manuellynch

Because they could???

totally agree with you...on some products it makes sense. Just as you see on this board on a regular basis - right light for the application - right supplier for right product.

What if the power source was off-grid solar or micro wind turbine?

Agreed on the taxes. Was in New Zealand and Australia recently and learned that almost everyone pays 30% taxes but everything taken care of and covered (school, college, medical, retirement, sick time, etc). I think what is interesting is that sales taxes are higher. We are in the $3.60s in Las Vegas. In New Zealand it was about $6.40 a gallon. Hardly any SUVs there. Thanks for info on permit costs...was curious to know.

Thanks for feedback. And to think that taxes actually pay for the roads in Jersey! What is price of electrical permit vs structural?

I had a conversation with Jim Richards from UL yesterday and we were discussing permits. He said he believed that a lot of companies doing retrofits of signs or replacing a sign on a building will not pull a permit - is this true? Also had a few general questions: 1. How much does a permit cost for a new sign? Isnt broken into structure and electrical inspection? 2. If you were not connecting to line voltage or a branch circuit - would you pull a permit? Meaning what if it was a sign that ran on its power source (battery, wind turbine, fuel cell)

With shipping charges rising, the Chinese economy growing and prices rising, and with the possibility that NAFTA might be overturned by a potential democratic president...isnt there a great concern that the "low cost" benefit of Chinese manufacturing is going to go away rather quickly? And with additional disease outbreaks will US customs be doing further inspections of products and delay deliveries? Any feedback on recent experiences would be great.

Just thought those going to Olympics should know about this http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jwzLn2z...VFFtAAD90EAF1O0

Light Up the World in Canada? The CEO of this company only went to 3rd world countries where he could mountain climb. Cost on Solar is nowhere near what it use to be when they did this analysis.

I heard this great interview on National Public Radio about this eye doctor that setup a charity to sell very inexpensive eye glasses to third world countries. He set it up to train women in these 3rd world countries to make their own businesses selling the glasses...it has been a huge success. He also now sells the glasses in high end designer stores for $$$$$ and takes a big percentage of the profit and donates back to his charity. I will find the article - very interesting approach. We are envisioning the same with our solar lighting system - not given away but sold by local people for a very small amount. The first demo we did was in Sri Lanka.

A solar powered lighting system using inexpensive 100LPW Nichia LEDs is very very low cost. Much less than you would ever imagine. It is proven that lighting improves the education - kids can read at night. Another survey shows that population growth starts to slow - with the lights on... Any other thoughts/concepts I will add a bunch more at end of thread.

Axiom is developing a lighting system for 3rd world countries. I wanted to take a quick survey to see how many people here knew or could add to this thread by telling me what benefits you think lighting a room in a home would bring to a 3rd world country. Also - we are also looking for people that want to help us make these systems.

where everyone wears shiny

Do you think "main streaming" special needs children is good for the "normal children"? Doesnt it bring the whole education level down in the classroom? But then we are all suprised when the USA is rated now as having one of the worst education systems in the world.

This is a not a joke. Axiom is reducing its pricing on its most popular White LED system for today. The AXLE4-WHT65 which usually sells for $3.50ea or $7.00 per linear foot is on sale today for $3.00ea or $6.00 a linear foot. Only good for today - buy online at: http://axiompowercorp.com/osc/product_info...?products_id=69

Great story! Arent you amazed that we are still alive today??? Something else to think about - remember all the early mobile phones with Red LEDs? Early red LEDs had arsenic in them so disposing them in a landfill was a bad idea. I think we live in an age where we have a heightened sense of fear. And to have the Roman Catholic Church tell us today that it is a sin to be against being environmentally aware - isnt that a guilt trip for a large portion of the world!!! I heard on National Public Radio recently that there was a toy science kit in the 1950s that came with a small amount of radioactive materials...and those people are still alive and kicking. Go figure.

And the StarWars light sabers kicked ass.

Good addition. You should have a permanent post from the home page that says "HOW TO POST" and link to this.

We had a crazy thought today that we thought we would make some of you laugh at... What would you think if we started advertising that our LED modules help in enlarging your member? Or what if we said that since you will save a lot of money by using our products you can buy one of those ROLEXs in the spam emails! Wanted to get some comical ideas and feedback from people on how we could take some of the more common junk email we get and use it to develop a very memorable advertising campaign. Make us laugh. Please.

Well put sir. Here is an issue I have - how are field inspectors being trained on the new laws??? They are not. Part of the joke sometimes is that a field inspector probably will not even know what they are looking at. One time I asked a Chief Fire Inspector in California how he had his inspectors check lighting levels on staircases or in areas that required a certain foot candle reading. He told me, we just look at it and check to see if it appears to be enough light. I asked if they used any meters to check - he said no. He said it didnt matter anyway because even if there was a fire they couldnt be sued...if they were brought to court they could say it was inspected and it appeared to be enough light. So how is the last sherriff in town, the inspector, being trained? Would be great to get some inspectors on this board. I would suggest everyone invite them to join this board and comment.

Gary, sometimes youth brings a lack of fear and an attitude towards trying to reinvent the world. I just dont like when older generations stop the creative expression or intentions of youth to try and pursue their dreams, interest or passion. Even though my parents told me the flame was hot I had to dance in it to learn that I could get burned...I had to learn in my way. And Gary, dont get me wrong, there are some younger generation actions and how they approach situations that makes me feel like I am getting old. So instead of mocking it I decided to keep my brain moving and learning why they approach things in that way. I have learned a few lessons and have been able to teach a few too. I find that giving up on my experience and sitting side by side by youth opens them up to listening to my experiences. mutual respect. And for the record - we are not "giving our product away" - we just took a look at some of the younger generation ideas of company structure and applied the ones that made sense and worked. We figured out how to significantly reduce overhead and operating cost and have decided instead of getting fat, dumb, happy and....old...we decided to pass savings onto customers. At the same time we actively teach them how to make more money - not just save energy but how to make money in a down market. I had a long talk with someone today about a solar system for powering a sign that will actually cost less to make the sign and install than a conventional fluorescent sign. But Gary, I just turned 40, so officially I am now old. Manuel

I heard a lot about: A) mainstreaming special needs kids and the cost it put on the normal class room - I remember a story about a special needs kid that liked grabbing all the girls chests!, B) the cost on our system to have a kid in a special needs class - shouldnt the parents do more in these situations??? I remember the day an acquaintance of mine in the past got a $75,000 special wheel chair for the kid - she drove the thing with her mouth. Trust me, it is sad - but I wonder if it is more sad how much money this family is taking from the "system". The mom didnt work and the dad was in jail for one reason or another. I agree about child services - but is there a service that would be there for your husband and kids if you didnt do anything and this 5 year old did do something damaging to you? I love people that are passionate about their work but from experience dont let it run the risk of destroying your personal life. The best story I ever heard was about one parent whose special needs kid had to be on a "natural food diet" - so the mom sent the kid to school with raw onions to eat...I didnt really believe this until I smelt it.

It is interesting how parents are given a FREE pass for their kids bad behaviour when the doctor diagnosis them as autistic. Might it be bad parenting??? Also - I think sometime if parents just watched Ceasar Milan's the DOG WHISPERER they may get many ideas on how to handle unruly children. On the 5 year old - what I learned sitting on the sideline watching for years was to ignore the troublemaker and do not give them the attention they are seeking. Focus on the good kids. Also, in light of the recent shootings in Las Vegas as the schools there seems to be a huge intolerance for these type of threats. I would let the parents know that you are going to report them and their child to the police - trust me, they will very quickly become an active participant in solving the problem. And...you should report them for your own safety. 5 years old or 16 years old (age of kid in Las Vegas) - you shouldnt have to face the threat of death when you are trying to help people. Also - some kids and people are just bad seeds. A friend of mine divorced his wife in San Diego who had a child from a previous marriage because she would not address how her son acted - he decided that he did not want the liability associated with being part of her family. Her son was drunk driving recently in a rental car and killed two people. A bad seed is a bad seed. In nature life has a way of culling off the problems. And I do agree with Gary Nutting - mercury is going to be a problem. I asked someone from the DOE the other day what their response was to the fact that it takes more energy to recycle a fluorescent bulb than the energy it saves over its life...they were stumped.

I didnt know you did this work. I know a lot about this...both medically and in having to "work" with the children. My ex-wife had to work with several - this is tough work. But I am wondering if it isnt more difficult to work with the parents. The Mind Institute at UC Davis has put out some interesting reports about how mercury is causing problems in some of the children - Gary Nutting and I know quite a bit about the concept that what may appear to be a mercury related nerve disorder might be something TOTALLY different!!! I agree with you about how some parents are raising their kids and how it has become the "new" disease for parents to have their children diagnosed with...take a step back and look at the huge industry that has evolved from the concept and the real disease itself. I think a great book for you and anyone who is questioning the "green end-of-the-world" movement is Michael Chrichton's STATE OF FEAR. Shows how with the COLD WAR ended how the economy needs some other FEAR to spur the growth. It appears that GLOBAL WARMING, AUTISM, and TERRORISM are the new FEARS. Good luck in your work! On my rant this week - I went horse back riding for my 40th B-Day in the mountains outside of Las Vegas - I was with a bunch of women and they all kept looking at me and smiling at me when we were riding. I am a tall guy (6-4) and I needed a big horse. After the ride my ego was shot down when my fiancee told me that they werent looking at me but how endowed my male horse was...hahaha! With that and all the spam email I get...I was starting to get a complex.

You are absolutely right. People using age as an experience factor over you is pretty pathetic. They are much older but do they know how to do and use things that you do today (iPOD, video games, computing tools, etc)? We are going to post a video that will just piss off the old timers as it will show that you can take the LEDs out of the shipping container, populate a 24" channel letter, close the letter, and connect it to power in less than 5 minutes. And what is more important is that the cost of materials to light the 24" letter X is only $35.00 in LEDs and only $11.50 in power supply cost ($34 60 Watt power supply - letter is 18 Watts or 1/3rd the price) - total letter is $46.50 + 5 minutes of any labor.