Modern Led Devices Vs. Traditional Light-emitting Sources
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) represent various types of semiconductor devices that produce incoherent narrow-spectrum light fascicles when powered with a steady-state voltage electrical source, producing the effect known as electroluminescence. LEDs come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colors, nowadays serving for a multitude of purposes: illuminating traffic signals, railroad crossing signals and display panels, facilitating optical fiber communications, providing backlighting for LCD televisions and displays, being integrated in remote control and optical devices (infrared LEDs), or being used simply for decorative purposes (LEDs can emit light of various colors blue, green, yellow, orange, red and purple, to name only a few).
LED lights have come a long way, today’s offer comprising highly reliable, durable and economical designs that can take various forms (LED bulbs, LED pods, LED tubes, LED displays, etc) and fulfill many different roles (functional or purely aesthetical).
LEDs are by far superior to traditional light sources such as incandescent light bulbs and fluorescent lamps, as they use less energy and produce less heat (unlike conventional light sources which consume a lot of electrical energy but transform only a fraction of the used energy into light, converting the rest of it into heat, LED lights are very economical, consuming less electrical energy and transforming a great part of it into light), have an impressively long life span (LED lights can last for more than 10 years), light up more quickly (in most cases LEDs can achieve full brightness in a matter of microseconds, compared to some fluorescent lamps that usually light up after 0,5 or 1 second and achieve full brightness in an average of 30 seconds) and can directly focus the light they emit (unlike incandescent and fluorescent light sources that generally include an external reflector that redirects the luminous rays in the desired direction).
Compared to conventional sources of light, LED bulbs and other similar LED devices can directly emit light of a certain color without the aid of color filters. Consequently, the colored light produced by LED bulbs is considerably brighter, clearer and more vivid, rendering colored-light producing LED bulbs the perfect devices for interior and exterior illumination of architectural structures, commercial panels and various decorative objects.
In addition, LED lights such as LED bulbs, LED pods and LED tubes don’t burn out unexpectedly like incandescent bulbs; when they fail, LEDs tend to dim out gradually, continuing to fulfill their purpose even in the event of a malfunction. While traditional light sources are unreliable and sometimes even unsafe (incandescent bulbs can sometimes explode due to fluctuant voltage), LED lights are durable, reliable, safe and efficient. All the mentioned advantages of LEDs render such devices the perfect replacement for incandescent and fluorescent light sources and nowadays LED light sources are already extensively used in many different industrial branches.
The main disadvantage of LED light sources and the primary reason why such devices are still rarely used for domestic, private purposes is that they have an expensive character. Unlike the omnipresent incandescent light bulbs and fluorescent lamps, devices that are usually very cheap, most LED light sources (particularly those with a high luminosity index) are still unaffordable to some categories of persons. However, if you carefully establish a cost-benefits analysis, LEDs are a great choice and a wise investment for anyone, regardless of material condition. Compared to conventional light sources that have a low purchase price but consume lots of energy and need to be regularly replaced, LED light sources have a higher purchase price but last for many years and consume only a small fraction of the energy used by incandescent and fluorescent light devices. Thus, if you are looking for durable, reliable, energy-efficient light devices, LED light sources are by far the best choice.
So, if you want to find out more about LED lights or even about LED bulbs, you should visit these links.
Art Lighting – How to NOT do it.
So personally I love lights. And I love cool applications for lights such as the Iron Man costume, but for me part of the charm and wonderment stems from an almost magical sense that the light is coming from nowhere. This artsy ceiling light by Designer Christopher Moulder accomplishes this by making the entire shade part conductive. Pretty neat idea. It uses little 10W xenon bulbs, which combined, total almost 300 watts. Could probably be more efficient if LEDs were used but maybe the xenons are extremely bright. Either way, I’d love to see some more designs that use LEDs since they would not only look good, but taste good be good for the environment as well. I have a few projects in mind in the next few months utilizing the portable nature of LEDs, so we’ll see what I can come up with. Stay tuned.
[via Gizmodo]
Green Light Ringtone – John Legend – Green Light Ringtone
Click Here & Sign Up to Download the Green Light Ringtone by John Legend
Green Light is the first single from John Legend’s upcoming album, Evolver. The song is produced by Malay and KP and features André 3000 of OutKast. The song was released as a single download on July 29, 2008. The track has reached #50 on the Canadian Hot 100 and #51 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart. It is expected to debut on the Billboard Hot 100 next week due to high digital sales. A music video has been filmed and was released on August 22. Andre 3000 appears in the video along with Legend. Singer Estelle also makes an appearance in the video.
Download Bonus Ringtones for Your Phone – Sign Up Now!
The Green Light Ringtone by John Legend is currently one of the most popular ringtones in America. This is because Green Light is one of the hottest songs in the world right now. The track has performed well on dozens of music charts and is one of the top downloads on iTunes. The Green Light Ringtone is the perfect choice for your mobile phone ringtone. To get the Green Light Ringtone right now, simply click on the link below and follow the instructions to sign up. You will be able to download the Green Light Ringtone immediately and you will also get up to 15 bonus ringtones of your choice, just for signing up. Don’t wait – get the Green Light Ringtone for your phone now:
Click Here & Sign Up to Download the Green Light Ringtone by John Legend
Acne Light Therapy – your Questions Answered
What causes acne?
Acne develops when the sebaceous glands in a person’s skin make extra oil (sebum), in response to androgens. This oil combines with cells that line the walls of these glands and clogs the skin pores. Normal skin bacteria colonise the glands and the body’s response to these bacteria causes the inflammation or the redness of the skin that we associate with acne.
One of the key bacteria responsible for the inflammation is Propionibacterium acnes or P.acnes. P.acnes produces natural chemicals called poryphyrins, which are sensitive to light at different wavelengths. If you stimulate these chemicals then they will neutralise the bacteria.
With no bacteria present your inflammation will subside.
Meical scientists have developed a light that can stimulate these chemicals eradicating the bacteria that causes the redness or inflammation of acne. We’ve called it Omnilux Blue.
Your doctor may have spoken to you about this treatment already, but this leaflet is designed to answer some of the questions that you have regarding the treatment.
What is Omnilux Blue?
Omnilux Blue is a light source that is specially tuned to activate natural chemicals found in the bacteria that causes the redness in acne. When stimulated these chemicals destroy the bacteria. The light also stimulates cells in your body that help with the healing process. The light is made up of Light Emitting Diodes or LED’s.
How safe is the treatment?
The light is really safe and harmless to your skin. The light doesn’t generate any heat like a laser. The light works naturally with your body to promote the healing response. You will, however, need to wear special goggles to protect your eyes from the light.
What results can I expect from a series of treatments?
Optimum results will be seen between 4-8 weeks after treatment. The light stimulates natural processes that go on after the treatment has stopped. In studies subjects have seen complete clearance of their lesions, however on average you should expect a 70% clearance of lesions.
Are there any side effects from the treatments?
No. There have been no reported adverse side effects like redness or irritation from the treatment. The light won’t damage your skin and because there is no heat involved there’s no pain.
What actually happens during the treatment and is it painful?
During the treatment you can sit up or lie down. You’ll have to remove any make-up or sunblock before the treatment and you’ll be asked to wear some safety goggles. The light will be positioned close to your face. The treatment lasts 20 minutes. After that you’re free to go home. The treatment course is usually 8 light treatments. Dependent upon your type of acne your doctor may suggest you use a face wash and gel from the Lite-Blue range of products, this will help with the treatment.
7 Reasons to Buy Solar Lighting
I don’t think that a day goes by now without someone mentioning the phrase “carbon footprint” and we all know that this is not a fad, it is here to stay. It is a continuous source of concern to me that even in this consumer society that we live in that we all do our bit to be environmentally friendly and contribute to creating a low carbon footprint.
I wrote some articles a while ago that looked at the environmentally friendliness of the barbecue and if one argues that the energy consumed by a barbecue compared with any other form of cooking then certainly the charcoal barbecue can be considered environmentally friendly provided the wood source for the charcoal is harvested by coppicing.
As the nights draw in this fall and the patio lights come out there is an ever improving technology that we should be considering and that is solar lighting. This environmentally friendly lighting is basically is a photo voltaic cell that captures the sunrays, converts the light energy into electricity that is in turn used to charge a battery. Now we all know that battery technology has improved considerably with the advent of laptop computers and video cameras but the other area that has improved rapidly to bring solar lighting right up there is the LED or light emitting diode.
The LED is basically exactly what you get in many head torches these days and as we know these torches offer great light with little power consumption and bulb longevity and it’s this same technology that is being applied to solar lighting.
So let us get down to the nitty gritty, why should you buy solar lighting?
1. LED bulbs will never burn out during the lifetime of the product. How many times do you have to change normal bulbs and at what cost?
2. Your electricity bill will be reduced and it is environmentally friendly lighting. Your neighbors can gossip all they like but you can rest safe in the knowledge that your carbon footprint is under control.
3. Battery technology means that solar lighting can work without interruption for 10 – 12 hours which should be more than enough for anyone. Recharge time of course is dependent on the amount of sunlight available.
4. Solar panels are weatherproof so there’s no maintenance, in fact you can even use one panel to charge a multitude of lights.
5. Solar lighting is self sufficient so there’s no need for an outdoor power source. Really handy for an idiot like me that can fix a wall light but doesn’t like to mess with high voltage electricity.
6. Again the point about no high voltage electricity – it’s safe.
7. The more LEDs (or fewer) there are in the light the brighter (or more subtle) the lighting will be. This means that you can light pathways with low intensity lighting and with a few more LEDs you can creat a wall mounted spotlight.
I know I am going to have some fun this summer creating my own night time garden and preparing my patio area for some great late summer barbecues. If only someone could invent an environmentally friendly patio heater then I’d be over the moon.
ANYONE can sell LEDs!
I just got an email in our inbox today. We get spammed about 5x a day from different manufacturers in China trying to get us to sell THEIR LED products. This one was particularly funny since it DID get my attention, but not in a good way, with their attached logo of a chinese baby “catching a wave”. (I can’t make this stuff up people)
The emails generally consist of a Dear sir/madam – followed by extremely broken English, with an attached pricelist asking us to consider them to be our manufacturer.
Here’s an excerpt:
“Dear Sir,
This is Vickey who come from Shenzhen *** ,LTD .I am kindly know you are in the market of LED lights.I would like to indroduce our comapny and products to you ,Hope to we could build business relatioship in 2009.”
I left the spelling errors in there on purpose. Do they REALLY expect us to buy their products, if the first sentence in their email is plagued with grammatical and spelling errors?
There are literally hundreds of new manufacturers in China trying to jump on the LED bandwagon, and make LED light bulbs. The question is what % of them are complete garbage?. We’ve taken the time to contact a number of manufacturers and tested their products thoroughly, before deciding on who to go with which is why we can offer a 2 year warranty and 30 day guarantee.
Once again, buyer beware – there’s a ton of new websites cropping up selling LED lights, at LOW prices. Their manufacturer can very well be the one who can’t even hire someone who speaks english, or uses surfing chinese babies in their logo…would you spend $40-$100 with them?
Anyone else seen some questionable websites? We’ll be happy to scope them out and give you the lowdown.
Fluorescent Lights- How They can Affect Your System
Light is very important for our mental and physical health. Without sufficient light many people suffer from depression and ailments that they cannot really pinpoint. Depression can give rise to many ailments and can even develop into more serious mental problems.
Now there are several ways to combat this problem:
Light box therapy: (Phototherupy) this type of general therapy is also known as bright light therapy. Phototherupy requires the patient to sit near a fluorescent light box that simulates sunlight. Ideally, the light should be 2,500 lux to be effective, and daily exposure is recommended. A doctor will prescribe the right exposure strength and duration.
Seasonal Affective Disorder: The problem with depression in winter is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. It is a known fact that many people get very depressed in winter time when there is less light, and even go so far to say that they are feeling less energetic and just not well. This condition can also give rise to overeating and a whole new set of problems. There are special light boxes for this disorder. They are called SAD light boxes. Again, before starting therapy consult your doctor.
Sleep and jet lag: Light boxes can help sleep disorders and jetlag. These devices can simulate daylight and nighttime, which helps people adjust to regular sleep hours. These light boxes help to reset the body’s clock that determines when you will sleep. This is very important as lack of sleep can cause serious accidents while driving and interference with many facets of your life.
Dementia and Alzheimer: With these disorders, the body’s natural clock or circadian rhythms gets disrupted, due to nerve and brain damage. This is further aggravated by poor sight in the elderly, which means that normal indoor light may not be sufficient for them to determine the difference between night and day. Light boxes are being used in experiments to see if the sleep and activity cycles can be improved with these patients.
Skin problems: Some skin problems such as: stretch marks, patches of psoriasis, vitiligo, and pale scars may be helped with UVB or UVAI light. These are the types of lights that tanning beds use. Caution should be taken to only focus the light on the skin to be treated and to avoid damage to normal skin. Be careful not to overexpose.
Colored lights: (Intense pulsed light therapy). Different colored floodlights are used for this light therapy. Different colors are thought to be better for different problems, for example:
1. Blue is good for helping to destroy acne bacteria
2. Green lights help with pigmentation problems, like age spots and liver spots.
3. Yellow is thought to aid vascular problems, such as rosacea and thread veins.
4. Green and yellow light is said to help fine lines and wrinkles.
5. Red is meant to help arthritis when directed at the exact point. It is also thought to be good for headaches.
When trying any of these light therapies, always consult your doctor. He will know if you have any latent ailments that could be aggravated by light therapy. Also, sometimes the duration and strength of exposure will need to be adjusted for the best effect.
‘bright Youngsters’ Grab the Green Light in Gothenburg
Wening Pranaya and Vania Santoso, alias Bright Youngsters, won the first prize in this year’s Volvo-UNEP Adventure Award for their project Useful Waste for a Better Future. The 15-year old teenagers from Surabaya, Indonesia received an award of $10,000 in Gothenburg.
Useful Waste for a Better Future is a project that not only removes garbage but also recycles it into sustainable souvenirs and gifts with the extra advantage of adding value and helping overcome poverty. There were a total of 365 projects submitted from 47 countries around the globe. The second prize winner was from New Zealand and won $6,000. The third prize winner was from South Africa and took bagged $4,000 as the prize.
Theodore Oben of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which is the official Volvo Adventure partner, said, “The standard goes up and up each and every year. This year Useful Waste for a Better Future is a project that works on many environmental levels including waste reduction, recycling and revenue-earning. As such, it was the outstanding project amongst 15 excellent finalists.”
Two years ago, Indonesia was given the undesirable title of the dirtiest country in the world by the World Health Organization, but the students from Surabaya have helped turn the tables by winning the prestigious Volvo Adventure World Final.
A jubilant Santoso said, “Whilst it was a stain on Indonesia’s reputation being branded the dirtiest nation in the world by WHO, it was also a wake-up call that something had to be done and in our small way, we may have helped both change perceptions and improve our local environment and economy.”
“It has been an amazing experience coming to Gothenburg and being encouraged by how many other students are as passionate about the environment as we are and it is a great honor to win, especially against so many other powerful projects,” Pranayadipta added.
“The pride and the passion all these students have for their own local environment and the wider global picture is highly encouraging and in fact they are all winners,” said Olle Axelson, the Senior Vice President for Public Affairs of Volvo Cars. “But the big winner here is the environment itself, and facing so many challenges on so many fronts, the creativity and dedication of these young people convinces me that the environment is being passed into safe and responsible hands.”
For the first time in the history of the Volvo Adventure, all three podium places went to all-female teams. “I don’t think we can read too much into that, other than to celebrate the diversity and equality evident on the Volvo Adventure and to note that the winning projects all adopted a holistic approach to environmental sustainability,” stressed Siw Persson of WWF, a jury member.
“Projects are already underway all round the world for the seventh annual Volvo Adventure and the closing date for entries is 31st January 2008. Such has been the response that we are changing the age range for entries to 13 to 16-years-old and introducing a fun-based environment education initiative for kids on 12 and under,” said Kikki Hugestrand, the Volvo Adventure Project Manager.
She added, “The Volvo Adventure has become a fixture in the environmental calendar and a key component in expressing Volvo’s passion for and commitment to the environment, whilst for the students, it is an educational, environmental and cultural experience that will stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives.”
Like the luminous Volvo tail lights, the activity is aimed at illuminating the world about the value of clean environment and the need for people to take measures to help attain the goal.







