In 2011, the government launched a $10M award termed the “L Prize” to be awarded to any manufacturer that could create a “green” and affordable light bulb.  Affordable was defined as costing $22 or less the first year, $15 the second year and $8 or less the third year.  The bulb had a “Buy America” provision requiring that portions of the bulb be manufactured in this country.

Well, soon you can run out and buy one for yourselves.  For the low price of $50 per bulb.  Wait!  $50.  !!@@!ELEV3NTY!@!@ What happened to the $22 bulb (makes me think: Twenty two thousand big ones, Alex! Paying $22 for a freakin’ light bulb)? It’s kind of unknown how this bulb won the $10M prize.  There are other LED bulbs that cost less so it is baffling as to why Philips was awarded the prize. 

I suspect it’s because the DOE and Secretary Chu just can’t figure things out.  Failed solar energy companies with billions of taxpayer funds, failed “green” car companies, etc. etc.  So why not give $10M to a company that produces a product that DOES NOT meet the criteria for the prize.  Makes perfect sense.  Philips claims the higher prices is due to the result of having a more energy efficient bulb than the contest prescribed (10W vs. 12.5W) and they claim it is brighter, produces better colors and lasts longer.

Well, at least with LED bulbs one doesn’t have to recycle them in such a way that baffles GorT.  If you recall, I live in Montgomery County, MD.  The county that instituted a 5-cent per bag tax.  Well, GorT found himself with two dead CFL bulbs a few weeks ago and was making a trip to Home Depot.  I remembered that Home Depot had a collection station for dead CFLs, so I brought them along.  Per the instructions on the container, I had to put each bulb in an individual quart-sized plastic bag (provided at the store) and drop it into a container.  So for every CFL bulb – that the government is forcing us to move towards (or towards the more expensive LED options) by federal mandate – we need to dispose of with a plastic bag.  I’m waiting for our wonder-boy governor to institute a 5-cent tax on those bags too.

GorT

GorT is an eight-foot-tall robot from the 51ˢᵗ Century who routinely time-travels to steal expensive technology from the future and return it to the past for retroinvention. The profits from this pay all the Gormogons’ bills, including subsidizing this website. Some of the products he has introduced from the future include oven mitts, the Guinness widget, Oxy-Clean, and Dr. Pepper. Due to his immense cybernetic brain, GorT is able to produce a post in 0.023 seconds and research it in even less time. Only ’Puter spends less time on research. GorT speaks entirely in zeros and ones, but occasionally throws in a ڭ to annoy the Volgi. He is a massive proponent of science, technology, and energy development, and enjoys nothing more than taking the Czar’s more interesting scientific theories, going into the past, publishing them as his own, and then returning to take credit for them. He is the only Gormogon who is capable of doing math. Possessed of incredible strength, he understands the awesome responsibility that follows and only uses it to hurt people.