ, as a religious statement against the "infidels". If they try to land on your roof, you should take necessary defensive action. Deadly force is authorized.
We now return you to our regularly scheduled nonsense, already in progress...
Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
I can't imagine wrestling with that many strings of lights trying to find the loose bulbs and replacing the dead ones until they light. I only put up a handful of strings each year but by the end of the the exersise i'm ready to hunt down and kill the bastards that figured it was a good idea to wire christmas lights in series.
The difference between Canada and the USA is that in Canada healthcare is a right and gun ownership is a privilege.
I mean such a cruelty, slashdot his "christmas" web site just a few day before christmas...
C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
visit randi.org
He didn't happen to test those out on August 14th this year, hmm?
Submarine batteries, man, submarine batteries.
The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
to get a bigger christmas gratification out of your boss
As a source of mass employment, we have moved from agriculture, to manufacturing, and now into aesthetics. It is not that agriculture has disappeared from the US, but it is down to about 3% of the economy.
"For 2003, his display sports over 200,000 lights, each string is controlled by computer to light to the tune of a Radio Station playing christmas music..."
So what happens when you stop feeding in traditional Christmas stuff and pipe something like Bob Rivers 'Twisted Christmas' into it?
I wonder if it would act anything like a Teddy Ruxpin with a 'Metallica' tape (appropriately encoded on the animation data track, of course) installed?
Bruce Lane, KC7GR,
Blue Feather Technologies
No, don't do it man! Think of the poor submarines! "Stranded!"
They light to to songs playing on a radio station? Do they light to the commercials too?
So that's why they need to build that fusion reactor.
If a train station is a place where a train stops, what's a workstation?
Anyone pick up some of those LED strands? Ugh. The flickering. They don't convert the power from AC to DC, so naturally the LEDs being one-way things flicker at 60hz (maybe its 30 at that point? I dunno).
Anyone know of someone that sells a solution to this? I'm thinking a few capacitors and a few diodes would do it?
60Hz (50Hz in Europe and some other places). But the nature of LEDs would mean they flicker would not be as bad as it would seem (they dim down slower than they ignite). Traditional fluorescent lights flicker at 60Hz too (not new starterless ones, the ballasts operate at 25kHz to 110kHz).
I have used LEDs to turn a pot plant into a Xmas tree (it was the 80s, what can I say) and simply used a wall wart style transformer(12vdc). You don't need capacitors to turn AC into DC, although it will be smoother electricity (less ripple). Not needed for just lighting LEDs, since they simply consume and burn the electricity.
All you need is 4 diodes to turn AC into DC. Go google "bridge rectifier" and I am sure you can find plans. It is very very easy to make. The typical basic rectifier has 4 diodes and 2 capacitors (optional). But its still easier to buy a universal transformer/rectifier for small loads. For medium to large loads (3 to 30 amps) you may try a car battery instead. Another option is a regulated power supply, basically a poor man's Variac. Those are under $50 for up to 8 amps or more.
There are some other methods as well, such as using a power inverter that works at a higher frequency (LEDs don't care what Hz you use, just the direction of the current flow). Any Hz over 85 is going to appear flicker free. You might have trouble finding an inverter that works at these higher Hz.
Another possible but ludicrous option is to get a surplus military generator. Most of these have dual taps, 60Hz for basic power, and 400Hz for aircraft recharging. The 400Hz side will work nicely for powering LEDs. These can be purchased at auction for a couple grand or less. They run on anything remotely "fuel oil", even corn oil.
Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
In related news... 1/3 of San Francisco without power
Holidays are meant to be enjoyed and celebrated and normal use of lighting etc. is part of the process.
But 200,000 lights ?? Well, If they are LED's it's okay. I didn't STFS (see the freaking site)because it is slashdotted already but if they are not LED's it is a little waste of power.
The precious energy that humankind dearly needs sometimes goes waste. Wars have been fought over it and thousands of people wait in lines for fuel/gas etc. So while some might be just burning away that energy in 200,000 lights, others are starved of that energy!
Pl excuse the typos, grmmer etc, typed it in haste, gotta go shoppin'
Personally, I don't decorate for Christmas or other holidays - it seems too commercial for me. But I enjoy driving around with my family to see what others do.
However, being somewhat of a geek and in lawschool, I had to search to see if any people like the good boss here were ever sued for being a Public Nusiance. I came up with the following:
Osborne v. Power (Ark, 1994) - guy ordered to reduce his amount of lights so as to not attract the large numbers of sightseers coming to the neighborhood.
Rodrigue v. Copeland (La., 1985) - from the case: "Defendant is enjoined from erecting and operating a Christmas exhibition which is calculated to and does attract an unusually large number of visitors to the neighborhood." The court also spent some time arguing that this limitation did not infringe his rights of free speech.
Klein v. Copeland (La., 1986) - followup suit from the previous - the guy apparently didn't comply.
I have to admit that posting your boss' website on the slashdot homepage is an easy revenge for whatever he did to you...You must be LOL, seeing his webserver melting down :)
____
nico
Nico-Live
Blarrrrghhhpf, splash!
Is it fascism yet?
ok how about a string of lights where each was individually controllable - each socket contained a simple switch that would look on a serial data bus for its individual code and switch its light on or off accordingly. To set it up you would drape the lights around randomly and then point a camera at the tree/house/bush etc. A computer would use the camera to calibrate by switching each light one by one and noting the position on the camera until it built up a rough pattern of light positions (this would take anything from seconds to minutes depending). Then you could use the lights as a crude dot-matrix display. The light detection routine wouldn't be that hard to do, and you could even have the lights pulse at a certain frequency to make detection easier for the computer. A step further would be to place the camera more than once to build up a 3D model of light positions. I think there are already mass produced components that can respond when they detect their code on a serial interface, imagine the possibilities given enough lights and cheap production?
This comment does not represent the views or opinions of the user.
You Slashdotted your boss' website!
PLEASE, stop this. When your boss is using all this power, don't forget that he's using from the resources that's probably non-renewable. Even nuclear power is considered non-renewable!
We all (EVERYBODY) own the resources at our planet, so even my thoughts should be considered highly when I set my foot down and scream this out to you "YOU F**KIN' LOOSERS USING THE POWER ON SUCH A LAME THING!"
I can't belive that you consider this to be cool when we live in a world where global warming is a clear and present danger and conservation of energy and resources is essential.
This is just a display of total disrespect of the ecology and environment. Only in America.
When in doubt, act determined. Business 101
each string is controlled by computer to light to the tune of a Radio Station playing christmas music
Does it come with a tip of the day, too?
<tip>Christ was born on Christmas day. That's why we have Christmas; not because Wal-Mart wants to sell you something.</tip>
Merry Christmas to all. If you don't celebrate Christmas, then "happy holidays" to you. But let's not water down the real reason for Christmas with our Ho Ho Ho's and lack of mention of Christ our Saviour.
Sexy Christmas
Fun Christmas
White Christmas
Lovely Christmas
Social Christmas
Entertaining Christmas
Happy Holidays!
From the Organisation Against Wannabe Dictators On Internet.
I can imagine all 200,000 lights burning out simultaneously as his server strains under the sudden slashdot load!
Yes, it would still be 60 Hz, even though you chop off half of the sine wave, but it would be dark for half of the 60.hz cycle, since an LED only lights in one direction (unless you have bi-directional LED's, which contain two LED chips in one package, wired in opposite directions). As you said, a bridge rectifier would keep the sine wave voltage "humps" going in one direction, and would prevent the LED's from being dark for half of the cycle.
The only thing I disagree with is that LED's do not turn off more slowly than they turn on (at least not that a human would notice). LED's are solid-state devices, and turn on and off virtually instantaneously.
- Eric, InvisibleRobot.com
An interesting thing I've found is that some people see 50 or 60 Hz flicker quite easily and some don't. If I move my head or eyes quickly, an AC powered led easily becomes a dashed line, especially in the dark. In wierd moments I've tried to explain this to a few people and most have no clue what I'm talking about. I also have the ability to spin my eyes quickly which creates dashed circles 8-).
Its similar with vertical refresh rates on CRT screens. I often see people using screens with dreadful flicker and ask them how they can work with it and most don't know what I'm talking about. Its usually a quick setting to increase the rate.
I have seen them when they were at their height. Over 3 million lights: www.jenningsosbornefamily.com
Ah, the last peanut -- overflowing with the oil and salt of its departed brothers. -Homer
They are a presumptuous affectation of those who style themselves too sophisticated to make a strong primal statement using color. Children, who's tastes are uncorrupted, prefer colored Christmas lights.
Religion is a red herring. The Christmas star was said to be a single star in the sky, not a thousand stars in the shrubbery. The Christmas tree is a pagan custom from Germany, and there are no evergreens in the mid-East!
The problem of white Christmas Lights originated when the producers of movies and television discovered that colored lights are difficult and expensive to photograph. (Lights are the brightest thing in the picture and tend to be overexposed. When colored lights are overexposed they turn into a washed out white. When white lights are overexposed they just look white.) This caused white lights to be used in movies and television because of expense considerations.
Then the "people" especially the people who wanted to style themselves sophisticated, began to decorate their houses with white lights! They were slavishly following what they saw in movies and television unknowing that those media were motivated by expense considerations!
Well, sophisticates, I have this to tell you: Your white lights are ugly and you are a bunch of low taste idiots!
They discovered 12 Saudis that were taking leasons on how to fly sleighs and getting instruction on basic deer husbandry
The flight lessons I can imagine, but come on! Since when do Arabs need lessons on fucking deer?
OK so the Power companies in California and other states don't want you to waste power. This was reinforced so much I recall seeing messages about it for seti@home a few years ago. Now it's Christmas and lights can be had for about .95 cents a metric ton!!!
everyone has them and inflatable Santa's and such. Now I like the spirit of Christmas just as much as the next guy but give me a break!
Ironically, the easiest way to "see" 60Hz flicker is to not look directly at it. Look at a monitor set to 60hz, then look 2 foot away, but pay attention through the corner of your eye, you notice the flicker dramatically more. I am not sure what the physics is behind this, but it is noticable for anything that flickers, like old style fluorescent lights, etc.
I find I have trouble with monitors set as high as 72 or 75Hz. I can tell the difference between 85 and 100. I DONT "see" the difference, btw, I feel it. Then again, I sit in front of a computer for many hours a day.
Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
You want 4 diodes and a small capacitor. Otherwise the LEDs will still flicker, at 120 Hz. I'm not sure why they don't just put these parts into the strand, because they can't cost more than 35-40 cents in quantity.
What kind of establishment is Slashdot, anyway? They seem to have a persistent track record of linking to stories on sites that are down.
They just don't get it, do they?
""You want 4 diodes and a small capacitor. Otherwise the LEDs will still flicker, at 120 Hz. I'm not sure why they don't just put these parts into the strand, because they can't cost more than 35-40 cents in quantity.""
/\ /
I have given your statement alot of thought, and have no earthly idea where you think it will flicker at 120Hz. Seriously, if you know something I don't (entirely possible) please enlighten me. While I am not an electrical engineer, you could say I dabble.
The capacitors do not elliminate ripple, but they assist a little. They may take the voltage fluxuation of 12 to 0 volts (60 times a second), and reduce the flux to 12-6v perhaps (still at 60 x per second), but only a battery will produce a pure 12VDC path with no wave characteristics.
As to 120Hz, no capacitor or diode by itself can change the inversion rate of electricity. The 60Hz rating is for the full wave, NOT just the up portion (peak). IE: 1Hz = (1 peak + 1 trough). So if you use a rectifier to essentially filter out the lower have of the sine wave, you still get 60 peaks per second, NOT 120. What you get is 60 peaks, with 60 zero volt null waves inbetween where the troughs (now filtered out) used to be, per second.
Lame attempt at graphic:
0=_ \__/\__/\__ now, instead of
0=__ \
\/ \/
But again, still at 60Hz, since you have only turned -12V into 0V.
Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
Than this giant waste of money on equipment and power?
Anytime some nerd spends countless hours and thousands of dollars on some useless feat of technology Slashdot goes "oooh" and "ahhhh"
Some guy spends equally as much time and money on decorating his house in a way that masses of people want to see, you whine about how much time and money it cost.
Sorry nerd boy, the world doesn't care about the fact you wasted a pile of time and money on getting your C64 on the internet.
5 people give a shit about your uesless little Linux running toy. Thousands of people enjoy this guy's house.
Too bad. It's his money, he can spend it how he wants.
Why don't you take your money and time you've wasted on worthless tech toys and put it towards charity.
Then, once you've ceased to be hypocritical, we'll consider criticizing this guy's ambitions.
Ben
Work Safe Porn
You're thinking of a half-wave rectifier - just one diode in series. A full-wave rectifier will output 0=__/\/\/\.
Given a 60hz input, there will be 120 peaks per second at the output. In other words, the output has a DC offset, a strong 120hz wave, and some harmonics.
You're thinking of a half-wave rectifier - just one diode in series. A full-wave rectifier will output 0=__/\/\/\.
;) I had thought a standard bridge rectifier was only half wave, but I see your point. I am not sure how the trough is inverted (my ignorance and need to google). Thanks. Assuming you are correct (a safe assumption) then now we are left with a 120Hz wave, so we address the grandparents consern of a 120hz flicker in the LEDs:
;)
Given a 60hz input, there will be 120 peaks per second at the output. In other words, the output has a DC offset, a strong 120hz wave, and some harmonics.
I am more adept at 220vac choke and high frequency plasma systems (100kHz+ neon and fluorescent), my strengths are not DC
If there is a 120Hz flicker, you won't know it, since you can't really detect anything that fast.
On another note, I did work on a successful project to continuously ignite 2400 watts of fluorescent lamps using less than 120v/15a and developing it into a commercial product. Ask me about the natural resonance of mercury (253.7nm) and its relationship to high frequency vs. high energy and I might be more in my element
Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
First, let's get our rectifiers straight:
/^\ __
/^\ __
- Half-wave rectifier
That's basically a regular diode. That's why your LEDs flicker at 60Hz.
Original waveform: (60Hz)
__/^\
\_/ \_/
Rectified waveform: (still 60hz, but with the bottom peak sliced off)
__/^\__/^\__
- full wave rectifier
This is the 4-diode version. You would get flicker at 120 Hz, because it makes the lower trough positive. Basically like graphing the absolute value of a sine function.
Original waveform: (60Hz)
__/^\
\_/ \_/
Rectified waveform: (120Hz)
__/^\/^\/^\/^\__
As you can see, the rectified current doesn't change polarity, but it's still not DC. It's AC at 120Hz.
What a capacitor does is even out the peaks and troughs. With a big enough capacitor (and perhaps other filtering elements), you can make the ripple be practically non-existent.
It would look like this:
__|^^^^^^^^^^^|_
and the flickering would be practically unnoticeable (because the LED would never be completely off).
...is more impressed with the massive rat's nest of cables coming in through the window then lights themselves.
My only complaint is there were not enough high voltage signs. I really don't think the 10 or 12 signs he has up now get the message across.
telnet://zombiemud.org:3000
Ugh. That's one of those hideous looking warehouse-churches!
I have a website. It's about Macs.
It has to do with the rods and cones on your retinas. The periphery of your vision is made up with a greater proportion of rods to cones than the middle. Rods have a faster response time to changes in luminance than do cones. Whereas cones can better define colour than rods.
So that's why you can see screen flicker better from the side of your field of view. There are more rods there.
Remember: umount it before you fsck it.
Mirror up here for those of you who just can't wait.
LED's are diodes. That means that the voltage drop across them is fixed. If you have enough capacitance to keep the minimum voltage above that voltage (usually about 2V for red LEDs, 3.5 for blue with green in between) then the LED will remain on. An LED that is getting brighter and dimmer at 60 (or 120)Hz is going to be a lot less noticable than an LED that is switching off and on.
What a waste of money and electrical resources.
I've actually been to Chuck's house when I lived in Nashville, TN. There were cars lines up for blocks in either direction, waiting to get a look.
Now, my question is, does this increase or decrease property values for his neighbors? If someone were enterprising, they should've been selling hot chocolate car to car (and then come by 30 minutes later and offer the use of their bathroom at $5 per person per visit).
Need a simple, easy to use data tier generator? http://www.gryphinsoftware.com/
LED's are diodes. That means...
I know, thanks anyway. My point was it is often not practical to have enough capacitance to get the wave as clean as a pure DC source, such as a battery. Even when you do, the wave is not perfectly flat, since there is still the reaction time of the capacitor to consider. In this application, I said it was optional, and not likely needed. This was based on my experience with using capacitors in 240VAC, car stereo and other applications.
Sorry if it wasn't clear enough on that point.
Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
Just look at all those wires going through that window.
Have any pictures from after the fire?
The precious energy that humankind dearly needs sometimes goes waste. Wars have been fought over it and thousands of people wait in lines for fuel/gas etc. So while some might be just burning away that energy in 200,000 lights, others are starved of that energy!
Yah, because if I don't run my Christmas lights tonight, the energy situation on the other side of the globe is going to improve. Right.
Perl - $Just @when->$you ${thought} s/yn/tax/ &couldn\'t %get $worse;
My first instinct when I saw the website was that it would be wonderful if even half of all that electricity could be used instead to provide light, heat, and cooking to a family whose power has been turned off due to inability to pay. Every year in the city where I live, we have at least one terrible fire caused by a family using candles or an antiquated, non-working kerosene heater. Sadly, it seems that babies or young children are the ones who die in these fires.
Whether we observe a religion or have a more secular mindset, the season is about light. We may be celebrating the birth of one who brought light, or observing the light of freedom from oppression, or noting the lengthening of days. It's certainly appropriate to decorate our homes or personal spaces. But I think it would make a more joyful and appropriate celebration to see the literal bringing of light to darkened homes and lives.
Anne
DUCT TAPE: The Election Supervisors' Secret Weapon
Try pulling a bulb and see if it still works (small lights not big ones)
I have several strings of small lights strung all over my house, and I know of a handful of bulbs that don't work, yet everything else is fine. I've even intentionally bought the cheapest light sets for the past 3-4 years, and not a single one has been wired in series. However, my parents did have a couple strings several years ago (~8yrs) that were wired as you say. The cheapo lights I got this year were something like $8 for a box of 450. At this price, you might wanna try some out.
Perl - $Just @when->$you ${thought} s/yn/tax/ &couldn\'t %get $worse;
You're a scrooge
And an excellent example of why our rights can so easily be eroded.
Our rights? Well it does affect the rest of us too, because it leads to more polluted air, greater strain on our shared power grid, and a consumer demand that will contribute to more of the US foreign policy we've been seeing lately. This Christmas display is an SUV of a different color.
I don't think Skavookie was criticizing the idea of putting up lights in general, it's just a matter of the ridiculous excess. The United States already consumes as much electricity as 40 per cent of the world's population, and here's a guy who's turning his house into an energy black hole, on the basis that it's pretty.
I have no control over this man's behavior, but I hope he's paying through the nose for that electricity. He certainly would be, if the Bush administration would quit subsidizing oil, coal, and nuclear, and actually let markets work.
This guy lives near me! I'm so going to check this dude out. Thanks slashdot for the skinny on some good christmas lights.
-KVN
echo
Need I say more?
Every windows user is a sadomasochist.
would be insanely jealous.
-73, de n1ywb
www.n1ywb.com
Yeah thats what I thought. Christmas lights are relatively low wattage. Especially the new ones. You can't find higher wattage C-9's in anything except candleabras. Even these are hard to find this year. My fav that I saw this year and bought were the round ones that give off a soft light that's cool to the touch.
Gorkman
No, the guy still didn't comply.
The Copeland mentioned above is Al Copeland. Has anyone ever eaten at a Popeye's Fried Chicken. Al Copeland started Popeye's. http://www.popeyes.com/popeyesstory.html
He then bought Church's Chicken, and wound up loosing them both. He still owns the company the supplies the spice for Popeye's.
He also owns the more upscale Copeland's Restaurant, which is actually quite good. http://www.copelands.net/
And yes, this is the same Al Copeland that had Anne Rice sending out the Vampire Lestat out to talk to him about the color of his neon light. http://www.kicon.com/law/cases_e/annrice.html and http://www.nola.com/haunted/?vampires/021297straya .html
and http://www.nola.com/haunted/?vampires/092797straya .html
So if you want to see some Real Christmas Lights, go the the end of Transcontinental drive by the lake in Metairie, La, just outside of New Orleans. He has around over a million lights. Yes, he has his own transformer. He used to hire college engineering students to help put them up. It is really something to see. http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/remodeling/article/0,1797 ,HGTV_3659_1581560,00.html
and http://msnbc.msn.com/Default.aspx?id=3660533&p 1=0
At least his electric company loves him. ...and folks said there'd be no market for home fusion reactors....
Another niffty thing you can do is brush your teeth with a electric toothbrush... the vibrations travel up your skull into your eyes.. I glanced at my monitor from across my apartment and I thought the thing was about to burn out... :-)
Wiwi
"I trust in my abilities,
but I want more then they offer"
How come everyone who claim's they are a troll get's modded up as insightful?
I have christmas lights in multiple rooms in my house. All year round. They are turned on daily. I don't like white lights. I like blacklight, colored lights, christmas lights, and (the best) CRT-light.
I'd REALLY like them to go to music. And not the lame way, but by-color. That is, use FFTs to isolate bass, mid-range, treble, and affect a different color. I invision red being bass, but it really wouldn't matter.
Now I know this is possible. The cheap way is to just take scissors, cut the plug off your christmas lights, and put that in the back of your stereo. This works, but does not separate the separate frequencies per color. They all just go on. And if they are 90 watt lights and you have a 100 watt stereo..... Turning it all the way up makes them explode. Neat. (Don't try this at home.)
But c'mon... There's GOTTA be an easy way to do this....... I would be sooooo happy...
-Clio
Karma: Bad (mostly from not giving a fuck)
Blog: http://clintjcl.wordpress.com