Thanks to improvements in fiber optics, most of the information that you consume on any given day is transported by light. Quite inefficiently, however, most computer chips need electricity to operate, and scientists haven’t quite figured out how to make the leap to more futuristic materials. At least not until graphene came along.
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Yup, it’s just a light. But the LD-1000 is made by Nikon, and designed to attach to the company’s 1-Series mirrorless cameras, such as the J3 or V2, which makes it at least mildly interesting. The AAA-powered bracket-mounted lamp includes four white LEDs and a diffuser, and while its primary focus is to illuminate a subject during a video shoot, you can also use it to provide fill light for still photos, or whenever a constant low-power stream of illumination is more appropriate than a flash. Pick it up in black or white in October for a somewhat ambitious $99.95.
Filed under: Cameras, Peripherals, Nikon
Looking for something classy to hang on the wall of your man-cave? Something that screams video game geek, but has a classy feel? Well, this Nintendo Controller LED Light Art may be just the thing.
Etsy artist TheDailyRobot experimented with a lot of laser engraving and LED lighting configurations before he was able to offer this amazing edge-lit laser-etched light piece. Ultimately, he laser etched a piece of clear acrylic and placed it behind another identical non-etched sheet to get the cool effect. It looks fantastic.
The NES controller glows a bright red, but he does have other colors available if you so desire. This light is only $75(USD) and would look great in any geekily decorated room.
Hue Menu, introduced today, lets you control your psychedelic Philips Hue color-changing mood lights
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Norwegian born Rune Guneriussen is back with a new site-specific work that one can actually experience in person. Normally, Guneriussen is the only one to witness his magical landscapes, filled with everything from lamps and globes to telephones and chairs. After weeks of preparation, the conceptual artist usually shoots his stunning scenes alone and we’re all left with only photographs as visual evidence that the installation actually happened.
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The MagSafe power cord is one of Apple’s smartest features
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I really love my Philips Hue wireless bulbs. In fact, I’ve got my entire man cave/home theater/game room outfitted with the colorful, remote-controlled lights in my ceiling fixtures. But one thing that’s bugged me about the lamps so far is that they only come as reflector bulbs. Well, not for much longer. Philips has just announced that they are releasing the lamps in two new form factors, being dubbed the “Friends of Hue” line.
First up is the LivingColors Bloom. This compact lamp can be set on any flat surface and used to add a splash of color across walls or ceilings. It’s similar to earlier LivingColors lamps, but at a more reasonable price-point ($79.95 USD), and compatible with the Hue controller without any fiddling.
The more intriguing of the additions to the Hue line-up are the Hue LightStrips. These multicolored strips of LEDs can be placed just about anywhere – under furniture, inside bookcases or window sills, and can produce a bright line of linear accent light.
The LightStrips come in 6.6 foot-long sections which can be cut to size if you’d like. At $89.95 per strip, they’re not as cheap as plain-jane RGB LED strips, but they’re fully compatible with the Hue controller and apps without any additional hardware, which is what really makes these unique. Both products are made to complement Hue bulbs, so they’re designed to add splashes of rich color instead of some of the less saturated colors of the bulbs.
Both LivingColors Bloom and LightStrips will be sold through Apple Stores starting this Thursday, August 8th, though I already found the Bloom Lamp listed as in stock.
Earlier today, Philips announced two new add-ons for its app-controlled Hue system: LivingColors Bloom, a standalone portable fixture, and LightStrips, a 6.6-foot LED tape that you can affix to any surface using the included adhesive back. Both products are fully compatible with the existing Hue system, including the base station and three-bulb kit that launched at Apple Stores last year. Knowing that part of the solution’s appeal is its quick and easy setup, we decided to build out a five-light rig at home using three standard bulbs, one Bloom and one LightStrips set. It took less than an hour to get up and running, including swapping out bulbs, running power to LightStrips and setting up the base station and app.
In order to take full advantage of available “scenes” (lighting color macros based on uploaded images), you’ll want to install all of your bulbs in one room or open space. You can very easily control the color and brightness of each unit using the Android or iOS app, however, so if you prefer to go that route, there’s no reason you can’t install Hue all over your house, as long as you don’t go beyond the 50 maximum units each base station can support. For now, most of the available scenes support one through three fixtures, not the five you’ll end up with if you have one complete kit, a Bloom and LightStrips in your home, so we avoided using scenes for the time being. If you’re using app version 1.1 on iOS, you can take advantage of IFTTT integration, too, letting you set up a virtually endless number of macros.
Even with five Hue fixtures in a small space, the room was a bit too dark — this solution works best for accent lighting, so unless you’re prepared to use 20 bulbs in a room, you’ll probably want to mix in traditional fixtures, too. Still, Hue serves its purpose well, and we definitely see the appeal despite the $200 you’ll spend on the base kit, $80 for the bloom and $90 for the LightStrips. See our installation in action in the hands-on video after the break.
There’s nothing more annoying than having your bicycle light give out in the middle of a night ride. It can also get dangerous. That’s why I think that a light that can be recharged using solar energy is a good idea, so you won’t have to remember to change batteries and get caught in the dark.
The Rydon Pixio bicycle light can hold enough juice for 75 hours of light on a charge. It takes only 5 days of sunlight exposure to fully charge it, so riding during the daytime should get you all charged up for nighttime rides.
The Rydon Pixio was launched through an Indiegogo crowdfunding project. You’ll have to pledge €30 (~$40USD) to get yours, though with the campaign ending at midnight tonight, it’s still only reached about 75% of its goal.
[via designboom]
Of all the things you might choose to halt in its tracks, the world’s fastest—light—might not be at the top your list. Clearly, you don’t have the ambition of the team of scientists who just managed to stop it dead—for a whole minute.
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