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This isn't an alternative to the light bulb. This is an alternative to the window for people living in slums that can't afford glass.
by etler 13y ago
This isn't an alternative to the light bulb. This is an alternative to the window for people living in slums that can't afford glass.
- hcarvalhoalves 13y agoProbably you've never seen a slum, so let me explain: - Houses are juxtaposed to each other, there's no room for windows - Roofs are corrugated, so you can't easily fit a top glass panel even if you have the money for one. - There are transparent, fiber glass roofs, and some people use those, but often they don't get to choose the materials used to build the house, just use what is available. So this is a quite nice hack that works for most houses.
- throwaway9848 13y agoAll those sound plausible (having never been to a favela), and if true I agree with you on almost all counts. But it's still not a substitute for a light bulb unless it works in the dark.
- revdinosaur 13y agoI'm not sure that's fair. It is bulb shape and it emits light. The source of the light happens to be the sun. This is kind of like saying that tungsten lamps aren't lightbulbs because they don't work when not supplied with electricity. They're truly acting as a substitute by spreading light around a darkened area.
- zorbo 13y agoWe're just arguing semantics here.
- hcarvalhoalves 13y ago> But it's still not a substitute for a light bulb unless it works in the dark. Of course it isn't, but it solves 50% of the problem.
- dav 13y agoThey actually -are- a substitute for the lightbulb they would otherwise have to be using during the daytime. It's just not a substitute for the lightbulb at night.
- mih 13y agoMay not be true of what passes for slums in the US, but in other countries the next house in a slum begins where the current one ends. With hardly any windows to let natural light in, the indoors are quite dark even during the day. So yes, while it might not work at night unless there is a strong source of light such as streetlights nearby, it certainly does offer visual comfort during the day.
- reedlaw 13y agoThese bottles refract light thus illuminating a larger area. A skylight primarily lights the area underneath. Also, these bottles are less likely to break in a storm.