Smarter Than Thomas Edison

Do smart devices make you nervous? Do you feel that they show up your shortcomings? Do you wonder if they are sitting there judging you? Welcome to the club. Ever since my first encounter with an automatic 45rpm record player I have viewed machinery moving by itself with alarm. But I may change. If the YouTube promotional video about this Aputure B7c Multicolour LED smart lightbulb is anything to go by, it may be the best thing in the Stirling Street shop! I could not open the box due to the paper seal, but there are other means of finding out about it. What is it? a. A light bulb that you screw into an E27 socket. b. A light bulb that contains other light bulbs - LED's actually - that can control the colour temperature of the light from 2000ºK to 10,000ºK. c. A light bulb that runs on AC or DC power from its own internal batteries - up to 70 minutes on full power and literally hours at lower intensity. d. A light bulb that can be controlled from on-board buttons or a mobile phone app. Apart from the fun of driving the family mad at dinner with lights that seem to arbitrarily dim and change colour, the real use for this lightbulb is in video production. It can be dimmed without flickering, it can be colour-matched to nearly anything that is a standard illumination, and it can be totally portable - no wiring needed during the shoot. No fans, no noise. I already have a starring role for several of them in making studio reels - they will be perfect to go inside middle eastern lanterns and lights for either clear or warm toning. And with no wiring needed the lanterns can hang with no wires needed. Note: When you need to charge the internal batteries you just screw the bulb into an AC socket and let it take over for awhile. For something I did not know existed and had never seen in the shop. this Aputure light is incredibly attractive. I can even see it as a helper when I have filming to do on dodgily-lit stages. Or for dancers who insist upon booping through the crowd in a restaurant but out of the main lighting. I hope I'm smart enough to operate it...