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Only adults should be allowed to play with those.

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  • Only adults should be allowed to play with those.

    I'm on vacation this week, and Thursday my dad and I went to Carlsbad Cavern (we went straight from the airport on Wednesday and stayed overnight in Artesia). At one of the gift kiosks in the bowels of the cave they sell "caver helmets", cheap toy hardhats with a way-more-powerful-than-necessary LED headlamp. Why can't they just use incandescent flashlight bulbs in those things?

    One part of the guided tour involved the ranger turning off ALL the lighting in a room and just telling everyone to sit quietly for a few minutes and listen to the cave (water dripping, insects, etc), them the next lecture would be given with the only light being a candle lantern as the first cave explorers had. Just before he did so he stated that anything with a light was to be turned OFF and stay off until the actual cave lighting was turned up again.

    Shortly after my eyes adjusted (?) to the total blackness, as the ranger instructs everyone to "hold out your hand in front of your face" one of the kids in a family group--which is still being too loud--is fooling with his "caver helmet" and turns the light on...pointed right at me at a distance of about two feet >.< Somehow I managed not to start swearing, but I was seeing spots for a good minute after the lantern came on. Did the parents say anything? ....of course not, and the kid kept playing with that helmet (generally pointing it right at people) for the whole tour.
    "I am quite confident that I do exist."
    "Excuse me, I'm making perfect sense. You're just not keeping up." The Doctor

  • #2
    I was in the Kentucky cave region on Thursday. Did Hidden River and Lost River. We only had adults and a couple of teens on our tours. All well behaved, except for the teen who didn't shut her cell phone off fast enough. She apologized.

    I saw those cave helmets that you are referring to. I didn't check out the light on them. But any light at that point...
    Life is too short to not eat popcorn.
    Save the Ales!
    Toys for Tots at Rooster's Cafe

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    • #3
      /rant on/

      As somebody who routinely performs on stage (I'm a ballet dancer and yes, I am male, so don't start) I feel your pain. At almost each major performance, some jackass decides to take a photo with their cellphone or camera, WITH FLASH ON.

      There is a reason that we tell people to actually either turn off or securely put away these things before the lights even go down. If you have any experience as an actor or anything where you're on a stage, you understand how disorienting a sudden flash of light from a pitch black audience can be.

      Not only does it screw up the performers, it also can screw up the cameraman that we have record each of our major recitals. In fact, in one of our recent tapes, you can pretty clearly see a flash off to the side of where the camera is, temporarily throwing off the colors of the recording.

      /rant off/
      Note to self: Hot glass looks like Cold glass.

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      • #4
        I own a tactical flashlight that's visible for up to a mile on the white-light setting...that helmet seemed to have a similar output (the LED array looked the same only scaled up in size).

        Zero reason for a novelty item to have that capability, especially when the cave is already reasonably lit.

        Aside from that (and my camera dying so I had to use my phone with no flash to avoid annoying everyone--pics still came out good) we had fun. Came thisclose to running out of gas on I-285; wound up filling up at a sketchy-looking overpriced selfserve pump attached to a gun store, but we never would have made it even close to the next town otherwise. One 'town' we passed through (Vaughn) was mostly abandoned buildings--mainly gas stations--had my camera not died I would have photographed as many as possible cuz I'm weird like that.
        "I am quite confident that I do exist."
        "Excuse me, I'm making perfect sense. You're just not keeping up." The Doctor

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        • #5
          Quoth Dreamstalker View Post
          At one of the gift kiosks in the bowels of the cave they sell "caver helmets", cheap toy hardhats with a way-more-powerful-than-necessary LED headlamp. Why can't they just use incandescent flashlight bulbs in those things?
          I don't think they even manufacture those bulbs any more...

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          • #6
            I have seen them, but they're hard to find. I'd think even a pale yellow/grey filter on the lens would have the desired effect of somehow dimming the light while still letting it look 'normal'.
            "I am quite confident that I do exist."
            "Excuse me, I'm making perfect sense. You're just not keeping up." The Doctor

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            • #7
              Quoth csquared View Post
              I was in the Kentucky cave region on Thursday. Did Hidden River and Lost River. We only had adults and a couple of teens on our tours. All well behaved, except for the teen who didn't shut her cell phone off fast enough. She apologized.

              I saw those cave helmets that you are referring to. I didn't check out the light on them. But any light at that point...
              You were in my neck of the woods! I actually work in a small town just outside of Mammoth Cave National Park.

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              • #8
                Quoth apocolypse101 View Post
                /rant on/

                <snip>As somebody who routinely performs on stage (I'm a ballet dancer and yes, I am male, so don't start) I feel your pain. <Snip>
                So I can't start to say how much I envy you? Darn. Wish I was 1/10 as powerful, graceful, and talented as ballet dancers are.
                Last edited by Mytical; 08-21-2017, 03:58 AM. Reason: adding a word
                Engaged to the amazing Marmalady. She is my Silver Dragon, shining as bright as the sun. I her Black Dragon (though good honestly), dark as night..fierce and strong.

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                • #9
                  Quoth apocolypse101 View Post
                  /rant on/

                  As somebody who routinely performs on stage (I'm a ballet dancer and yes, I am male, so don't start) I
                  Ever see this Zen Pencils strip?

                  True thing: I went to the ZP site to find that strip, but it wasn't linked on the front page and I couldn't find the full index immediately. Hit the "Random" button, once, and bingo.

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                  • #10
                    Quoth Mental_Mouse View Post
                    Ever see this Zen Pencils strip?
                    Why do I keep clicking on links to f***ing comics? I don't have time for any more!
                    "It is traditional when asking for help or advice to listen to the answers you receive" - RealUnimportant

                    Rev that Engine Louder, I Can't Hear How Small Your Dick Is - Jay 2K Winger

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                    • #11
                      Quoth Mytical View Post
                      So I can't start to say how much I envy you? Darn. Wish I was 1/10 as powerful, graceful, and talented as ballet dancers are.
                      Aww, thanks! I'm taking the summer off to focus on my courses, but I've been doing it for quite a few years now. Also, don't worry about not being able to dance, I wish I could write as well as and have as many incredible stories to tell as you and everyone else on the site!
                      Note to self: Hot glass looks like Cold glass.

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                      • #12
                        Quoth Mental_Mouse View Post
                        Ever see this Zen Pencils strip?

                        True thing: I went to the ZP site to find that strip, but it wasn't linked on the front page and I couldn't find the full index immediately. Hit the "Random" button, once, and bingo.
                        That is awesome and I love it. I WISH my former high school and my college offered dance, but I love my current studio.
                        Note to self: Hot glass looks like Cold glass.

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                        • #13
                          I have a tritium pointsource as a tag on my messenger bag, and as a hoot I went into the anechoic chamber on base with it and shut the door to get the 'cave' experience once - way cool and I figured that after 20 minutes, that tiny point source would have been just enough lumens to crawl my way out of somewhere in reasonable safety. It made just enough light that I would have been able to crawl along and not fall into a hole =) But then again, I also have a couple of 12 hour light sticks, and a dozen or so of the 'earring' sized lite sticks. About the size of a large safety match, so if nothing else I could mark forks in the cave passages. [my goddaughters have always loved light sticks and I got in the habit of having them in my bag to amuse them]
                          EVE Online: 99% of the time you sit around waiting for something to happen, but that 1% of action is what hooks people like crack, you don't get interviewed by the BBC for a WoW raid.

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                          • #14
                            Quoth AccountingDrone View Post
                            [my goddaughters have always loved light sticks and I got in the habit of having them in my bag to amuse them]
                            I love those things. As a kid, I cut one of them open and had tons of fun painting the driveway with the the fluid before my mom caught me. The glowing patterns actually managed to last a good 2 nights before they got too dim to see.
                            Note to self: Hot glass looks like Cold glass.

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