"The line between "bulb" and "fixture" gets blurry sometimes. Bulbs are generally replaceable commodity parts that simply produce light; fixtures distribute light for functional and aesthetic purposes, and may include the means to adjust that output. LED fixtures that don't use replaceable light sources or drivers are bulb-and-fixture in one indivisible package, providing the function of a fixture but eventually requiring complete replacement like a bulb. The good news is that LEDs and drivers can function for years without issue. The bad news is that they may outlive the commercial availability of the product they're in. The more specialized the product's function is, the less likely it is that an exact replacement will be around when that time comes.The Philips Ellipse has nice aesthetics. Based on the photos, it looks like their internal optic sheds some light in all directions to give it a general glow, while directing most of its light underneath - a good distribution for lighting dining tables and the like. A screw-in replacement with similar aesthetics and indirect/direct distribution may not be around in 12 years when these start to fail. In contrast, I expect my grandparents' PH5 pendant to outlive me."

"Light fixtures that use A19 bulbs generally expect those bulbs to be omni-directional light sources, and are designed accordingly. A compact directional LED bulb will look fine in some cases and clearly wrong in others. There may be situations where the 'Incredibulb' would be appropriate, but this seems more like marketing than design. LED bulbs with hard plastic diffusers are common and very inexpensive. Even if a hard plastic bulb is subjected to an impact sufficient to break the diffuser, the resulting plastic pieces aren't the hazard that broken glass is. And just because the bulb can take the impact, that doesn't mean the light fixture can."

"This is not a consumer product, it doesn't need to visually compete. It needs to do its job well. If this purpose-built vehicle looks the way it does to better serve its function, I'm all for it."

"Howard, using "virtue signalling" as an insult isn't substantive. Nor is insulting someone who is insulting a thing you don't find insulting, Luke. If you're going to criticize, stick with criticism. It will get your critique beyond your own ears.I happen to agree that this article is inappropriate for Core77. If it were part of a larger article examining design within activist or political movements, or had some design context within which to comment, then great! The design context here is tenuously thin, though; it's only going to polarize.As for the "Alt-Left BS"...there is no group that proclaims itself "Alt-Left". The term is primarily a creation of the Alt-Right, which it uses to deride its opponents and create a semblance of equivalence (especially when equivalence is absent). Radical leftist groups do exist. You don't have to be left OR radical to oppose white nationalism."

"The reduced carbon footprint of the new packaging is laudable. Unless Swiss-Miss is taking used containers back themselves, the overwhelming majority of them are likely to face the same fate as their old packages: buried or burned."

"Artemide hasn't done anyone any favors by obfuscating the spectrums these fixtures actually operate within and when - not to mention being very short on details in general. Similar articles to this one have been quick to jump on the "Integralis UVC" version, but Artemide's marketing suggests they're using 405 nm disinfection at least as much. 405 nm disinfection is sometimes referred to as "near UV" and is just narrowly within the visible range. It's a disinfection technology that is in its infancy: it has shown some promise in laboratory tests, but inconsistent results in hospital application. It is also uncomfortable to look at at the outputs required for it to be effective within a reasonable time frame, looking not just violet but a moving noisy violet, presumably because it sits right on that edge of our visible acuity. They are wise to try to modulate it, though even blended with white light and at lower outputs I wouldn't call the resulting light "white". Conversely, UVC is well known, effective, invisible, and dangerous. Most common building materials absorb UVC, so UVC emitters can only be effective within line-of-sight. Likewise, the emitters themselves are limited in the materials that can be used in their construction and maintenance since UVC is so readily absorbed. As such, UVC emitters tend to be purpose-built.Both technologies are good to have in our arsenal, but both require proper understanding to implement. Disinfection doesn't happen by accident, it has to be planed for, maintained, and confirmed. I hope commercial architects don't seize on these fixtures and fixtures like them as easy solutions. They are a commitment."

"Marc,There are valid reasons to criticize the open primary system you describe, many of which boil down to vote splitting. Any party that fields too many candidates risks not having any make it to the runoff, potentially leaving only candidates that poorly reflect the electorate from which to choose.Your case is not that case, though. Looking through recent Massachusetts voter registration and presidential voting records shows that you happen to live somewhere where active Democratic voters outnumber active Republican voters by at least a factor of 4 (a factor of 6 if you look at the 2016 presidential election results). As much as it might pain you to see, a mayoral primary that leaves you with two Democrats to vote for probably just reflects the political makeup of your fair city, not any designed attempt to steal the seat. In fact, that result could even be considered more democratic (small 'd') precisely because it matches Boston's population better.If you think Boston's borders were drawn to affect the mix of its constituents for maximum political gain, well, that would be gerrymandering. I seem to remember seeing an infographic that clearly exemplifies how gerrymandering works; I'll link it if I can find it again."

"Lovely, but note what you don't see:- Circline lamps require ballasts. Somewhere along the length of that cable must be a brick to contain it.- Circline lamps are rarely flawless objects themselves. There will be writing on the bulb denoting its manufacturer, wattage, and color temperature. The plastic power connection segment tends to be crudely manufactured without aesthetics in mind. The lamp will developing dark blemishes near its ends over time. All things to note when putting the bulb on such a nice pedestal, bare to the world from every angle."