Some of the loads we use every day exhibit high inrush currents when they are first turned on. An incandescent lamp with a cold filament… Read More »Consider Inrush Currents for Power Load Calculations
Around 1973, Howard Ungerleider attended a military auction in Washington, D.C. with his friend Bill Pace, who was the LD at a club called The… Read More »The Origins of ACLs
The K.I.S.S. rule – "Keep It Simple, Stupid" – can be extremely freeing and useful when programming any production. However it is important to remember… Read More »The Art of the K.I.S.S.
When you bring power into a tent and the equipment is within arm's reach of the metal parts of the tent, then they should be… Read More »Supplying Power to Tents
On Facebook, everyone has a "wall" where people can post stuff ranging from a simple hello to a heated diatribe defacing your opinion. All of… Read More »Getting Off the Wall on Facebook
Recently I commissioned a renovation project for Northern High School in Durham, N.C. The district had chosen to accept the option to use LED fixtures… Read More »LED Fixtures Point to Digital Future
By now, you've probably heard the term "pixel map," and you're likely aware that a common way to apply an image to an LED display… Read More »No Media Server Required
Many consoles utilize a DMX based library system instead of a generic library. This means that data is always programmed and stored as DMX values… Read More »Copy Palette (Preset) Data First, THEN the Cue Data
Is a 1kW generator always a 1kW generator? I can give you a generator and a load with a matching (or slightly lower) kilowattage and… Read More »Use kVA for Portable Generator Power Load Estimates, Not kW
Lighting Designers are often overbooked and can't be at two gigs at the same time. In these cases they require the support of an assistant… Read More »Assistant Lighting Directors Shouldn’t ASS-U-ME
Ours is an industry whose actions become news and whose stars become leaders. We are in a position, like it or not, to lead by… Read More »No Simple Set of “Green” Answers
I have limited experience with moving-mirror fixtures, so I asked Marty Postma, lighting and video director for Alice in Chains, to explain how the Cyberlight… Read More »Moving Mirrors and Infrared Transmitters