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New king’s coronation

Reflecting on the coronation of the King, I realise the last coronation was light years ago!

Here are five pieces of trivia for the pub quiz… Since  1953 (the last coronation)

  1. Artificial lights were incandescent (Nichia’s first white LED launched in 1996)– 25th Anniversary Of The White LED – Invented by Nichia, Japan
  2. All TV’s were black and white – (first colour TV sold 1953, Panasonic’s first flat screen TV launched 1997) – The History of Flat Screen TVs
  3. We used fixed-line phones (Motorola launched first truly mobile phone in 1983)– The First Cell Phone: A Complete Phone History from 1920 to Present
  4. We had no idea how light affects sleep (first proof of the link in humans in 1980) – Light Suppresses Melatonin Secretion in Humans
  5. We had no standard unit for the non-visual effects of light (CIE standard measure introduced 2018) – CIE SYSTEM FOR METROLOGY OF OPTICAL RADIATION FOR IPRGC-INFLUENCED RESPONSES TO LIGHT
 
 

And five things on my wish list for the next decade or so…

  1. Light is on the curriculum in every school and university – including why going outside during the day and sleeping in a dark room at night is a good idea.
  2. Dynamic lighting systems (including shading and glare control) are designed to actively support sleep with simple controls so we can all get comfortable.
  3. Light-based therapies are standard treatment for diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, autoimmune disorders, depression and other mental health conditions.
  4. Lighting is in the health food section of your local supermarket where it belongs, with every product labeled with the active ingredients, designed for repair and reuse.
  5. You will see the stars at night again.
 
 

It’s National Space day!

And here are three ways the space station have influenced lighting technology on Earth:

  1. Circadian Lighting: NASA invested billions to replace fluorescent tubes with circadian lighting in 2012 to tackle the problem of sleep – Casting Light on Astronaut Insomnia: ISS to Get Sleep-Promoting Lightbulbs , innovations that laid the foundations for ‘human-centred’ lighting.
  2. UV-C sanitation: NASA’s need to keep the space station clean paved the way for simple, safe and sustainable public health interventions here on earth –  One giant leap for UV disinfection: how UV-C LEDs are treating astronauts’ drinking water
  3. Black Marble: NASA’s data collection is tracking the evolution and devastating impact of light pollution and providing vital data for the Dark Sky movement NASA’s Black Marble
 

Finally, I was reminded of just how remarkable our nurses are when I landed in the minor injuries unit a couple of weeks ago.  Today is International Nurse’s day. I believe that every day should be Nurse’s day. Given the levels of burn-out and the struggle to find and keep these precious people, offering a decent place to work could be a great place to start. 

Here are some articles: International Nurses Day, Nursing Shortage, Effect on nurse and patient experience: overnight use of blue-depleted illumination, Nurses’ Satisfaction With Patient Room Lighting Conditions: A Study of Nurses in Four Hospitals With Differences in the Environment of Care

 

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