Street Light Interference

[tracer]

In Randi's latest commentary at http://www.randi.org/jr/2007-06/060807.html#i1, he writes:
This miracle is manifested when a properly-naïve person drives beneath a street light, and it turns off… Though they’ve been told any number of times, the astonished goofs refuse to be aware of the fact that these lights are often equipped with photoelectric switches that detect bright light and automatically switch off the circuits, letting them re-connect again as soon as the source of light has passed – or it becomes sufficiently overcast to call for an added light source.
Ah! But there's a darker, more sinister side to Street Light Interference. I'm talking about those street lights that turn off -- or suddenly get much much dimmer -- when you walk by them without shining any light on them!

I've seen it happen several times myself. And, once or twice, a very very dim street light (on an otherwise well-lit street at night) would suddenly erupt into full brightness just because I walked past!

Of course, what's really going on here is that the salmon-colored sodium arclamp street lights have certain "failure modes" that they can undergo when they get old. Instead of just burning out like conventional light bulbs, old high-temperature sodium lamps will behave erratically, alternately going dim or brightening back up at irregular intervals.

And, of course, I only notice this happening to those streetlights that I'm walking past.

I suggest that a good number of the "Street Light Interference" that happens when people drive past them is also a case of this random phenomenon.

[Fnord]

I was driving some friends of mine around town (Anaheim) and we notice three streetlights change brightness as we drove past them. One of the people commented that it happened only when we drove past them, and not when other cars did. Then someone else pointed out that it was because my car is a hybrid.

Then the Devil got into me.

"Oh, yes!" I said. "I know about that. It happens to me all the time, but the manufacturer corrected that on later models. Something about the reticulating crossover matrix. Since I never received an official recall notice, I can't get it fixed."

Now there are at least three people in Southern California who believe that hybrid cars cause Street Light Interference, that the manufacturers know about it, and that there is a cover-up because "they" don't want to have to pay out on any liability suits.

Should I feel sorry about starting yet another woo-woo urban legend? Because for some wierd reason, I don't!

[eir_de_scania]

The sad -or perhaps amusing- thing is, when that woo-woo legend is spreading, someone will point to your post, explaining this is where it all began, no-one will believe it!
Well, OK, there are a few that will. But most will swear it's the truth, they heard it from a friend who never lies!

Personally, I will count it as amusing...Good work, Fnord.

[LibraryLady]

A neighbor was very kindly changing an out of reach light bulb for me, and we were chatting. He told me that he had an electrical charge and one of the proofs of that is that when he drives by street lamps they turn off. I, gently as I could, explained about the whole light sensor thing. He looked at me and said, "You're just no fun at all." :boxedin:

[Oualawouzou]

The funny (weird?) thing is that everybody is perfectly accustomed to automatic doors, alarm systems turning on/off lights, street lights that turn on/off as the sun sets/rises and a myriad of other gadgets and machines that work with sensors of all kind, yet some firmly resist the notion that street lights are equipped with such a simple technology...

Do they believe their electrical aura is responsible for the shopping center doors opening up before them?

[geni]

for amussment:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Street_Light_Interference_off.ogg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Street_Light_Interference_on.ogg

[arthwollipot]

The sad -or perhaps amusing- thing is, when that woo-woo legend is spreading, someone will point to your post, explaining this is where it all began, no-one will believe it!

And that's the real danger, isn't it? I'm sure quite a lot of urban legends and conspiracy theories started this way.

[Wainscotting]

Do they believe their electrical aura is responsible for the shopping center doors opening up before them?

I don't know about you, but mine is.

This phenomenon has really annoyed me in the past. I've always been quite sceptical, but street lights have always turned off when I walk under them when there's nothing to account for them. I first thought it was a fun coincidence, but then I got worried.

I later realised it was always the same light every time and I started to think that the coincidence was more exciting than the conspiracy. I mean, sure if the light is faulty and often switches off, but for it to always happen at the exact moment I walk under it - now there's some statistics to chew on.

If only I could find a way to make it work in the lottery...

[JoeTheJuggler]

I don't know about you, but mine is.

This phenomenon has really annoyed me in the past. I've always been quite sceptical, but street lights have always turned off when I walk under them when there's nothing to account for them. I first thought it was a fun coincidence, but then I got worried.

I later realised it was always the same light every time and I started to think that the coincidence was more exciting than the conspiracy. I mean, sure if the light is faulty and often switches off, but for it to always happen at the exact moment I walk under it - now there's some statistics to chew on.



How many times do you observe a streetlight when you're not walking past it? If you notice this happening, sit somewhere that you can observe the light for about 20 minutes or so. I suspect the light is failing, just as tracer described.

[Wainscotting]

How many times do you observe a streetlight when you're not walking past it? If you notice this happening, sit somewhere that you can observe the light for about 20 minutes or so. I suspect the light is failing, just as tracer described.

I've often deliberately walked on the other side of the street, but it's always switched off when I walk directly under it. Don't get me wrong, I don't believe for a second that there's anything special about my aura or energy or junk, but I don't get many coincidences - I don't want to ruin it through empirical inquiry.:boxedin:

[Feo Amante]

My intense, unmeasurable (with current technology) energy aura makes skeptical people doubt my unseen powers that only I can feel.

Heh! heh! "Current" technology!

[arthwollipot]

It finally happened to me!

For years this street light thing has been something that only happened to other people. I never had the pleasure of watching a street light wink out as I approached...

Until this morning.

I was driving, and a street light just turned off right in front of me. "Wow, cool" I thought. A little later on four at once! That's right, all four in a cluster at the same time. "I'm so putting that on JREF!" I thought.

Now, it was 7:10am, and the sun was coming up. So it wasn't at all surprising that the street lights were turning off, but it was very cool nontheless.

[Slimething]

The first person I meet who can claim the same thing except with traffic lights (turning them green) gets crazy-glued to my passenger's seat!

[arthwollipot]

Don't laugh. I used to know a guy who claimed he could do exactly that - through the Power of Prayer(tm)!

[Slimething]

He wouldn't by any chance drive a fire truck (http://www.themirt.com/), would he?

[arthwollipot]

Not so far as I know. He was, however, a very good jazz saxophonist.

[gnome]

That one's easy! When it works, he can say his prayer did the trick. When it doesn't... well, God just wanted him to stop.

[arthwollipot]

Of course. Prayer enthusiasts can always self-justify to confirm their beliefs. In either case, it is regarded as "evidence" for their faith. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

You can't confront them with this, because they also take the self-fulfilling prophecy itself as "evidence".

You can't win. But you can break even.

[gnome]

You could, of course, choose some other semirandom occurrence, and pray to the FSM to have it come out your way, and announce that it's working :)

[Arg9]

It was great to see this on the commentary. I just enjoyed explaining it to my ex girlfriend. She mentioned this happening to her all the time and it was really bizarre to her. She mentioned it to a "psychic" who of course played off of it and said it was her energy. And I was a downer because I thought it was a glitchy light...damn aggravating.