How many forum members does it take to change a light bulb?

In summary, there are a total of 14 forum members it takes to change a light bulb. Seven of these members are needed to post about the experience of changing a light bulb, while five of these members are needed to flame any posts that may contain incorrect information about changing light bulbs. Finally, three industry professionals inform the group that the proper term for a light bulb is "lamp." Fifteen members post about their knowledge of light bulbs, with thirteen of these posts being quoted in their entirety. Finally, one forum lurker responds to the original post 6 months from now and starts the whole process over again.
  • #36
Gale17 said:
hey, i just changed a lightbulb... man it was so awesome. i like, turned it, and it came out... i burned my fingers at first though, cause it was still hot from being turned on. Also, it was very hard, because once the light was out, i couldn't see any more because it was dark. i also dropped the dead light bulb and broke it on the floor, but i didn't really worry, since i couldn't see where the glass shards were anyway. then i forgot to turn off the switch, so when the bulb was screwed in a little, it nearly blinded me. But, the bulb was changed! woooot
Oh, yeah, it's a bad idea to change lightbulbs while barefoot. I did that once...I was barefoot and climbed up on a chair to change a bulb (ladders are too much trouble). The old bulb slipped and smashed in an extraordinarily spectacular crash onto the edge of the fireplace hearth. There was glass EVERYWHERE and I was surrounded. I had to figure out how to get down without stepping in glass, so wound up leaping to a sofa what was still clean, then from the sofa to another chair, until I could reach a pair of slippers that were near the chair (see, it's a good thing I never learned to keep my slippers in the bedroom where they belong). I managed to not cut myself, but for a moment I thought it was going to be inevitable. That took forever to clean up too. I kept finding bits of glass for a week...every day I was vacuuming again, and still finding more glass. You'd have thought I'd dropped a plate glass window from all the glass around. :rolleyes:
 
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  • #37
Since I'm sick, I'm reading the classics. This made my lungs hurt. :biggrin:
 
  • #38
Ah, so you're the lurker. Almost a year past due, though.
 
  • #39
Q.How many forum members does it take to change a light bulb?

A. None! Because they don't need any light other tan their monitor while posting at PF.
 
  • #40
Lisa! said:
Q.How many forum members does it take to change a light bulb?

A. None! Because they don't need any light other tan their monitor while posting at PF.
That was my answer:

None: Both CRTs and flatscreens are self-illuminating.

(I'm one of the "me too"s.)
 
  • #41
Are there "me threes" as well?
 
  • #42
Q.How many forum members does it take to change a light bulb?

A. No PF members except the members of the notorious sisterhood know how to change light bulbs. It is a secret never to be revealed.
 
  • #43
It has come to the attention of the PhysicForums Electricians Union Steward of PF brotherhood Local 1234.5^6 that there has been discussion of the changing of Lightbulbs/Light bulbs/Lamps/electrical_glowing_thingys without the use of union labor.

If the matter is not satisfactorily adjusted the steward shall submit the grievance in writing to the Office of the appropriate Director within ten (10) working days. The grievance shall be taken up at a grievance meeting between the Director (or his designated representative) and the grievant, the steward and/or the Union's Business Manager (or his representative.)

If a satisfactory settlement cannot be reached, and the Union wishes to process the grievance further, the grievance shall be presented in writing to the Director of Employee/Labor Relations. The Director of Employee/Labor Relations (or his designated representative) shall answer the grievance in writing within fifteen (15) working days after a final hearing, except in cases of termination, which will be answered within five (5) working days. If a suitable settlement still cannot be reached,the Union wishes to process the grievance further, the Union may institute arbitration proceedings.

Either party may request the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service or the American Arbitration Association to submit a list of seven (7) arbitrators from which the parties may jointly make such selections. If the parties fail to agree on the selection of an arbitrator from this list, each party shall alternately strike one name each until but one (1) name remains and the person so named shall be the arbitrator.

The arbitrator shall have no authority to add to, subtract from, or in any way modify the provisions of this Agreement.

The decision of the arbitrator made in compliance with the foregoing shall be final, shall be in writing, shall include the reasons for such findings and the conclusion, and shall be rendered within thirty (30) calendar days following the date of the last hearing conducted by the arbitrator unless an extension of such period is agreed to by the electrical thingy changer and the Union.

Each party shall be responsible for one-half (1/2) of the expenses and the fees of the arbitrator designated under this Article VIII, as well as any expenses for the services of a court reporter and for copies of transcripts going to the arbitrator. Each party shall bear the full cost of its own copy of the transcript.

Until such time as a settlement can be determined, changing of Lightbulbs/Light bulbs/Lamps/electrical_glowing_thingys shall not be conducted, whether those changes be physical or metaphysical.
 
  • #44
BobG said:
I take all the bad things I said about them back.

What a cool site. If you go back to the home page, they have a section for old radio vacuum tubes, X-ray tubes, and so on.

They even have their own forum. A priceless discussion: http://bulbcollector.com/forum/index.php?topic=563.0

Edit: Link updated to new location (You can't actually edit an eight month old post).

Edit: You can't change a light bulb unless it's UL certified.

http://bulbcollector.com/forum/index.php?topic=801.0

This is bull****. One thread on that forum was about WWI French floodlights... nobody even bothered to warn the poster that the floodlights are lit with mustard gas, and they were originally used to kill German troops as they exposed their positions!

The light bulb industry has been hiding this fact for too long. Studies show that all three people who have never been exposed to a light bulb nor communicated with someone who has have a 100% success rate at not developing niccotine addictions, regardless of whether they smoke or not. The government must stop protecting Big Bulb and start protecting the people!
 
  • #45
Office_Shredder said:
http://bulbcollector.com/forum/index.php?topic=801.0

This is bull****. One thread on that forum was about WWI French floodlights... nobody even bothered to warn the poster that the floodlights are lit with mustard gas, and they were originally used to kill German troops as they exposed their positions!

The light bulb industry has been hiding this fact for too long. Studies show that all three people who have never been exposed to a light bulb nor communicated with someone who has have a 100% success rate at not developing niccotine addictions, regardless of whether they smoke or not. The government must stop protecting Big Bulb and start protecting the people!
As this post illustrates, the handling of Lightbulbs/Light bulbs/Lamps/electrical_glowing_thingys without the use of experienced union labor can result in great harm or even death.

We will fight this as long as it takes.


PhysicForums Electricians Union Steward of PF brotherhood Local 1234.5^6
 
  • #46
Office_Shredder said:
http://bulbcollector.com/forum/index.php?topic=801.0

This is bull****. One thread on that forum was about WWI French floodlights... nobody even bothered to warn the poster that the floodlights are lit with mustard gas, and they were originally used to kill German troops as they exposed their positions!

The light bulb industry has been hiding this fact for too long. Studies show that all three people who have never been exposed to a light bulb nor communicated with someone who has have a 100% success rate at not developing niccotine addictions, regardless of whether they smoke or not. The government must stop protecting Big Bulb and start protecting the people!
I'm curious about the methodology of the survey. Presumably, the three had to be studied by someone and the surveyors must not have ever come in contact with a light bulb, correct? But the surveyors couldn't be part of the survey, because, while they had never personally experienced a light bulb, they had come into contact with someone who had? Still, either the surveyors had to know what a light bulb was, which meant the survey was possibly corrupted by surveyor bias about the subject, or, the surveyor did not know what a light bulb was and there is no way to verify the surveyor even conducted the survey correctly.

It seems to me it would take at least 27 surveyors to survey the three individuals. One group of three that had no awareness of light bulbs, but had been in contact with individuals who might know what a light bulb was even if they had never experienced one themselves;
a group of three surveyors that had no awareness of light bulbs, but had been in contact with individuals who had been in contact with light bulbs, but had never seen a lit lightbulb; a group of three that had no awareness of light bulbs, but had been in contact with individuals who had actually seen a light bulb in action; a group of three that knew what a light bulb was, but had never seen one and knew no one that had ever seen a light bulb; a group of three that knew what a light bulb was, but had never seen one, but did no someone who had seen a lightbulb; a group of three that knew what a light bulb was, and knew someone who had seen a lightbulb in action; a group of three that knew what a lightbulb was, and knew someone who had had a bright light shined in their eyes; a group of three that knew what a lightbulb was and knew someone who had been killed by a lightbulb; and a group of three that had personally been killed by a lightbulb. That way results could be cross referenced to eliminate variations caused by the surveyors.
 
  • #47
and a group of three that had personally been killed by a lightbulb

Any group of three will do it for you! We're all slowly being poisoned, and the economic stranglehold Big Bulb holds over us keeps anyone from stopping it! You must all move to Kazakhstan, as I have, to survive the upcoming epidemic!
 
  • #48
I, for one, welcome our new light bulb overlords.
 
  • #49
Is it just me or is it still dark in here?
 
  • #50
Gokul43201 said:
Is it just me or is it still dark in here?
Yeah, it's pretty dim. I think maybe it is you. :biggrin: :tongue:
 
  • #51
Let's go back to the beginning, which came first,

the light or the bulb?


Then one must ask, how do they put the light in the bulb and keep it there until ready for use. :biggrin:
 
  • #52
Astronuc said:
Let's go back to the beginning, which came first,

the light or the bulb?


Then one must ask, how do they put the light in the bulb and keep it there until ready for use. :biggrin:
The domesticated bulb came along no later than 1000 AD. It's unknown how long untamed bulbs have roamed the Earth.http://www.holland.nl/uk/holland/sights/tulips-history.html

Light came along either on Aug 13, 3114 BCE (Mayan), March 29, 3760 BCE (Jewish), Oct 23, 4004 BCE (Ussher), 5199 BCE (Maria de Agreda), 13.7 x 10^9 BCE (plus or minus 200,000 years), 77,760 x 10^9 BCE (Puranic Hinduism), 155 x 10^12 BCE (current iteration of the universe).

Since the earliest possible date for the bulb is unknown, the results are inconclusive.
 
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  • #53
Don't make things too complicated, since at the beginning God said: '...and let there be a bulb.'
 
  • #54
Artman said:
I think ...
Liar!

I'll get you next time.
 
  • #55
Artman said:
Yeah, it's pretty dim. I think maybe it is you. :biggrin: :tongue:
I bet he didn't see that coming. :tongue:
 
  • #56
Where's the environmental impact statement?
 
  • #57
radou said:
Don't make things too complicated, since at the beginning God said: '...and let there be a bulb.'
Yeah, but his was filled with hydrogen.

http://www.airforcetimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-2333360.php

Of course, it takes a hell of a lot of PFers to change the bulb.
 
  • #58
Gokul43201 said:
Is it just me or is it still dark in here?
http://www.xtratime.com/forum/images/smilies/shades.gif
 
  • #59
That's what happens when a light bulb burns out. Light bulbs are electrically-powered darkness-suckers and when they fail, the darkness leaks back out of them. This is especially annoying in windowless rooms because the bulbs have to suck up a LOT of darkness, and when they fail, it all comes back out, making the room so dark that you have to lug in a portable hand-held darkness-sucker just to be able to change the one mounted on the ceiling.
 
  • #60
skywise said:
* 5 to flame the spell checkers

Mmmm...sweet fire. So many memories.

Can I do this?
 
  • #61
turbo-1 said:
That's what happens when a light bulb burns out. Light bulbs are electrically-powered darkness-suckers and when they fail, the darkness leaks back out of them. This is especially annoying in windowless rooms because the bulbs have to suck up a LOT of darkness, and when they fail, it all comes back out, making the room so dark that you have to lug in a portable hand-held darkness-sucker just to be able to change the one mounted on the ceiling.
We have an outdoor light at my house that I had to put a 40 watt bulb in one time. My wife called it, "A Dark."

Can I do this?
I don't know. Can you? You may do this. :tongue: :biggrin:

:uhh: Actually, with my poor spelling and grammar, I ought to keep real quiet here. :uhh:
 
  • #62
Technically, the lightbulb is replaced, not changed.
 
  • #63
o:) what's a light bulb?
 
  • #64
The lightbulb is a symbol of American corporatism and fascist conspiracy! Big Bulb™ is pulling the shades over the eyes of the public, and keeping us all in the dark about the evilness of bulbs. Christianity tells us:

And ye, though one shalt come who showeth the way with the bulb of light, watch not, though ye may be tempted, for ye shalt surely suffer a death of the soul worse than any mortal pain

Luce 4:13

Haliburton spent forty billion dollars on light bulb advertisement last year. Why? Because they secretly implanted a brain control generator in each light bulb they sold! You're all mindless consumer slaves, bent to the will of Big Bulb™ and its subsidiaries! Don't let them take you, or you'll never be free again!

The war in Iraq isn't about terrorism or oil, it's about bulbs! Hussein was a liberal-minded safety conscious man, who banned light bulbs in order to protect his people! Haliburton wanted to expand their market, so they told Bush to invade Iraq so they could give people light bulbs! Same thing with Cuba! Castro banned light bulbs in 1985, and since then his people may be poor, but at least they're free! The Bay of Pigs was actually about smuggling light bulbs into the country, so they could mind control people! It worked! That's why people still try to sail to america!If you do not post this message at least ten times by tomorrow, the ghost of a friend will haunt you for a year. If you do, your true love will surprise you with a present next friday!
 
  • #65
Ki Man said:
Technically, the lightbulb is replaced, not changed.

Once again, you've completely missed the point of the process.

Light bulbs are an aesthetic means of setting tungsten atoms free into the atmosphere. The tungsten filament in a light bulb can reach 4000 degrees Fahrenheit. At that temperature, tungsten atoms will fly off of the filament and collect on the inside of the bulb's glass. The glass quickly darkens and the filament quickly disintegrates. To force a more even and complete disintegration (and to prolong the pleasure), light bulbs are filled with argon gas which bounces many of the tungsten atoms right back onto the filament. Eventually, the filament will have expelled so many tungsten atoms it will disintegrate.

Once the filament has disintegrated to the point that it's no longer possible to heat it via an electric current, the next phase of the transformation begins. The bulb now has a nice coating of tungsten atoms on the inside of the glass and is normally placed in a packing container prior to shipment to the local landfill. (As a side effect, a socket is now available to begin the transformation process on a new light bulb).

The bulb is then transported via truck to the landfill. If properly packaged, the other contents in the package will crush the bulb freeing the tungsten atoms into the local environment. If all goes well, the tungsten will leach into the local water table, where it will be ingested by livestock, animals and humans. In the human body, it's believed by some that a large enough concentration of tungsten can undergo one final transformation, participating in the development of luekemia.

The act of removing a light bulb from the socket and placing in an approved packing container for shipment is just one change in a multi-step transformation. You shouldn't focus in on one step in a major change process. It's important not to lose sight of the forest for trees.
 
  • #66
i love the original post. i am not going to m ake it come true by reading any of the others.
 
  • #67
Has anybody mentioned the 12.4 PFers who need to PM mentors to tell them there's a blown lightbulb?
 
  • #68
If a light bulb burns out in a room and there is no one around to see it...
Does it still get dark?
 
  • #69
mezarashi said:
Hi,

I'm the guy 3 years from the original post, and I've changed light bulbs in the past too! They're great!

No! Light bulbs are vile, twisted creations. Just look at the evidence

http://media.www.dailynorthwestern.com/media/storage/paper853/news/2000/10/04/City/BurntOut.Bulb.Causes.Fire.Scare.In.Kresge.Evacuation-1904905.shtml

Burnt-out bulb causes fire

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55213

So, last month, the Prospect, Maine, resident went out and bought two dozen CFLs and began installing them in her home. One broke. A month later, her daughter's bedroom remains sealed off with plastic like the site of a hazardous materials accident, while Bridges works on a way to pay off a $2,000 estimate by a company specializing in environmentally sound cleanups of the mercury inside the bulb.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoebus_cartel

The cartel served as a convenient way to lower costs and decrease the life expectancy of light bulbs, while at the same time hiking prices, without fear of competition. Standardisation of Lightbulbs was another side-effect of the cartel.

The Phoebus Cartel divided the world’s lamp markets into three categories:

1. home territories, the home country of individual manufacturers
2. British overseas territories, under control of Associated Electrical Industries, Osram, Phillips, and Tungsram
3. common territory, the rest of the world

http://www.osha.gov/dts/hib/hib_data/hib19970715.html

Potential Fire with Florescent Light Bulbs

http://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/q5304.html

The light bulbs that you refer to are most likely "Compact Fluorescent"
bulbs. These light bulbs may contain the radioactive material
promethium-147 (147Pm) in a "sealed glow (starter) switch."
The amount of 147Pm in each bulb can be 0.33 microcuries (the same as
330 nanocuries or nanoCi). Such light bulbs also contain mercury
metal-vapor and phosphor powder, which are hazardous materials. An
example of an MSDS for such light bulbs is
The research shows it's obvious... light bulbs are designed to destroy civilization, and this fact is suppressed by a cartel of the most powerful corporations in history! They must be stopped now!
 
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  • #70
Time to bump this, start with the first post.
 

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