The Day We Got Blue Light Glasses

The day when the glasses came, we were booked into the studio, so it was a perfect time to whip them out and put them to the test. Two of us sat at the desk for around 6 hours in total, with a lunch break in the middle, and at the end our eyes felt pretty good, certainly not as glazed as they had been feeling previously. We both agreed that something was being done, so we left them on the desk and agreed to wear them for the next month to see if we could feel a difference in the long run. We hoped that the blue light glasses would be able to help our evening sessions in the studio.

Working Nights In The Studio

Some evenings we work nights in the studio if we have things on during the day, and since these clever specs claim to help melatonin production which is blocked by blue light, we thought we should test them out at night. I personally find it tricky to wind down at night when I come home form a big evening session in the studio, and hoped that blue light glasses would help. We had a 5pm till 10pm session one night and wore the glasses the whole time, and both went home feeling tired but not burnt out. I got into bed at around 11:30pm and fell asleep quickly, which is not uncommon for me but unusual. After a few more evening sessions, the results were pretty much the same, and I always got to sleep pretty fast which I thought was amazing. For this reason alone I now wear them any time I am in front of a screen in the evenings and have noticed a big difference.

The Facts

Since the mass adoption of technological devices is so recent, we are only just getting to grips with the effects that they can have on us. A study conducted by scientists at the University of Wisconsin published in 2020, suggests that light can really do some damage to the retinas of the human body. That is not to say that blue light rays are dangerous for the eyes, but rather the damage done could lead to problems. This is especially important if it leads to loss of eyesight, as some people have already discovered.

The Research

The researchers at the University of Wisconsin concluded that blue light can actually change the natural light pattern that we all experience. For instance, if you use a blue light filter when reading or watching TV, the light entering your eyes gets disrupted and can become distorted. The results could also vary depending on how well the person sleeps. However, even if the effects of light go beyond reading and watching TV, it has already been proven that the blue light can actually harm your eyes. In the case of blue light glasses, the problem is compounded because the lens itself may have some blue-based chemicals that will interact with the light and potentially cause damage.

Toby Fenwick

A music journalist and audio archivist, Toby specialises in deep dives into discographies, band evolution, and the production techniques that shaped iconic sounds across decades.

The post Why We Need Blue Light Glasses appeared first on Midnight Oil Film.

The Story Of the Rising Damp Treatment

Our studio is my absolute favourite place in the world to just get lost in the music and perfect my work.  We are on the ground floor, which is slightly recessed below street level, so there is a great  feeling of privacy.  When the studio was put in, it was required for the property owners that a void was left between the studio interior and the brickwork for inspection purposes.  The building was almost 300 years old, and we knew that it had previous problems with damp in the past around 50 years ago.  It was really no surprise when the building surveyors told us that the damp problems were back, and we would need to have rising damp treatment quickly in order to rectify the problem.

The Joys Of Old Buildings

We have to say that we had never noticed any issues when we were in our beautiful wooden studio rooms.  All we noticed is that occasionally there was a bit of a smell, but nothing to cause alarm.  We must say we are glad that they caught it when they did as it may have started to compromise the interior of the studio.  The building itself is structurally sound, and a beautiful old building that is a genuine pleasure to work in, so I guess that is the price you pay for working in an old building.

Ventilation Needed

The damp experts recommended that we needed to upgrade the existing ventilation system to keep air moving through the building.  The old ventilation system was installed many year ago, and it was clear that it was not quite up to the job of keeping fresh air in the building. We made sure that an ultra-quiet fan was installed so that there was no noise in the studio, and that it was installed far away from the studio itself. In order to complete this work and the rising damp work, the studio was closed for 24 hours, which was really good for us as it meant that we did not lose any time. We were able to take one day of doing admin and other boring tasks that needed to be sorted, then the studio was back online the next day. Also, the smell has disappeared, so our noses are a lot happier.

Toby Fenwick

A music journalist and audio archivist, Toby specialises in deep dives into discographies, band evolution, and the production techniques that shaped iconic sounds across decades.

The post Our Studio Needed Rising Damp Treatment appeared first on Midnight Oil Film.