What can I put on a street lamp to stop the light in one direction?

Submitted ⁨⁨15⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨Suck_on_my_Presence@lemmy.world⁩ to ⁨[deleted]⁩

Basically I’m looking for maybe a semi unethical tip so I can cover the half of the street lamp that shines the light of freaking Helios’ arsehole in my windows every night.

I don’t want to permanently ruin it because I only rent this house and I don’t wanna get in trouble. But it’s way too bright and so very annoying.

So my thoughts are maybe duct tape, or maybe some sort of latex paint I can later peel off? I’m just not sure either will stand up against the elements.

Insofar as the lamp itself is concerned, it’s not one of those with a bent neck. It’s like a lantern on a 9 foot pole. So it should be easy(?) to cover half the glass, I should think.

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Comments

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Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world ⁨15⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Have you looked into curtains?

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- UndulyUnruly@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  Witchcraft!
  
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- daychilde@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  no dumaas u cant look into curtains CURTAINS BLOCK THE VIEW it is teh pont of them
  
  ;-)
  
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aramis87@fedia.io ⁨13⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Get blackout curtains. Wear a sleep mask.

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- HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  This is honestly the best way of dealing with it. Any modifications to the light or likely going to invite repairs and attention from the city.
  
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- ten8tp@reddthat.com ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  Sleep mask for sure. And not a cheap ass flemsy satin-like ones you get with the dom/sub pack at your nearest adult store!
  
  I recommend the Manta Sleep ones. Used the smaller one for 4 years before the Velcro finally gave in. Immediately bought the regular ones and kept using the eye cups from my old ones. It was a godsend working third shift.
  
  Haven’t tried the heated or cooled cups so ymmv.
  
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aramis87@fedia.io ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

Edit: the duality between "lol get curtains" and helpful things is great. But! I can't put up curtains on the windows the light floods in - it's the front door and the sort of side window beside the front door.

I also didn't want to put holes in the wall, so I got command strips (those little stick-on / pull-off hooks) and used them to hang my curtains. If the way it looks bothers you, you could hang a piece of decorative cloth in front or back of the curtain.

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CTDummy@piefed.social ⁨14⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Any rotating shift worker will tell you. Black out curtains. They’re a god send.

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- daychilde@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  Why are those poor shift workers rotating? They’re gonna get seasick!
  
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slazer2au@lemmy.world ⁨14⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Have you considered talking with your council about it? It is their utility after all.

Maybe get some light readings and look into what your town says about acceptable light levels.

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- cymbal_king@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  Yeah this. See if there’s others in your area also concerned about public lighting and advocate together. Too many cities are putting in new LED lights that are way too bright and it’s accelerating light pollution levels. Being able to see stars in the night sky should be something every one can do to connect our humanity.
  
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- Colonel_Panic_@eviltoast.org ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  Light readings.
  
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EggInDisguise@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
The duality of lemmy:

“I am SHOCKED someone would ILLEGALLY MODIFY something that ISN’T THEIRS!”

Vs

“lol firebomb time”

Legit, if you’d rather put in work to modify a street light and risk the consequences instead of putting up curtains, use old cardboard boxes cut in such a way that it drapes a long side over your house’s direction, but not long enough to impede light on sidewalks.

Less work, less cost, less chance of being arrested.

I do understand not wanting to have to use blackout curtains, as I like looking outside.

Personally I use a 100w led spotlight I made, and point it at the street light for a minute or so if I want it off. Works for a few minutes, at least.

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- FuglyDuck@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  firebomb?
  
  naw. that’s a bit much. a .22 lr and some target practice will do the trick.
  
  (but seriously, maybe just invest in some decent black out curtains.)
  
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XeroxCool@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
The local government or utility may be able to help. Several lights in my area have shutter shades on them that help control sideways/upwards light and keep the beam focused on the ground. It’s called “light intrusion” when someone else shine slight into your property

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trxxruraxvr@lemmy.world ⁨14⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Have you heard of blackout curtains?

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gastroglizzy@piefed.social ⁨14⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Tin foil, trash bag, bucket cut into the shape of a hat?

Or just buy some curtains. Or tape up some tin foil. Or wear a sleep mask.

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DebatableRaccoon@lemmy.ca ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Maybe consider curtains before vandalism.

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- daychilde@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  “It’s curtains for the city council, see?”
  
  ;-)
  
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blimthepixie@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
How long have you lived there?

I grew up in the sticks where the only light pollution was either the moon or the stars.

I moved to a city for uni when I was 19, had a street light outside my window blasting it’s sodium orange glow into my room.

It took about two weeks before I was used to it and didn’t even realise it was there

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notabot@piefed.social ⁨14⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Talk to your local council, or whoever looks after lighting in your area, they should be able to put a shade on it tgst blocks light from hitting your window. It might take sime effort to persuade them, but it’ll be the best solution.

Failing that, or in addition, as others have mentioned, blackout curtains do wonders.

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Proprietary_Blend@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
House side shield request

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Janx@piefed.social ⁨14⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
I wish they made curtains that blocked light. Some sort of “black-out” functionality. Oh well, you should probably continue illegally modifying city lighting…

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fonix232@fedia.io ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Try to reason with the local govt. If you're lucky, the people at the local planning dept or whoever is in charge of public properties will find your inquiry unusual enough to do something about it.

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Postmortal_Pop@lemmy.world ⁨14⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Get scissor cut black plastic sheet, something that’s ridgid, and silicone fishtank adhesive.

Cut the plastic to match the shape of the glass sections that face your window. Clean the glass with alcohol, then apply a thin layer of silicone to the plastic piece and press it to the glass. Use a finger to wipe any excess and ooze into a tight seam.

So long as it doesn’t hit sweltering hot, freezing cold, or rainy for the next 24hrs it takes to cure, that plastic isn’t comming off without a putty knife and effort (it will come off fine without harming it, but not on its own)

If you want to increase the chance that no one will do anything about it, do the same to every lamp on your block. Nothing hides vandalism like uniformity.

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one_old_coder@piefed.social ⁨14⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
It’s time to improve your paintball skills.

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compostgoblin@piefed.blahaj.zone ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
If you do something to the light pole, it’s only a question of when the city will restore it to its original state, not if. Blackout curtains are your friend

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Eq0@literature.cafe ⁨14⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
One suggestion I haven’t seen: aluminum foil.

You can stick aluminum foil to a flat surface by wetting the aluminum foil and spreading it with your hands while pushing the water out. It’s cheap, easy to remove and leaves no trace. Now, you can think of applying it on the street lamp or on your own window

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tired_n_bored@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
My neighbor put an aluminum/metal thing beneath the lamp. He lives in a flat at the same level of the lamp so it makes sense. I don’t know how he reached there tho

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Vandals_handle@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Image

Any of these cardboard cutouts should work.

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CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨14⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
ikea.com/…/schottis-block-out-pleated-blind-dark-…

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