New king’s coronation
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Here are five pieces of trivia for the pub quiz… Since 1953 (the last coronation)
- Artificial lights were incandescent (Nichia’s first white LED launched in 1996)– 25th Anniversary Of The White LED – Invented by Nichia, Japan
- 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
- 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
- We had no idea how light affects sleep (first proof of the link in humans in 1980) – Light Suppresses Melatonin Secretion in Humans
- 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…
- 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.
- Dynamic lighting systems (including shading and glare control) are designed to actively support sleep with simple controls so we can all get comfortable.
- Light-based therapies are standard treatment for diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, autoimmune disorders, depression and other mental health conditions.
- 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.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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
- 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