Electric Cars and LEDs

To the left is a three-quarters view of a golf cart, next to a blue, frowning light bulb. On the right is a white sports car next to an orange, smiling light bulb

Here’s the scenario: you finally decide to trade in your car for new one, and make the decision to go electric. You’re thinking you’ll get a Tesla: high tech, fast, beautiful and long range.  But without knowing it, you bought a golf cart.  It’s electric, like a Tesla.  What’s the difference? “We’re getting LEDs.” When […]

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The Best & Worst Light Bulb

A closeup of a square shaded lamp with the lightbulb on

I finally found it: a light bulb that performs just like the beloved 60-watt incandescent. And I am very, very unhappy.  Angry. Because this pack of bulbs costs me $4 to buy but will lock me in to spending an extra $300 over the next decade.  And that’s not the only downside.  Let me explain. I […]

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Is Smart Lighting a Dumb Idea?

A wood finished attic room with a desk on the left with a chair and computer and purple lighted lamp

No. Er, Yes. Wait a minute, is this a trick question? Retailers and websites are hawking new smart gadgets for our homes incessantly, essentially trying to do what Apple did for smart phones: make them cost a whole lot more. There are smart coffee makers, smart pet feeders, smart doorbells, smart thermostats, smart irrigation systems, […]

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Don’t Mock Me

A window with four panes in a wooden wall, lit from above with tape LED lights, it's dark outside

Light is a tricky substance.  You cannot hear it, taste it, feel it, or smell it.  You can only see light when it comes directly into your eyes or bounces off of something.  It is predictable, so long as you can memorize the trillions of possibilities and recall the correct answer. I can’t. Lighting design […]

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Houzz, Bulbs, & Photos

A brightly lit modern kitchen with drawings of three people doing various tasks in it

My latest story from Houzz.com shares the same information from my light bulb buying guide but in National Geographic Style (lots of pretty pictures).  I think that helps the medicine go down a bit better! Read my version of the story. A Lighting Pro’s 5 Tips for Buying LED Bulbs […]

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Buying Guides: Under Cabinet LEDs

A photograph of LED strip lights being compared to a quarter, which is presented for size and scale.

Straight from the depths of the mind of a lighting designer, here comes another fascinating, edge-of-your-seat, page-turning buying guide for the most exciting of all light fixtures: under-cabinet LED tape light.  Oh yeah! Buying LED tape light (those tiny flexible LED strips with adhesive backing) would be easier if it weren’t for the seemingly endless […]

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Light Can Help You