... and a Very Happy New Year

Have you ever noticed how people read and store information in different ways? Do you know why people are like that? Me neither; I think it's something to do with unique snowflakes. I'll give you an example of what I mean.

I decided it would be fun to look up the meaning of the Times Square ball dropped on New Year's Eve. Everybody reading this probably knows what I'm talking about, because according to the all-knowing Wikipedia from which I receive 85% of my information, a billion people watch this event on TV every year, many of whom aren't even in the United States where it takes place. 

Basically the ceremony involves a bunch of very intelligent people who get together, make a giant ball out of metal and flashing lights, string it up on a pole in the middle of Times Square in New York City, then lower it as time approaches midnight on New Year's Eve. Afterwards they take it down and put it away for next year, or sometimes they make a brand new one and donate the old ones to David Bowie who uses them as yard ornamentation.

The significance of lowering the ball has something to do with time synchronization used in harbors back in ye olde time. A history buff might read up and think "oh really? I'll bet the time synchronization helped navigators chart their boat schedules. I wonder how that carried over into the ball drop tradition of today."

Other readers might think about the Times Square celebration and say "oh look at all those people! I bet that's a good time, maybe I'll go one day and experience that." It's one of the largest public celebrations of the year. Good times, right?

Well, I'm a dunce when it comes to history and large crowds make me a little paranoid, so instead I focus totally on the geek aspects of the New Year. What's interesting to me at first is that they've updated the Times Square ball several times (the original was made of wood) and through the years have changed the custom around as well. That makes it sort of a "make-it-up-as-you-go" holiday and I begin to wonder who exactly makes those decisions. As if there's a committee of old guys who sit around and mumble to each other, making comments like “I think we should use all blue confetti this year, yea or nay gents?”

Then I steer away from conspiracy theory and focus on the technology of the ball itself; especially when this year’s ball is so cool. It’s a new model to replace the 2000-2008 one, designed by Paul Gregory of Focus Lighting (very creative architectural lighting shown on their site). It's bigger than previous ones - 12 feet in diameter. It weighs over 11,800 pounds and they even made a new pole which hoists it higher than ever before - 475 feet above Times Square. It's 20% more energy efficient than last year's model, which had been remodeled for the 2008 drop with computer synchronized LED lighting. It's also going to stay hoisted up on the pole all year round from now on. Doing what, I do not know; looking pretty for tourists I suppose. I just hope it's electrified or the pigeons are going to have a fun time decorating it.

Happy New Year everybody! See you again in 2009.