It’s impossible to anticipate a breakdown or roadside emergency, which is why it’s important to always be prepared. Already equipped with a spare tire, first-aid kit, and jumper cables in the trunk? They might not be of much help if disaster strikes after dark, and you have no viable light source to illuminate the problem.

We recently added a few new products to the website designed for road safety. Our LED Trouble Light makes it easy to check under the hood, and it’s a handy tool to keep in your car. With 16 LEDs on the side of the thin wand, a flashlight-style spotlight on the tip, and an integrated laser pointer, it’s definitely a sophisticated flashlight.

One of the most unique light paintings I’ve seen, this image has a fluidity that causes the brain to confuse light for matter. It is neato. What makes it neato? Well, I think it’s mostly neato because the way the lines are painted makes the light seem like it has taken form and is alive.

3. Sphere of the Open Water

I do not understand how some light painters are able to create such perfect perforated light beams. But I like it. Light painting is able to create such perplexing images. How is one to feel about the image of a lonely self-circling disc of multi colored light? It’s a little sad. But also a lot of fun. That’s weird. And maybe that’s the particular weirdness of light paintings.

5. Or, Then Again, Maybe This Is the Particular Weirdness of Light Paintings

At least, that’s what my two-year-old would call this photo. What a great idea to take a long exposure of a car and to keep it underexposed, knowing that the brightness of the light “paintbrush” would balance out the composition. I chose this example because it emblematizes the way light painting adds imagination to reality.

7. The Whole Light Paint Bucket

First of all, if you don’t get the title’s reference, then don’t worry about it. It’s a video game thing. Second of all, if you have any kind of interest in photography but spend a lot of time working indoors, you’ve probably tried taking pictures of inanimate things around your office. (OK, so I’m talking about myself.) Chances are, you haven’t had much luck. The pics were probably more fun to take than to examine, and they have probably been long since lost in the black matter of erased data. In other words, the photos weren’t good. But this one happens to be really awesome. It’s fun and very cool looking. Hadukin! Hadukin to bad office still lifes! Hadukin to darkness! Ha. Du. Kin.

One of the greenest home improvement projects that you can undertake is to install solar panels. As more research is conducted, it is becoming more and more clear that our reliance on fossil fuels is one of the main contributors to not only our planets overall health, but the health of everyone who lives here. As a homeowner, working with solar panel installers to reduce your dependence on less renewable sources of energy can not only give you more energy freedom, but also help the environment at the same time. Plus, you could save a significant amount of money in the process.

Cost of Solar Panels

As a result of technological advancements, increased demand and the variety of payment options for solar panels, the cost is more affordable than ever. Although purchasing panels and the systems that go with them up front can be very expensive and cost prohibitive, many solar installers are offering alternative to this process. One of the most popular options is the solar lease. Rather than buying panels up front or financing their purchase, you can actually lease solar panels from a solar leasing company. This gives you both the solar power that you desire and the financial flexibility that you need.

Solar Leasing

Solar leasing is by far one of the largest growing trends in the solar power industry. The way it works is simple. You work together with a solar installer who will install the panels on your home for you. You then pay them a monthly leasing fee for the use of the panel. All of the electricity that you generate belongs to you and any excess can be sold back to the power company. As a result, you will typically start saving money in your first month.

At Solar Panel Info, we have compiled extensive information on the benefits of solar panel and solar leasing.

Click here to read more.

As safe as we may feel in our own homes, it doesn’t hurt to add an extra layer of safety and security. Security lights can go a long way to making your home a little safer. Well-lit homes are deterrents against crime. Perpetrators are less likely to lurk in landscapes that are bright with no dark corners. Walking through your yard or from your car to the front door can also be dangerous if you can’t see well. An electrician in Glendale, like those at The Electric Connection, can help you make your home a little safer by adding security lighting.

You can opt to have the bright flood light variety or the kind that is a little dimmer, but just as effective. Security lights mounted above your driveway, your front door or your back door are all great places to place the lights. Motion detectors or timers are ideal and ensure you will never have to worry about stepping out of your car or your house into the darkness. An electrician will help you set the timer to meet your needs.

A Glendale electrician will need to wire the lights directly into your home’s main power. This is called hard-wiring and ensures the lights are always on. However, you can choose to have your security lights installed with a switch. This gives you the freedom to turn the light off and on whenever you need it. Part of your upgraded security lighting system can also include landscaping lighting. Lighting up darkened areas under bushes and in dark corners can help you keep other unwanted pests out of your yard. Nocturnal creatures will be less inclined to hide in an area bathed in light. If you would like to brighten up your outdoors, give The Electric Connection a call today.

Modern buildings, commercial spaces, and even homes increasingly implement advanced building automation and control technology to improve energy efficiency, user comfort, and extend the life cycles of equipment.

At the core of any building automation system, or BAS, remains a central computing hub. This is where software processes the variety of signals it receives from connected sensors, switches, and user inputs. In a typical home, a Wi-Fi network connects devices wirelessly. Further, it will often connect them to the internet, allowing remote access from any web-connected device.

The only real difference between homeowner systems and commercial applications is scale. A large building can have many more devices and sensors connected, but the core function remains the same. The primary focus of commercial systems, however, is energy efficiency over user convenience.

In a large building or factory, even a small percentage of energy savings can have a huge benefit, not only in lower utility costs but also in reductions of CO2 emissions. With an efficient BAS, a building can attain a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating, which is a measure of energy efficiency and low environmental impact in building design.

As technology advances, the potential risks grow for building automation. Each day, more devices become connected to the internet. This is now referred to as the “Internet of Things”. The ease and convenience increases, but so does the potential reward for hackers. Anything controlled by the user or by software could potentially be taken over by a malicious hacker.

It is vital that digital security remains a priority, especially in a home setting. Many smart devices are not as secure as they may seem and are often only as secure as the home’s Wi-Fi network. Some good first steps include changing your Wi-Fi network’s password to something unique. Use the latest encryption protocols and enable MAC address filtering, which allows only devices specifically approved to connect to the network.

Building automation systems will continue to grow in ability and convenience. As long as the potential risks are managed, the possibilities for energy efficiency and user comfort remain nearly endless.