Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Tesla streetlighting

 Like using a nut to crack a hammer
  (+18, -2)(+18, -2)
(+18, -2) 		  [vote for,
against]

Just watched a storm pass through, and imagined how it would look with the equivalent of strange trees along the road, with glowing branches of mini lightning streamers radiating out from the top to light the way.
—Ling, May 26 2009

[link]






       Could use some technical details, but damn that's a pretty mental image. [+]
—gisho, May 26 2009
   

       Might make the area somewhat impervious to cellphones, radios and WLAN, but otherwise...
—loonquawl, May 27 2009
   

       ...that's a bonus.   

       Highly practically unworkable, grossly inefficient, theoretically possibly, unimaginably expensive, violates every spectrum restriction/legislation. Beautiful. Disturbing. Perfect [+].
—4whom, May 27 2009
   

       + I misread the title as Tesla "streetfighting" and had images of people running around in the streets with special gloves throwing ball lightning at each other.
—Zimmy, May 27 2009
   

       Beautiful.   

       I also like the sub-title.   

       Do you mind if my dad calls it "Telsa" streetlighting? He can never get the guy's name right.
—baconbrain, May 27 2009
   

       "I'm singin' in the "... *GZZZZAPPP*
—phoenix, May 27 2009
   

       This would go a long ways toward addressing the pigeon problem.
—normzone, May 27 2009
   

       //Do you mind if my dad calls it "Telsa" streetlighting?//
As in "Only 24 hours from Telsa...", by Gene Pitney?		   

       //How might these affect nearby power transmission and phone lines//
I think it would probably let some smoke out, but apart from that, nothing too serious.
—Ling, May 27 2009
   

       Am I the only one that doesn't understand this idea?
—simonj, May 28 2009
   

       Probaby should be called "Tesla coil street lighting". I was left wondering which of Tesla's many inventions was to be used. I mean, we already use Tesla street lighting, in the form of 3-phase AC generation and distribution.
—spidermother, May 28 2009
   

       Ah I see, in that case [+]. i think the term strange trees threw me, I was thinking of Strange attractors somehow coupled with electric sports cars. But this is like something out of a movie set
—simonj, May 28 2009
   

       I also misread this as "streetfighting." I imagined punks beating each other with Tesla coils. Same amount of noise as a gunfight, but nobody gets badly hurt - maybe.
—elhigh, Jun 01 2009
   

       [+] A lightning lamp streetlight would be very cool to look at... even if it probably would be a tad on the inefficient side (not to mention loud).   

       Perhaps a more efficient Tesla streetlight would be a carbon button lamp?
—goldbb, Jun 01 2009
   

       So the visual spectrum astronomers hate street lights today... and this wipes out their radio spectrum buddies. Got to be worth a [+].
—RattyBunyip, Jun 02 2009
   

       [+] Bun for the nut that cracks the hammer!
—Jscotty, Jun 02 2009
   

       Grandpa Tesla, in his jourals, wept for objective extinguished site.   

       Same as ..... No one. The undesturbed will quench your fright   

       I aint a camellianan, ima warrior. Selah!
—Zimmy, Jun 04 2009
   
      
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