Street Light Interferance: SLI. Really, people believe this.
February 8th, 2008
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I’ve written about this before, but it’s amazing to me that this belief has actually grown in the past year. Basically the effect is known as “SLI” for “Street Light Interferance” and those who claim to experience or cause this call themselves SLIders. There are websites for those who experience it and don’t want to. There are websites to report it to be investigated. Sites that explore the “science” of it. There’s an About page on it and a Wikipedia page too.
So what is it? Basically people claim that they experience lights (street lights especially) going on and off. This is caused, according to them, by their presence, their emotional state or their consciously trying to do so. Of course, there are other explanations. Mercury vapor lights and sodium lights are known to come on suddenly after the condensed metal inside them revaporizes. They are known to cycle on and off if they are toward the end of their life and the electrodes are starting to ware. The electrical arc which passes through the vapor may fade and then restrike. Additionally, these lights are often controlled by light sensors which may flicker on and off when the lighting is right on the edge of the detector’s setting. They may also be affected by car headlights or other conditions.
But some people take this VERY seriously. Investigating it, obsessing over it. The following video by a SLIder illustrates this pretty well. He concentrates on a light trying to turn it on and when it finally comes on claims success. Then when it goes off, he again claims he did it, even though he didn’t predict it ahead of time. This is common with many “paranormal experiences” where rationalizing and selective memory can convince people that there’s something to it when, of course, there isn’t.
This entry was posted on Friday, February 8th, 2008 at 5:26 pm and is filed under Bad Science, Just LAME, Paranormal, media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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February 8th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Hehe, when I saw the headline, I was like, “Light from streetlights can’t interfere, it’s not coherent! Idiots.” The reality was much worse.
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February 8th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
These people can be incredibly tiresome, nor despite claiming that they want an explanation for these phenomena, are they always happy when the get one.
Once when I worked out of a multi-desk office that located on the shop floor of a large gas turbine facility, one of the clerical staff claimed that she tell just before one of the mercury-vapor lamps on the shop ceiling went out for a few minutes. This was a regular occurrence, as one or two lights were always dark, of the several hundred in the plant, at any given time.
She was visibly upset when one of the building maintenance electricians told her that all of these lamps were controlled by a central computer ,and that as the shop worked 24/7, in order to give the lamps the rest they required, they were shut down individually on a schedule. Apparently after several years, this woman had subconsciously integrated this schedule and this was the source of her clairvoyance.
I guess some balloon was burst in her ego.
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February 8th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
You mean, it’s NOT my aura? Hmm. Well, okaaaay….
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February 8th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
The original article. The one you link to in the first sentance. I actually think that guy might be lamer. Is that even possible?
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February 9th, 2008 at 6:48 am
That video is funnier than Saturday morning cartoons. I think I hear Rain in the background. Which means Clouds, and would have an effect on the photo cell. But then theres the difference in color of the two lights. One mercury and one sodium.
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February 9th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
I love how he finally “turns it back on” and then when it goes out unexpectedly he says “see I just did that” and then he tries to turn it on again and well, it doesn’t seem to work the last time, does it? I’m sure he’ll tell you that it doesn’t work every time and that wasn’t one of his better days.
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February 11th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
I’m sure if he keeps doing this enough he’ll get a video where it works pretty well. It’s just sheer chance, but with a stupid light that flickers on and off you just have to say you’re about to change it and give yourself a few seconds and it’ll probably come on or go off.
Yeah, it happens with these. Basically you have an arc in there going through the metal vapor. Failing electrodes cause it to go out and then it catches again. Sometimes it’s a matter of the vapors cooling a bit or something. Anyway, it’s common if you know these lights at all. Also, those light sensors will go nutty when they’re right on the edge. Rainy day seems like a good time for some SLIding.
What a looser.
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February 19th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
No dude this happens to me too. I am not even kidding this is for real. I am dead serious. This happens to me like 6 out of 10 times when I am walking by this lamp. I walk by it every single day. And yes every single day it goes off. And then when I am outside a certain radius it usually turns back on. I promise you this is true. This has happened to me like at least 30 40 times in the past year. Don’t tell me those were 30 or 40 coincidences. I just simply don’t believe it. I really feel like there is something to this.
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April 27th, 2010 at 9:08 pm
[...] I’ve mentioned this before. There is a growing community of individuals who consider themselves “SLI’ders” and insist they observe “SLI” or “Street Light Interference.” They believe that they are the cause of street lights going on and off, as opposed to light sensors or the failure mode of gas discharge lamps. [...]
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