newVideoPlayer("/koernercolbert_giz.flv", 475, 376,""); Friend of Giz and contributing editor Brendan I. Koerner was on the Colbert Report last night to school Stephen on ways to save the environment. Koerner discussed the paper/plastic debate, using air conditioning vs. windows, and whether it’s cheaper to buy CFLs or regular bulbs. Colbert let the green-concious Koerner off pretty easy, but he did manage to raise a fascinating point: If CFLs weren’t meant to be licked, why do they look so damn delicious? [The Colbert Report, Brendan Koerner]
Vaka’s concept for lightbulbs revolves around silicon orbs that you squeeze to turn the light on/off, or twist to make the light dimmer or brighter. But the bulbs are also chargeable, meaning you can remove them from the fixture and take them wherever light is needed…like those village raids against the local vampire. [Yanko]
With fluorescents and LEDs making major headway in the market, energy efficient alternatives to the incandescent bulb are becoming big business. That having been said, the next big thing could be coming out of a partnership between Saazs and Saint-Gobain Innovations in the form of Planilum—the “world’s first light emitting glass.” Planilum is only 2 cms thick and is composed of four layers of special glass, a rare gas and serigraphed phosphors—which will give you 500,000 hours or around 20 years of normal usage.
The LA Times has written a sweet little feature about Livermore Fire House’s lightbulb that has been burning for 107 years without a break—unless you count the 22 minutes it took to transport the bulb from Fire Department HQ to Station No. 6 in 1979. That’s almost a million hours’ worth of low-wattage, you know. Unofficial keeper of the bulb, retired firefighter Tom Bramell reckons its longevity is down to old-fashioned craftsmanship. “I believe the bulb has stayed alive so many years because the makers gave it a perfect seal, so no air gets inside the bulb to help disintegrate the carbon filament. This bulb operates in a vacuum and it doesn’t burn hot. That’s the secret.” [LA Times via Boing Boing]
Toshiba’s new Neoball-Z Real Pride bulbs are actually fluorescent lamps that ditch the hideous corkscrew shape in favour of a more traditional design. However, the big news is that their life span is rated at 12,000 hours. That’s 1.2 times better than similar existing products and about 12 times better than an incandescent bulb. Power consumption has been rated at a money-saving 10 watts and it will be available in warm white, day white and daylight flavours starting on July 1st. No pricing information has been announced. [Tech On]
