My dad just never turns on the fluorescent light in his ofice; he has a few incandescent floor and desk lamps instead. Says it helps a lot. Also, I've found that flat panel monitors are easier on the eyes than CRTs.
Fluorescent lights are evil; it's something to do with cycling (they flicker, sort of, at a very high speed, like a strobe light on caffeine). Also, I can hear them.
Desk lamps with incandescent 'natural light' bulbs should help.
First off all fluorescent lights are not equal. If they buzz they need to be fixed. Also there should be very little flickering. If you are noticing a flicker then you can try a diffuser that spreads the light over a wider area so you are seeing more of the light as a reflection off of objects. Also, directing the desk lights towards the walls so you can have indirect light helps.
And the colors - a lot of the older bulbs have a very strong blue component that is not very 'natural'. You can get bulbs which have more reds in them.
The advantage to fluorescents is their efficiency of course. Luckily they are doing some very promising work with LEDs that may be very efficient and very pleasant.
My personal bugaboos are the orangish lights they use for street lamps and in many manufacturing situations.
During my drive back from the DC meat-up, one of the rest stop bathrooms had some freaky flourescent/paint combo that turned my face in the mirror green. Not greenish. Green. I looked like Swamp Thing.
This year I was faced with seasonal affective disorder, combined with getting a new job that meant working in the evenings under fluorescent light, with two CRTs in front of me.
Completely untrue. I think suicide is the most altruistic of the species-strengthening culling mechanisms that natural selection has devised. If you decide to go that route, Adam, I think you are extremely generous.
I happen to have personal experience on this subject.
I used to get headaches regularly at work, and I bought a natural spectrum desk lamp and used it as the lighting at my desk and the headaches went away.
I'm a fan of natural spectrum flourescents.
I've replaced all the bulbs in my home with sun-a-lux and I can say that from personal experience they're the best natural spectrum bulb I've seen.
Less blue, and warmer than most natural spectrum bulbs.
Correction: what I'm using at home is, specifically, the sunwave compact flourescent at the above link.
They are bright. The 26 watt bulb is probably brighter than you will need, I recommend sticking to the 15-23 watt bulbs for most applications (the 20 watt really is the equivilent of a 75 watt standard bulb.
Is Flavin that guy who puts up fluorescent fixtures? I remember seeing one of those at MoMA, it was a pink bulb installed vertically in a corner. I thought it was just a weird way of lighting the exhibit until I saw the title card on the wall.
BTW ogged, I was thinking about your comment about being in a shared office environment and realized that, while you could just remove the flourescent rubes above your desk and bring your own lamp to work you really should try to talk the office manager into spending the several hundred dollars it would take to replace all of the flourescent tubes with natural spectrum lights.
If they were willing to spend money on ergonomic chairs you should be able to convince them that lighting is an ergonomic issue and will improve productivity.
I'm sure you can find citations for this fact if you google, but the one that came to my mind is here (Page 88 -- Page 89)
Any recommendations on alternate lighting, or other nifty tricks?
Turn yourself flourescent and make everybody else sit in the dark.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 9:45 AM
My dad just never turns on the fluorescent light in his ofice; he has a few incandescent floor and desk lamps instead. Says it helps a lot. Also, I've found that flat panel monitors are easier on the eyes than CRTs.
Posted by Matt F | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 9:46 AM
"Also, where can I get some healing sun crystals?" Jeebus, ogged.
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 9:56 AM
Fluorescent lights are evil; it's something to do with cycling (they flicker, sort of, at a very high speed, like a strobe light on caffeine). Also, I can hear them.
Desk lamps with incandescent 'natural light' bulbs should help.
Posted by Cala | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 9:56 AM
Well there are a few things that *might* help.
First off all fluorescent lights are not equal. If they buzz they need to be fixed. Also there should be very little flickering. If you are noticing a flicker then you can try a diffuser that spreads the light over a wider area so you are seeing more of the light as a reflection off of objects. Also, directing the desk lights towards the walls so you can have indirect light helps.
And the colors - a lot of the older bulbs have a very strong blue component that is not very 'natural'. You can get bulbs which have more reds in them.
The advantage to fluorescents is their efficiency of course. Luckily they are doing some very promising work with LEDs that may be very efficient and very pleasant.
My personal bugaboos are the orangish lights they use for street lamps and in many manufacturing situations.
Posted by Tripp | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 10:05 AM
During my drive back from the DC meat-up, one of the rest stop bathrooms had some freaky flourescent/paint combo that turned my face in the mirror green. Not greenish. Green. I looked like Swamp Thing.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 10:08 AM
You guys partied after I left, didn't you?
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 10:11 AM
This year I was faced with seasonal affective disorder, combined with getting a new job that meant working in the evenings under fluorescent light, with two CRTs in front of me.
I'm on the verge of suicide right now.
Posted by Adam Kotsko | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 10:14 AM
7: If by "partied" you mean "got oiled up and wrestled naked," then yes.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 10:24 AM
Adam, SCMT thinks you're a weenie.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 10:27 AM
Also, I can hear them.
I can see pale people. All the time.
Posted by slolernr | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 10:29 AM
Adam, SCMT thinks you're a weenie.
Completely untrue. I think suicide is the most altruistic of the species-strengthening culling mechanisms that natural selection has devised. If you decide to go that route, Adam, I think you are extremely generous.
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 10:33 AM
I happen to have personal experience on this subject.
I used to get headaches regularly at work, and I bought a natural spectrum desk lamp and used it as the lighting at my desk and the headaches went away.
I'm a fan of natural spectrum flourescents.
I've replaced all the bulbs in my home with sun-a-lux and I can say that from personal experience they're the best natural spectrum bulb I've seen.
Less blue, and warmer than most natural spectrum bulbs.
Expensive, but highly recommended.
Posted by NickS | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 10:40 AM
Correction: what I'm using at home is, specifically, the sunwave compact flourescent at the above link.
They are bright. The 26 watt bulb is probably brighter than you will need, I recommend sticking to the 15-23 watt bulbs for most applications (the 20 watt really is the equivilent of a 75 watt standard bulb.
Posted by NickS | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 10:43 AM
Thanks, Nick, just the kind of advice I'm looking for.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 10:45 AM
I live in utter darkness, hoping one day to find the light.
Posted by eb | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 10:50 AM
No love for my helpful suggestion in #1? Merry Christmas, Ogged.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 10:51 AM
You should try burning your candles at both ends.
Posted by slolernr | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 10:51 AM
Museum security guards complained bitterly about working the Dan Flavin retrospective. My head was splitting after spending an hour walking through.
Posted by Armsmasher | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 11:03 AM
I should probably mention that I have a window office. La de dah.
And luckily some of the coldest days in MN are also the sunniest, and the sun off the snow can be nearly blinding.
Posted by Tripp | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 11:44 AM
Is Flavin that guy who puts up fluorescent fixtures? I remember seeing one of those at MoMA, it was a pink bulb installed vertically in a corner. I thought it was just a weird way of lighting the exhibit until I saw the title card on the wall.
Posted by Matt F | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 11:45 AM
. . . and performing under a spotlight an hour a day chases the SAD away.
Posted by Tripp | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 11:46 AM
Yep, Flavin.
Posted by Armsmasher | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 12:24 PM
Yep, Flavin.
That's a pretty poor Frink imitation.
Posted by slolernr | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 12:26 PM
Wait, I don't get it. Is that a Simpsons reference? If so, you should be ashamed of yourself, potentially.
Posted by Armsmasher | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 1:40 PM
Except I didn't quote the Simpsons, I made a lame, lame, bad joke out of how "Yep, Flavin" sounded to me in my head.
Oh, come on, you can't let Jonah Goldberg ruin the Simpsons for everyone else.
Posted by slolernr | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 1:43 PM
This reminds me of that Simpsons episode where they become so famous and ubiquitous that everyone gets sick of them.
Posted by eb | Link to this comment | 12-19-05 2:05 PM
BTW ogged, I was thinking about your comment about being in a shared office environment and realized that, while you could just remove the flourescent rubes above your desk and bring your own lamp to work you really should try to talk the office manager into spending the several hundred dollars it would take to replace all of the flourescent tubes with natural spectrum lights.
If they were willing to spend money on ergonomic chairs you should be able to convince them that lighting is an ergonomic issue and will improve productivity.
I'm sure you can find citations for this fact if you google, but the one that came to my mind is here (Page 88 -- Page 89)
Posted by NickS | Link to this comment | 12-20-05 12:56 PM