Last month, I wrote via www.bet.com

2) A Dwarf Makes Giant News

Astronomers are given the spotlight as they announce that Pluto, the dwarf planet with a changing orbit, has passed Neptune to become the ninth planet from the Sun. It had been the eighth farthest since 1979. Of course, we now know that Pluto is not a planet at all but some kind of ball of rock and ice. 

 4) Re-imagining Literary History

Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman win the Writers Guild Award for SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE. Also nominated were Robert Rodat for SAVING PRIVATE RYAN and Andrew Niccol for THE TRUMAN SHOW.

6) You’re Still the One

Shania Twain wins a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for “You’re Still the One,” in which the Twain passionately announces, “We’re still together, still going strong.”

9) Run to the Hills

Gloriously, and to the headbanging delight of metal heads across the globe, Iron Maiden announces that singer Bruce Dickinson has rejoined the band. 

11) The Tumultuous Days Continue for Kid Dynamite

Early in the month, Mike Tyson is sentenced to four years in prison for assaulting two motorists after a traffic accident in 1998. The judge gives him only one year of jail time, followed by two years of probation and a $5000 fine. Days after he begins his sentence at the Montgomery County Detention Center, he is put in solitary confinement for throwing a TV in the general direction of some guards. He is released from solitary after about six days.

13) Return Mail

TLC releases their third album, FANMAIL, after a five year hiatus. The new album sells 318,000 copies in its first week, and it becomes clear to the world that TLC “don’t want no scrubs.”

15) The Dawning of the Age of the File Share

The Artist Formerly Known as Prince makes headlines a second time as he files a lawsuit against nine websites for copyright and trademark infringement. He accuses websites of selling bootlegged recordings and offering unauthorized song downloads.

The alfresco areas on your property may be open-to-the-sky, semi-enclosed or entirely covered. These spaces add to the expanse and functionality of the indoor spaces and make your yard more functional. Having an outdoor feature like a patio or deck is a great way to make optimum use of the outdoor areas on your property.

But you also need to have the right type of lighting systems installed, if you want to use these areas optimally after dark as well. When you are getting your patio designed and installed, it’s a good idea to get the outdoor lighting planned and installed as well.

A skilled and experienced electrician will be able to provide ideas and designs on the type of lighting installations that can be added to your yard spaces. When you have well-illuminated outdoor areas on your property, you are more encouraged to use them and it adds to the safety of your home as well. Here are some tips to light up your patio and garden spaces:

The right type of lighting can have a significant impact on the way the spaces look. Even the most well-designed and well-installed patios and landscapes can look lack-lustre and drab if they aren’t illuminated well. Outdoor lighting is about getting the mood and ambience right. A skilled electrician would be able to advice you on which types of fittings and fixtures, colours, placement and sizes will complement the look of your home and the landscaping. There are a number of different types of light fixtures that can be installed on your patio, such as:

As you can see, there are a number of different types of lighting that can be added to the patio and garden space to add to their functionality and aesthetics and create the right mood and ambience.

Electric cars are the wave of the future as gas prices continue to skyrocket. More and more people are realizing the benefits to owning an electric car and trading in their gas guzzlers in favor of one of these cars that requires charging before it will result in any real savings. Charging stations are becoming more popular, but for the most part, people will need to charge their cars at home. Which brings up another issue—can you plug an electric car charger into your existing outlets?

While the immediate answer is yes, there are a couple of things you need to take into consideration before you unplug the radio in your garage and plug in your car charger. Depending on how you answer the following questions, you may need an electrician in Pasadena.

1-Is the outlet capable of handling a charger? This will depend on the kind of charger you have purchased for your car. The chargers commonly used at home will require a 240-volt outlet. This is probably not something you currently have in your garage. You will likely need the services of an electrician. Pasadena residents can rely on The Electric Connection to install a new outlet dedicated to charging your car.

2-Is the outlet reliable and in good working condition? This is typically not something you can verify simply by looking at the outlet. If the breaker trips when your charger is operating, it is a good indicator you need the help of a professional. Considering how much the charging stations cost, and not to mention the cost of your home, it is best to have an electrician come out and do an electrical inspection to ensure the outlet can handle the charging station. You do not want to risk an electrical fire due to a faulty outlet.

Is there a better way to kick off a lighting design awards show than to distribute glowsticks to the finalists for “experimentation”?

Well, we can’t think of one.

The photos below have been floating around on Twitter in anticipation of the 2014 Lighting Design Awards, a worldwide architectural lighting competition to be held in London on March 20. Leave it to the creative lighting professionals to craft a rainbow motif, an “alien landing” scene, and a dog collar – all from a box of glowsticks.