If California Assemblyman Lloyd Levine has his way, light bulbs could be made illegal in the state of California. Well, at least the grossly inefficient incandescent variety. Instead they would be replaced by much more energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs or LED bulbs. "Incandescent lightbulbs were first developed almost 125 years ago, and since that time they have undergone no major modifications... Meanwhile, they remain incredibly inefficient, converting only about 5 percent of the energy they receive into light," Assemblyman Levine said on Tuesday. Dubbed the "How Many Legislators Does it Take to Change a Lightbulb Act", the bill could be introduced to the California state legislature as early as this week. If adopted, Californians would see the complete phasing out of incandescent lighting by 2012.


California may ban conventional lightbulbs by 2012 [via Hugg]
gadgets, news, environment

gadgets, media player, mp3, Apple, iPod Shuffle

Unfortunately, I am too young to have experienced the pinnacle of the arcade era, instead only catching the tail end of the arcade's life. Fortunately, I did get to experience arcades before they were downsized and relegated to movie theater lobbies, putt putt courses, and back rooms at bowling allies. (Kids these days have no clue what they are missing.) Of all the games that I dumped pockets full of quarters into, my favorite are still pinball machines. There is something about the seemingly simple, yet endlessly complex games that just draws me in. If you are like me and hold a special place in your heart for pinball machines (or just enjoy retro-gaming), then you will get a kick out of ExtremeTech's photo tour of the Las Vegas Pinball Hall of Fame. Founded in 2006 by ex-arcade owner Tim Arnold, it is an excellent look at the past and present of the classic arcade staple. From the looks of the tour, the Pinball Hall of Fame is definitely worth stopping by the next time you're in Vegas. 

Pinball Hall of Fame Slideshow [via RetroBlast!]
Las Vegas Pinball Hall of Fame

 gadgets, pinball, arcades

I have to admit, I am not a big camera geek. Most of the digital cameras coming out lately all seem the same to me. What caught my eye about the new Olympus Stylus 770 SW is that it is the toughest freaking camera pocket shooter that I have ever seen. In a world where pocket shooters are pretty much all the same (go to any store's camera department and you'll see what I mean), the 770 SW sets itself apart by being nigh indestructible. You can take this beast swimming or snorkeling down to depths of 33 feet (no more of those damn underwater disposables, just take your digi-cam with you), drop it from up to 5 feet, crush it under 220 lbs and it will still take amazing pictures just like the day you bought it. (At least thats what the marketing materials say, I would love to get one of these and put it through the ringer.) The Stylus 770 SW looks like it is the perfect camera for anyone with an active lifestyle (or that is incredibly tough on their gadgets).


Product Page [via Gizmodo]
gadgets, cameras, underwater, Olympus, Stylus 770 SW