Sure, you could drop over a grand on a Philips Ambilight television if you want your TV to set a mood, or you can also turn any television into a giant glowing ambient light for just the cost of a single DVD.

Created by Japan’s Kyouei Design, this minimal DVD contains a rainbow of soothing colors that you can display on your TV screen. It’s perfect for all those times you’re not engrossed in the latest episode of America’s Next Great Biggest 5th Grade Loser, or when you’re completely fed up with the writers’ strike.

The Color Light DVD offers a truly mellow light show, gradually dissolving through its spectrum of colors in about 20 minutes. I’m already chilling out just looking at the pictures, so I can only imagine how sleep-inducing this would be in my darkened living room.

The disc is available from the designboom shop for $19 (plus $7 shipping). [FYI, the disc isn’t region-encoded, so it should play anywhere in the world.]

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When I think of fiber optic lighting, all that comes to mind are those awful 1970s starburst lamps. So I was so thrilled when I came across these beautiful organic designs which use the same basic lighting technology that begat such ugliness in the first place.

Created by Torbjörn Lundell of Sweden’s GloFab, these unusual fixtures radiate an ethereal glow as light courses through their fibrous veins.

I like to think of GloFab like an illuminated textile. By weaving intricate patterns of fiber optic cable, then connecting them to a bright light source, these wondrous glowing sculptures come to life.

GloFab lighting is available as either a woven fabric or in a spherical design, and are available only on a custom-quoted basis at this point.

[via designboom]

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Designed by French lighting company Remake Design, these clever interlocking light blocks now come in Pac-Man inspired styles, including colored ghosts, dots, and of course the pie-shaped yellow guy we all know and love so much.

The company offers a variety of snap-together colored lighting fixtures which can be combined to form unique pixel-like structures in any space. Pricing for their solid colored lights is around $300 for a set of four blocks, but pricing hasn’t been announced yet for the Pac-Man series.

If you’re not into Pac-Man, why not try some Tetris?

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Want to get your point across? Why not say it with light? This new kit lets you create your own custom LED light board using any pattern you want. The whole thing reminds me of a modern-day Lite-Brite.

The latest Open Source creation from Evil Mad Science Labs, “Peggy” gives you the parts you need to make a pixelated grid of LEDs in any design your little heart desires. 

Peggy is named for her 25 x 25 pegboard which can hold up to 625 LEDs in place for your custom signs. It’s able to drive just about any LED you’d like, and can be run off of 3 ‘D’-cell batteries or on an optional AC adapter. The kit includes the pre-populated circuit board, battery pack and a photosensor which lets you automatically turn off the display in daylight. And yes, the whole thing is driven by a fully-programmable micro-controller, so you can create animations, blinking and flashing displays if you know what you’re doing. 

Keep in mind that you’ll need to buy your own LEDs, and will need some basic soldering skill and a soldering iron to create your own signs. The kit is available from the EMSL Shop for $80 USD. You can also pick up a batch of LEDs while you’re there. (For those more adventurous, there’s a bare-bones version of the board without the electronics already installed for $50). 

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I’ve been on the hunt for some decent illumination for my work area, but haven’t really been impressed with the desk lamps I’ve come across in my travels. That is, until now. This beautiful lighting fixture combines good looks, modern technology and is energy efficient.

Alliance Optotek’s Aqualia lamp uses a dozen bright LEDs to provide ample lighting for any work area. It’s all housed inside of a sexy 18-inch tall aluminum fixture which can be adjusted to an angle of your choosing, and automatically dims down to night-light brightness when closed.

The LEDs output no UV or IR radiation, and are flicker free so they’re easy on your delicate eyeballs. I also like how the fixture offers full 0% to 100% dimming, so you can set the brightness to your preference. Plus, the LEDs are rated at 50,000+ hours of continuous use, so you’ll get plenty of use out of the fixture before it burns out. As a bonus, power consumption is a mere 16-watts at maximum brightness.

While I haven’t been able to find pricing or availability information for the Aqualia, online LED specialists TheLEDLight carry similar fixtures by the same company (for about $200 each), so you might be able to get one special ordered through them.

This might look like a curtain of randomly assorted lighting fixtures. But it’s actually an interactive video display that can detect movements of passersby and mimic them using light.

Entitled Space Invaders 2008, the light installation uses a grid of 176 unique lighting fixtures to work its magic. When a person passes in front of a video camera connected to the display, custom software and electronic dimming systems automatically translate movements into adjustments to the intensity of the lights.

The curtain of lights measures over 1600 square feet, and the illusion doesn’t seem like much of anything until you stand back a ways. But from a distance, in a darkened room, you really can see the effect. The system can also use other input devices such as audio signals, to turn it into a huge spectrum analyzer.

Designed by interactive artists Rainer Kehres, Sebastian Hungerer and Friedemann Wolpert the display on exhibit at ZKM Center for Art & Media in Karlsruhe, Germany through February 13, 2008.

You can find more images and information over on commonlights.

[photos: Marc Walthieu]

In the last year, we’ve gone from nary a Wii gun controller to a veritable plethora of available shooter accessories for Nintendo’s little white box. Still, with all the variety that’s to be found these days, this is the first time I’ve seen one with a built in laser sight to help you aim your shots.

The WiiMax (not to be confused with WiMAX) is one substantial light gun controller, designed to flip between “machine gun” and “rifle” modes thanks to a folding front grip. It’s got a fitted slot for holding your Wii-mote, and lets you plunk your Nunchuk into the handle. The laser sight runs on a pair of AAA batteries, and can be easily removed if it gets in your way.

Sure, if you’re willing bring out your inner MacGyver, you could just duct tape a cheap laser pointer onto any light gun. But for about $21, you might as well just pick up one of these, all ready to go. You can grab the WiiMax Wii Light Gun from DealExtreme.

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Sure, we’ve all seen devices that promise to help you relax, whether with light, sound, or even aromatherapy. This new gadget out of Korea takes the kitchen sink approach to chilling out, combining all of the aforementioned techniques to get you to unwind.

The LTK-2000 Therapy Station starts out with 24 relaxing sounds in categories ranging from “concentration” to “therapy for depression” to get your mind off the din of your everyday life. Once your ears are soothed, a ring of bright blue LEDs pops out of the device to provide your eyes with a up to 5,000 lux of light therapy.

Once your eyes and ears are relaxed, your nose won’t feel left out, thanks to an array of herbal aroma cartridges which can pop into the top of the unit. If that’s not enough, the system also has a built in anion generator, which is supposed to help purify the air you’re breathing.

If this thing can’t help you to relax, you’re probably beyond hope. Now all you’ve got to do is figure out how to get one imported from Korea, and you’re all set. If you’re up for the challenge, you can find them for sale at Enfren for 378,000 KRW (that’s about $395 USD). There’s also a video of the device in action over on AVING.

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