My son wanted to build some electrical projects. So, we made an LED throwie, followed by a potentiometer-dimmed LED, and then a transistor to blink some LEDs. Much like the tiny steps I walk readers through in my book Essential 555 IC.

We left the blinking LED project running. He wanted to see how long a rechargeable 600 mAh, 9 V would last. It was late in the night; the LED was blinking sitting by a window. Walking by, I thought maybe a lightning bug saw it and fell in love. Only to have its heart broken if it actually met the circuit.

BTW, my son wanted me to have the bug laying its head on the LED to make it “the most heartbreaking thing ever.”

It’s the peak of summer. I’m seeing the lightning bugs (fireflies) out in full force at night. I bet it would be easy to mimic their flashes and communication, but I don’t want to mess with their environment and lives. However, I love the idea of creating a show with artificial fireflies.

I’m imagining a future when almost all insect life is gone due to climate impacts. People turn on their firefly lights at night. They dance around the weeds at the edges of yards. The people try hard to ignore they’re fake. For moments, they feel at peace, normal, watching in the dry lifeless air.

Oops, I guess I just started writing a dystopian science-fiction story. Should I continue, or is it too real?

See the rest of my cartoons in the Engineering on Friday comic gallery.