Superbowl 2010: LEDs at Halftime Steal the Show!

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Christine
on February 8, 2010
in Innovative Technology, LED Lights and National News
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abovehalftime_171370kOkay, so I don’t know that much about football, and don’t really care either. But I did somehow get roped into watching the Superbowl yesterday, and I have to admit that I kinda had a good time. I mean, how can you not feel a twinge of happiness that that Saint’s won? That city deserves a victory, don’t you think? And didn’t you see that cute quarterback crying and holding his baby son at the end? It was better than a Hollywood box-office hit! Talk about a tear-jerker!

But I have to say, out of the whole event, my favorite parte had to be the halftime show. I mean, they really pulled out all the stops. I know that The Who are getting old and everything, but they still held it together enough to sing a few of the hits. Nice work boys. One thing I think they had going for them was the lighting on that stage! To quote The Palm Beach Post: “A circular space ship of a stage 50 yards wide, flashing and bursting with multicolored LED lights, lit up a darkened Sun Life Stadium as The Who matched the electricity of Super Bowl XLIV.” And how true! That stage was lit up in such intricate detail at times, I wished I was in the stadium experiencing it firsthand. The lights on stage coordinated with a laser show that was going on throughout the venue, which gave the entire show a larger-than-life feeling–every fan and player was surrounded by lights for the majority of the halftime show! And of course, not to point out the obvious, but we couldn’t have had any of it without the cutting-edge technology behind LED lights. One thing’s for sure: without LEDs we would not have been treated to such spectacular and visually stunning show, and who knows, I may have written off the Superbowl for good.!

Get to Know Our Friends at Cerno

Published
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Christine
on February 5, 2010
in Company News, Green Companies, Home and LED Lights
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x54_biWhat we can we say; we here at Elemental have pretty amazing friends. Some in particular are the people behind Laguna Beach, CA-based industrial design and lighting manufacturing firm, The Cerno Group. The company’s three founders (one of whom attended the University of Colorado with Elemental LED founder, Max Darling), have developed a well-rounded design company that emphasizes cutting edge technology and the creation of aesthetically pleasing, functionally efficient and structurally perfect furniture and lighting products.

And speaking of Cerno’s products, we are particularly fond of its concrete desk lamp because it features, as you might have guessed, LED lights! The modern lines of this lamp are sleek enough to mesh with almost any home or office design scheme, and with 400 lumens of output, 12 watts of energy use and over 50,000 hours of life, it’s not only a beautiful lighting option, but a smart one as well.

And even as lighting nerds, we can appreciate non-lighting products as well. I’m totally crazy about Cerno’s line of Baltic Birch furniture, for example. The design of this Lentus chair is timeless, yet inventive at the same time. While it looks comfortable enough to sit in, its beautiful sculptural quality could make it the centerpiece of any room! And I love the futuristic appeal of the X-Grow coffee table…what a gorgeous design!

Besides Cerno’s products, the company also specializes in creative solution development in the areas of industrial design, environmental design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and product development and branding. It seems no matter what your needs or specifications, Cerno can find a way to give you what you’re looking for…maybe it’s time you got to know Cerno!

Warm Up to LEDs; They’re Not So Cold, Afterall!

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Christine
on February 4, 2010
in LED Lights and Reviews
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One of the most common complaints I hear about LED lights is that the light they emit is “too cold” looking. Usually this means the light gives off a blueish hue and has less of the yellow, warm glow we are used to from incandescent bulbs. The fact of the matter is that while perhaps the first LEDs on the market did only come in one “bright white” color that looks cold in some instances, LEDs are the most versatile lighting option available when it comes to choosing a color. First of all, many LEDs (like our full color LED light products) are digitally programmable, meaning you can customize them to be any color (or lots of different colors!) imaginable using your computer, or a controller you can purchase online from us. This kind of lighting is great for nightlife or party situations in which you want a lot of bright color, or the ability to shift the mood at a moment’s notice

But besides bright colors, LEDs are also perfectly capable of providing the warm, cozy glow you crave (and are used to from your incandescent lights). Our Dynasty Warm White LED Light Bulb, for instance, delivers 50 lumens of warm light while using only 1 watt of electricity! Not to mention our Flexible LED Light, one of our most popular under-cabinet LED light products, which is available in warm white or in neutral white.

As you can see, the idea that LEDs only produce light in the cool color spectrum is a myth. In fact, LEDs are one of the most colorful and diverse options available on the lighting market today! Besides that, they’ll also save you tons of money and time over the long haul, since they last 10 times longer than most incandescent bulbs, and use a fraction of the energy!

Keep Fluffy Safe with LEDs!

Published
by
Christine
on February 1, 2010
in Creative-Uses, Home, Innovative Technology and LED Lights
. 0 Comments

I’m sure we’ve all had that one pesky-yet-adorable pet who loved to run away. I know I did. (Or at least can pretend I did for the sake of this blog.) Day or night, no matter what names I called him or scrumptious rewards I offered, Sparky would leap over the fence in a single bound, gone until HE decided to come back. If it happened at night, I would be especially worried. Sparky was a lot smaller than he thought he was (he had the canine version of a Napoleon complex) and black as night, and there was no telling what could happen if he crossed the road into oncoming traffic! I spent many sleepless nights with ol’ Sparkster out on the loose. But no more! Thanks to our especially savvy friends in the pet care world, things have gotten a lot less interesting for Sparky. That’s because they’ve wizened up and begun making LED glow-in-the-dark collars for dogs and cats! Just imagine how much relief that will bring when your precious furry one decides to take a midnight stroll. If you know there’s something prominently glowing around his/her neck, you just might sleep a little easier…and we all know that’s a good thing.

For instance the Nite Ize Nite Dawg LED Light Up Collar will ensure that you can see your pet wherever he goes. To quote an article from Gadget Review, “They say you can see these LEDs for as far back as a thousand feet away, and the LEDs in the collar have a life expectancy of 100,000 hours, or, roughly, 11.5 years.” That’s great news for pet owners like me, who believe in both freedom and safety for their fluffy friends. And it’s great news that LEDs are the leading technological revolution in pet safety collars. Their lightweight and energy efficient nature ensures that the next time your dog runs away, finding him will be a lot easier.

I Heart the iPad (or at least its LED backlight…)

Published
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Christine
on January 29, 2010
in Creative-Uses, LED Lights, National News and Reviews
. 0 Comments

safari_20100127Everyone’s talking about the iPad. It’s Apple’s newest contraption that will offer direct competition to the Amazon Kindle, a tablet or digital book device that came out a few months ago. Unlike the Kindle, however, the iPad offers much more than a little bit of reading. The device not only allows the user to read, watch movies, view and store photos, send emails and create basic documents,it also boasts a multi-touch, full color screen. And, like with the iPhone, the iPad will come with access to a full menu of apps. So why should you carry an iPad around instead of your laptop or iPhone? Why, in this over saturated, over techy world, do we need yet another gadget? Well, I’m not sure that we do. But here’s the argument most are making: First of all, this new genre of “tablets” offers a tweener level of accessibility and content creation. Tablets are, by definition bigger than a phone but smaller than a computer. They’re light enough- the Pad weighs in at 1.5 pounds- to carry around with you but big enough to make browsing the web and looking at content a lot easier than it is on your phone. In fact, Apple is so excited about the iPad, they’re calling it “magical.” That seems a little hyperbolic to me. I mean, what are they going to call the iUnicorn when it comes out next year?

 

But, one of the things that does make the iPad stand out in my opinion is its use of LEDs. Unlike the iPad, the Kindle doesn’t contain any interior lighting system. While this does allow the Kindle to have an exceedingly long battery life, it also means you can’t really read it in the dark without a night light. The iPad, on the other hand, contains a 9.7 inch backlit LED screen which is bright enough to make reading, working or movie-watching a joy. And, of course, the use of LEDs means the iPad didn’t have to compromise  weight or energy efficiency for high tech and high-powered lighting.

DOE Supports LEDs (Again)!

Published
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Christine
on January 27, 2010
in Green-Eco-Friendly, Innovative Technology, LED Lights and National News
. 0 Comments

It’s hard to imagine a world without incandescent or florescent bulbs, but it seems that’s where we’re headed, in no small part because of the US Department of Energy. In its 6th round of funding for LED technology and solid state lighting, the DOE announced $37 million in grants to support more research for improving LEDs and supporting their development and manufacturing. The grants will benefit both the regular LED and OLED (carbon-containing organic light emitting diodes) marketplaces. As we all know, LEDs can be 10 times as efficient as incandescent bulbs and last hundreds of times longer. They’re safer, both because they’re more durable and because the emit much less heat, so risk of fire is lower. So, with all of these benefits, why is the government still concerned with funding LED research? Well, there are still a few areas that could be improved, namely “cost and color,” according to a Popular Mechanics article. The article states, “ Solid-state lighting available on the market today costs roughly three times as much as other lighting options. This is largely due to the materials involved and the limited economies of scale compared to the long-established techniques for manufacturing incandescents and fluorescents by the hundreds of millions every year. LEDs also have problems with light color—their whites appear too bluish and thereby render other colors poorly compared to traditional bulbs.”

But these small setbacks are but a blip on the radar screen of a continually burgeoning LED market. What’s more, the DOE awarded the $37 million in 17 grants based on three categories to address these issues and hopefully eradicate them for future LED consumers. For example, $4 million is reportedly allocated for “filling in key technology gaps and expanding the knowledge base.” $10.3 million will go towards product development, specifically making products more consumer-friendly. And $23.5 million is intended for a manufacturing category, which will allow companies to produce LEDs for less, therefore driving costs down for consumers.

It looks like all signs are pointing towards a future that’s bright with the light of LEDs…we’re well on our way, jump aboard!

LEDs light up a midtown gallery

Published
by
Dan
on January 26, 2010
in DIY
. 2 Comments

We recently spoke with Grimanesa Amorós, an artist who splits her time between New York City and Peru, about a recent gallery installation in which she used some of our flexible LED strip lighting. In the installation, titled La Incubadora (2010), she has re-envisioned the Lab Gallery at Roger Smith Hotel in Manhattan as a warm human incubator for her sculptures of imagined hybrid humans.

Did this kind of flexible LED strip lighting suggest how the pieces in La Incubadora would be installed, or did you have a vision of it prior to finding the lights?

“We have often used LED lights in other projects, so we understood the potential and capabilities that are unique to LEDs. We chose your warm white LED strips because they are flexible, low voltage and can be cut to any desired length. The idea was to create futuristic heating elements around each of the figures. It needed to be flexible strips to create a curve around the wombs and to be warm white to simulate heat. Simulated warmth was important because the sculptures are made of wax and hand made abaca pulp from the Philippines, which makes them sensitive to temperature changes.”

You say in a statement about the piece that “the lighting in the space and the music…reinforce[s] the magical quality that many of us feel when confronting the wonders (or monsters?) of modern science.” How do you think the lighting helps to achieve this?

“LEDs are indicative of modernity and more and more everyday devices are incorporating built-in luminance as both a practical and an aesthetic feature. In nature, light predominately comes from the sky, therefore light from below has an eeriness which is indicative of humanity’s abstraction of nature.”

Without asking you to do the interpretation for us, how are the figures related to each other, in your view? Are they isolated? A community? What role does the lighting play in interpreting this piece?

“The humanoids are cooped up like livestock; some huddle for warmth, others try to escape. The round illumination both sustains and ensnares them. They were artificially inseminated so they have no mate outside of this space. They are all bound together under the same forced cohabitation, yet each alone.”

The final installation differs from the renderings, in that there are no silhouettes of the figures on the walls, and throughout there is just the warm white color of the lighting. What created these changes? Were there originally going to be elements of color and projection in the installation?

“I initially knew that I wanted lighting and shadow to play into this piece. I always wanted to have many more figures and the shadows would, in effect, duplicate their appearance. Unfortunately shadows are difficult to maintain in a windowed space with solar exposure, so the final execution was based on reenforcing the concept rather than multiplication of imagery.”

According to her statement, Amorós’s work “often makes use of sculpture, video, lighting and sound to create works that illuminate our notions of personal identity and community.” See more of this fascinating work at www.grimanesaamoros.com

Grimanesa Amoros's installation La Incubadora uses flexible LED strip lights.

Grimanesa Amoros's installation La Incubadora uses flexible LED strip lights.

Detail of the flexible LED lights used in La Incubadora.

Detail of the flexible LED lights used in La Incubadora.

Flexible LED strip lighting in the art installation "La Incubadora" by Grimanesa Amoros.

Flexible LED strip lighting in the art installation "La Incubadora" by Grimanesa Amoros.

Bend it Like Beckham, Light it with LEDs!

Published
by
Christine
on January 25, 2010
in Green-Eco-Friendly, Innovative Technology, International News and LED Lights
. 0 Comments

Soccer (or to some of you: football) fans rejoice! You may already know that the 2010 FIFA World Cup has been scheduled to take place June through July in South Africa, but you may not know that LED lights will play an integral role in ensuring that all soccer fans get the best view of what’s happening on the field. That’s because two of the World Cup soccer stadiums, the Nelson Mandela Bay in Port Elizabeth and the Mbombela stadium in Nelspruit, will offer new LED screens from Spectrum Visual Network, which will bring spectators the clearest-and most energy efficient-view of their favorite players on the field below. Each soccer stadium is capable of holding hundreds of thousands of fans, which means not all fans will be able to sit in an optimal viewing location. But thanks to the LED screens, every spectator will be treated to an unobstructed view of the game. Even better, because of their unparalleled brightness, LED screens provide the only technology that allow an image to be seen properly in daylight. Since most soccer games take place in the afternoon, this is an important feature. Also, LED light bulbs consume less energy, give off less heat, and last for up to 100,000 hours, which means reduced energy bills and maintenance costs for the stadiums. In fact, the LED screens are a key component in FIFA meeting its energy saving compliance requirements for 2010. Thanks to LEDs, the crowded stadium experience just got a lot more pleasant…now if only they could do something about those rowdy fans!

Coachella (and Cubatron) Countdown!

Published
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Christine
on January 22, 2010
in Creative-Uses, Innovative Technology and National News
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cubatron13I’m in countdown mode, and I’ll tell you why. We are less than 80 days away from one of the best music festivals this country (if not this world!) has to offer. Yes, I’m talking about Coachella Music and Arts festival, held in Indio, CA in April! Now, I’m not only this excited because Coachella’s 2010 music lineup looks amazing (and it does, believe me). I’m also dying to see what the art line up will look like this year. See, one of my favorite things about Coachella besides the music is the stellar interactive and visual art lineup the festival curates each year. And one of my favorite pieces of past lineups has been an LED light installation called the Cubatron. Created by Mark Lotter, the Cubatron is “a 3D LED light sculpture. It consists of 5 Modular Cubatron arranged in a rectangle 8×40 feet wide and 13 ft high. Each Modular Cubatron is made up of 1000 lights within an 8×8x8ft open aluminum frame. They sit on top of a 5ft high steel pipe platform. People can view from any direction or crawl underneath.” Each light is individually controllable by computer to any color and brightness level. (Thanks to Mr. Lotter for that explanation!) Needless to say, the Cubatron is visually stunning, and also a ton of fun for festival-goers to explore. I love it because it’s beautiful and interactive, and allows you to create a peaceful, reflective moment in your otherwise jam-packed, hectic day spent bouncing from concert to concert. And, of course, the Cubatron couldn’t exist without the wonderful technology of LED lights. Because of their lightweight and energy-efficient nature, Lotter was able to use LEDs to put together a sculpture that is relatively easy to set up and store, and doesn’t use a lot of power, all of which Coachella appreciates, I’m sure. If you get a chance to go to Coachella this year, be sure to keep an eye out for the Cubatron…you’ll be glad you did!

“Bright” Just Got Brighter

Published
by
Christine
on January 20, 2010
in Company News, LED Lights and Reviews
. 0 Comments

Sometimes, “bright” just isn’t bright enough. I can think of plenty of times when I’ve wanted just a little more light, whether it be when I’m chopping ingredients for a salad in the kitchen, or working on an especially tedious project in the garage. Luckily, here at Elemental LED, we carry just the product for those times when you need to illuminate your life a little more than usual: our High Density 12V Brighter Flexible LED Strip Light. First and foremost, this LED strip lighting offers all of the benefits of our standard Brighter Flexible LED Strip Light. It’s flexible and discreet, so it can fit in almost any nook or cranny, and is perfect for cabinet lighting, cove lighting, interior applications, exhibitions, project lighting, etc. Unlike our standard strip lighting, however, the  High Density LED Strip Light boasts  twice as many high-powered tri-chip LEDs as the standard, so it is four times as bright! While the standard Brighter Flexible LED Strip Light weighs in at 180 lumens per foot, the High Density 12v Brighter Flexible LED Strip Light packs a wallop at 290 lumens of brightness per foot! This means the light is brighter and also can travel further, so it’s great for lighting larger projects over a bigger area. Amazingly, though there are 3 LEDs for every 2 inches of strip lighting on the High Density LED Strip Light, the product uses only 4.4 watts of electricity per foot! Even better, this product is rated to last 50,000 hours, which is the equivalent of leaving the lights on 24 hours a day for 6 years ! This is great news for those of you who need high-powered lighting at a low cost to you and to our planet’s natural resources. So if you thought LEDs couldn’t fulfill your every lighting need, think again! Your prospects just got brighter with the High Density 12v Brighter Flexible LED Strip Light!