Forty years. That is how long I’ve been attending the San Diego Comic Convention. That is longer than I’ve been doing any other activity. I’ve seen the Con grow from 600 attendees to over 125,000. What was once a small group of hardcore fans has exploded into a worldwide media phenomenon with coverage on CNN, MSNBC, Entertainment Weekly, G4 and SYFY. The con has turned the entire city of San Diego into one massive media beachhead, with large signs, billboards, banners, mobile marketing trucks, outdoor TV displays and props, and parties all over the Gas Lamp district. It is overwhelming, exhausting, and a heck of lot of fun.

This year I was published once again the Con Souvenir book, although they made an error in my entry. The first convention where I met the great Flash artist Carmine Infantino was the Disney Con, 3 months before the 1971 San Diego Con, where Infantino was the guest of honor, but a no show, due to a heavy schedule.

That aside, this year I spent most of my time in  Ballroom 20, where I immersed myself in panels like Fringe, Psych, White Collar, Futurama, True Blood, V, Dexter and The Simpsons. I prowled the exhibit hall, picking up bags of swag from WB, DC, and hordes of other publishers. I met with several artists to collaborate on a new comic project. I attended the Comic Con masquerade, and the party afterwards under the convention sales. The best part of the show was in downtown San Diego, where the city was the con, and everyone was feeling it. I cannot see that ever happening in Los Angeles or Las Vegas. Perhaps Anaheim could pull it off, due to Disneyland, but there are tons more great restaurants and activities in San Diego and the weather is far cooler.

So, San Diego, don’t let a good thing go. Lower your hotel rates for Comic Con members, expand the convention center, and if you need a discount on lighting, then call me at 1-800-MY-LAMPS, and order online at www.affordablelamps.com and I will do my part to help you keep costs down, and keep the convention is San Diego. And let’s try for another 40 years, OK?

Adventure, Mystery, Horror, Romance, Crime, Shampoo, Spicy Stories, Toothpaste!

Relive the glory days of yesteryear at the Aero Theater with JUSTICE DESIGN and their fluorescent lighting fixture, the Aero 4-Light Contemporary vanity light (product page: http://www.affordablelamps.com/jus-8704-40.html) with square flared glass. This Art Deco / Contemporary four-light vanity fixture is ideal for the lobby restrooms, or even behind the concessions. If you just want it for your bathroom, make sure you have 36″ of width space, 10″ for height, and 5 1/4″ for depth. These fixtures can be mounted either up or down, and are damp location rated, so steam from the shower will not disrupt the wheels of Justice! As far as the light bulbs are concerned however, you are on you own.

We would like to welcome Kenroy Home to our line of products at www.affordablelamps.com. Kenroy Home is a unique company, in that they are employee owned and operated. This is a new trend in business: replacing the tired old business model of CEO and minions, which has not worked out so well for the USA lately. Kenroy Home has the usual assortment of chandeliers, wall sconces, pendants lights, swing arm lamps and outdoor lights, as well as kitchen island lights. But what they also have is a thorough sense of commitment to their product line, from design to manufacturing to sales and service. Everyone feels that they must do their best, because it is in their self interest to do so as part owners. Though Kenroy Home has been in business for 50 years, they recently switched over to the employee owned model, to great success. Their designs range from nautical to tropical, transitional to transcontinental, and considering the price points of their product, they are quite affordable.

This is a trend that I would love to see take over the lighting business. It would improve everything across the board.

I was at the Starlight Bowl in beautiful downtown Burbank this last Sunday, watching the Little River Band rock out the audience with some of their old hits from the 70s and 80s. What was cool about this show is that prior to the concert, Burbank Water and Power handed out LED flashlights to everyone in attendance. This is part of an energy awareness program BWP is involved with, and since they are one of the sponsors of this concert series, they use these concerts to promote their programs. As you can see in the photo, I am there in the foreground, with the vox populi of Burbank shining their little LED lights, in sync to the band. No more lighters, as this is a no smoking venue, but the tradition is still the same. It was cool moment, and one that would not have happened a year ago. LED Lighting is here, bright, cheap, and easily procured.

Next week, they will have the Mariachi Divas performing. I can only guess at what freebie they will hand out. Lit castanets, perhaps? Stay tuned.

Bruck Lighting has some new fixtures, called Uni-Plugs, which make installing low voltage ceiling fixtures easier than ever before. I picked the butterfly above  for an example, but this blog is more about the concept of the Uni-Plug system. Using one of these guys, or a two-port, three-port or four-port canopy, you can plug in the Uni-port lights. And you can also swap them out and pick other Uni-Plug styles. These fixtures are ideal for galleries, retail spaces or offices, as well as production facilities. Depending on your lighting needs at any given time, especially for a gallery, you could have several different sets of lighting heads on hand, changing the setup based on the type of work you are displaying and the lighting requirements needed. You may want to have softer lights for charcoal or pastel, and brighter lights for acrylics, for example.

The one thing truly great about Bruck Lighting is their flexibility in application.