Bound for Iowa, but not going to make it tonight: we're snowed into a hotel in Northwest Indiana -- far from the thousands gathered in Times Square to ring in 2008.
The consensus of weather reports predict 12 inches here overnight; this area only gets an average of 39 inches of annual snowfall, underscoring how global warming could be the cause of increases in storm intensity and frequency.
This rockin' eve, we're watching the party in New York on TV and we're proud to report that the star of the world-famous holiday extravaganza -- the dropping ball -- was revamped this year with 9,576 energy-efficient bulbs that use about the same amount of electricity as 10 toasters.
Philips Lighting, which created the light-emitting diodes, or LED bulbs, specifically for the event, says they are smaller but more than twice as bright as last year's lights, which were a mix of more than 600 incandescent and halogen bulbs. Plus, the new lights can create more than 16 million colors for a kaleidoscope of hues against the 672 Waterford Crystal triangles.
Event planners have come a long way. The ball was first dropped for the New Year's Eve celebration in 1907. Made of iron and wood, it weighed 700 pounds and was lit with 100 25-watt incandescent bulbs.
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