Look again at that picture on consumerist. Consider how little of the bottle is sticking out for the sun to hit. Consider how much light really gets through a black cap. Wonder where the light is really coming from. Ponder what else is missing from the story.
I'm surprised nobody's pointed out that it's a Pepsi bottle 
Zomby woof wrote: I'm surprised nobody's pointed out that it's a Pepsi bottle
That is because the conversation was started by someone from Georgia, where everything is called a Coke. Here is a typical conversation:
Waitress: What will you have to drink?
Customer: A Coke.
Waitress: What kind?
Customer: Root Beer.
foxtrapper wrote: Look again at that picture on consumerist. Consider how little of the bottle is sticking out for the sun to hit. Consider how much light really gets through a black cap. Wonder where the light is really coming from. Ponder what else is missing from the story.
I enjoy debunking novel science ideas as much as the next guy (such as solar-tree kid from a while back), but this does seem to be basically the same theory as ships' deck prisms:
mad_machine wrote: It's not a new idea. Tall ships used to use glass prisms mounted into the deck to provide light belowdecksEdmund Scientifics
No. The ship prisms have a significant portion above the lower deck, getting struck by the light. The linked plastic bottle has nothing but the lid supposedly sticking out, and it's black.
A couple low-watt LEDs and it works at night too!
How the heck would you turn the dang thing off, say if you wanted to get busy with the old lady?
jrw1621 wrote:Zomby woof wrote: I'm surprised nobody's pointed out that it's a Pepsi bottleThat is because the conversation was started by someone from Georgia, where everything is called a Coke. Here is a typical conversation: Waitress: What will you have to drink? Customer: A Coke. Waitress: What kind? Customer: Root Beer.
uh oh. I usually say soda bottle since im from the west coast, but you caught me. I said coke bottle. Uh oh...
foxtrapper wrote: No. The ship prisms have a significant portion above the lower deck, getting struck by the light. The linked plastic bottle has nothing but the lid supposedly sticking out, and it's black.
Did you watch the video? The whole neck of the bottle is sticking out of the roof.
This reminds me of a house by John Lautner (you may have seen it in several movies/tv shows) that used drinking glasses embedded in the concrete roof to provide light:
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yes.. if you watch the video.. about a third (or more) of the bottle is sticking up through the roof. Not sure where people got that only the lid was poking through
Cannot see the video. Only the linked image on consumerist and a few others. Looks like the whole bottle is hanging down, complete with the curved neck, and only the cap is stuck into the roof.
If a larger hole is cut and half the bottle shoved up through it, ok. But that's not what it looks like in the images I can see.
Josh wrote:
That is Jackie Treehorn's house!
DukeOfUndersteer wrote: That is Jackie Treehorn's house!
Yup. It was also in one of the Charlie's Angels movies, a Snoop Dogg video, and a Porno!
This reminds me of a story about a professor at Harvard (or some other place full of really smart people) who works with graduate students to create solutions for the poorer areas of the world. They come up with stuff like cook stoves that are much cleaner, safer and more efficient than cooking over an open fire. They are also easy to make, use locally-sourced materials, and create an industry for local people who set up a shop to make them. They have also created water pumps driven by bicycles, corn-shucking tools and other stuff. Fascinating stuff.
1988RedT2 wrote: How the heck would you turn the dang thing off, say if you wanted to get busy with the old lady?
Fill it with ink.
I like to get busy with the lights on. Non issue for me.
DukeOfUndersteer wrote:jrw1621 wrote:uh oh. I usually say soda bottle since im from the west coast, but you caught me. I said coke bottle. Uh oh...Zomby woof wrote: I'm surprised nobody's pointed out that it's a Pepsi bottleThat is because the conversation was started by someone from Georgia, where everything is called a Coke. Here is a typical conversation: Waitress: What will you have to drink? Customer: A Coke. Waitress: What kind? Customer: Root Beer.
We say "soda" here in the Middle Atlantic up through New England. Pop seems to exist in the midwest... but the first time I encountered "coke" as the generic for any sort of soft drink blew my mind
pinchvalve wrote: This reminds me of a story about a professor at Harvard (or some other place full of really smart people) who works with graduate students to create solutions for the poorer areas of the world. They come up with stuff like cook stoves that are much cleaner, safer and more efficient than cooking over an open fire. They are also easy to make, use locally-sourced materials, and create an industry for local people who set up a shop to make them. They have also created water pumps driven by bicycles, corn-shucking tools and other stuff. Fascinating stuff.
Sounds like the MIT D-Lab. Their goal is to improve the world with technology costing $2/day
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/engineering/gonzo/4273674
http://d-lab.mit.edu/projects
http://www.tested.com/news/mit-program-uses-d-i-y-technology-to-change-the-world/787/
Okay. That is awesome. You have given me a lot to think about. (Joey)
Taiden wrote: I like to get busy with the lights on. Non issue for me.
Give it a few years
As cool as that looks, noone has mentioned that it only works when sunlight is hitting it or that there's no on/off switch readily available. Seems like when you would need it the most is when the bottle light isn't working.
On/off switch? How about covering the light from the bottom with a coffee can or other opaque thing?
For parties, you could cover the bottle with a balloon for disco mood lighting.
I'll bet that if one of us were stuck living in a tin-roofed shanty with no light, adding a little daytime visibility is a huge improvement in quality of life. I'm sure they'd like electric light too, but it looks like they're pretty happy with this improvement.
That looks like Indonesia or Malaysia... No sunlight issues there. Even overcast days are probably bright enough to make this work.
In most other countries, people go to bed when the sun goes down.
In the red light district, they add food coloring...
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