nightlight
Latest
IllumiBowl's latest toilet light also kills germs
IllumiBowl's motion-activated, multi-color toilet night light may have seemed like a silly idea when it first launched, but don't laugh -- it's a practical solution if you'd rather not flick on the regular bathroom light (and momentarily blind yourself) just to do your business. And it appears that enough people bought into the concept to warrant a sequel. The company is crowdfunding a second-generation IllumiBowl light that adds anti-germ cleaning to the mix. The new gadget includes a diode whose "highly focused" non-ultraviolet light kills bacteria without hurting humans. This doesn't mean that your toilet will suddenly be sterile, but it may set your mind at ease in between bowl scrubbing sessions.
Windows 10 finally displays download progress for purchased apps
Turns out that Game Mode and streaming via Windows 10's built-in Beam app were only the tip of the update iceberg. A post on the Windows 10 blog also details a handful of extra additions for folks in the Windows Insider program.
Google Play Books new blue light filter reduces eye strain
Google's usage research indicates that most of us do a majority of our reading between 8 and 10 pm -- you know right before bed. But doing so in a dimly-lit bedroom can wreak havoc on your eyes, not to mention your circadian rhythm. That's why Google's newest update to its Play Books app includes a new feature called Night Light.
Analog TV says goodnight
Did you catch the sound of a falling tree in an empty woods this past weekend? In case you didn't hear it, analog "nightlight" transmissions went dark Sunday -- which amounted to 121 stations in 87 markets signing off for the last time. Absent the nightlight info screens, rock-dwellers will now have to emerge from their hermitages to figure out what happened to their TVs, but as we say in the 21st century, "them's the breaks." Aside from areas being served by analog translator and/or low power service, this marks the end of the analog broadcast TV era. Way to go, America -- we haven't heard any reports of riots or mass hysteria, and we'd dare say the citizenry handled this tech transition better than the millenium bug.
FCC proposes Analog Nightlight Act to keep old spectrum on 30 day life support
As most of you know by now, February 17 is the cutoff date for analog television in the US... or is it? The FCC has proposed the Short-term Analog Flash and Emergency Readiness Act (SAFER -- get it?), a.k.a. the Analog Nightlight Act, which lets full-power TV stations keep broadcasting on the antiquated spectrum for 30 days after the DTV transition. The idea came from a similar program used with Wilmington, North Carolina's early shutoff back in September. Of course, the proposed programming is a bit dry -- public safety messages and information on the transition -- but we hear the finale will rival The Sopranos' sendoff. Hit up the read link and see if any of your local stations are on the list of proposed nightlights.[Via Ars Technica]
PEGA Look@Me emoticon keyboard and other ASUS-funded product concepts
Asus' R&D design studio, PEGA, looks to be coming up with some surprising product concepts as part of its Between On & Off exhibition. We're betting that none of these will ever see the light of day, but we're intrigued -- and prematurely annoyed -- by the Look@Me emoticon keyboard. Stocked with 40 emoticon bits (eyes, mouths, noses), the keyboard allows users to express their emotions on a more regular basis, if that's possible. Other concepts include Embrace, a night light that emits as much light as you have opened the book; JustDrawIt!, a power management device that visualizes on / off settings for appliances with a pen; and the On&On bench that doubles as a solar charger. Sadly, the exhibition is over, but check the gallery below for some of PEGA's other concepts.%Gallery-23787%[Via OhGizmo]
iMac nightlight
What do you do when you're an artist and your lime iMac dies? Why, you get yourself to Ikea, pick up some lights, scoop out the iMac's guts, and make an iMac night light. The translucent plastic that is no longer in vogue these days looks fantastic light from within, if you ask me.[via MAKE: Blog]
