Thursday, March 07, 2013

Light bulb aisle

Big box stores are different in Phoenix.  Here is a typical bike helmet:


















But most fascinating was their light bulb aisle, which extended across the entire length of the western wall of the store.  It had many types of bulbs I hadn't before encountered.  Most memorably:

Madness White (60W)

A dark bulb (dimmable), for over-lit rooms

A long-tube fluorescent replacement bulb consisting of a single LED element that runs the length of the bulb.  Requires twice the wattage of the bulb it replaces, and requires welding goggles while in use.

This bulb claims to illuminate only that which is false

The new "DC to daylight" bulbs, which are actually a misnomer, since they go well beyond daylight.  Primarily marketed to snobby photographers, the gamma/cosmic emissions increase lifetime cancer risk by 1%.

A line of bulbs with greater than 100% efficiency, but these require special wiring to collect the excess energy.  Otherwise they can overheat on sunny days.

Instagram-branded "Sepia" bulbs which guarantee washed out yellow illumination that fades at the edges of the room.

For climate skeptics, a bulb which emits CO2 and runs on kerosene.  (Available as a track light or for standard edison socket)

A complete line of bulbs for Tetrachromats had a demo display, but they all looked the same to me




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