Well, all that might be about to change. As important as the lightbulb is, it is terribly inefficient. The design has remained the same since Edison invented it in 1879, and yet it only converts between 5-8% of the energy used into light. On top of that, the light tends not to be very well directed, meaning that a lot of it escapes (frequently out into the night sky).

Speaking of which, the problem of light pollution has seen a growing focus over recent years, from irate stargazers to sleep deprivation studies. Still, you can tell that something has become an issue in mainstream thought when it can boast it's own Simpson's plotline.

So what can be done to help sort the problem? As well as attempting to make better use of lightbulbs through technology such as occupancy sensors and automatic dimming, a number of other alternatives are starting to appear. These include improved LEDs, and low-energy compact flourescent lights.

With the cost of lighting the world growing ever more expensive (using around 20% of the worlds electricity supply), I just hope that we are beginning to make significant inroads into more efficient lighting solutions.