What Not to do in the Cold

Ugh.

Well, I was all set to write up a good post this last weekend. However, on Thursday I decided to get a little cardio in and go for a hard run. Not such a bright idea in the cold, dry air up here. In ten minutes I burned by lungs and throat raw such that I enjoyed bronchitis over my weekend. Please pass the analgesic mouthwash so I can gurgle before I hack up a lung.

I just thought I'd make a quick note about people who complain about compact fluorescents. My first suggestion is move up in lumens when you switch from incandescents. If a room appears grey after you switch it's because you don't have enough light so you may as well take advantage of your improved efficiency. Generally if I'm switching out a 60 W incandescent I'll use a '75 W' equivalent fluorescent bulb. Hallways and the like are an exception -- there you don't really notice the reduced light.

More importantly not all compact fluorescent bulbs are the same -- many different colour spectrums are available depending on the manufacturer. Typically you get what you pay for. Cheaper models will either have a nosier transformer or some pinkish or bluish tint. Here's one web page that reviews a number of compact fluorescent models:

http://members.misty.com/don/cfbest.html