Is this the end of the bright idea?

Here’s an exercise for you; put ‘creativity’ or ‘bright idea’ or ‘imagination’ or any other word or phrase you can think of that is associated with ideas and creative thinking into Google, then click the image button. One image will dominate your search; the lightbulb. Almost from it’s first appearance over 100 years ago the lightbulb, or Incandescent light bulb as Edison named it was seen as the perfect expression for man’s ingenuity – knowledge replacing ignorance, the moment of genius – the little, apparently empty, glass orb that could instantly banished darkness at the flick of a switch seemed to embody all that was good in us.

Until now. It seems that the universal symbol for man’s innate creativity, is to be sacrificed in an effort to save the planet. Am I the only one who sees the irony in this? This symbol of our ability to solve problems has become the problem, this icon of enlightenment had a dark secret. It is now seen as wasteful and inefficient not, after all, such a good idea!

So what now, what have we, in our infinite creativity, dreamed up to replace it? What vast improvement have we plucked from our imaginations to replace the once shining light? Enter the energy efficient lightbulb. This catchall phrase covers a group of new technologies designed to replace the traditional bulb. There is only one problem; for the first time I can remember the new technology is not a step forward but a step back, or at best a step sideways. No expert who has been interviewed on the subject of this new technology has claimed it is better, ask one the simple question, ‘Are these new bulbs as good at lighting my living room?’, and the answer will always be, ‘No’.

They can claim they are more efficient, that they will improve your carbon footprint, but when it comes to their main function, their reson detra, that of providing us with illumination, they are without exception second best.

I have no real agenda here, I’m no right wing reactionary; I recycle and turn the lights off when I leave the room etc, but I wonder why no one ever voices the obvious reason why all these steps are now necessary, why we are now having to turn back technology? The Earth was never designed to support so many of us, if we were rats or frogs, we’d be called a plague! There is no getting away from the fact, like any animal that finds itself without any real predators, nature has no way of balancing our population.

Good God, this sounds like I’ll be talking eugenics next, when all I wanted to do was pose the question; what symbol are we going to get to replace the lightbulb as a symbol for creativity?  It’s replacement is less bright and less instant., so it’s out of the running. When the next generation of designers are looking for a clique to illustrate a good idea where will they turn? Any ideas let me know?