We hear a lot these days about the hazards of ultraviolet rays from the sun and the importance of avoiding too much exposure to sunlight as well as the controversial use of UV lamps in tanning beds and that ultraviolet rays are capable of causing skin cancer. We wear UV protective sun glasses to protect our eyes and use the highest SPF (sun protection factor) levels of sunscreen to block out those evil UV rays. Yet ultraviolet lamps or UV lamps as they are commonly known also have many beneficial uses, especially in the fields of health science and in various forms of security.

The Black Light

One type of UV lamp is the black light Fluorescent black lights are typically made in the same fashion as normal fluorescent lights and they have many everyday uses Forensic investigations rely on black lights to reveal the presence of trace evidence that would otherwise not be visible to the naked eye, such as blood, saliva, urine, and semen, by causing them to fluoresce under a black light.

Another use of the black light is in the prevention of counterfeiting and identity theft. Certain documents, such as credit cards, passports and driver’s licenses, often contain a UV watermark that can only be viewed under a UV lamp. Passports usually contain UV sensitive inks and security threads that are invisible under normal light

Getting Rid Of The Pests

Central heating and cooling systems present the perfect breeding ground for mold, mildew and bacteria as well as the odors associated with them. Germicidal UV lamps kill these harmful contaminants found growing on the coils of central heating and cooling systems and improve the indoor air quality.

The UV lamp has been widely used to disinfect drinking water in entire communities and has proven to be highly effective by killing microbes. Plus the UV lamp does not add chemicals or create harmful by-products in the water. Some UV lamps are specifically designed to attract insects for use in bug zappers used to eliminate small flying insects. The bugs are lured to the ultraviolet light and killed using an electrical shock or trapped inside the device.

UV lamps have many more useful purposes and while it seems they are best kept out of the hands of the uneducated, it has been proven that they provide many benefits to the health and well being of man.

One of the better, more convenient inventions in lighting came with the use of the touch lamp, which eliminated the need for a switch with which to turn a light on and off. While useful in turning it off, a touch lamp is more advantageous to turning it on to eliminate the need to fumble in the dark searching for the switch.

Even a three-way lamp allows the adjustment to be made through touch lamp technology as successive touches take the touch switch through the consecutive stages of brightness. It is the change in capacity when your body comes into contact with the touch-sensitive switch built as part of the lamp that triggers the switch to open, turn off the lamp, or close, and turn it on.

There are other types of touch sensitive switches also in use such as in elevators or door operators. Temperature switches use the difference between the temperature of a human hand and the ambient temperature of a switch’s surroundings to change the circuit. Early versions of the touch lamp experimented with temperature difference switches, but a person with cold hands could not control the light.

Resistance Can Create Shocking Consequence

Another type of touch lamp switch that did not work out too well relied on resistance to complete a circuit. The body made of largely of water is a good conductor and two contacts placed close together could have the circuit completed by touching them with your finger. This, however proved unpopular as a touch lamp due to occasional circumstances, which created a small electrical shock.

If you ever used a radio with an antenna, you have probably experienced an improvement in reception when you touched the antenna, as your body serves as an antenna as well. A touch lamp using radio frequency could detect the reception improvement when touched and operate the on and off switch. However, this method is also unreliable for lamp use.

Capacitance describes the lamp’s ability to hold electrons in storage, hence the term capacity and when you touch the lamp it increase the amount, or the capacity, of electrons the lamp is capable of holding. The touch lamp circuit can detect that difference and triggers the movement of the switch. The three-way switch simply adjusts the capacity by a percentage of power applied.

Similar circuitry is used to activate switches on other devices as well, such as loud noises enabling voice commands to activate switches to turn items on and off.

For over a century the Tiffany lamp has been a key feature in home décor and Louis Comfort Tiffany could never have imagined that the Tiffany lamp would become his most famous and enduring contribution to art and home décor. Born the son of a famous New York jeweler in 1848, Tiffany was a major creative influence in the Art Nouveau movement. Today there are three basic types of Tiffany lamps: Tiffany originals, Tiffany lamp reproductions, and lamps or fixtures made in the Tiffany style. Whether you hope to someday own an original Tiffany lamp, purchasing an antique reproduction or would be just as happy with a Tiffany inspired lamp, it is important to know the difference.

What’s In A Name? The only original tiffany lamps were created by Tiffany Studios in New York City by Tiffany and his group of artisans. Today original Tiffany lamps are found only in museums and individual collections. A Tiffany lamp sold for over two million dollars at Christies Auction House in 1997. Almost all “Tiffany” Lamps and fixtures that you might see are not real Tiffany but actually reproductions and you have to keep in mind that you are purchasing a Tiffany inspired lamp that reproduces the original designs, or new designs that are Tiffany inspired but not the real thing. Today when we hear the term Tiffany, it most often applies to the style and not an actual Tiffany piece. An authentic Tiffany lamp reproduction will use the same pattern and color scheme as the original. Many companies that work under the Tiffany name are creating exacting reproductions of the original Tiffany designs, even down to including a signature and this confuses many consumers into thinking they are getting the real thing. Tiffany Style

A Tiffany style lamp, on the other hand is a blanket term often used to describe anything with a stained glass shade. While there are the producers of quality lamps crafted in the Louis Tiffany tradition, cheap imitation Tiffany style lamps can have loose fitting glass pieces or may not be glass at all but a stained glass like plastic shade. Most of us may not be able to afford an authentic Tiffany lamp, but whether you are looking for the real thing or just appreciate the beautiful style there is almost certainly something to fit your budget, making it easy to have your own bit of Tiffany.