compact fluorescent light bulbs

Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL's). you know what those are right? The energy saving bulbs that look like this (photo on the right),


and we are all urged to start using them to help save the planet. Basically, they use much less electricity and will reduce carbon emissions significantly. If you saw An Inconvenient Truth, it was on the list of things you can do to help slow global climate change. Now, I always hated the quality of the light from these things, having seen them in hotel rooms in the early 90's, and my dad bought one for his house a while back when they were huge and expensive. However, I was game to give them another shot. We signed up for 'Green' power last year, my wife bought a hybrid Civic, and I thought replacing the incandescent bulbs in our apartment would be a good next step. (Incidentally, when my wife suggested we replace our bulbs right after we saw the movie, I insisted that the light was horrible, and 'vetoed' it.)
I had already replaced the bulbs in our hallway with CFL's. Light quality out there was not so much a concern, and I was tired of having to replace them all the time anyway. I did lots of searching for some bulbs I might like. Maybe if they didn't have that serpentine tubular shape, they would look more 'normal'? I found these at Lowes:

(The one on the left.) It's shaped like a normal bulb, and the package claimed it had a more 'natural' light. Installed them into the ceiling fixtures in our office/workout room, and then in the kitchen. Sadly, a colder, more bluish light than the previous bulbs. Also, they do take a few minutes to warm up and come on at full power. But, I was willing to live with it, to help assuage my guilt about power usage. Interestingly, my wife finds them annoying now.

OK, so I read this goofy article in the Washington Post about the gender issues with CFLs. I tended to agree with the Broadsheet article on Salon that mocked the Post for the fluff piece that threw around lots of gender stereotypes. Interestingly, the Brian Lehrer Show on Thursday had some info that had me second-guessing. Apparently, according to Gary Gordon, biologically, women usually have greater color perception than men, and that may be why we see stories about women allegedly objecting to these light bulbs more than me do.

So, I guess this is further evidence of the fact that I am a sensitive, Alan Alda-type man. I certainly noticed the difference in the quality of the light. I always hated looking at myself in the bathroom mirror where there was only an old fashioned fluorescent lamp above the sink. EVERYone looks bad in those mirrors. Those lamps lack those nice red tones from the warm part of the spectrum that make us look human.

Bottom line, though: Using these new CFL's, which aren't nearly as harsh as those old lamps I remember, is worth it. It cuts way back on the electricity needed to light the room, and that just makes sense environmentally and economically. Perhaps the companies developing these bulbs will come up will bulbs that produce a 'warmer' light eventually. That, I believe, will get more people to use them.
If anyone has come across a brand of CFL's that does that effectively, please let me know.

Here's a helpful guide from environmental defense.org

This guy reviews a bunch of bulbs: http://members.misty.com/don/cfapp.html

What about LEDs? They may be the future: http://www.helenair.com/articles/2007/05/11/ap/strange/d8p1ud183.txt