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Ashley Steffens
Associate Professor, University of Georgia
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Green Laws Org • lsugreenlaws@aol.com
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Russ Adsit, FASLA
Associate Editor/Lighting
Janet Lennox Moyer, IALD
moyerj@rpi.edu
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Don Roberts, FASLA; Kay Tiller; Frank Manwarren;
David Brian Linstrum; Lois E. Schmok;
Otto Edward Schmok
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Psalm 37:6-7 …
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when
they carry out their wicked schemes.
Find Us Online:
The other day I took my boat "Land
Escaper" fishing out of Newport Harbor in
California. When we first left the harbor
there was a marine layer that left visibility
at about half a mile. That's not optimal,
but it was just before noon and usually the
marine layer burns off in the afternoon, so
off we went in search of the elusive mako
shark. There we were, trolling around and
moving farther and farther south and away
from shore. Singularly focused on the prospect of finding a 100 pound mako, little did we
notice the skies were not clearing up; instead, the fog was rolling in . . . All of a sudden we
were almost 30 miles from the harbor and visibility had dropped to 100 feet. Talk about
being alone in the wilderness. There is little I have experienced that causes the same sense
of claustrophobia as being trapped in a blanket of fog with no sense of north or south, east
or west. Thank God for radar and GPS, as even a compass was rendered practically useless.
With GPS we were able to plot a course straight at the harbor entrance, and with radar
we were able to travel at about 8-10 knots. Still, we could not tell if there were lobster
traps, floating logs or if there was any flotsam or jetsam in our path. At one point another
boat came within the 100 feet. I saw him on the radar, but had no idea if he saw me, so we
had to slow down and lay on the horn . . . Needless to say, it was a tense three-hour cruise
back to the harbor. When we entered between two mile-long boulder jetties we literally
could not see either side. Without the radar and GPS we could have easily crashed into
the other boat, run aground trying to follow a blind compass heading, or for that matter
we might still be out there cruising in at a mile or two knots an hour . . . It caused me to
contemplate how far technology has taken us in such a short time. I mean, radar was only
discovered during World War II and reliable GPS is about a decade old. Can you imagine
being Christopher Columbus, or even Charles Lindberg plotting course with only a clock
and a compass?
OK . . . Fishing in the fog may be a little off topic, but today you are reading the April
"Lighting" issue. So, speaking about technology, light bulbs have only been around for 138
years. Before that it was fire . . . A few years ago, low-voltage MR-16 lamps were state-of-
the-art. Now we have converters that are more efficient and only usable with LEDs. At the
ASLA show in New Orleans I saw a manufacturer who had built an area light pole/fixture
combination that I believe was solar enhanced, had motion sensors, phone recharging
outlets, public Wi-Fi, was connected to a central command center, used LED 50,000 hour
bulbs and I think had an emergency 911 beacon attached as well. Today, from your boat
in the fog, you can pretty much change the color, brightness, directions and timing of your
entire lighting system whether that be a commercial, industrial, municipal or residential
property hundreds, if not thousands of miles away.
Yep, technology is cool and let me say . . . The future is looking less foggy and getting
brighter every day . . .
Seeing Through
the Fog
12 Landscape Architect and Specifier News
George Schmok, Publisher
God Bless . . .
PHOTO: GEORGE SCHMOK