Re: Computers

From: Chris L Peterson (clp_at_alumni.caltech.edu)
Date: 01/30/05 

Date: Sun, 30 Jan 2005 15:03:44 GMT

On Sun, 30 Jan 2005 07:09:07 GMT, Ed Majden <epmajden@shaw.ca> wrote:

>Chris:
> A friend sent me this. I haven't checked it out so I don't know how
>useful it will be.
>Ed
>
>
>Subject: (From Elmer) DarkAdapted - NoCost
>
>This might be handy? Pass it on to anyone who might use it!
>===> ELMER
>
>DarkAdapted
>v 1.3 FREEWARE
>http://www.snapfiles.com/Freeware/system/fwutilities.html

Ed-

My experience is that none of these programs works very well with
laptops. The problem is that LCD screens leak a lot of light. Even if
every pixel is in the off state, so the screen is as dark as it can
possibly be, you still have enough glow to mess up your dark vision.
Also, LCD panels leak a lot of light towards the sides, so if you are
with a group of people, you laptop can be very annoying to others. Many
people like to use red plastic on their screens, although I don't think
that's a good idea. First of all, most red plastic doesn't cut off short
enough wavelengths to be particularly effective for preserving night
vision, and second, it forces the color in a way that can make it very
difficult to see some screen elements. That's why I always recommend a
combination of a suitable color scheme (which is basically what the
program you reference provides, although it is easy enough to do in
Windows without a separate program) and deep neutral tinting.

_________________________________________________

Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com