Blood Lamp Puts Spin on ‘Burning the Midnight Oil’

Cost of lighting a bulb could take drastic turn from money to blood

In 1635, an English author named Frances Quarles coined the phrase “burning the midnight oil,” commenting on humanity’s obsession with working too hard; in particular into the wee hours of the night and early morning. Quarles’ fascination stemmed from the fact that people would literally have to use lamps fueled by oil to be able to work at these hours, despite the fact that oil lamps were unable to produce substantial light.

Fast-forward to the year 2012, and human nature hasn’t changed all that much. Employees stay after hours regularly to perform their tasks, yet they do so in offices powered by hazardous sources consuming energy at an unprecedented rate. While the days of limited light resources may be gone, there is still a huge energy crisis going on around the world, specifically in America, where the average citizen consumes 3383 kwh of energy per year, according to a study done in 2009. The number, 3383 kwh, equates to leaving the light on in four rooms in your home for an entire year, which is as startling as it appalling.

“What if power came at a cost to the individual?” eccentric inventor Mike Thompson asks on his website. The question triggers caution amongst readers, as Thompson is asking to remove the monetary price tag on energy and replace it with an entirely different entity – blood. Thompson, the creator behind a body fueled lamp designed to conserve energy at the cost of human blood, broke through with his innovative concept designed to educate consumers on the true cost of energy.

How it works is rather simple actually, as explained on Thompson’s website through a video. One must break off the top of the lamp, then dissolve a powder into the bulb and finally insert their blood to power a simple light. Each and every year the average consumer pushes our natural environment closer to the brink of destruction and upheaval, and there continues to be a perplexing absence of relevant solutions to the enduring problem. Thompson’s lamp is limited to only one use, therefore the user must make a conscientious decision on when light is truly needed, rather than ignoring the preciousness of our planet’s resources.

Thompson’s blood lamp may be far-fetched, and probably won’t be too widely utilized, however he deserves credit for his bold thinking. Thompson stepped up to the plate to enlighten humanity of the bleak future that we’re headed for if something doesn’t change. The invention helps us appreciate the true cost of energy, and inspires us to make conservation public priority No. 1.

Humans may never stop their obsession with ‘burning the midnight oil;’ but if we don’t change the way we do it, it may come at a much steeper price in the future.

Dornob

Comments

comments