SQUIB: a : a short humorous or satiric writing or speech; b : a short news item. (Merriam-Webster)
This Tech Squib presents a potential use for a product that is not endorsed by its creator.
One of my favorite gadgets of the year, the Lumen Smart Bulb is Bluetooth-enabled and controlled via a free app. Within 30 feet, the user can turn the bulb on or off, change its color to one of millions of possible options, set it to flash when a cell phone rings or sync it up to disco flash in unison with mp3s.
Obviously, it’s meant as an energy saving device — saving you from having to hoist up your backside and hike across the room to turn a lamp on or off. However, I find it’s best used to torment older relatives who find themselves unable to figure out how the demons captured their light bulbs. Just screw in the bulb in a living room lamp, download the app, sit in the den and laugh yourself silly while Gramma calls the local Archdiocese.
That’s not the Lumen Smart Bulb’s official declared purpose, and I’m certain its manufacturers would approve, but…Merry Christmas!
