kimmy Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 While I confess to having no particular insight into home decor or styling small appliances, I am becoming increasingly baffled as to why everything has to have a freaking blue LED on the front of it. My coffee machine has an LCD display (clock, etc) which until yesterday had a bright blue LED backlight. The back-light was not just bright enough to illuminate the clock display, it was bright enough to illuminate my whole pad with an eerie blue glow. My coffee maker did double duty as a very short lighthouse. Yesterday, after months of wondering why the stupid thing has to be so damned bright, I disassembled my coffee maker, found the display, and clipped the wire on the LED. Now it is dark... still functional, still tells time and starts automatically... but no longer illuminating my whole living area with a macabre glow. Inspired by that success, I likewise disassembled the charging-stand for my universal remote, which likewise had an obnoxiously bright blue LED to indicate that the power was on. A little exacto-knife action on the circuit board, and that too has gone dark. My sound system subwoofer has a piece of tape over the bright blue LED, which was bright to the point of being distracting if I was was watching a movie with the lights off. My entertainment computer has sat with the power LED disconnected since day one, since the bright blue LED blazed with such intensity as to be blinding if the lights were off. My computer monitor has a right blue LED embedded behind the power switch, thankfully less obnoxious than the others. What gives? Did somebody in the home decor biz give a seminar on blue LED lights? Is there some kind of regulatory requirement or something? At what point did blazing blue LEDs become a standard part of small appliances and home electronics? Who actually wants an eerie blue glow illuminating their home when the lights are off? -k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyeball Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 (edited) There's probably a good conspiracy theory somehwere that explains it. The little LEDS are really cameras or some sort of biometric monitor. Is there some kind of regulatory requirement or something? I can see certain authorities might be concerned that people are disassembling their appliances cutting wires and creating a potential fire-hazard. I bet some fire marshalls might really worry a lot about that. I wonder what sort of liability you might have exposed yourself to in the event your place burns down and the cause is traced back to sparks from a loose wire. I bet there's a lable somewhere that says "Do not tamper with this device". Now you probably won't be able to sleep soundly or leave the house without unplugging everything you've tampered with. Sorry. Edited January 11, 2009 by eyeball Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilber Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 The panel on my refrigerator has a blue backlight that can illumate the kitchen. Fortunately the auto function can be turned off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
August1991 Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 (edited) My first experience with "LED blue" was an outdoor restaurant in Montreal (Orange Julep) where Honda Civics parked to show off their vehicles. My sound system subwoofer has a piece of tape over the bright blue LED...For years, I have been using tape to cover indicator lights. I tape video camera indicators first. I don't want people knowing that I'm filming. I want spontaneity. Edited January 12, 2009 by August1991 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrGreenthumb Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 My first experience with "LED blue" was an outdoor restaurant in Montreal (Orange Julep) where Honda Civics parked to show off their vehicles.For years, I have been using tape to cover indicator lights. I tape video camera indicators first. I don't want people knowing that I'm filming. I want spontaneity. Yeah those little blue led's are even on space heaters and fans, which is really annoying when growing something that needs absolute darkness for its dark cycle. Black electrical tape does wonders, and can prevent plants from going hermaphrodite from light poisoning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimmy Posted January 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 Black electrical tape does wonders, and can prevent plants from going hermaphrodite from light poisoning. Good, good. Keep going. This is exactly the kind of information I need for the hydroponics venture I'm putting together. -k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyeball Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 Speaking of electricity, fire marshalls and hydroponics...we've all heard how grow-ops are fire hazards, is this because they're set-up haphazardly near combustible materials or because the equipment is faulty? I'm assuming the electrical equipment must be CSA approved but perhaps its all Chinese knock-offs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddSox Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 Speaking of electricity, fire marshalls and hydroponics...we've all heard how grow-ops are fire hazards, is this because they're set-up haphazardly near combustible materials or because the equipment is faulty? I'm assuming the electrical equipment must be CSA approved but perhaps its all Chinese knock-offs. 1. Stealing hydro - which pretty much bypasses every safety feature, fuse and circuit breaker. 2. Overloading circuits - which now have no safety features, fuses circuit breakers. 3. You shouldn't play with electricity while high... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guyser Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 we've all heard how grow-ops are fire hazards, is this because they're set-up haphazardly near combustible materials or because the equipment is faulty? I'm assuming the electrical equipment must be CSA approved but perhaps its all Chinese knock-offs. Grow op people do bypass elec meters, steal from the lines etc, but if I were to hazard a guess, I would say they know what they are doing. I suspect the powers that be throw in the fire concern for effect. I dont really know, but I can say that I dont recall numerous fires in grow ops. The real concern from my standpoint is the mould issue once the grow op is done. It takes a day or two for mould to grow from one tiny corner of a room up and over the cieling by next day. Oh, and to be topical, I like all the lil lights all over the house. The coffee maker, the stereo etc are all good. The one I cant stand is the green light from my blackberry. In that case, I have to turn it around.But thankfully, it and my ipod can and do illuminate my walk into the cottage or the bunkie. Pretty cool for that I say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.Dancer Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 I suspect the powers that be throw in the fire concern for effect. I dont really know, but I can say that I dont recall numerous fires in grow ops. Dec 30, 2008 - 05:15 PMWHITBY -- Two people are facing charges after reports of a fire at a Whitby home led to the discovery of a marijuana grow operation. Officers attended the Winchester Road home to assist firefighters after a report that sparks were flying from an electrical outlet, Durham police said. Cops found several marijuana plants in the basement and secured the residence for the Drug Enforcement Unit .http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/article/116552 WHITBY -- Safety concerns raised in the wake of a small fire in a home occupied by a elderly couple have led to the discovery of a grow-op in the basement of the house. And Durham Regional Police say it appears the grow-op may have been operated without the couple being aware http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/article/116438 Police arrested a man after firefighters discovered a grow operation at a residence during a fire call last night.At 6:28 p.m., Ottawa firefighters attended a call in the 2500 block of Blackwell Street. Upon arrival, they detected smoke in one of the bays, but no fire. After investigating, a grow operation was discovered and police were called. The investigation is ongoing. http://www.metronews.ca/ottawa/local/article/165482 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakeyhands Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 The one I cant stand is the green light from my blackberry. In that case, I have to turn it around.But thankfully, it and my ipod can and do illuminate my walk into the cottage or the bunkie. Pretty cool for that I say. You just need to connect the Blackberry to a BlueTooth accessory, then it blinks blue.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guyser Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 No doubt there are some, but its my experience that it is overblown. Then again, we can always deny the claim . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guyser Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 You just need to connect the Blackberry to a BlueTooth accessory, then it blinks blue.... Until I get a message and then I have alternating blue and red blinks. Throwing it on the floor works too. as geeky as bluetooth is, boy it works well in the car.Now if only I could text better when driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngusThermopyle Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 Well Kimmy you'd hate my computer then. It has a window so the hardware inside is visible, it also has nine cooling fans and five of them are blue LED fans. The mouse is a Lachesis Razor and the Razor symbol pulses slowly on and off in blue. The keyboard is a Saiteck with blue backlighting (for night use so you don't need a light to type), and my external hard drive has a pale blue activity indicator that cycles back and forth (just like a Cylon's visor from the old Battlestar Galactica show). All in all quite a bit of blue. It doesn't bother me in the least, in fact everyone who see's my system is quite impresed by its appearence. I like it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrGreenthumb Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 I actually never even mentioned cannabis, but since everyone wants to go there, I will illuuminate for you. Only very large grow ops steal power and that is to escape being ratted out for high power consumption by the power company, trust me at 200 dollars per ounce these guys could easily afford to pay their hydro bills in a legal environment. Secondly there is nothing inherently dangerous about growing cannabis. A personal sized grow op needs no dangerous wiring alterations(which wouldn't be dangerous if it was safe to hire a qualified electrician and inspector). You simply go to a hydroponics store or hardware store and buy a CSA approved high intensity light, which comes pre wired to plug into a regular 110 volt circuit in your house. If you overload a circuit with too many things plugged in your breaker should flip and cut the power just like it does if you run the microwave and the deep fryer at the same time in your kitchen. There is no more risk of mould from a grow-op than their is from a bathroom, in fact any grower who has a clue will keep his room humidity as low as possible so that his cannabis will be potent. potentcy of cannabis is inversly related to the humidity of the room in which it grows. Go into any older non cannabis growing house and look in the basement and the bathroom/shower stall and you will find some black mould in about 90 % of the cases. It has to do with proper ventilation and controlling the humidity. Growing tomatoes or orchids indoors is absolutely legal and done in EXACTLY the same way that someone would grow cannabis, so spare me. I havn't heard of any tomato or orchid grow op fires. If a toaster causes a fire in a home with a grow op in it the only parts reported is that a fire occurred and a grow op was present, for propaganda reasons reporting that the toaster caused the fire is conveniently left out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veggiedawg Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 I love how these forums change topics so quickly, haha. Went from Blue LED lights annoying someone to stealing electricity for grow ops. lol Just found that entertaining! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acidburn Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 When I got my blackberry it had a NUMBER of different colours to its LED which flashed constantly to tell me different events had happened on it. Some friends would flip the phone over or ask me to turn it off. It took me a year but the turn off was hidden with in a bunch of back door programming. Insane. Now I am on an iphone and no longer do I have notification LED annoyances. However - our apple tv and other apple products all have a glowing LED of some kind. But I feel like our house is blue LED free. THank goodness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veggiedawg Posted January 21, 2009 Report Share Posted January 21, 2009 Maybe I'm a weirdo, lol. But I kinda like the powerful glow of the LED light. Especially the blue ones. Obviously I wouldn't like one shinning directly in my eyes, however I find the blue hue soothing and calming in the dark of room. Maybe that stems from some childhood psychological issues growing up with either a ghetto night light or none at all. haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill barilko Posted January 21, 2009 Report Share Posted January 21, 2009 They're taking over the Govt liquor store @ 4th & Alma-I think it's a contagion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veggiedawg Posted January 27, 2009 Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 I'm gonna cover my house in Blue LED's... So if everyone really hates em do ya want to send them to me?? I'll seriouosly set up a P.O. Box and cover the inside of my place with as many as possible and post pics. lol. I'm DED serious. D.E.D. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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