A Super-Efficient Light Bulb

Chroniton writes with news of a Silicon Valley company, Luxim, that has developed a tiny, full-spectrum light bulb, based on a plasma of argon gas, that gives off as much light as a streetlight while using less power. The Tic Tac-sized bulb operates at temperatures up to 6000K and produces 140 lumens/watt, almost ten times as efficient as standard incandescent lamps, and twice the efficiency of high-end LEDs. The new bulbs also have a lifetime of 20,000 hours. There's no mention of mercury or other heavy metals, which pose a problem for compact fluorescents.

That's all well and good...

[Fishchip]

but can I use it in a grow-op?

Full sun spectrum??

[Anonymous Coward]

Does that mean - it gives off Xray and gamma ray?
cancerous while stay indoor?

Long life projectors

[epilido]

The company makes many different forms of lighting including projectors http://www.luxim.com/ [luxim.com] A home projector with 10 times the bulb life would let me watch just that much more porn in my mom's basement.......

In Soviet Russia

[Anonymous Coward]

In Soviet Russia, 6000K burns you! Oh, wait...

Ok, sombody's got to say it.....

[3seas]

Thats a bright idea.

they tell you in the video

[snsh]

Sounds like the company has $40 million in funding. So one bulb costs $40 million.

Re:Long life projectors

[Anonymous Coward]

A home projector with 10 times the bulb life would let me watch just that much more porn in my mom's basement......

Small world: your mom makes porn in my basement.

Re:Beware - Parent post links to a virus

[PhireN]

Oww, My eyes.
Don't click that link

Re:Not as low energy as you think

[Tony Hoyle]

Don't worry it wouldn't be a problem for long :p

Re:Light pollution

[sjames]

Porch light? Tiki torch? Grill earlier? Surely there's a better answer than running a streetlight 8-12 hours a day just in case you might be grilling.

Re:Light pollution

[Anonymous Coward]

"Light pollution isn't so much about astronomy but being able to see when it is dark out, because some idiot is lighting up his yard like fen way park. At night less is more. I can use 5 watt 12 volt bulbs and light up your house better than spotlights. more of the house will be lit with less random dark spaces, and more importantly less shadows in which people can hid."

I just leave the Christmas lights up.

--Charles Griswold

Re:Long life projectors

[Jesus_666]

This bulb is not yet ready for use in projectors. First they have to make it easy to inadvertantly break, hideously expensive and extremely hot while at the same time not very heat resistant. Industry standards, you know.

Re:Long life projectors

[NormalVisual]

Don't forget making it into such a form factor as to make it entertainingly difficult to change. Some kind of heavy bayonet-type plug that requires one to push in against an overly-strong spring while twisting on the extremely hot and delicate bulb would be my choice. Extra points to be awarded for making the glass envelope strong enough to work during use but long enough to guarantee breakage while changing it. After all, if you're going to get badly burned, you might as well get cut while you're there.

Re:Halving power usage of streetlights, easy.

[WK2]

That's a risk I'm willing to take. We need more accidents, and less people.

Re:Light pollution

[ultranova]

I can't imagine how peeved and angry at him all his neighbours are, the ones who live right next to him.

Furthermore, it's blinding. I can't see a fucking thing in his back yard. Someone could spend a half hour butchering him with an axe right in the middle of his back lawn, and I betcha NOBODY would see a fucking thing. I couldn't.

So what you're saying is that the problem will propably solve itself sooner or later ?