Noticing street lights turning off

I know this has probably been posted before in one manner or another, but I can not find a thread on this subject for the life of me. Basically what I have noticed in the past 3-4 years is an alarming frequency of street lights turning off in my vicinity. I have shrugged it off for years as just my observation of what happens all the time, but only placing importance on it when it happens near me. However, for the past year I have paid close attention, and I have not been able to observe street lights going dim or turning off on a regular basis anywhere else.
It is generally the old-school style street lights you would find in any city, the 90 degree angle at the top with a light suspended in a horizontal housing attached to an arm. What generally happens is I'll be minding my own business, walking the dog or just traveling by foot around the city and a light within a stones throw, usually within 10 feet of me will flicker a bit or just go immediately dim. It happens roughly once a night or at least every other night and it is always the ones closest to me, I've even had 2 go off that we close at nearly the same time.
My first though was that they were operated by some sort of censor that detected motion and shut off appropriately, but no, that is not the case...the only censors I've ever been aware of were for lights not on a central timer, that operated when ambient light was low. Secondly I figured all lights shut off for a time to conserve power, which is most likely true, but the random timing and frequency with which they shut off around me is beginning, or has been defying that thought. I will sometimes sit and observe street lights from a distance waiting to see if and when they turn off, but have gathered very little and no conclusive data.
Shifting to the paranormal I remember hearing about people who have had NDE's having trouble wearing watches, as they always seem to freeze or break. I am interested to hear of anyone else's experience regarding the street light phenomenon as I am assuming it's probably been stated and investigated before. I have never had an NDE, though I have had a few OBE's...not from meditation or astral projection (which I delve into quite a bit for personal health and general interest), but from being under the knife or from my past experimentation (in the literal form) with DMT. The only real traumatic health emergencies, other than lacerations, concussions and the like; I've had was mild epilepsy as a youth, from the ages of 3-8 I had a few seizures that were "growth related" and was prescribed a drug, if I remember correctly, named tegretol (closest phonetic spelling I can make). I'm just very interested after 4 years as to the nature of this phenomenon, and am in no way trying to gain attention or proclaim myself as having a unique energy or telekinetic ability. Thanks for the read and any feedback brothers and sisters!

It's probably a faulty bulb, I see it happen all the time too when I am out walking at night.

The filliment goes out and then the bulb has to cool down before it can fire back up.

I wouldn't worry about it.

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler

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Thanks for the input. I am well aware that it could and logically is filliment related, but like I said, it happens only when they are close to me, and not all turn back on. I'm not trying to make it seem like I can turn these lights off at will, but after 4 years of observation by a natural skeptic it really has become interesting.

I've noticed that a street light in front of my residence has on quite a few occasions turned off as I approached. But I wouldn't say it can't be a coincidence. It could be a street light that doesn't work very well. But on the other hand I've only noticed it turns off for me, but never on. I find that to be very insulting!

You might find this link interesting

I dont really believe in it personally


paranormal.about.com...

That is somewhat interesting because for me its only noticed that the light goes out rather than starting out in the off position and then turning on. And I'm insulted every time! But electronics are rarely an issue with me... maybe once every couple of years something will be off. Last year at work, I walked past a computer and seem to have caused the monitor to turn on from sleep mode. I've also set off a metal detector before.

A few years ago, I read a book in french by Nobel prize Georges Charpak and Henry Broch (www.amazon.fr...) about such kind of "synchronicities" seemingly "unexplained" events. There were easily explained with statistics and the Littlewood's law.

en.wikipedia.org...




What you describe is EXTREMELY COMMON and almost everyone is subject to it. It is just like when you look to a digital clock and you seem to see way too often times like 22:22 ; 1:11 ; 11:11 etc...

The book made a statistical analysis with the hypothesis of a faulty bulb in a street light (sodium vapor). Those type of bulb, if they are faulty, usually turn on and off on regular basis (every 50 seconds for exemple). In that situation, it is extremely common to believe that the bulb turn off "just when you arrive in its vicinty". Actually everyone crossing it will see the same.

We are constantly miscalculating probabilities, leading us to believe that in fact common event are "uncommon".




A very striking exemple is the following : The birthday problem.

Before reading further, try to asses the probability that, in a room containing 50 random persons, at least 2 are born the same day of the year.


Try to figure if it is likely or not ?

1% probability ?
5% ???
10% ???













The correct answer is 97%. Meaning it is almost IMPOSSIBLE that all birthday are different in a group of 50 people !!!


en.wikipedia.org...


I hope this illustrate simply how biased our brain is when tryin to assess if an event is probable, or highly uncommon and thus "a strange coincidence"





[edit on 6-9-2009 by SpaceGoatsFarts]

Well, to me it is a coincidence, but I definitely had an eerie experience that was similar. I was walking with my friend to rent a movie, and she was talking about how lights always turn off when she gets near them, and then one did. And then a few blocks later, then on the way home, another one or two.

All within maybe half an hour.


Then again, maybe they just put in all those lights at the same or similar times, so they burn out together.

I see this all the time as well. I was around when the tagging system was introduced here. Someone went in on most of these types of threads and used
s.l.i.d.e.r. to identify almost all of these threads at the time. You can search for that term as I posted it and find a whole lot of related threads. I'm not sure if the tagging system is still used but I found lots of threads using it.

[edit on 6-9-2009 by orionthehunter]

I will say this since you stated DMT in the OP even though it is on the grey area regarding the T&C

I have read over the net about it, and heard from friends who have experienced this themselves, that while under the influence of DXM streetlights will regularly flicker/turn off when one walks under them.

Have you read my post ? This is normal and explained. And everybody experiences this, not only potheads.

reply to post by SpaceGoatsFarts

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Did you read mine? They state they only experience it while under the influence of DXM, not POT. Neither while they are sober.

I do not experience this ever. Should maybe buy some cough medicine, and see if there is some substance to this rumour?

[edit on 6-9-2009 by above]

Thanks for the responses to everyone, I like the SLIder link you posted, if for nothing else than it makes me lean more towards the easily explainable fact that its most likely coincidence. As I stated in my original post, I am not surprised if it is just my noticing the occasional light going out near me, and if it's more than that, ehhh whatever, pretty lame power I have if you ask me

As for the DMT I'm pretty sure it has no effect on this phenomena. Given, my experiences with DMT were well beyond anything I've ever experienced in this world, as far as OBE's and the like are concerned, that is another topic for a different site (as ATS doesn't smile upon any type of mind altering chemical discussions).

I'm just going to keep a small record of everytime I notice this happening, that way I can do the odds mathematically and see if there is anything way outside the realm of random coincidence going on. I'm done with this thread unless anyone has anything else to share...thanks again amigos.

I see this too in the lights around me. I always just thought that they shut them off in intervals to conserve power or something

I used "Pothead" as a nickname for any drug user. Yes I read your post.

Too bad you never experienced this. I do all the time and don't take cough syrup to get high.

There is a broken sodium vapor lamp in my street that goes off 50% of the time I cross it.

But as explained in my post, those type of lamps when they are broken go on and off according to a certain cycle (example : 1min on, 1min of, etc).

I this lamp stays in your field of view for 15 sec, there is 25% chance that it will go off when you cross it. If you see it 2 times every weekday, it will goes off when you are there 2 times per week. And yet you will find this "very unusual".

Simple math, no telekinetic forces.

Please read the Birthday problem or Littlewood's law I mention :

We see true miracles (chance of 1 per million) every month. Does that means we are special ?

[edit on 7-9-2009 by SpaceGoatsFarts]

When you see a lamp going off. You have to stay longer and record howlong it stays off, how long it takes to get back on, for at least one or two cycles.

If the cycle is less than 10 minutes, you will probably see this lamp going off pretty often during your life.

This is because of the technology of the sodium vapor lamp :

"As a lamp gets older, the maintaining voltage for the arc eventually rises to exceed the maximum voltage output by the electrical ballast. As the lamp heats to this point, the arc fails and the lamp goes out. Eventually, with the arc extinguished, the lamp cools down again, the gas pressure in the arc tube is reduced, and the ballast can once again cause the arc to strike. The effect of this is that the lamp glows for a while and then goes out, repeatedly"

en.wikipedia.org...

Nothing mysterious, really...

There is something mysterious. What is noticed is that the lights shut off. However, there should be equal instances of the lights shutting off as turning on.

The only possible explanation is that people simply are not noticing when they turn on as they approach but not shut off as they approach. If that isn't the case, there is some kind of physical or metaphysical explanation.

Pretty much this. The humans are as far from logic and rational thinking as you could imagine. Many psychological experiments reminds us everyday how biased and flawed our thinking is when it comes to the emotions.

I can understant that someone will notice more easily a lamp going off in his vicinity, than a lamp going on. A lamp going off is more "spooky" and thus it is more likely to be noticed and remembered.

It sounds like Street Light Interference Syndrome or SLIders


Heres some info
street light interference