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Sadly, the article didn't mention one big problem that will become worse and worse going forward: incandescent bulbs are on the way out. I have a lava lamp tha

Sadly, the article didn't mention one big problem that will become worse and worse going forward: incandescent bulbs are on the way out. I have a lava lamp that uses a 40 W "appliance light bulb" as a light and heat source. I haven't been able to buy a "frosted" appliance bulb in a number of years. I was able to buy a "clear" bulb a while ago, but the light isn't quite as pleasant from it. And in a few years I'm sure all incandescent bulbs will go the way of the Dodo bird.

egypturnash 12y ago
Awaiting the redesign that uses a heating coil combined with LED lights that can be tuned to any color.
- SwellJoe 12y ago
  This was my immediate thought a few paragraphs in. In my head, I was thinking, "That wastes a lot of energy, and you have to pick your color at purchase time." Why not formulate a combination of fluids that requires less heat to operate, and use a multicolor LED for infinite colors?
KC8ZKF 12y ago
http://www.amazon.com/APPLIANCE-LIGHT-FROSTED-INCANDESCENT-VOLTS/dp/B000STFXZU http://www.amazon.com/APPLIANCE-LIGHT-FROSTED-INCANDESCENT-V...
- PhantomGremlin 12y ago
  Thanks for the pointer. I see that the bulborama website (the actual seller on Amazon) has lots of obscure bulbs. I love LED lightbulbs, e.g. the Philips 60 W equivalents I've been buying. But for some applications the older incandescents and halogens are better.
tomjen3 12y ago
That is the fault of the EU, they banned sales of incandesent lightbulbs in order to be green. Meanwhile the retards move back and fourth between two cities every 6 months and fly all over Europe.
- tormeh 12y ago
  That's the fault of the French. Insert Monty Python joke here.
- SwellJoe 12y ago
  Is the word "retard" really a necessary or useful addition to this sentence? It is roughly the equivalent of calling someone "nigger" or "faggot" as an insult. When used in this way it is demeaning to the developmentally disabled. I understand that this is somewhat common usage on the Internet at large, but I believe we'd all like to see Hacker News be better than the Internet at large. And, I'm sure you don't intend harm or insult anyway (other than the "people who move back and fourth between two cities"); but, the harm is there, whether intended or not.
  - tomjen3 12y ago
    Unless you are developmentally challenged you should not comment on whether things are offensive. Lets not turn HN into tumblr.
    - SwellJoe 12y ago
      So, I can't call out racism when I see it? Can't call out misogyny in a conversation with only men in it? Can't call out oppressive language in any circumstance unless I am directly effected by it? No, I don't think that's the way it works, and it's not the way it should work. I hit the privilege lottery: I'm white, male, able-bodied, middle class, American. If I'm unwilling to call oppression what it is, I'm empowering the oppressive behavior. I believe my request was polite and stated without malice or (much) judgment. I would ask you to consider where your desire to argue with that request comes from.
- 12y ago
ghaff 12y ago
Thanks for the reminder that I should pickup a few spares for my lava lamps while it's still at least somewhat possible to do so!
jgeorge 12y ago
I've had a rough design for something like this in my notes for a while now, under the heading "what do to when you can't buy incandescent bulbs anymore?" It's a serious concern for me as my collection of 30 or so Lava Lamps (from the 70s through modern ones) are far less interesting when they're cold.

egypturnash 12y ago

Awaiting the redesign that uses a heating coil combined with LED lights that can be tuned to any color.

SwellJoe 12y ago
This was my immediate thought a few paragraphs in. In my head, I was thinking, "That wastes a lot of energy, and you have to pick your color at purchase time." Why not formulate a combination of fluids that requires less heat to operate, and use a multicolor LED for infinite colors?

KC8ZKF 12y ago

http://www.amazon.com/APPLIANCE-LIGHT-FROSTED-INCANDESCENT-VOLTS/dp/B000STFXZU http://www.amazon.com/APPLIANCE-LIGHT-FROSTED-INCANDESCENT-V...

PhantomGremlin 12y ago
Thanks for the pointer. I see that the bulborama website (the actual seller on Amazon) has lots of obscure bulbs. I love LED lightbulbs, e.g. the Philips 60 W equivalents I've been buying. But for some applications the older incandescents and halogens are better.

tomjen3 12y ago

That is the fault of the EU, they banned sales of incandesent lightbulbs in order to be green. Meanwhile the retards move back and fourth between two cities every 6 months and fly all over Europe.

tormeh 12y ago
That's the fault of the French. Insert Monty Python joke here.
SwellJoe 12y ago
Is the word "retard" really a necessary or useful addition to this sentence? It is roughly the equivalent of calling someone "nigger" or "faggot" as an insult. When used in this way it is demeaning to the developmentally disabled. I understand that this is somewhat common usage on the Internet at large, but I believe we'd all like to see Hacker News be better than the Internet at large. And, I'm sure you don't intend harm or insult anyway (other than the "people who move back and fourth between two cities"); but, the harm is there, whether intended or not.
- tomjen3 12y ago
  Unless you are developmentally challenged you should not comment on whether things are offensive. Lets not turn HN into tumblr.
  - SwellJoe 12y ago
    So, I can't call out racism when I see it? Can't call out misogyny in a conversation with only men in it? Can't call out oppressive language in any circumstance unless I am directly effected by it? No, I don't think that's the way it works, and it's not the way it should work. I hit the privilege lottery: I'm white, male, able-bodied, middle class, American. If I'm unwilling to call oppression what it is, I'm empowering the oppressive behavior. I believe my request was polite and stated without malice or (much) judgment. I would ask you to consider where your desire to argue with that request comes from.
12y ago

ghaff 12y ago

Thanks for the reminder that I should pickup a few spares for my lava lamps while it's still at least somewhat possible to do so!

jgeorge 12y ago

I've had a rough design for something like this in my notes for a while now, under the heading "what do to when you can't buy incandescent bulbs anymore?" It's a serious concern for me as my collection of 30 or so Lava Lamps (from the 70s through modern ones) are far less interesting when they're cold.