We Ruined Status LEDs; Here’s Why That Needs to Change(hackaday.com)
hackaday.com
We Ruined Status LEDs; Here’s Why That Needs to Change
https://hackaday.com/2020/02/20/we-ruined-status-leds-heres-why-that-needs-to-change/
38 comments
Yep. My Sony headset too. The WH-1000XM3. Once, this blinking blue led messed up with the dreams of the person sleeping next to me. Turn it on? Blinking forever. Pair it? Fast blink for almost 10 seconds, then blink again for a while. Trigger an action by mistake or because of your sweat through its touch interface? Blink 6 times, slowly. That last one is particularly crazy, there's already an audio feedback for this, no need to tell the world I decreased the volume of my headset one step.
It also screams loudly and for long times whenever I power it on and when I want to switch the ambient noise mode. At the point it can be heard by someone close, despite the closed design. Especially that the default is active noise cancelling, and it's broken most of the time, making a loud blow noise in one hear, and that the mode in the middle, that badly recreates the noise around, for which I have no use. Tough luck if the device establish a Bluetooth connection when it's speaking, it cancels the operation and the process needs to be done again. Please, please remember the last mode I used, this is the one I most probably want to use next time.
This device is gratuitously both noisy and very luminous. The latter can be somewhat fixed with some good electrical tape, the later requires a mobile app I can't install and it would disable any feedback, and reverts next time it needs to be reset. Despite its comfort and good sound, when it dies, I'll probably buy something else.
But I have to admit, a blinking eye mask has to be a whole level of craziness higher.
It also screams loudly and for long times whenever I power it on and when I want to switch the ambient noise mode. At the point it can be heard by someone close, despite the closed design. Especially that the default is active noise cancelling, and it's broken most of the time, making a loud blow noise in one hear, and that the mode in the middle, that badly recreates the noise around, for which I have no use. Tough luck if the device establish a Bluetooth connection when it's speaking, it cancels the operation and the process needs to be done again. Please, please remember the last mode I used, this is the one I most probably want to use next time.
This device is gratuitously both noisy and very luminous. The latter can be somewhat fixed with some good electrical tape, the later requires a mobile app I can't install and it would disable any feedback, and reverts next time it needs to be reset. Despite its comfort and good sound, when it dies, I'll probably buy something else.
But I have to admit, a blinking eye mask has to be a whole level of craziness higher.
> It also screams loudly and for long times whenever I power it on and when I want to switch the ambient noise mode.
You can disable that through the Android app.
> default is active noise cancelling, and it's broken most of the time
That's not my experience. Wonder if that was since the start as for me the noise cancelling is the sole reason I have it. If you want great sound quality it's often advised to buy something that's solely made for sound.
> The latter can be somewhat fixed with some good electrical tape
I've used "write everywhere pens" on annoying LEDs. Though up to now only on low-value devices (smoke alarms). This as I am terrible at only covering the LED, I often by accident write the area around it as well. You could cover everything except for the LED with some tape to prevent this though.
You can disable that through the Android app.
> default is active noise cancelling, and it's broken most of the time
That's not my experience. Wonder if that was since the start as for me the noise cancelling is the sole reason I have it. If you want great sound quality it's often advised to buy something that's solely made for sound.
> The latter can be somewhat fixed with some good electrical tape
I've used "write everywhere pens" on annoying LEDs. Though up to now only on low-value devices (smoke alarms). This as I am terrible at only covering the LED, I often by accident write the area around it as well. You could cover everything except for the LED with some tape to prevent this though.
The XM4s have a red LED.
I love the sound and noise cancelling of these headphones, but it's true the UX is clunky.
I love the sound and noise cancelling of these headphones, but it's true the UX is clunky.
> The XM4s have a red LED.
That's most certainly a massive improvement.
It's great hardware, they are so close to have the perfect product, but they are ruining it with these small annoying things. Get rid of the loud voice, of the bright led and of the tactile interface that both hard to use and triggers at inappropriate times and I'm sold!
That's most certainly a massive improvement.
It's great hardware, they are so close to have the perfect product, but they are ruining it with these small annoying things. Get rid of the loud voice, of the bright led and of the tactile interface that both hard to use and triggers at inappropriate times and I'm sold!
That touch interface is awful. I've had an XM3 for several years and it's an amazing pair of headphones but I can't even count how many times I had pauses, skips or other interactions because I was stretching my neck or arms and accidentally touched the can.
I have disabled basically all extra features. Touch interface, the sensor to auto pause, two-device pairing...
It could have worked well, like Airpods do, but it doesn't. If my phone rings and I remove my airpods and answer holding my phone to my head, I expect the sound to come out of the phone. But the Sonys just stole the phone audio even if they were not on my ears at that moment.
It could have worked well, like Airpods do, but it doesn't. If my phone rings and I remove my airpods and answer holding my phone to my head, I expect the sound to come out of the phone. But the Sonys just stole the phone audio even if they were not on my ears at that moment.
Try laying in your bed on your back during a warm night or right after a shower, and then turning your head, putting the touch interface on your wet pillow.
I have started putting electrical tape over leds. My external sound card had the brightest white flashing light when the computer was off but the sound card is still plugged in. Impossible to sleep with that obnoxious white blinking.
Gaffer's tape works better for me than electrical tape did.
I've not encountered a non-white LED that was even vaguely visible through a layer of black electrical tape, and there's always room for a second layer.
Nothing wrong with electrical tape (or duct tape). I’ve used both many years and only bought my first roll of gaffer’s tape a few years ago.
Gaffer’s tape works better for me because its material properties and packaging make it suitable for a wider range of applications.
It handles many of my off label uses for electrical tape and duct tape. It is designed for versatility.
Gaffer’s tape works better for me because its material properties and packaging make it suitable for a wider range of applications.
It handles many of my off label uses for electrical tape and duct tape. It is designed for versatility.
It's just ungodly amounts of expensive
Every time I buy good tape I question my financial decision making.
Every time I use good tape I know it was worth it. Good tapes just tape better.
If I need lots of tape, I am using the wrong tape and two or three rolls of the wrong tape is just more of wrong.
Every time I use good tape I know it was worth it. Good tapes just tape better.
If I need lots of tape, I am using the wrong tape and two or three rolls of the wrong tape is just more of wrong.
I have a desktop computer with LEDs in the fans. Absolutely no way to disable them. It used to be in my bedroom, and I eventually had to physically destroy the wires to the LEDs with scissors to prevent my girlfriend from going insane trying to sleep with them on. Absolutely terrible design.
I’ve done this. Got really stabby with a craft knife because I couldn’t take it anymore.
I’ve also kept HDD and power LEDs unplugged for that reason, resorting to the motherboard’s RGB lighting set dimly as my power light.
I’ve also kept HDD and power LEDs unplugged for that reason, resorting to the motherboard’s RGB lighting set dimly as my power light.
How on Earth anybody signed off on that design
If it made money, it was a good design.
Will people buy it?
Yes.
Let's make it, then.
If it made money, it was a good design.
> If it made money, it was a good design
I disagree. If it made money, it was a successful product, but there are tons of products that are successful despite them being the embodiment of terrible design.
I disagree. If it made money, it was a successful product, but there are tons of products that are successful despite them being the embodiment of terrible design.
I understand your position.
I suppose the difference is I consider good enough design to be good design…and that the client is the customer for design and hence the client’s customers are not the customers for designs.
If the client wants a bright blue LED, they get a bright blue LED. They might also get an informed opinion as well. Or not.
So long as nobody dies and the check doesn’t bounce, we’re on to a winner.
I suppose the difference is I consider good enough design to be good design…and that the client is the customer for design and hence the client’s customers are not the customers for designs.
If the client wants a bright blue LED, they get a bright blue LED. They might also get an informed opinion as well. Or not.
So long as nobody dies and the check doesn’t bounce, we’re on to a winner.
I’m sorry but your position is wrong. A face mask that doesn’t filter all light is bad design. A face mask that doesn’t filter the light it produces itself (blue light even!) is awful design. It certainly is not good enough.
Whether it makes money or not is irrelevant. Tons of people buy stuff because they don’t know better. Maybe it was a cheap mask, or maybe it was the only one sold at airports, or maybe it had aggressive marketing, or the Bluetooth feature was niche at the time. None of that has to do with design.
Whether it makes money or not is irrelevant. Tons of people buy stuff because they don’t know better. Maybe it was a cheap mask, or maybe it was the only one sold at airports, or maybe it had aggressive marketing, or the Bluetooth feature was niche at the time. None of that has to do with design.
Well designed prisons are not designed to delight their prisoners.
A designer designing a prison designs according to the objectives of the person writing the check, not the check writer’s customers.
A designer is just another service worker working a day job to buy a hamburger.
A designer designing a prison designs according to the objectives of the person writing the check, not the check writer’s customers.
A designer is just another service worker working a day job to buy a hamburger.
I can’t believe I have to write this down, but a prison is not a customer product
Design is not a consumer product.
It’s not a product at all.
Design is a B2B business where some clients want prisons and others Bluetooth sleep masks.
You can imagine that there’s an existential difference between sleep mask buyers and inmates. But neither writes the check.
It’s not a product at all.
Design is a B2B business where some clients want prisons and others Bluetooth sleep masks.
You can imagine that there’s an existential difference between sleep mask buyers and inmates. But neither writes the check.
Man this article speaks to me. We live in a relatively small old home so our bedroom is right next to the living room. We leave the doors open for airflow reasons. All my electronics (desktop, NAS, Dell laptop charger, keyboard, monitors, TV) have such bright LEDs that the room is never dark, which affects our bedroom. I'm seriously considering disconnecting/covering as many of those damn LEDs as possible.
The worst part is that our Honeywell bedroom standing fan has a bright blue light panel for indicating speed... Who the fuck designed this shit. It's a fan, people are gonna use in it dark rooms. It legit lights up a room like those Christmas lights people hang along their ceiling. It's absurd
This is the fan I mean, the entire panel is a bunch of bright ass, sleep ruining LEDs. I covered it up years ago with a bandana
https://www.londondrugs.com/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-lon...
The worst part is that our Honeywell bedroom standing fan has a bright blue light panel for indicating speed... Who the fuck designed this shit. It's a fan, people are gonna use in it dark rooms. It legit lights up a room like those Christmas lights people hang along their ceiling. It's absurd
This is the fan I mean, the entire panel is a bunch of bright ass, sleep ruining LEDs. I covered it up years ago with a bandana
https://www.londondrugs.com/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-lon...
I have an even funnier one: I bought a Rowenta table fan because it was reputed to be very quiet, and I’ve bad sleep. It even has a sub-1 “sleep” mode where it uses a really minimal airflow, still improves comfort on a muggy night but you can barely hear the fan spin.
The sleep mode, and only the sleep mode has a bright white LED. The fan is completely dark on (1), and it lights up the entire room on (sleep). The level of stupid is unfathomable.
On that front I was actually surprised by the meaco 1056, while it’s way too expensive for what it is and I would not recommend it and it’s got way too many unnecessary LED behind piano black surface… it does have a “light off” mode which turns off the lights, and even in the base mode most of the LEDs draw down or turn off after a bit.
The sleep mode, and only the sleep mode has a bright white LED. The fan is completely dark on (1), and it lights up the entire room on (sleep). The level of stupid is unfathomable.
On that front I was actually surprised by the meaco 1056, while it’s way too expensive for what it is and I would not recommend it and it’s got way too many unnecessary LED behind piano black surface… it does have a “light off” mode which turns off the lights, and even in the base mode most of the LEDs draw down or turn off after a bit.
Sounds like the 2 LG monitors I have. In sleep mode it has a bright white LED that flashes.
So cover it? Nope, LG designers have thought of that! The LED is built into the menu joystick nub. So covering it with electrical tape won't work.
Cover it anyway? Nope, LG designers are one step ahead of you! The back/bottom of the monitor is translucent white plastic, so the entire thing flashes in sleep mode!!
I complained to LG about it, got told that it was working as designed. The customer service rep was very confused about me wanting to stop 2 bright white flashing lights at night.
Never going to buy LG again. Utterly ridiculous.
So cover it? Nope, LG designers have thought of that! The LED is built into the menu joystick nub. So covering it with electrical tape won't work.
Cover it anyway? Nope, LG designers are one step ahead of you! The back/bottom of the monitor is translucent white plastic, so the entire thing flashes in sleep mode!!
I complained to LG about it, got told that it was working as designed. The customer service rep was very confused about me wanting to stop 2 bright white flashing lights at night.
Never going to buy LG again. Utterly ridiculous.
At least my Acer and Gigabyte monitors have a status LED that's more easily covered. But the Gigabyte monitor will whine while in sleep mode, so you have to turn it off anyway before going to sleep. And to turn it off you you have to keep the control joystick depressed for several seconds, being careful not to move it. Because it feels like if you move the joystick so much as a millimeter while depressing it, you'll fail to turn it off.
Similar to my AOC monitor, that has this joystick-button hidden in the rear of the frame, that is very annoying during the power-off procedure.
Also, if the screen passes from "source lost" to standby (after turning off the pc) the pressing procedure should be repeated, and if you don't take care to the monitor, you stay here pressing the button 30 seconds for nothing...
Also x2 this AOC gaming monitor is the worst screen I've ever seen, its okay for gaming/video, while for every else use is absurdly too darker or too brighter (too bright even with luminosity set to 0 and adjustable only by a "shadow control" option, which is causing loss of image detail).
Also, if the screen passes from "source lost" to standby (after turning off the pc) the pressing procedure should be repeated, and if you don't take care to the monitor, you stay here pressing the button 30 seconds for nothing...
Also x2 this AOC gaming monitor is the worst screen I've ever seen, its okay for gaming/video, while for every else use is absurdly too darker or too brighter (too bright even with luminosity set to 0 and adjustable only by a "shadow control" option, which is causing loss of image detail).
My LG Ultrawide has the same joystick nub + LED (I agree it's a stupid design), but at least it has an option to disable the LED.
Holy crap, did they listen to end users?!?
Well, now I no longer have a reason to avoid their monitors at least.
Well, now I no longer have a reason to avoid their monitors at least.
Possibly. I'm not defending LG, even though I have both this monitor and an OLED TV and they're both great.
For reference, the monitor in question is the 38WN95C-W (https://www.lg.com/uk/monitors/ultrawide/38wn95c-w/).
It's an expensive device. It could be that the "privilege" of having that option is locked behind the price tag.
For reference, the monitor in question is the 38WN95C-W (https://www.lg.com/uk/monitors/ultrawide/38wn95c-w/).
It's an expensive device. It could be that the "privilege" of having that option is locked behind the price tag.
People don't think! It never occurs to engineers to put themselves in the shoes of the user.
Engineers are developing these products in well-lit rooms with HVAC and that insulates them from the actual usage environment. I see it all the time and I do what I can to counter it.
I've seen the case where I had to caution one of my team members that the product he was coding was going to be used in a dangerous, chaotic environment that was nothing like the quiet, calm office he was demoing it in. And that taking a few seconds to figure out a setting (like he was proposing) could literally be the difference between life and death in actual operation.
In safety-critical industries we have FMEAs and UI reviews to prevent usage errors, but in "normal" development? Nope. No one thinks of these problems unless they have specific experience and that 10x dev you just hired may be a C++ genius, but he's never been a firefighter.
I'll say it again: people don't think!
Engineers are developing these products in well-lit rooms with HVAC and that insulates them from the actual usage environment. I see it all the time and I do what I can to counter it.
I've seen the case where I had to caution one of my team members that the product he was coding was going to be used in a dangerous, chaotic environment that was nothing like the quiet, calm office he was demoing it in. And that taking a few seconds to figure out a setting (like he was proposing) could literally be the difference between life and death in actual operation.
In safety-critical industries we have FMEAs and UI reviews to prevent usage errors, but in "normal" development? Nope. No one thinks of these problems unless they have specific experience and that 10x dev you just hired may be a C++ genius, but he's never been a firefighter.
I'll say it again: people don't think!
> It never occurs to engineers to put themselves in the shoes of the user.
Or sometimes, they do, but they get overruled by Marketing.
Marketing: "Our focus group didn't like the holes on the side or back. Said it looked like ceiling tile. They liked when we mocked it up with holes half as big, though."
Engineering: "…That will cook the hard drive, and maybe the CD-ROM drive, too. Those holes are half the dia—"
Marketing: "After the warranty?"
Engineering: "Maybe. Maybe most of them. We'd have to test."
Marketing: "Great! We'll ship with the smaller holes, then."
Or sometimes, they do, but they get overruled by Marketing.
Marketing: "Our focus group didn't like the holes on the side or back. Said it looked like ceiling tile. They liked when we mocked it up with holes half as big, though."
Engineering: "…That will cook the hard drive, and maybe the CD-ROM drive, too. Those holes are half the dia—"
Marketing: "After the warranty?"
Engineering: "Maybe. Maybe most of them. We'd have to test."
Marketing: "Great! We'll ship with the smaller holes, then."
This is why product managers and or industrial designers exist - someone who either has domain experience or empathizes with a user.
I was a PM for a wearable product used on industrial sites. The engineering team suggested a lanyard as an option for the wearable. Anyone who's spent some time on industrial sites knows that lanyard-worn-anything is outright not allowed or highly frowned upon by HSE departments.
I was a PM for a wearable product used on industrial sites. The engineering team suggested a lanyard as an option for the wearable. Anyone who's spent some time on industrial sites knows that lanyard-worn-anything is outright not allowed or highly frowned upon by HSE departments.
I get much better sleep in a completely dark room. I've solved this issue innumerable times with Blu-Tack, electrical tape and straight-up de-soldering or unplugging lights.
3090, Unplugged leads with tweezers. Mobo, Blu-Tack. NIC, Blu-Tack - Notable mention of Intel NICs where you can disable LEDs in ethtool. Bedside lamp, Tape. Standing fan, Tape. yada yada etc. etc.
Only Gadgets I've remembered with light pollution considerations easily accessed is my Mitsubishi AC, Onkyo Reciever and LG OLED TV. All have a night mode where I can disable all illumination.
3090, Unplugged leads with tweezers. Mobo, Blu-Tack. NIC, Blu-Tack - Notable mention of Intel NICs where you can disable LEDs in ethtool. Bedside lamp, Tape. Standing fan, Tape. yada yada etc. etc.
Only Gadgets I've remembered with light pollution considerations easily accessed is my Mitsubishi AC, Onkyo Reciever and LG OLED TV. All have a night mode where I can disable all illumination.
Take your computer out of your room?
Also, you can turn motherboard LEDs off in every bios I've ever used. And the status LEDs, which usually only light up for errors.
Also, you can turn motherboard LEDs off in every bios I've ever used. And the status LEDs, which usually only light up for errors.
How about get rid of them entirely except where one needs to be notified of something.
Phone chargers have no power LEDs and we are fine. The phone tells you and notifies when charging state changes. It might give you notice when something is broken before you try to use it, so I can kinda get it, but really, I think we'd be fine.
LED clocks don't need to be there unless a user specifically buys one at night. Appliances could be screen off until a button press.
Power tool charger lights make sense. There's no display or Bluetooth, you'll probably be checking it and interested in the status, it needs some kind of onboard indicator. Then again, I would prefer there WAS Bluetooth and it broadcasted a notice, and a reflective LCD would be fine too.
Network activity lights are meaningless most of the time, there's always some background nonsense going. Maybe sometimes useful, I wouldn't mind if they went away. Same with disk, unfortunately.
Aesthetically, indicator lights look kind of junky. I don't associate them with high tech, because phones and ultra thin laptops lack them. They're always so highly utilitarian looking. We all know that if they really wanted to be fancy they'd use a TFT even if it's not needed.
Why do I need to know the status? Is it unreliable enough I need debug info? Ak I supposed to think about it a lot? Is it supposed to remind me to unplug it to save power? Why is it wasting power anyway?
Phone chargers have no power LEDs and we are fine. The phone tells you and notifies when charging state changes. It might give you notice when something is broken before you try to use it, so I can kinda get it, but really, I think we'd be fine.
LED clocks don't need to be there unless a user specifically buys one at night. Appliances could be screen off until a button press.
Power tool charger lights make sense. There's no display or Bluetooth, you'll probably be checking it and interested in the status, it needs some kind of onboard indicator. Then again, I would prefer there WAS Bluetooth and it broadcasted a notice, and a reflective LCD would be fine too.
Network activity lights are meaningless most of the time, there's always some background nonsense going. Maybe sometimes useful, I wouldn't mind if they went away. Same with disk, unfortunately.
Aesthetically, indicator lights look kind of junky. I don't associate them with high tech, because phones and ultra thin laptops lack them. They're always so highly utilitarian looking. We all know that if they really wanted to be fancy they'd use a TFT even if it's not needed.
Why do I need to know the status? Is it unreliable enough I need debug info? Ak I supposed to think about it a lot? Is it supposed to remind me to unplug it to save power? Why is it wasting power anyway?
> Then again, I would prefer there WAS Bluetooth and it broadcasted a notice, and a reflective LCD would be fine too.
Why use a simple circuit that is definitely going to work when you can implement a complex software based solution to do the same thing?
Honestly there are times a status LED is really useful for quick troubleshooting, I don't want to find some weird menu on a PC of have to get a shell on a server to see whether network came up on a device, if that device even is a PC, it could be an IOT device that the literal only way to even control it is through the very network you are connecting and also receives it's power over said network cable.
Sometimes utilitarian is exactly what you need, I don't need a fancy screen on my washing machine or dishwasher, it's a utility item I need to know it's doing what I told it and that is that.
People are quick to complain that their new fangled fridges and washing machines and light switches and dishwashers don't last longer than the warranty yet they are exactly like you and don't see how something simple and reliable is significantly more cost effective than a fancy one that has Bluetooth radios and screens and software that goes out of date.
Why use a simple circuit that is definitely going to work when you can implement a complex software based solution to do the same thing?
Honestly there are times a status LED is really useful for quick troubleshooting, I don't want to find some weird menu on a PC of have to get a shell on a server to see whether network came up on a device, if that device even is a PC, it could be an IOT device that the literal only way to even control it is through the very network you are connecting and also receives it's power over said network cable.
Sometimes utilitarian is exactly what you need, I don't need a fancy screen on my washing machine or dishwasher, it's a utility item I need to know it's doing what I told it and that is that.
People are quick to complain that their new fangled fridges and washing machines and light switches and dishwashers don't last longer than the warranty yet they are exactly like you and don't see how something simple and reliable is significantly more cost effective than a fancy one that has Bluetooth radios and screens and software that goes out of date.
But appliances don't break because of the Bluetooth. At worst a badly designed smart circuit generally needs a reboot or factory reset, it doesn't break in the way that is expensive or takes more that a few minutes all that often. A 4 bar LCD battery indicator is rock solid, it just isn't as good in the pr9 grade stuff you need to see at a distance.
New washers and stuff seem to break because mechanical parts wear out, and some new power tools do in fact have Bluetooth, so you know right away when it's charged and how much is left, on things like battery generator alternatives.
New washers and stuff seem to break because mechanical parts wear out, and some new power tools do in fact have Bluetooth, so you know right away when it's charged and how much is left, on things like battery generator alternatives.
Needing a smartphone to figure out if your power tool is charging is moronic and a complete waste of human resources in the engineering involved.
You don't need one, it's just a convenience feature in addition to the other indicators, alongside other Bluetooth features like anti theft.
Also that stuff is not always done by the same people doing more meaningful things. I could easily build a Bluetooth charger. I could probably teach a beginner to design that kind of thing in months.
I couldn't do the same for a solar inverter that was any better than existing stuff though. I couldn't figure out the DSP involved in making a better pacemaker. I'm not a mechanical engineer, so I couldn't do anything to make the physical part of a tool better, except by adding more software self protection for it. If I worked at a tool company, what could I be doing instead of Bluetooth?
Also that stuff is not always done by the same people doing more meaningful things. I could easily build a Bluetooth charger. I could probably teach a beginner to design that kind of thing in months.
I couldn't do the same for a solar inverter that was any better than existing stuff though. I couldn't figure out the DSP involved in making a better pacemaker. I'm not a mechanical engineer, so I couldn't do anything to make the physical part of a tool better, except by adding more software self protection for it. If I worked at a tool company, what could I be doing instead of Bluetooth?
> it's just a convenience feature in addition to the other indicators, alongside other Bluetooth features like anti theft.
Which adds cost, complexity and failure modes.
Thanks what you are not working at a tool company.
Which adds cost, complexity and failure modes.
Thanks what you are not working at a tool company.
Theft is a lot more likely of a failure mode than Bluetooth.
Ah, then let's add BT to everything: flash drives, pens, women hygiene pads and, of course, sandwiches sold on the beaches.
Right?
Nobody needs BT in the power tools to prevent theft. No amount of BT would help you to retrive the stolen goods (see all those stories when police don't give a fuck for all these AirTags). Please, get a life.
Right?
Nobody needs BT in the power tools to prevent theft. No amount of BT would help you to retrive the stolen goods (see all those stories when police don't give a fuck for all these AirTags). Please, get a life.
I would love it if flash drives had Bluetooth. What else are we supposed to do now that phones don't have expandable storage anymore?
In DeWalt's case, they are shut off if you get out of BT range. I would imagine it just slightly deters crackheads, or perhaps it helps fight organized retail theft gangs which are apparently a problem for tool companies.
Occasionally police do care about airtags. It's better than nothing. Better than trying to defend your property with force, when the criminal is going to be far better at fighting than me, because it's part of their profession. It's a cheap extra deterrent that makes their job a little harder.
In DeWalt's case, they are shut off if you get out of BT range. I would imagine it just slightly deters crackheads, or perhaps it helps fight organized retail theft gangs which are apparently a problem for tool companies.
Occasionally police do care about airtags. It's better than nothing. Better than trying to defend your property with force, when the criminal is going to be far better at fighting than me, because it's part of their profession. It's a cheap extra deterrent that makes their job a little harder.
> I would love it if flash drives had Bluetooth
Looks like you forgot what you need a battery there too. At this point just buy a phone and use it as flash drive. You can even call on it if you lost it, or lock it through Google account.
> I would imagine it just slightly deters crackheads
Crackheads steal first.
> it helps fight organized retail theft gangs which are apparently a problem for tool companies
Just like automobile anti-theft devices aren't a problem for the organized crime the measly BT shit wouldn't be a problem for organized crime.
> In DeWalt's case
It's an inventory system in the first place, not anti-theft.
> It's better than nothing
You just asking to add a battery, bluetooth module, micro-controller (at least) or a full blown computer (Raspberries as mundane programmable OTC parts in the electric scooters comes to mind from a recent news), some app - can you guarantee what a 5 y.o. cordless drill would work with a your new phone? Or more like your new phone would allow a 5 y.o. app to install and work?
> Better than trying to defend your property with force
You are trying to solve an administrative problem with a technical means.
> It's a cheap extra deterrent that makes their job a little harder.
It's not cheap. It's additional $5 (at least) BOM for everything and you would pay way more than $5 for it in the end product.
Oh, by the way - carbon footprint.
Looks like you forgot what you need a battery there too. At this point just buy a phone and use it as flash drive. You can even call on it if you lost it, or lock it through Google account.
> I would imagine it just slightly deters crackheads
Crackheads steal first.
> it helps fight organized retail theft gangs which are apparently a problem for tool companies
Just like automobile anti-theft devices aren't a problem for the organized crime the measly BT shit wouldn't be a problem for organized crime.
> In DeWalt's case
It's an inventory system in the first place, not anti-theft.
> It's better than nothing
You just asking to add a battery, bluetooth module, micro-controller (at least) or a full blown computer (Raspberries as mundane programmable OTC parts in the electric scooters comes to mind from a recent news), some app - can you guarantee what a 5 y.o. cordless drill would work with a your new phone? Or more like your new phone would allow a 5 y.o. app to install and work?
> Better than trying to defend your property with force
You are trying to solve an administrative problem with a technical means.
> It's a cheap extra deterrent that makes their job a little harder.
It's not cheap. It's additional $5 (at least) BOM for everything and you would pay way more than $5 for it in the end product.
Oh, by the way - carbon footprint.
> Honestly there are times a status LED is really useful for quick troubleshooting,
I 100% agree. Status LEDs are often really useful and important. They just shouldn't be blue, and shouldn't be bright.
I 100% agree. Status LEDs are often really useful and important. They just shouldn't be blue, and shouldn't be bright.
I agree with the entire premise of the article.
They shouldn't be blue and they shouldn't be bright, I do like to have them though.
They shouldn't be blue and they shouldn't be bright, I do like to have them though.
> Phone chargers have no power LEDs and we are fine.
I have a white anker charger with a blue (of course, it's always blue) LED so bright that I had to wrap the entire brick in light-blocking tape because the LED phased through the case everywhere.
Another favorite of mine was an USB M.2 enclosure that of course also had a blue LED (constant on = on, blinking = activity), but instead of using a side-emitting LED they used a top-emitting LED and just made it so incredibly bright that the light leaking out the side was still bright when viewed from outside the case. When you removed the case it was blindingly bright even in a well-lit room. Probably used more power than the USB chipset. Almost surprised you couldn't see it through the aluminium case.
I have a white anker charger with a blue (of course, it's always blue) LED so bright that I had to wrap the entire brick in light-blocking tape because the LED phased through the case everywhere.
Another favorite of mine was an USB M.2 enclosure that of course also had a blue LED (constant on = on, blinking = activity), but instead of using a side-emitting LED they used a top-emitting LED and just made it so incredibly bright that the light leaking out the side was still bright when viewed from outside the case. When you removed the case it was blindingly bright even in a well-lit room. Probably used more power than the USB chipset. Almost surprised you couldn't see it through the aluminium case.
>Same with disk, unfortunately.
Some newer cases are coming out without a disk activity light, and I hate it.
That light is by far the quickest, simplest, easiest way of judging whether a computer is actively doing something. I can just look at it for a second and know! This is even more important now, since SSDs don't make any sounds.
Contrast anything else, say Task Manager, which even if I leave it minimized in the notification area I would still first need to wake up the monitor and/or unlock the computer. That's at least several seconds just so I can check if it's doing something.
I want my disk activity light back, damnit. KISS is a virtue.
Some newer cases are coming out without a disk activity light, and I hate it.
That light is by far the quickest, simplest, easiest way of judging whether a computer is actively doing something. I can just look at it for a second and know! This is even more important now, since SSDs don't make any sounds.
Contrast anything else, say Task Manager, which even if I leave it minimized in the notification area I would still first need to wake up the monitor and/or unlock the computer. That's at least several seconds just so I can check if it's doing something.
I want my disk activity light back, damnit. KISS is a virtue.
100%. As someone who likes to sleep in the dark and used to travel a lot I can't tell you how many times I would arrive, exhausted at some hotel and then have to spend a further 30mins unplugging stuff, clipping the curtains shut using the clippy clotheshangers and covering every damn light on every thing with a postcard, a postit note, some of my clothes etc, only having to repeat the charade daily after the cleaning staff would "fix" my room and undo all my careful endarkening.
Not everything needs to have a goddamn light on it. Seriously it doesn't. I quite like the feedback that phones have started to do where if you put something on a magsafe charger it initially does something so you know its charging and then darkens itself. It doesn't just sit there glowing like a magical item in some hellish RPG.
Not everything needs to have a goddamn light on it. Seriously it doesn't. I quite like the feedback that phones have started to do where if you put something on a magsafe charger it initially does something so you know its charging and then darkens itself. It doesn't just sit there glowing like a magical item in some hellish RPG.
Yep, that TV at the hotel in front of the bed I'm not going to use anyway but has a led directly lighting the eyes, unplugged.
Last time, the thermostat was lighting the room with its very bright led. I had to put it a sock on. All people of my group complained.
Do they not test their rooms at hotels?
Last time, the thermostat was lighting the room with its very bright led. I had to put it a sock on. All people of my group complained.
Do they not test their rooms at hotels?
First step in any hotel room is find the nightstand light and unplug it to plug in your phone charger. Second step is unplug the tv to kill the status lights… I’m shocked that hotels haven’t started changing things just to save the cost of plugging it back in.
Airbnbs, on the other hand, usually come with the nightstand lights pre-unplugged in my experience, sometimes with the cables all coiled up neatly because everyone knows they’re only there for the listing photos and nobody will ever use them.
Airbnbs, on the other hand, usually come with the nightstand lights pre-unplugged in my experience, sometimes with the cables all coiled up neatly because everyone knows they’re only there for the listing photos and nobody will ever use them.
Well, I do plug it back in before leaving :-)
With you for the phone charger, usually another small light is reachable from the bed anyway.
With you for the phone charger, usually another small light is reachable from the bed anyway.
Like other posters have suggested, get electrical tape.
My personal pet peeve is the thermostat. I usually cover it with some tape and thicker paper/carton
My personal pet peeve is the thermostat. I usually cover it with some tape and thicker paper/carton
On the side of my portable battery, and on the AC adapters, I wrap a few times of Gaff Tape [1] so I always have at least 6ft+ available when traveling to cover up the blinking status LEDs of smoke/CO2 detectors in hotels.
[1] https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Gaffer-Power-Non-Reflect...
[1] https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Gaffer-Power-Non-Reflect...
I recently rented at a place where the owner used Google Nest Wifi to get coverage of the whole property. One of those devices was placed in the window sill in my bedroom and didn't really cause any issues at the start. Until one day it replied to something I said and I found out it had a microphone, because of course it does.
When I found the hardware switch for the microphone the whole base of the device lit up in orange, with no way of turning the LEDs off without turning the microphone back on. The device also started speaking every time I touched it to "gently" remind me that the microphone was turned off while I was putting tape over the lights. I had to 10+ thin strips of duct tape in multiple layers in order to remove most of the light it radiated.
When I found the hardware switch for the microphone the whole base of the device lit up in orange, with no way of turning the LEDs off without turning the microphone back on. The device also started speaking every time I touched it to "gently" remind me that the microphone was turned off while I was putting tape over the lights. I had to 10+ thin strips of duct tape in multiple layers in order to remove most of the light it radiated.
I have a related gripe: Why do devices feel the need to make a sound and flash the display when they are finished charging? How often have people thought, "I want to go jogging now but I will wait until my phone is charged." More often they are asleep and it wakes them.
The "unplug device now to save energy" is a dubious harassment notice, especially when a hungry device goes into several charge cycles per night. That is really the sign of a badly implemented charge method with insufficient hysteresis.
My Dad had a Samsung phone he hated because he said, "It whimpers in the night" and turning off sound meant turning off the ringer.
The "unplug device now to save energy" is a dubious harassment notice, especially when a hungry device goes into several charge cycles per night. That is really the sign of a badly implemented charge method with insufficient hysteresis.
My Dad had a Samsung phone he hated because he said, "It whimpers in the night" and turning off sound meant turning off the ringer.
I bought a new Amplifier a few years ago, what I thought was a decent brand, but I think they were taken over and now the brand is just stuck on some cheap stuff.
It has the most infuriating feature. It has the blue status light, it is always on, wether the amp is on or off, it indicates nothing. Worse, the button doesn't pop in or out, there's actually no way of telling if the amp is on or off.
It has the most infuriating feature. It has the blue status light, it is always on, wether the amp is on or off, it indicates nothing. Worse, the button doesn't pop in or out, there's actually no way of telling if the amp is on or off.
I love my Vanatoo Transparent Zero speakers for my desktop setup:
> The intensity of the blue power on LED can be adjusted to taste. In fact it can be turned off completely if you want. To adjust the intensity once the T0s are powered up and the blue LED is on and no music is playing...
> The intensity of the blue power on LED can be adjusted to taste. In fact it can be turned off completely if you want. To adjust the intensity once the T0s are powered up and the blue LED is on and no music is playing...
Blue lights are the worst. They used to be everywhere around the turn of the century when blue LEDs were novel. My room used the look like some nightclub with all these useless flashing bright lights. Luckily you can always tape them off.
I have various electronic items from the 1970s/80s, particularly a big LED clock, that use red LEDs. Even though they look dated and may lack features, I hope to keep using them until my own EOL, because any replacement would use those bright blue LEDs. Like others here, I generally hack new devices to reduce the glow.
Likewise, an old alarm clock from the '70's with red seven segment displays. Never failed, and it's so easy to set the time/alarm (hold down the time or alarm button, and press the + or - button). The physical switches (alarm/radio etc) still work perfectly - while over the decades since I've seen so many devices end up with failed/glitchy buttons within a few years.
I was recently very pleased to find pre-cut "LED light dimming stickers" on Amazon.
My family enjoyed a half hour early evening "search and stick" mission to attenuate our home's luminous loudmouths.
My family enjoyed a half hour early evening "search and stick" mission to attenuate our home's luminous loudmouths.
I did this a while back and was astounded at what a difference it made. Especially the blue lights. I keep a packet of these on-hand and I'm always finding new ones.
I got Sonoff wall switches wall switches a while back. But apparently someone thought it was a good idea to put Blue LEDs in them which glows all the time, even when the lights are off (albeit more dimly), with no way to disable it. Plus a blue Wi-Fi status LED, which you can turn off, but it will blink all the time anyway if it can't access the internet (which I've blocked it from, since a light switch has no damn business doing that). I ended up covering it in electrical tape (had to cover the whole thing, since the white plastic would spread the light.
In hindsight, it would have been better to put a Shelly puck behind the normal switch. Would have let me keep physical buttons too, instead of the annoying touch buttons.
In hindsight, it would have been better to put a Shelly puck behind the normal switch. Would have let me keep physical buttons too, instead of the annoying touch buttons.
Do these really provide any value to you? I've found normal switches, with no light, no internet, no microcontroller, and no touch, to just work fine
I can turn them on/off remotely, plus I've got some lights automatically tied to sunrise/sunset. And I've got a whole bunch of lights which I can turn off all together when going to bed.
> I can turn them on/off remotely
I'm 41 years old and I've never in my life wished for the ability to turn a light on/off remotely. When do you use this?
> plus I've got some lights automatically tied to sunrise/sunset
Other than a porch light, what lights would you want to turn on/off at sunrise/sunset?
> And I've got a whole bunch of lights which I can turn off all together when going to bed.
Every room in my house has a light switch located at the entrance. I just flip the switch off as I'm passing it.
Do you just live in a house with bizarre locations for the light switches?
I'm 41 years old and I've never in my life wished for the ability to turn a light on/off remotely. When do you use this?
> plus I've got some lights automatically tied to sunrise/sunset
Other than a porch light, what lights would you want to turn on/off at sunrise/sunset?
> And I've got a whole bunch of lights which I can turn off all together when going to bed.
Every room in my house has a light switch located at the entrance. I just flip the switch off as I'm passing it.
Do you just live in a house with bizarre locations for the light switches?
I have IKEA Trådfri lights and they’re great. They’re regular bulbs except you can control them from your phone/home assistant. They use the zigbee protocol (iirc).
It’s nice when you forget a light in bed, but the real killer feature is the dimming and change of color.
It’s nice when you forget a light in bed, but the real killer feature is the dimming and change of color.
Do you live in a massive house with 10 rooms or something? Do you commonly leave lights on in rooms you're not in and won't pass by on your way to bed?
Dimming and coloring might be cool, I guess. Any light that I'd want a dimmer on already has a dimmer, though.
I dunno. In the classic "Tech Enthusiast vs Engineer" meme [0], I lean towards the Engineer with a hint of Security tech. The only "smart" appliance I have is my thermostat, and even that's a rather basic Honeywell, not a fancy Nest. Technically, my clothes washer and TV are "smart", but I have never, and will never, connect them to my WiFi.
[0] https://michaelblume.tumblr.com/post/169525456166/tech-enthu...
Dimming and coloring might be cool, I guess. Any light that I'd want a dimmer on already has a dimmer, though.
I dunno. In the classic "Tech Enthusiast vs Engineer" meme [0], I lean towards the Engineer with a hint of Security tech. The only "smart" appliance I have is my thermostat, and even that's a rather basic Honeywell, not a fancy Nest. Technically, my clothes washer and TV are "smart", but I have never, and will never, connect them to my WiFi.
[0] https://michaelblume.tumblr.com/post/169525456166/tech-enthu...
Nope I don't. I have tiny one bedroom apartment. Still, it's nice to be able to dim the light, watch a movie and later on right before sleep, turn them off without the need to get up. It's very convenient and works well. They're smart enough, but dumb enough to not be annoying.
I often find that the act of getting out of bed and turning the lights of makes it harder to fall asleep.
I am also skeptical to so called smart appliances and lean towards the paranoid.
I often find that the act of getting out of bed and turning the lights of makes it harder to fall asleep.
I am also skeptical to so called smart appliances and lean towards the paranoid.
I used to get Febreze air fresheners from Walmart. The type that plugs into a wall outlet, and you buy refills for.
A couple of years after getting my first one, I got a couple more for other rooms. Suddenly, one night I woke up and there was this bright blinking blue light in the room.
Turns out that they updated their Wall unit to have a blue indicator light when a refill is needed. I could imagine the rationalization for that product decision being that reminding users to refill would increase recurring revenue.
I have now replaced all my Febreze units with Air Wicks from Costco. Cheaper, more dispersal rate options, and no silly blue indicator light.
A couple of years after getting my first one, I got a couple more for other rooms. Suddenly, one night I woke up and there was this bright blinking blue light in the room.
Turns out that they updated their Wall unit to have a blue indicator light when a refill is needed. I could imagine the rationalization for that product decision being that reminding users to refill would increase recurring revenue.
I have now replaced all my Febreze units with Air Wicks from Costco. Cheaper, more dispersal rate options, and no silly blue indicator light.
"The fact is, if I can see a bright glow on the ceiling because I left Caps Lock on before retiring for bed, that’s a problem."
The confusion revolves around _who's_ status.
The blue LEDs were not to signal the status of the device,
but to signal the high status of the OWNER,
in the same way an expensive iphone communicates the high status of its owner.
I too miss when LEDs only concerned the status of the device.
Ok now I dug from abyss of my memory Mercedes front logo illuminated with blue light. Somewhere seen an article it luckily is connected to some crucial circuit and screws with it.
As a lifelong sufferer of too-bright LEDs, these semi-translucent stickers [1] dramatically improved my vibes. One layer is rarely enough for the insane blues, but they can be applied on top of each other and stick quite well to most materials.
10/10
[1] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09DY1ZHKS?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_...
10/10
[1] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09DY1ZHKS?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_...
The great offender is modem/router. According the manual for my ISP
- slow blinking is attempting to connect to DSL
- normal blinking is success
- Fast blink is fail
- there are 4 different LEDs. some even change colour.
- slow blinking is attempting to connect to DSL
- normal blinking is success
- Fast blink is fail
- there are 4 different LEDs. some even change colour.
Blue LEDs? The devil. I have a roll of aluminum tape I put over every damn blue LED on any appliance I buy.
Genius. I've opened up a few devices to put aluminum foil between the LED and the case. The nice thing about aluminum is you can poke a tiny hole to let a small amount of light through.
Some producers apparently eavesdrop your smartphone, because they install transparent ring around buttons and knobs. The LED is below it and translucing through. Now try to blind these.
Easy. Open it up, find the LED(s) (easy to do by powering it on), and if you're feeling dainty, clip the lead to it or desolder it. If you're not feeling dainty, crush it with a pair of pliers.
Yes, this is a serious problem. I started having to disable power and status LEDs in equipment a number of years ago because of how utterly ridiculous they are.
It reminds me of how when my children were little, I was constantly disabling speakers on toys because so many were ear-blisteringly loud.
It reminds me of how when my children were little, I was constantly disabling speakers on toys because so many were ear-blisteringly loud.
I've stumbled over my son's toy ambulance more than once in the middle of the night. Sirens and flashing blue lights!
Be thankful that toy ambulance isn't also made of Lego!
Try to find a nightlight that isn't blue. Good luck. Talk about unfit for purpose design.
You can get night lights in warm color temps, I found some 1700-2200k night lights by searching for a specific color temp along with ‘night light’. Here’s an example from GE: https://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-LED-Brushed-Nickel-Amber-Glow...
I also found this cool Legrand wiring device that fits in a single-gang box that has a photocell built in (auto-on and auto-off depending on light levels) and 1800k color temp: https://www.legrand.us/wiring-devices/outlets-and-receptacle...
I would guess that if you went to Target or Walmart, all the options are going to be 3000k-5000k, which is far too blue for night light use.
I also found this cool Legrand wiring device that fits in a single-gang box that has a photocell built in (auto-on and auto-off depending on light levels) and 1800k color temp: https://www.legrand.us/wiring-devices/outlets-and-receptacle...
I would guess that if you went to Target or Walmart, all the options are going to be 3000k-5000k, which is far too blue for night light use.
I use three solutions depending on the circumstance.
1/ kapton tape ( the orange/yellow semi transparent tape you find on battery packs and cable assemblies).
This not only reduces the light level, it can make it more green. Multiple layers for very bright leds.
2/ black vinyl wrap for LEDs that have no useful purpose.
3/ replacement LEDs and resistors for non SMD stuff that it is cheap enough to hack.
1/ kapton tape ( the orange/yellow semi transparent tape you find on battery packs and cable assemblies).
This not only reduces the light level, it can make it more green. Multiple layers for very bright leds.
2/ black vinyl wrap for LEDs that have no useful purpose.
3/ replacement LEDs and resistors for non SMD stuff that it is cheap enough to hack.
"Funny" story about how these are so bright today. Have a cable modem with blinding LEDs. Put a few layers of Post-its over it the second night I think. Came back to look a while later. Guess what? The light is so strong it bleached the color out of the paper above it. Like the sun does.
I have to say my favorite indicator is definitely the Thinkpad's little red dot on the back of the screen.
I wonder if small patches of e-paper could be a viable alternative to status LEDs: They have the novelty and "rule of cool" effect of blue LEDs but no brightness at all.
Or, if its property of keeping the last image on poweroff is a downside here, how about bringing back good old monochrome LCDs?
Or, if its property of keeping the last image on poweroff is a downside here, how about bringing back good old monochrome LCDs?
Usually the only purpose of the lights is to show the device is plugged in. E paper wouldn’t help.
Maybe it's changed in the last couple years, but have you tried to buy a desktop PC case anymore? Last time I did, it was a struggle to even find one that isn't plastered with decorative LEDs, let alone 13 status indicators for fans or other trivial nonsense.
People keep powered-on electronics in their sleeping room? Except from the alarm clock of course.
We have: CPAP. Battery backup for the CPAP. Fan. AC unit. TV. My wife's Bedjet base unit. Chargers for our phones. Heating pad or heated blanket during winter. Kindle. Phones.
:)
:)
Some people sadly have a living situation with only one or two rooms, where the bed and computer / other devices must be in the same room due to space constraints
Lots of people live in studio apartments or similar. I live in a loft-style condo where everything is open, including my bedroom upstairs. The only proper separate room with a door to shut is the bathroom. But even if that weren’t the case, there’s a stupid bright blue LED light on the power strip behind my bed.
I don't.
But power/status LEDs can be so insanely bright that they'll light my bedroom from other rooms if I don't shut the door. So I rip them all out.
But power/status LEDs can be so insanely bright that they'll light my bedroom from other rooms if I don't shut the door. So I rip them all out.
I still miss the sleep indicator on my old G5 mac. A soft white light that gently pulsated in the tempo of the breathing a human sleeping might have. So elegant! And also it was shining through very thin aluminium so it was invisible when the light was off.
I'm not sure why the article's author is dumping on Apple's breathing LED.
For a laptop it made perfect sense. Either the laptop is awake, or it's "sleeping". If I close the lid I want to know it's asleep and not running 100% generating all kinds of heat. The animation conveys this perfectly.
For a laptop it made perfect sense. Either the laptop is awake, or it's "sleeping". If I close the lid I want to know it's asleep and not running 100% generating all kinds of heat. The animation conveys this perfectly.
> Flashing should only be used where absolutely necessary. LEDs for hard drive and network activity should flash, as they indicate a constantly changing state.
State isn't changed. You don't need to stare at the LED to make if the laptop is off or it's power LED is in 'not breathing atm' part of 'animation'.
State isn't changed. You don't need to stare at the LED to make if the laptop is off or it's power LED is in 'not breathing atm' part of 'animation'.
The article did not say state change was the only reason to flash. You removed a sentence.
There were 3 states. Different colors would have made a problem for color blind people. And 2 seconds was enough to see the LED was pulsing.
There were 3 states. Different colors would have made a problem for color blind people. And 2 seconds was enough to see the LED was pulsing.
The quote from the article is a bit hilarious too, as the flashing leds from network gear is a side channel to spy on network traffic in many devices. So not a great example of a "should" flash scenario imo.
Small fluctuations in always on LEDs can be a side channel.
[deleted]
My old CPAP machine had nice blue LEDs that were on all the time so you can easily find it in an otherwise dark room…
Current CPAP machine has green lights that turn off completely thirty seconds after it starts.
Current CPAP machine has green lights that turn off completely thirty seconds after it starts.
https://www.lightdims.com/ are a great mitigation for the brightness.
I've gotten great use out of "LightDims", a brand of translucent stickers that make status LEDs dimmer and keep the light from shining out into the room.
Every device with LED indicators, after subsequent product iterations and software updates is destined to illuminate the entire room or car it's placed into.
I really don’t like how you can’t turn the ring light on the Amazon Echo/Alexa off so whenever you speak to it, it lights up the whole room at night
Right? I should at least have to say
> Computer. Lights.
> Computer. Lights.
Black tape and black nail polish FTW.
The LED on my Kindle wireless charger is so bright, I had to put several layers of tape over it.
(2020)
The smartphone is the single biggest piece of regressive technology ever made. We would all be better off without them.
> The fad of using blue LEDs for power indicators only makes this problem worse. The human eye features special receptors sensitive to blue light that are not only used for vision.These cells are also used to detect the blue light from the sky, coordinating our internal Circadian rhythms to the Earth’s day/night cycle. Exposure to artificial blue light can interfere with this system, with research suggesting it may have a negative effect on sleep cycles.
This is always repeated but I seriously doubt it’s ever actually relevant in practice. Like does anyone actually suffer from a sleep disorder that magically goes away when the evil blue LEDs on their devices are switched out for red ones?
This is always repeated but I seriously doubt it’s ever actually relevant in practice. Like does anyone actually suffer from a sleep disorder that magically goes away when the evil blue LEDs on their devices are switched out for red ones?
I have problems sleeping when there are bright blue LEDs in the room and not when there are red LEDs. I do not have a problem sleeping when the room is light at night because of the midnight sun, so is not dark vs light that is the difference
> Like does anyone actually suffer from a sleep disorder that magically goes away when the evil blue LEDs on their devices are switched out for red ones?
I guess it depends on what you mean by sleep disorder? Blue lights make it hard for me to fall and stay asleep. White lights less so. Red lights don't bother me at all.
I guess it depends on what you mean by sleep disorder? Blue lights make it hard for me to fall and stay asleep. White lights less so. Red lights don't bother me at all.
Why are you making a strawman?
But it had a bright blue LED, which was not only disturbing to me but could also be seen through the damned mask.
How on Earth anybody signed off on that design is beyond me.