Nothing soft and warm about this $120 bulb
Led lighting
I appreciate that we are living in a recession and all that, but is a soft, warm light bulb - even if costs a few dollars more to operate than a fluorescent - too much to ask for?
There are a lot of reasons to switch back to Edison's originals, even if you have to go on the black market to get them. Here's one: When an incandescent bulb breaks, you don't need a haz-mat team to clean up.
Fluorescent bulbs contain mercury. If one of them breaks, the EPA suggests that you clear the room for 15 minutes to let the poison dissipate. This is progress?
C. Crane (www.ccrane.com/), the suburban survivalist store best known for its wind-up emergency radios, now sells LED light bulbs, which do not contain mercury. They're shaped to resemble Edison's originals - as opposed to LEDs, whose twirled design makes them look like fake dog poop.
Despite the upfront cost, a 7.5-watt LED GeoBulb from C. Crane will cost a fraction to operate than either an incandescent or a fluorescent bulb. Ah, but therein lies the rub: LED bulbs are stupendously expensive at the moment. One GeoBulb will set you back about $120.
C. Crane is hoping to kick-start its LED bulb business with some generous help from customers. It's a wacky business proposal, which only C. Crane could make to its cult following: In exchange for paying more for a bulb today than you might in a few years, C. Crane can offer you nothing more than a simple thank you in its catalog.
Nor does the GeoBulb emit the most natural-looking light you have experienced. My wife, Lisa, is the energy-conscious member of the family, switching off lights as fast as I can put them on. But when I replaced a standard incandescent bulb in her desk lamp with a GeoBulb, she protested. She found the light from all of the GeoBulbs - soft, warm or cool - too garish for reading or for illuminating her keyboard.
Radio-frequency identification
PayPass turns phone into a payment tool
If you're as mad as I am for all things RFID, take a look at the PayPass Sticker, which turns any phone into a wireless payment device.MasterCard is pushing the sticker (which you can tack on any device or on your Moleskine notebook - it doesn't matter) as a bridge to mobile phones that will come with NFC, or Near Field Communication, built in.
You can order PayPass at Blaze Mobile (www.blazewallet.com/).
The PayPass Sticker works just like any other PayPass device: You can use it to make tap-and-go purchases at CVS, Best Buy, and some fast-food joints.
But read the fine print: The sticker might peel the finish off of your phone if you decide to remove it, or interfere with phone reception. And you'll need to open a prepaid account through Blaze Mobile to use the sticker. 