Chris Fala: > To the collector in us all. [link to YouTube video] The cited YouTube clip was from a CBS news feature by David Pogue (that guy who used to host PBS Nova episodes by playing dumb about technology). So Pogue asks the collector, "light bulbs? really?" - because of course modern bulbs are not only dirt-common, but obsolete, and therefore uninteresting twice. The collector starts to explain their historic significance as the video shows various bulbs and sockets and accessories. I stopped watching at that point, I know the drill. Later in the thread, Jeff Jonas suggests the point I was about to make, so I'll join his thread. Vintage "light bulbs" is not a trivial subject or some personal oddity. It was an advanced technology that was initially exciting, became necessary, and then invisible. Just like personal computing. And it happens, it's history relevant to New Jersey where VCFed-Midatlantic resides. In the terminology of vintage computing: the incandescent electric lamp, was the "killer app" for the distribution and personal and industrial use of electrical power at the turn of the 20th century. Edison did much of his electrical work and production in New Jersey. What makes a light bulb even interesting? Electrical distribution didn't exist until around 1900. Why electrically wire up a city, in an era of ZERO commercial or consumer electrical devices? To provide smokeless, fireless, constant illumination; for work and safety and entertainment. Cities were in constant risk from fire, used for heating and cooking and illumination (natural gas, coal, wood, kerosene). And all that smoke filled rooms and cities with haze - and of course created carbon monoxide and gas poisoning. Illumination of streets at night, extended business hours and increased safety. Electric illumination was celebrated as a miracle of modern technology - much like computing was half a century later, and personal computing a century later. It was a centerpiece of expositions (public tech shows). And it was one of many technologies pursued by powerful rich people, who financed the "electrical wizards" of the day - Edison, Tesla, JP Morgan. All this played out in the newspapers of the day (their "information highway"). With electric light to provide a revenue stream and incentive to wire cities, electric motors became a replacement for steam. Later, small electric motors over large steam engines. For awhile, electric cars challenged gasoline cars. And Edison's General Electric and Westinghouse fought the AC/DC "current wars" in courts and newspapers. Remind you of Microsoft vs Apple? There's a few Edison museums in New Jersey, one near Edison NJ (yeah), At East Orange NJ is the Edison National Park (his research facility and nearby his mansion). If you are a techie, and you were thrown back in time to 1900, what research facility would YOU build? Edison beat you to it, in East Orange, go look at it. So. The "light bulb" represents early personal electricity, just as vintage computers represent early personal computing. The YouTube video about light-bulb collecting, "illuminates" what most people today think about common technology turned vintage - "huh?". And it shows what a few people are doing to preserve and curate it. Regards, Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com or try later herbjohnson AT comcast DOT net