Why are scientists trying to create slow light?

[Swede]

The author has links to his sources at the bottom of the article.

snip

Achieving faster than light speed is one of the dearest dreams of science (and science fiction). But what about slowing light down? In the last ten years, scientists have done some amazing things by slowing down the speed of light.

The speed of light is a constant. The exact speed is 299,792,458 meters per second. Nothing can move faster than that without violating fundamental physical laws (and possibly traveling backward in time). But light can be slowed down – light speed is a surprisingly inconstant constant.

http://io9.com/5512705/why-are-scientists-trying-to-create-slow-light?skyline=true&s=i

[Orrex]

1. I think that some of the article's comments were written by fourth graders

[postulater]

2. It would make a light-year a shorter distance

so we could get to the stars faster.

I learned it on Star Trek.

:crazy:

[MUAD_DIB]

3. Your logic is warped...

[zbdent]

4. I can make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs

...

[Confusious]

5. Einstein's speed of light

Was through a vacuum. The speed of light changes as it passes through materials.

Anyone who took high school physics would know this.

[gtar100]

6. The practical application of this is

to allow us to turn the light off and get in bed before everything goes dark. I think that would be a light bulb that would sell. The safety features of this are quite appealing.