lightbulbs

What a beautiful sunny week we're having here in San Francisco! There's not a cloud in the sky -- not even a one made from 6,000 lightbulbs.

Calgary, Canada-based artist Caitlind r.c. Brown and collaborator Wayne Garrett created the large-scale interactive sculpture by covering a steel substructure with a cloud of burned-out incandescent bulbs collected from local households, businesses, museums, and eco stations.

The bulbs attach to pull strings that together look a bit like streaming rain. The cords allow viewers to control the illumination of the structure like lightning in the lightbulb cloud, which is lit from within by 250 compact fluorescent bulbs, pulling a total power of approximately 20 amps. … Read more

LED lightbulbs have a lot of things going for them: energy efficiency and longevity being the biggest selling points.

Then there are the things that make people think twice. Chiefly, the sticker price. Want to switch to LED bulbs but can't stand the infamously harsh light quality? SmartPlanet's Sumi Das rounds up some bulbs that might make you see things differently.

This video originally appeared on SmartPlanet with the headline "LED light bulbs, just how efficient are they?"

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General Electric plans to double down on LED home lighting over the next 16 months.

In November, GE plans to start selling a 13-watt LED lightbulb that matches the light emission of a 60-watt incandescent bulb. That option will be followed by 75- and 100-watt-equivalent LED bulbs by fall 2012, the company said. The bulbs can deliver light "for over two decades" if consumers use them for no more than three hours each day, GE claims.

LED lightbulbs are widely considered the next big thing in home lighting. And for good reason. Aside from lasting an extraordinarily long … Read more

Toshiba announced Wednesday it has produced its last major run of incandescent lightbulbs.

The Japanese electronics manufacturer said the phaseout is part of a strategy to ultimately concentrate on LED (light-emitting diode) lighting products, though it will continue to produce certain specialty incandescent bulbs.

Incandescent lighting has been dwindling in use over the last five years in large part to citizen and government phase-out campaigns that include laws for an eventual ban on the sale of the electricity-guzzling light source. Many countries have already passed laws with deadlines looming.

Australia was the first country to ban the sale of incandescent … Read more

Klipsch has come up with an intriguing concept: Marry a wireless speaker with a LED light bulb. The product's called the LightSpeaker and a bundle of two, complete with a transmitter, radio frequency remote, mini jack to RCA plug cable, lenses and trim, is set to go on sale in late January for $599. Single units will cost $250.

"Today's consumers are overloaded with complex technologies, and the LightSpeaker is designed to enrich their lives without complication," said Klipsch president Paul Jacobs. "It offers brilliant light, reduces energy costs and creates a multiroom ambient music … Read more

Florida-based lighting company ClearLite is introducing a new CFL bulb with an unbreakable safety shell that prevents mercury from escaping, a feature that addresses some health concerns with CFLs.

The SX-4000 silicone skin remains intact even if the ArmorLite bulb inside shatters, according to ClearLite, which is rolling out its bulb in December and January.

Not everyone is aware of the danger of broken CFLs. Because of the small amount of mercury in them, current EPA guidelines call for evacuating people and pets from the area where a bulb has shattered.

They also call for the room to be aired … Read more

Good thing the lightbulb-shaped Watt Time alarm clock (Watt Time, geddit?!) isn't made of glass or it could pose a hazard when annoyed sleepers roll over to smack the snooze button located on the top of the socket.

Instead, the gizmo is constructed of high-gloss, hard plastic that illuminates the bright blue LED time display. If you don't like waking to sound, you can set the bulb to light up when it's time to crawl out of bed.

While the Watt Time features a sleek, simple design (all set buttons sit discretely on the back of the … Read more

To continue a week of absences, Wilson is on leave, so MTI once again picks up the mantle and joins us for today's episode. Dan the Mantern kindly filled in the board with stories about magical baked goods, lightbulb-powered Wi-Fi, 11 TRILLION dollar shots at evolution, and a bunch of '80s movies that should not, but will be, remade.

Wow, I can't believe it's been 201 episodes already, it seems like just yesterday that the guys invited me into the studio for my first guest appearance on the show, and now I'm a permanent host! To support our efforts to keep our heads barely above water, I'd like to personally invite you to join The 404 for drinks this Friday, October 10 at Gstaad Bar on West 26th St. and 6th Avenue @ 6:30PM. Jeff, Wilson, MTI, Natali, and I will all be there in the flesh to meet all four of you guys that listen to the show and live in New York. So come out, we'll buy you a drink (scratch that, reverse it) and we'll all have a great time. Don't forget, because we definitely won't if you miss it!

High price and a strange color. No, we're not talking about a hairdo. Those are the two factors that have kept light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, from becoming a mainstream light source.

But that might change soon, said Zach Gibler, chief business development officer of Lighting Science Group, which plans to announce distribution deals with major retailers for its LED bulbs that screw into a regular socket.

LED bulbs for household use have already been around for some time, but their success has been limited. The main obstacles have been that they cost more than incandescent lightbulbs and emit a … Read more