Jean jacket, sunglasses, baseball cap.
Which is the coolest? You can only choose one.
Sunglasses, right?
Yeah, nothing says cool like shades.
Say you’re setting up a scene in a movie. How do you identify that the character has got game?
Sunglasses! Even seated, shades add swagger to a character. The Terminator, The Big Lebowski, Men in Black, Thelma and Louise, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Matrix, and just about anything with Tom Cruise – Risky Business; Top Gun; Top Gun: Maverick – sunglasses had a pivotal role. In fact, Ray-Bans probably should’ve been nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a batch of Cruise movies.
… nothing says cool like shades.
Sunglasses aren’t a terribly new innovation. People have been striving to manage sunlight for centuries. The reflection off of water or snow has been a particular issue. The Inuit created slitted goggles from bone or horn in order to stave off photokeratitis – snow blindness. They weren’t really sunglasses, per se, but worked by restricting the amount of sunlight that could enter the eye. The first optical devices to specifically manage sunlight are said to have been made in 12th century China using small sheets of smoky quartz set into frames. Venetians, with the constant presence of water, had a particular need for glare management. In the 18th century, the glassmakers of Murano devised a mirrored lens that shielded the eye from the blinding reflection off of the water in the canals. The resulting device was called “vetri da gondola” or gondola glasses.
Ultraviolet light wasn’t understood to be an optical threat until 1899 when a German ophthalmic company produced the first sunglasses that not only shielded the eye from glare but from UV light, as well. By the 1920s, sunglasses were cropping up with great regularity on the movie stars of sunny Hollywood.
Managing optical issues is only getting more complicated. Today we have reflected glare off of paved surfaces, the glazing on buildings, and off the hood of your own car. And in recent years, we’ve had to deal with something that previous generations never had to consider: digital glare.
… something that previous generations never had to consider:
digital glare.
Due to our reliance upon the gadgets we love, most of us have a relatively high level of exposure to blue light. Blue light is responsible for the crisp image quality of our modern devices. It has the shortest wavelength of the three primary colours and carries the highest amount of energy, making it easier to emit from LEDs.
The worry, however, is that this high energy light can pass through the cornea and lens of the eye to the retina where it may cause problems like cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. There’s also concern that blue light mucks about with melatonin secretion which destroys hormonal balance and sleep quality. And if this is bad for adults, what about kids growing up with steady exposure to blue light? There’s a lot of conjecture about how prolonged, early exposure to the light emitted from digital screens will affect children.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, despite the alarmist headlines, there’s no scientific evidence that prolonged exposure to blue light will destroy your eyes. They do, however, recommend taking breaks and using artificial tears if you find your eyes are becoming dry. The one thing the Academy does warn about is exposure to blue light at night: blue light will disrupt your circadian rhythm. Try not to use your devices at night or expect to be reaching for shades in the morning to hide your haggard peepers behind.
This week’s question for readers:
HAVE YOU ADOPTED THE NEW BLUE LIGHT GLASSES?
Leave your Comments below!
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Submissions to last week’s question:
LET’S TALK PETS! AND WHAT’S YOUR POLICY ON GUESTS ACCOMPANIED BY PETS?
I love dogs, however, I find the presumption that some guests bring their uninvited, unsupervised, misbehaved, barking, dirty dogs to my home unannounced, is very rude. The pets’ presence puts the whole visit into an uncomfortable zone. Please leave them at home where they’re most comfortable.
P. Brown
“The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog.”
Joe Bell quoting Mark Twain
Manners matter in dogs just as they do in humans. Some guests don’t seem to understand that you don’t put your shoes up on the furniture, go in the host’s fridge, or that you put the seat back down on the toilet. Some dogs sit quietly at their masters’ feet, well behaved and pleasant. The trouble is lots of people have blind spots when it comes to their own pet … and their own bad manners.
E. Chang
I belong to a running club in my town and we all have dogs; around 20 runners; 20 dogs. We are a very social group and we organize birthday parties for everyone. When someone organizes a party we just assume the host can have their dog at the party, but no ‘guest dogs’. It is just too chaotic, especially because dogs and food are a tough mix! About two of us have acreages, but even then, no one brings their dogs unless a host specifically invites the dogs, which has not happened yet.”
Keith Akenhead
In our younger years we shared our home and lives with pets and loved every moment of the unconditional love they exude. In later years, my wife developed severe allergies to animal dander. So I cringe (and have to leave) when I see folks with their pets in store grocery carts or inside food establishments. Worst of all, some folks try to pass off their pet as a service animal – “emotional support” is not a valid service category, despite the cute vests you can purchase online. Service animals are another matter; they are legally registered with the province and are welcome everywhere. Valid service animals are almost invisible as they perform their vital function.
So please, we all love our pets like the family members that they are, however, next time you think of bringing your pet with you, please reconsider. You may be responsible for a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction in the next person who uses the grocery cart or sits in that seat.
Name withheld by request
But when it comes to dogs I think that people that want them should be satisfied with enjoying them themselves. Not everyone likes them like you do. They are dirty and a lot of dog owners’ houses smell. You should never bring an animal to anyone’s house unless it is pre-approved.
I also would rather that people would keep them out of food stores and restaurants, but I think we lost that battle. Just please clean up after your animals and respect others that don’t feel the same.
Arnold Toews
Speaking of dogs and their uncanny ability to hear the rustle of the wrappings on cheese, here’s a poem we chant the dog comes running …
The cheese tax! The cheese tax!
You’ve got to pay the cheese tax
Every time you’re cooking
When the cheese comes out
This puppy comes looking
The rules are the rules
And the facts are the facts
And when the cheese drawer opens
You’ve got to pay the tax
The cheese tax! The cheese tax!
Hand it over quick
Or things might get ugly
I can get really loud
I’m a really barky puppy
I’m not just asking
Because I’m looking for snacks
This is real important business
And you’ve got to pay the tax
The cheese tax! The cheese tax!
The cheese tax!
Cheddar is acceptable, and Parmesan is fine
But a little bit of Gouda would really blow my mind
There’s no escaping, so don’t try to dodge
Pay the dairy tariff! The collection of fromage!
The cheese tax! The cheese tax!
The cheese tax!
Peggy Johnson