Welcome to the LEDs Magazine News & Insights newsletter for Mar. 17, 2021. Happy St. Patrick’s Day. I had really not thought about St. Patrick’s Day until just yesterday before I was to write this column. Given the continuing pandemic, there has not been a lot of local advertising for the holiday that has become huge for the hospitality sector. But immediately upon realizing the holiday loomed, I remembered that one year ago St. Patrick’s Day was the precise point at which my wife and I first realized the impact of the pandemic. It was powerful stuff if it could crush Mar. 17 globally.
Well, 2021 will be another St. Patrick’s Day spent at home for us. We are grateful to have received a round-one vaccine and we wish the best for everyone on this day. Our restaurants got newfound operational freedom in the San Diego area this week just in time for St. Patrick’s Day and I suspect some will be crowded. But we will wait a bit longer to celebrate outside the house. I can tell you that one year ago, I found a fabulous rendition of “Danny Boy” by Elvis Presley online. I never knew the King did Irish folk music. But we will play it again tonight.
We have a light news week upon us. We do have an interesting story on outdoor solid-state lighting (SSL) from the UK. One of the first things that I learned covering outdoor lighting was that the safety aspect of installations trumps all else. Early on, the cool-CCT and broad-spectrum afforded by LEDs was heralded by many municipalities. And it did provide great visibility and, as we wrote many times, made for a safer nighttime environment. That safety includes fewer accidents for drivers and pedestrians, and also less crime in general. And now SSL wizards have managed to use warmer lights and retain the visibility advantages of LED sources.
Our Mark Halper has written about a program focused on crime reduction. The UK government has doubled spending on an LED street light initiative after a young woman was murdered recently. The program will also introduce cameras into public spaces.
A week ago when I wrote the column for this newsletter, we were right on the precipice of deploying our March issue. Indeed, we were a day behind schedule, yet I went ahead and mentioned that we were going to be deploying the issue with an improved digital magazine platform. That did in fact happen. Subscribers who want to use a mobile client to peruse an issue will find a much more accessible experience based on progressive technology.
We have a few of the articles from the March issue linked here today. One that I’d suggest you read is not focused on general illumination. Rather, Matt Gerber, CEO of Rohinni, penned an insights piece that peers into the mini/micro-LED future. These technologies, used first in displays, will consume considerable LED epitaxial real estate very soon. And later there will be a play in lighting as well.
Again, I remind you to get your Sapphire Awards entries completed. And if you have any questions about the new Design Excellence Awards or Illumineer of the Year, I addressed some frequent questions in a blog post.
We have our next webcast on Tuesday, Mar. 23. LED industry expert Mike Krames will discuss the latest in UV-C-band LED technology. LEDs have lacked the power to serve in many germicidal UV-C applications. But the SSL sector is catching up quickly.
You will find many more stories of interest in the body of today’s newsletter. And always feel free to contact me to discuss content we post or to pitch a contributed article.
- Maury Wright, (858) 748-6785, [email protected]