Technabob » fiber optic

Little Old Lady Kills Internet in Parts of Georgia and Armenia

Shane McGlaun — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 15:45:42 +0000

I would bet that most of us have heard about the price of copper skyrocketing. In fact, people all across the US and the world are stealing copper anywhere they can including from cell phone towers. A 75 year-old woman in the country of Georgia was scavenging for copper when she cut a little fiber optic cable apparently to see if it had copper inside.

That one little cable was very important to much of her country and neighboring Armenia. As it turns out that cable carried about 90% of the Internet traffic in Armenia and the service was down for about 12 hours. The woman was arrested by police in the village of Ksani, and she was charged with damaging property and might face three years in prison.

A spokesman for the Georgian interior ministry said, “She found the cable while collecting scrap metal and cut it with a view to stealing it.” Apparently, the cable was well protected according to the owners Georgian Railway Telecom. I think protection was lax if an elderly retiree could find it and cut the cable.

[via Yahoo!News]

Lumigram Light-Up Clothing: Definitely Not Business Casual

Technabob — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 12:40:59 +0000

Want to really stand out the next time you go out clubbin’? Then look no further than these totally over-the-top illuminated clothes from LumiGram.

For a casual night out, why not try on one of Lumigram’s Lumitop fiber optic tops? Each one is powered by a compact battery pack connected to a bright LED light source, and provides ample illumination to light up any pair of boobies that need a little extra attention.

For a more formal occasion – say some sort of elegant ball being thrown for the leaders of the United Federation of Planets – there’s the Lumitop Sophia dress, an intricate dress that’s woven from a ridiculous amount of fiber optic wire and features a colorful LED belt. I’m really hoping to see some star walking down the red carpet wearing one of these for the Oscars.

Of course, Lumigram doesn’t discriminate. While they don’t yet offer any light-up 3-piece suits, they do offer a Lumitop for guys – assuming you’re a guy named Bruno.

And once you wear light-up clothes, you’re guaranteed to have as much fun as the people in this video clip. I promise.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I want to party with these guys. And listen to their dance music. And learn their dance moves (both of their dance moves). Light up clothes are truly the future of fashion. You heard it here first on Technabob.

While LumiGram’s trademark style is the colorful glowing fiber optics shown above, you really got to love any company that sells a product called the LumiX LED Thong. I really want to party with these guys.

[via 7Gadgets]

Ceiling Lamp Offers Little Bulk, Plenty of Fiber

Technabob — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:30:07 +0000

It’s amazing what a difference a couple of decades makes. Back in the 1970s, fiber optic lamps were some of the ugliest, tackiest things you could possibly bring into your home. And as this photo proves, fiber optics can truly be used for evil. Thankfully, tastes have changed, and the dynamic illumination medium has found new life in this modern lighting fixture.

Created by Jakob Staer of German lighting maker Refer + Staer, Black Fiber is the name of this futuristic pendant lamp, which gets lights up your space using hundreds of tiny fiber optic strands.

Black Fiber lamps are available from Swedish design house PID in medium (21.7″ diameter) and large (35.4″ diameter) variants.

The fixtures are available as shown, or with an additional 20W halogen bulb in the center to provide additional spot illumination. Prices range from $2800 to $3800 USD, a far cry from the tacky $29 fiber optic lamps of my youth.

Laluna Fiber Optic Lamp Looks Like Glowing Spaghetti

Technabob — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 11:35:32 +0000

How’d you like one of these organic glowing orbs hanging from your ceiling? The intricate Laluna chandelier uses brightly lit, intertwined strands of fiber optics to light up your room.

Designed by German artist Steffen Bauer for Crescent lighting, the Laluna fiber optic lamp connects to a bright halogen (which changes color with a turning color wheel) or color-changing LED light source which can be mounted in the ceiling or in another room. As a matter of fact, a single light source can be connected to up to a dozen of these otherworldly fixtures.

The chandeliers are available in two sizes 15.5-inches and 23.6-inches and prices range from about $1000 to $1200 USD including a single light 100W halogen source.

[Crescent Lighting]

Glofab: Fiber Optic Lights That Don’t Suck

Technabob — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:45:25 +0000

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]