The Dade County Board of Commissioners held its final meeting of the year last Thursday, Dec. 4, at the Dade County Administrative Building.

The Commission held a work session before the regular meeting where they heard a proposal from Rob Staples of MUSCO Outdoor Lighting for concrete base and electrical work for future lighting of the soccer fields and the new baseball field at the Dade County Recreation Complex.

Staples explained to the Commissioners that the latest technology is used on lighting now and the savings as well as quality of light has improved tremendously over the past few years.

GED Program Coordinator Rhonda GoreDennis addressed the Commission on the need for transportation for GED Students. We have a lot of outstanding students but many of them have a hard time getting to class due to where they live, Dennis said.

She stated that other counties support the GED program in various ways including vouchers for public transportation for students. She pointed out that Dade County provides no support for the program but urged Commissioners to look at ways to support it primarily through transportation. Currently the program has 20 students, all from Dade County.

David Dunn with the Public Defenders Office presented his proposed budget for the upcoming year and brought the Commissioners up to date on how his office operates, case loads, etc. Dunn also pointed out he had been fortunate in being able to keep employees for long periods of time which makes them much more efficient.

Paula Duvall discussed with Commissioners the bids received for providing the Personal Property Audit that the State of Georgia is requiring the county to do. She recommended going with the low bidder as all those who had bid were checked out and all got good recommendations.

Several resolutions were discussed and the financial report was given by Don Townsend before the work session ended.

After a short break the regular meeting of the Dade County Board of Commissioners was called to order by County Executive Ted Rumley.

During the Commissioners reports Commissioner Mitchell Smith thanked his fellow citizens for their support during his first term and their vote of support for a second term on the Commission. He also reported that the 911 Center handled 1,945 calls during November.

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Dade's GED Coordinator Would Like County's Support - Preferably Through Transportation

DENVER As long ago as 1907, when merchants put green and red bulbs in street lights along 16th Street, Denver has been known for outdoor holiday flair.

But in 1914 when D. D. Sturgeonfounder of Sturgeon Electricwanted to give his ill son some Christmas joy, he wrapped his pine trees with electric bulbs, which were dipped in red and green paint.

For many historians who keep track of such things, they refute the idea that New York City may have had outdoor lighting before Denver.

If they had lights before 1907, then maybe they were first, said Dr. Tom Noel (Noel get it) aka Dr. Colorado. But from all we have found lights first went outside in Denver.

The neighborhood around the old Sturgeon homestead on West 34th Avenue continues to hold the tradition near and dear, and as was the case 100 years ago, many in metro Denver seem to go Chevy Chase when putting up displays for the holidays.

And remember, dont take your lights down until after the Stock Show, as we like to keep em up til the cowboys ride into the sunset!

Send us your holiday lights photos

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Denver: Where outdoor Christmas lighting tradition began

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

9-Dec-2014

Contact: Jennifer Liu jennifer.c.liu@disney.com Disney Research

Techniques now used to reconstruct 3D models based on multiple photos of a building, object or scene can also be leveraged to automatically estimate illumination conditions depicted in a collection of photographs, scientists at Disney Research and Universit Laval report.

Everyone knows that objects can look markedly different depending on lighting conditions, the physical characteristics of the objects and the angle at which they are viewed. That makes it difficult for photo editors to insert 3D objects into imagery and make them appear as if they are reflecting light or casting shadows naturally. But knowledge of the lighting conditions in an image could greatly simplify such efforts, according to Iain Matthews, principal research scientist at Disney Research in Pittsburgh.

Matthews and Jean-Franois Lalonde, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Universit Laval, found that structure-from-motion (SfM) algorithms, which are now widely used to create 3D models based on multiple photographs, could be a key to estimating those illumination conditions. They first used SfM techniques to create 3D models based on collections of photos that all focused on the same landmark; they then used an inverse rendering approach they developed to recover the lighting conditions for each of the photos.

They will present their findings at the International Conference on 3-D Vision, Dec. 8-11, in Tokyo.

Lalonde noted that the knowledge of lighting conditions gleaned from this method not only would permit editors to realistically insert objects into one of the photos in a collection but, almost magically, all of the photos.

"If one adds a virtual statue in front of a building in one of the photographs from the collection, the same statue can now be inserted in all the other photos with the correct illumination for each image," he said.

To develop the lighting estimation technique, Lalonde and Matthews used a novel database that included collections of photos of 22 different landmarks for which the actual conditions - brightness, position of the sun, sky conditions - were recorded for each photo. Knowledge of the actual conditions provided a check on their ability to estimate those conditions.

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Disney Researchers use multiple photos to estimate lighting conditions of outdoor scenes

Home Solar Outdoor Lighting

By: Beautiful Light Project

Excerpt from:
Home Solar Outdoor Lighting - Video

HouseChatt2013 11 28HD Outdoor Lighting
Joe Bozich, owner of Outdoor Lighting Perspectives visits HouseChatt and discusses some of the different holiday lights that they offer with Matt Hullander. ...

By: Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Chattanooga, TN

Originally posted here:
HouseChatt2013 11 28HD Outdoor Lighting - Video

ROPE LIGHT LED 10M MULTI COLOUR Christmas Lighting outdoor lighting
ROPE LIGHT LED 10M MULTI COLOUR Christmas Lighting outdoor lighting . For more details: http://goo.gl/l1vndO.

By: hock chye tan

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ROPE LIGHT LED 10M MULTI COLOUR Christmas Lighting outdoor lighting - Video

Extra vigilance for outdoor fires required

A restricted fire season for rural areas in the Auckland region will be implemented from 15 December. Lighting an outdoor fire on rural land is still possible but a permit is required for fires in the open air.

A total fire ban is now in place for all Hauraki Gulf Islands.

With summer on its way the days are growing longer and warmer which means fire risk increases. All outdoor fires need to be carefully managed to prevent the spread of fire.

Conditions are very windy for this time of year and last week there were a number of fire incidents around the region due to controlled burns getting out of control, says Auckland Council Principal Rural Fire Officer Bryan Cartelle.

Council will be issuing fire permits in Aucklands rural zones which include farms, forestry areas and large blocks of land. Permits are free of charge.

Auckland Council is introducing an Outdoor Fire Safety Bylaw to manage the risk of all outdoor fires in both rural and urban areas. The bylaw will continue with seasonal restrictions but also gives guidance on the types of fire and fuel allowed with an aim to protect people, property and the environment from the risk of fire. The bylaw is due to come into effect on 20 December.

For information on fire safety and tips for the safe lighting of open air fires call Auckland Council on 09 301 0101 or visit aucklandcouncil/ruralfire.govt.nz

Anyone who sees a suspicious fire should call the fire service immediately on 111.

Ends

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Extra vigilance for outdoor fires required

LIGHTIFY Gardenspot Mini RGB from OSRAM
Your outdoor lighting effects can now begin. Illuminate your garden with millions of colors! The LIGHTIFY Gardenspot Mini RGB garden luminaire from OSRAM ena...

By: OSRAM

See more here:
LIGHTIFY Gardenspot Mini RGB from OSRAM - Video

iPhone 6+ Outdoor
Example of the iPhone 6+ video with outdoor lighting.

By: Little Rascals

See original here:
iPhone 6+ Outdoor - Video

The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) is pleased to announce new requirements for its Fixture Seal of Approval (FSA) program of dark sky friendly light fixtures. Created nearly a decade ago, the FSA program (http://www.darksky.org/fsa) is regarded by industry leaders as an essential certification for outdoor lighting and continues to evolve as new research and metrics become available.The FSA program encourages lighting manufacturers to design responsible outdoor lighting. IDA-approved light fixtures have undergone an objective, third party assessment to ensure they are fully shielded and have minimal negative impacts on the night environment. The FSA logo assures consumers that they are purchasing environmentally friendly lighting. The new FSA program requirements were designed to provide even greater protection of the night environment.Until now, FSA criteria only required fixtures to be fully shielded and emit light downward. The advent of new lighting technologies, particularly light-emitting diodes (LEDs), has raised concerns about the potential negative effects of blue-rich white light, even from fixtures with proper shielding.Exposure to blue light at night has known negative effects on ecology and is thought to cause certain kinds of chronic disease in humans. It can increase glare, compromising human vision, especially in the aging eye. The blue component of outdoor white LED lighting also increases light pollution more than older lighting technologies.IDA warned of these hazards in its 2010 white paper, Visibility, Environmental, and Astronomical Issues Associated with Blue-Rich White Outdoor Lighting. Since the report was issued, evidence supporting its findings has continued to grow.The FSA programs new standards address these concerns by limiting the amount of blue-rich light in the nighttime environment. FSA approval now requires that products offer a listed correlated color temperature (CCT) configuration of 3,000K or lower. Previously approved products will have one year to comply with the new standard. As new research emerges, IDA will continue to reassess FSA standards and expects to further strengthen the program guidelines in the future.IDA is working to drive the lighting industry toward limiting the amount of blue light at night, said acting IDA Executive Director Scott Kardel. We will be tightening the program requirements even further as time goes on.Since the programs inception, the market for FSA-approved public and industrial lighting has grown exponentially. Manufacturers at industry trade shows display the FSA logo on many of their products. Builders, architects, and city planners who attend these shows can choose from a variety of dark sky-friendly products, including LEDs, induction lighting, and high-pressure sodium fixtures. Residential customers can now easily find FSA-approved lighting at major hardware retailers.IDA has also been instrumental in driving product development for lighting in ecologically sensitive areas. As a result, many of these new technologies are now being introduced to the general marketplace. IDA is actively involved in developing lighting recommendations for sensitive coastal areas where significant populations of endangered sea turtles nest and hatch. In 2015 IDA will launch a new Sea Turtle Friendly product certification to complement the new FSA requirements.Contact:Matt RootIDA Technical Director+1 (520) 293-3198matt@darksky.orgOctober 2014 IDA press release, 2014 Nobel Prize for Physics Draws Attention To Promise And Challenges of Blue Light:http://www.darksky.org/night-sky-conservation/421IDA 2010 white paper, Visibility, Environmental, and Astronomical Issues Associated with Blue-Rich White Outdoor Lighting (PDF):http://www.darksky.org/assets/documents/Reports/IDA-Blue-Rich-Light-White-Paper.pdfSeeing Blue, 5-page summary of the 2010 white paper (PDF):http://www.darksky.org/assets/documents/SeeingBlue.pdf

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Link:
New Standards Issued on Blue Night at Light