I recently spent a week in Sisters, Oregon (where Thompson Guitars is making me a beautiful walnut guitar which I can't wait to play for y'all at future tech co

I recently spent a week in Sisters, Oregon (where Thompson Guitars is making me a beautiful walnut guitar which I can't wait to play for y'all at future tech conferences). I fell completely in love with the city on my first evening there. It took me a few hours to realize why: there are almost no streetlights. The main drag (Cascade Ave) has tasteful, downward-angled, orange lights. And the rest of the city has none at all. And. it's. awesome. You can be standing in the middle of joyous nightlife, in earshot of two different live bands, and still see a stunning sky full of high desert stars. Each business lights their little strip of sidewalk as they see fit. And it really hit home: It's 2023. The idea that light is an essential safety feature is one whose time has past. 90% of folks have a flashlight on their phone at the ready, and for anyone who doesn't have that privilege, or whose battery is dead, getting light shone in one's direction is as simple as shouting, "help me! I need light over here now!" Being around the edges of the city at night is absolutely marvelous, especially on a bicycle. Sisters has ignited in me a belief that streetlights are on their way out - coming to a city near you.