So, I’ve embedded a video below of CNN’s Holograms that I posted earlier this week.  They looked okay, but as the technology improves, I know they will look better.  Check out the video - the holograms are towards the end.

Gotham Lighting Recalls Compact Fluorescent Recessed Ceiling Lights; Can Fail to Work in an Emergency

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Products: Gotham Compact Fluorescent Downlights (Recessed Ceiling Lights)

Units: About 30,000

Manufacturer: Gotham Lighting, of Conyers, Ga.

Hazard: The relay on the backup battery of the lights could be programmed incorrectly and prevent the lights from functioning in an emergency.

Incidents/Injuries: No injuries have been reported.

Description: Only Gotham Compact Fluorescent Downlights sold with the optional backup battery pack are included in the recall. The lights are recessed ceiling lights that were manufactured between November 1, 2007 and July 31, 2008.

Sold by: Electrical distributors and sales representatives nationwide from November 2007 through July 2008 for between $250 and $350.

Manufactured in: United States and China

Remedy: Consumers should inspect the fixtures immediately and contact Gotham Lighting to receive a repair for the light fixture.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Gotham Lighting at (800) 315-4982 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.gothamlighting.com

I had no idea about this until Ame Strong from Rosco Labs informed me of the program - Rosco has three colors of Lux that, when you purchase them, create donations for charity organizations.  That is awesome.

Rosco #313 (Light Relief Yellow), #359 (Medium Violet), and #361 (Hemsley Blue) are all representative of the charities that they support.  This is a great program - Light Relief and Behind the Scenes are organizations that help to support lighting designers in financial distress, and The Hemsley Grant is an internship program with the New York CIty Opera.  These are great programs - I had no idea about these, and since I have been known to use R359, I feel great about it!

Here’s some information from the Rosco site about the three color program:

#313 Light Relief Yellow
Light Relief Charity
www.lightrelief.org.uk/

Light Relief Yellow 313 was created by Rick Fisher on behalf of the Light Relief charity, the objective being threefold; to offer additional exposure to this important endeavor, to provide a revenue stream to the charity and to offer a new color to designers everywhere.

When asked about the choice of color, Fisher said “I wanted the Light Relief yellow to be a warm late afternoon sunny color. So many yellows look harsh or acidic. Light Relief yellow is a good bridge between the pale straw shades and the ambers we use all the time”. Fisher also commented, “I am thrilled to be working with this wonderful initiative of Rosco’s to benefit Light Relief and bring about a new addition to the their color range”.
#359 Medium Violet
Behind the Scenes
www.estafoundation.org/bts.htm

Behind the Scenes provides financial support to entertainment technology industry professionals when they are ill or injured. Individuals and organizations contribute money to the program, and Behind the Scenes provides grants for emergency situations. With this initiative, our industry can make sure our colleagues are cared for when tragedy strikes.

Many people in the entertainment technology industry lack health insurance and other financial support systems that are common for professionals in other fields. Behind the Scenes helps industry members through crises, such as serious illness, injury or death by fitting each grant to the recipient’s needs. Funds can be used for medical care and living expenses such as rent, mortgage, utilities, food, transportation and child care.

#361 Hemsley Blue
Hemsley Lighting Programs
www.hemsleylightingprograms.com/ob/gvh/home/

Mark Stanley, resident Lighting Director for the New York City Ballet and Associate Professor at Boston University, designed this color as a memorial to his mentor, the late Gilbert Hemsley. Mark Stanley said: “Gilbert had an extraordinary sense of color and was a particular fan of blues. We needed a blue filter similar to those Gilbert used on the older Leko’s - but updated for modern fixtures.

This new filter is a beautiful cold blue that won’t turn muddy when dimmed. It’s right out of Lake Mendota in Madison. The fact that every purchase will benefit the Hemsley Lighting Program is a gracious tribute by Rosco to Gilbert’s spirit and legacy”.

So, a company called Luxim has invented a tic-tac sized lamp that contains argon at its center, a component called a “puck,” and a dielectric embedded structure that heats the argon to over 6000° K - making it so unbelievably bright for its size.  A source that uses plasma to generate light.

Could we be on the verge of something amazing here?  It certainly looks that way:

The plasma bulb uses 250 watts, and achieves around 140 lumens per watt, making it very bright and highly efficient. By comparison, conventional lightbulbs and high-end LEDs get around 15 and 70 lumens per watt, respectively.

“A key advantage is that the energy is driven into the bulb without any electrodes, so you don’t need any electrical connections to get the energy into the bulb,” Luxim CEO Tony McGettigan explained to ZDNet.

Check out articles at CNet and Physorg.

Looks like PRG is suing Martin Lighting for some sort of patent infringement.  According to the article from the great folk at PLSN:

Court documents filed on July 15 at the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York cite 20 counts of patent infringement. They include the assignable macro functions and other user interface features for Martin Maxxyz consoles, pixel-based gobo record control format for Martin Maxedia media servers and the lamp and three-color digital gobo system for Martin MAC luminaires.

Let’s hope there is more info about this in the near future.

Jim On Light has moved to Colorado. Expect to see some mountain view images on here from time to time… One of my goals in life is to get my own shot of those gorgeous hidden mountain peaks and green valleys I grew up seeing in my childhood. Realizing those kinds of things is awesome.

For those of you touring folk and Wii fans, I’m giving away a 2000-point Wii card on my Wii fan blog. We never had a Wii on our Prevost, but we always had a PS2. How many of the touring lighting family have Wiis onboard?