light

Being of the green ilk here at Crave, we fully support the notion of solar lighting (especially if it keeps out co-workers from exhibiting any violent tendencies). We're even willing to tolerate models born of questionable taste. But we must draw the line at gadgets that resemble killer mollusks.

The "Place-Anywhere Articulated Solar Light" may sound innocuous enough, but don't be fooled. By its own admission, this product bears "two independent telescoping stalks, similar to a snail's ommatophores." That would be snail eyes, as every schoolboy knows. Whatever they're called, they can … Read more

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--When starting a business, it's important to create a product that solves a problem. A small start-up is tackling a big dilemma: 2 billion people in the world don't have access to electricity.

Here at Launch: Silicon Valley at the Microsoft campus, 30 start-ups are pitching social-media products or software as a service. D.light Design is thinking a bit more globally.

D.light Design was born out of a Stanford University class project, and it currently has five employees. Chief Executive Sam Goldman spent four years in the Peace Corps in West Africa, where … Read more

Admit it--you know you loved the conspiracy-theory kitsch of Men In Black. (Can you believe it's been 10 years since that movie came out?) And you know you love this Abduction Lamp, too. Designed by Lasse Klein and licensed under the Creative Commons standard, this is probably one of the most clever light fixtures we've ever written up on Crave; and for the record, we see a lot of them.

Here's how it works. There's a light bulb inside the supremely awesome metal UFO on top, which illuminates the windows and the mysterious aliens inside. Because … Read more

Researchers at the University of Illinois got a bright idea. They developed a form of lighting that's more efficient than standard incandescent bulbs. And it's lighter and thinner than current fluorescent lights, which require a ballast and glass tubes. The diagram above shows how the researchers' aluminum foil-based "microcavity" plasma system works to produce light.

The researchers say their lighting system would look like a luminous, flat screen that could hang on walls in residential and commercial locations. The technology would even allow for curved and flexible versions of the lights, which could fit a wide … Read more

One of the most noticeable trends at this year's ICFF was the prevalence of nature-inspired design, whether it be pillows with birds printed on them or wall fixtures with antlers. There was also, predictably, a heck of a lot of "green" design and LED lighting. This prototype, called the Corona Solar Light, was one of my favorites.

Designed by Shane Kohatsu and Emi Fujita, these are long skinny outdoor lights that resemble sunflowers or some other kind of tall, long-stemmed plant. In the "head" is a solar panel, which charges the light during the day … Read more

Sometimes we get the feeling that we missed our calling in life. Rather than writing about gadgets, or anything else for that matter, we could easily see ourselves working for an outfit called something like "The Lazy Store" or "Remotes R Us."

But as long as we have to rely on a day job, our passion will have to be confined to featuring such items as the "RemoteLinc," which can control a variety of household staples--electronics, kitchen appliances, the garage door, for example--from anywhere in the home. Ubergizmo says the remote can even be … Read more

To me, the Illupillow looks kind of like a stingray, or maybe a flattened squishy submarine with a periscope. However, it's actually quite a cool piece of furniture, in my opinion. The giant pillow is designed to accommodate comfy floor-sprawling, with the cordless light attached so that you can read in the dark. I'm assuming it's battery-powered. Also--I'm not positive, because the product page is in Italian--it looks like the light is flexible, so you can move it out of the way if you want to use the Illupillow for non-reading laziness.

It's a creation … Read more

We all need these in our lives--colorful, squishy light bulbs. These are the sexy little Tykho fluorescent lights, designed by Marc Berthier for Lexon; they come in a variety of colors, and have a flexible silicon rubber exterior that...squishes. Aren't they adorable? Tykho lights can be powered by either four AA batteries or an AC adapter.

Unfortunately, they're about $60 per bulb. A tad much, if you ask me. I'll stick to plain old boring lighting for now. Booooo.

(Via Technabob)

There are certain gadgets that make me wish I had a swimming pool. Namely, pirate ships, remote-controlled water cannons, and Robo-Shark. Then there's this one, the floating jellyfish pool light.

They're pretty much completely awesome; the top lights up and changes color, and the tentacles are made of glowing fiber optics. They'd be the perfect decoration for all your pool parties! Unfortunately, they aren't remote-controlled, nor do they squirt water at people. That's why I classify them as "pretty much completely awesome" rather than "completely awesome."

The price, at $59 a … Read more