The Lightbulb: When Evolution Is A Record Skip
I love technology and, ecological concerns aside, I love the speed at which technology evolves. This year’s cell phone is not the cell phone of three years ago, iPhone excluded. I even love the jankiness of beta tests. The evolution of technology is a grand story consisting of imperfect inventions becoming less imperfect (usually). And then there is the lightbulb.
The lightbulb has changed little in the 145 years of its existence. Filament, glass bulb, electricity, glow. The story of the lightbulb has largely been a non-story. That is, until the LED.
The LED lightbulb is a record scratch. A jarring shift from a ballad to a thumping rap song. Where traditional lightbulbs were relatively inefficient (at least when compared to its predecessor), fragile, and had a short life span, LEDs use less electricity, sturdy, and can last for years. Not to mention the ability to turn them on and off from your phone and changes colors as your mood desires.
Now, the United States has effectively banned the incandescent bulb. It is the beginning of the end of the longest chapter in the history of technology. While the rest of the technological world spun forward at breakneck speed the lightbulb didn’t move for nearly 150 years.
