Why does the light bulb go off when you get an idea?

In response to last week’s question, "Why does the light bulb go off when you get an idea?", my writing and sailing friend Rich explained, "Because once you've seen the light, you no longer need the light."  Rich then added, "Ok, what I really think is, and I am dating myself here.  The light they say is going "off" is like the old flash bulb "going off", more of a bright explosion kinda of thing to mark your eureka moment."

My dad's beach buddy Bob replied, "Only if it clicks!" while my cousin Greg Faber wrote, "because we are very "bright" people."

My cousin Wes challenged the question, writing, "I thought it went on, indicating enlightenment."  And my friend Royce blankly replied, "         ."

My neighbor Al was truly intrigued as he responded, "Wow!  Sorry, I'm stuck on the syntax of the question.  If the light bulb goes "off" that means it had to be "on" prior to the idea.  That means that when we don't have an idea the light is already on.  This seems to counter the normal paradigm that when you get an idea an illuminated light bulb  appears above your head.

Or are you referring to the bulb like a flash bulb.  We'd say that the flash went off.  It actually cycled on and then rapidly back to off.  So when we take a photo we should really say something like "Did my flash cycle?" rather than "Did my flash go off?" By simply looking at the flash lamp, you can tell that it went off because it's not on anymore. That is really be a stupid redundant question.  [See the rest of Al's quest for an answer at the bottom on the email.]

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' “:

How do you fix stupid? from my friend Dawn

We don't stop laughing because we get old. We get old because we stop laughing.  Make it a priority to have fun and make others laugh.

Hal

The continuation of Al's response:     Someone could be referring to head as a bulb. Naturally not a short, modified, underground stem surrounded by usually fleshy modified leaves that contain stored food for the shoot within type bulb, but the  rounded projection or part. Probably more towards the anatomical definition as a rounded dilation or expansion of a canal, vessel, or organ.  And we know that the bulb in question holds our cranial matter or brain.  The brain is tissue created of nerve cells.  And nerve cells have a bulb-like cell body attached to a long nerve fiber, which is like a wire, and it actually carries very tiny electrical signals. These bulbs are separated by the synapse or the synaptic cleft.  To the simple minded, the neurotransmitter is perceived a spark across the synapse. And on an atomic level, the spark is a light and therefore a light across the bulbs which are held within the bulb. How silly.  We all know that the neurotransmitters are actually the release of molecules from the axon into the synapse. The neurotransmitters then diffuse across the synapse and bind to receptors, that are located within the cell membranes of the dendrites of the adjacent nerve cell. This, in turn, stimulates or inhibits an electrical response in the receiving neuron's dendrites. Thus, the neurotransmitters act as chemical messengers, carrying information from one neuron to another. Obviously not a "spark" or "flash".

So I have no idea of what you're referring to. ...where'd that light just come from?

[Thanks to Demetri Martin, Steven Wright and George Carlin for the inspiration.]