Abe Lincoln was born this day in 1809. He was said to have studied by candlelight. Thirty-eight years later Thomas Edison was born (1847). He later invented the light bulb which made indoor studying a whole lot easier. Today, while some bulbs still resemble early incandescents, many new concepts now light the darkness. One is the popular halogen-lamp torchiere. Often used with dimmer controls, their bulbs burn at temperatures from 750 F to 1200 F -- hot enough to ignite nearby paper, wood or fabric in minutes. They waste energy, too, because they produce so much heat. Today, compact fluorescent torchieres are cool new alternatives. They're 85 percent more efficient. A 55-watt compact fluorescent equals a 300-watt halogen lamp. They last five times longer (about 10,000 hours) and burn at a cool 100 degrees. Abe and Tom would be impressed. And that's the On The House tip for today.