Glow-in-the-dark = what?

How does glow-in-the-dark work? I was curious to know, so I went to the wikipedia page for glow-in-the-dark, which links to the article on phosphorescence. In short, it’s very dense and hard to read. Something compelled me to look at the talk page, where there were some interesting posts, which I felt illustrated the commitment people feel toward wikipedia, and the sometimes competing viewpoints that motivate its contributors.

The “science guy” says this:

When addressing Lupin’s suggestions, please do not lose the technical details that currently exist. Phosphorescence is a very specific type of luminescence, and as such should not simply restate that definition. It may be necessary to add a simplified introduction, or perhaps add some diagrams to indicate what is meant by singlet/triplet and dipole allowed/disallowed transitions. But as this is the heart of the physics, I strongly urge that it not be simply omitted.

What did Lupin suggest?

Could someone please either explain in layman’s terms or omit

* quantum mechanically forbidden
* state singlet and state triplet
* spin multiplicity
* kinetically slow

Thanks! This introductory paragraph is very off-putting to non-experts as it stands

Someone later said the following, which I find very amusing:

This article is not “better” than an encyclopedic article by many measures that I can think of. There are many reasons one would want to come to an article on this subject — the current treatment should be restricted to a “how it works” section, with the larger article being about, say, the position of phosphorescence in culture and history, its replacement of radium paint, lists of materials, and its practical and decorative uses. I mean, for crying out loud, “Glow in the dark” redirects here. This article is like an ambush. It reminded me of the essay generator at (http://www.elsewhere.org/pomo). It’s readable if you try, but even if you do so you will have learned nothing.

So how does that weird greenish shit that absorbs light, and then emits it, work? I’m sorry, traveler, but you’re more or less fucked, as it appears that science nerds more or less have a monopoly on its wikipedia article.