Watched my friend drive two hours to a state park just to escape the city glow for his Milky Way shots. He swears by a dual-band filter now, specifically the Optolong L-enhance, which he says cuts out most of the sodium vapor glare. Even with that, he still stacks like fifty shots to pull out detail, and his last image of the Orion Nebula turned out shockingly clear despite the suburban spillover. It's a whole process, but seeing his results almost makes the hassle worth it.

Reading "penalizing certain lifestyles" reminded me of my friend Carla. Her water bill doubled after the utility installed smart meters that flagged her garden watering as excessive. She maintains a small vegetable patch to offset grocery costs, but the algorithm categorized her usage as non-essential. Now she faces higher rates for trying to be self-sufficient, which seems like the opposite of efficiency. It's discouraging to see data used this way.