this is SAD

[theCryptofishist]

Okay.
Careful shopping, especially at dollar stores and after hollowe'en can net you a week's worth of glows for ~$5. You'd be lucky to get two blinkies for that, and you can't even make a deposit on ELWire.
It's the Prius Principle. You don't drive a Prius, therefore you are earth-hating scum, even though I got rid of an almost new Ford Explorer to buy mine, and you've been nursing your car for 10 years, inflating tires, riding busses and doing every other trick to reduce gas usage.

[gyre]

I don't think glowsticks do the job to start with.
And you're left with nothing for next year either.
I'm thinking if you're poor, there is even more reason not to get run down by a blm truck doing 40mph across the playa, or even a raver without a headlamp on a bike.
The only glowsticks I've seen that are close to adequate are very expensive and burn out faster too.
The dim ones are only good for not getting bumped into on a dance floor, or giving people on a bike six feet of notice.
If the background is bikes and people that are well lit, glowsticks just vanish.
Technically, it's called masking.
And if you go out in a dust storm in the day, only a blinking light helps at all.

The bright, flashing LED glowsticks that walmart used to have, were $2.50.
They lasted about a week and were very bright.
They were glued shut, and could have the batteries changed if they could be opened.
Bright yellow.

Home depot has red, green and blue glowsticks with replaceable batteries for $5.
Lanyard is too short.
They should last awhile, unless you lose them.

I bought a bright white one for $10 at the Melting Pot.
Still on same batteries and they can be changed.

Flashing LED bike tail lights were $1.50 at walmart in the past.
Light enough to wear on a belt.

I got a clear lexan flashlight with an array of red LEDs inside and used it on the bike.
So bright you don't want to look too closely.
AA batteries that can be changed.
If you see one, as flashlights they suck, but great markers.

Nite eyes has tiny flashlights that clip onto tubes for glowstick visibility and replaceable batteries.

I was told to get a good headlamp my first year and that was great advice.
It's the only reason I didn't bike right over a bunch of people that were barely lit by faded glowsticks, and not just once either.
They thought it was quite rude of me to not see their dimly lit asses blocking the whole road.

I got a 9-watt LED headlamp on closeout for next year.
Wake Up, Ravers!!!

And if you drive low miles each year, you're wasting energy by changing to a Prius from a paid off heavy vehicle.
You have to amortize the cost somehow, not to mention the extra pollution created in building a Prius, a very energy dense vehicle to build.
There's a chart somewhere for exactly calculating this for different hybrids.
I think I posted it.

I once looked at the break even point on a subsidized solar water heater.
It was 35 years for me.
And that didn't include opportunity cost.

[Elderberry]

Where do you stick your glow stick after it's finished putting on its little show?

I throw them out, right along with the other ton of trash I haul out of the event.

JK

[changoloco]

People should not procreate more than themselves. Meaning two is enough. There probably wouldn't be the problems with food and shelter, people being orphaned and left in the cold if people realized that just popping out children is....

Oh for GODS SAKE JUST WHERE A CONDOM!

Just my opinion.

I think that people should not create more than half themselves so we can help to reduce the worlds population. 1 kid for every 2 people is plenty. If you need a sibling for your child then adopt one of the millions of children that need love and support.