Hearing Hobart's question, Portland immediately said, "Many people have had such ideas, but no one has put them into action, because..."
At that moment, the light bulb on the other side of the generator suddenly flickered and went out.
The president of Technical University spread his hands and smiled. "It seems this bulb has not received the blessing of the God of Steam and Machinery."
This was a joke in scientific circles about electricity. The lifespan of current light bulbs depended entirely on luck. With good luck, one could last dozens of hours; with bad luck, it would break within minutes.
Thus, professors joked that bulbs with short lifespans had not received a deity's blessing.
At present, light bulbs were basically used as voltage testers. During experiments, researchers judged the state of the current by whether a bulb lit up.
As for their use in illumination, it was not yet widely known. The only commercial orders for lighting purposes were military flashlights.
Hobart had bought one before, but he had only used it once while exploring ruins with Mr. Azik. After being left alone for some time, it broke.
It was not that the bulb had stopped working; the flashlight itself had broken.
Portland continued his unfinished sentence. "Because electricity has few practical uses. The telegraph is probably its greatest application, but it does not consume much electricity."
"I have a good idea that could bring electricity into every household." Hobart asked, "Would that require enormous amounts of electricity?"
Portland was slightly stunned. "Use it for what?"
"Lighting."
Portland immediately thought of something. "Have you found a way to extend the lifespan of light bulbs?"
"More or less. There still needs to be a series of experiments."
"How long can you extend it to?"
"Eight hundred hours should not be