POWER STRUGGLE
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
it is another ordinary night as you walk into your bedroom after a hard days work, may it be from the two-hour, traffic-laden drive from the office or from the sweat-filled late afternoon bus ride from school and you turn on the switch to instantly literally light up the room where your glorious bed awaits you... what a familiar sight, isnt it? Yet, this normal occurrence could be a source for something wonderful to ponder about as we effortlessly alter the dark to instantaneous brightness,just a simple question we can ask ourselves as we jump into our cots and cradles,how does this important yet seemingly overlooked bulb work?Time-warp to grade school, you might say, but, my dear kiddos, lets pay homage to this long-time snubbed appeal. Can you even move without difficulty in the dark? Let us all thank Thomas Edison for that splendid radiant gadget! How can you catch Prison break, Project Runway, the Amazing Race and of course, Spongebob Squarepants? And why did that past super typhoon cause a supreme fuss about the seemingly endless blackout? Indeed, a lot of simple queries can squirm in our minds yet it is answered by complicated although very, very interesting facts!
Can you even recollect who discovered electricity or where on earth it came from? Was it Michael Faraday, who found out that magnetism can produce power?...He probably initiated as well that charm, puppy love and that first kiss are anonymous to electricity. And who can forget the kite-flying Ben Franklin chap who showed that lighting is a form of electrical energy? Then again, where does it PRIMARILY come from? Try asking your buddies around and most of them will come up with gas, water, electrons and neutrons. One friend of mine even thought for awhile and changed the topic! Well, there are a lot of connected theories but to put it simply, the ultimate source of energy is the one thing we blame the heat for: the hot, shiny sun. Its light and warmth are essential for our existence. NOTE, THOUGH, THAT SOME ENERGY RESOURCES ARE QUITE HARMFUL TO THE ENVIRONMENT. but of course, wind power, solar power and modern biomass are the safest bets. I would like to believe, however, that living without electricity is not the end of the world. Still, sadly, life without electricity would be radically different, and a lot more difficult. Hey, I’m all for microwave popcorn, hair-drying and internet surfing!
And as we now notice the complexities of the power of electricity and with the rapid collapse of our natural resources we often neglect, this is one supply we should not slay which, if I may say, we are gradually and unconsciously doing. Aaah yes, from air-conditioners to DVD players, from charging your Ipods to simply switching on the lamp, we are gratefully eons ahead from the head- whacking cavemen because we get to enjoy these holidays of life. However, it is not always Christmas, we should remember that we should not wait for Mr. Potatohead to light up the world. My, theres more I want to utter indirectly yet suitably about power and this country but thats another story.
Now, my dearies, we can reflect and inquire all day about electrical beginnings and wonders and of course, its extinction but you might be too tired to deliberate. So as you close your weary eyes to the still of the night, the poetry of stimulating brainwaves forms the dreams of your new crush. Oh wait! You want to hear about the building which was fueled by cow droppings?
CLICK! Did I wake you, sleepyhead? Oh, that’s the light bulb in your head.
posted by brainweaver_wan @ 5:15 PM,
