A Tiffany lamp is a style of fixture commonly associated with the Art Nouveau movement. The term is sometimes used broadly to refer to stained glass but it gets its name from the original creator and design director, Louis Comfort Tiffany – the son of Tiffany & Co. founder, Charles Lewis Tiffany.

The first Tiffany lamp was produced around 1895. In line with Tiffany’s vision that nature should inspire design, each piece featured elements of nature or geometric shapes to create intricate patterns. Each lamp was handmade by Louis himself or by an artist in his studio.

The bases of the lamps were typically sculpted from bronze with shades created from hundreds of cut glass shapes fashioned together with copper foil. These works of art took many hours of skilled craftsmanship to complete and remain popular to this day, thanks to their complex beauty.

GE, Osram, Sylvania and Philips are some of the big names of lighting business. Look at how the market for modern energy efficient lamps is developing and one wonders if the lighting Industry is going the way the computer industry did.

When computers burst on to the scene, they redefined efficiency measures. A new computer was a considerable investment but it more than made up for its cost by increasing productivity or by reducing cost. Companies using computers could also use this fact as a branding tool – defining themselves as progressive corporations.

The demand for energy efficient lighting products has meant that incandescent bulbs now belong in a museum and not in homes and offices. LED lighting technology is quickly decimating old records of energy efficiency and long service life. The improvement in this technology render peak light output data obsolete every year. Energy efficient LED bulbs and tubes cost more up front but like computers more than make up for their cost through energy savings, lower maintenance costs and green branding.

This is how the computer business unfolded.

Given its strong technological capabilities, IBM was once the undisputed leader in computers. Then IBM made a decision that some call a strategic blunder. They outsourced their software development to Microsoft, which was then a small start up. Chip development became the forte of Intel. Soon IBM clones flooded the market. It was possible to buy chips, software and other components from different manufacturers and assemble them. These conditions created a fertile ground for entrepreneurs and many computer assembling and selling businesses came up quickly. Simultaneously, a host of software companies came up for developing specialized products like desktop publishing and anti-virus programs. Consumers benefited but IBM lost its dominance of the computer market.

Look at what is happening in the lighting industry.

This is how the LED bulb you love reaches your light fixture.

1.       Scientists in Universities, government funded labs and private companies work to break new ground in light output and longevity. They experiment with new semiconductor materials and manufacturing technologies to produce the best product at the lowest price.

2.       Using the knowledge generated in the labs, specialized companies like CREE produce High luminous output LEDs.

3.       Companies like ‘Seesmart’ excelling in fixture design assemble high quality LEDs into fixtures of suitable wattage and light output. They ensure that operating temperatures are low and light spread is even by marrying the best LEDs, optical diffusers and heat management systems. They also ensure that the lights are in accordance with UL testing guidelines.

4.       MyLEDLightingGuide understands LED lighting and brings these super efficient lights to buyers. We sample lights from multiple manufacturers and select those that make for the best price performance combination.

5.       Our secure e-commerce platform enables consumers to choose the product best suited to their needs from the comfort and safety of their homes and offices. They do not need to go through tons of brochures printed on paper or drive down to retail outlets. The chosen product is shipped to the buyer and helps him improve the performance of his/ her business or reduce home energy bills.

As with computers, new tech companies are coming up with pioneering technological products for remote lighting management and intelligent lighting controls. The parallels are too many and the business will probably develop as the computer industry did – adding efficiencies, earning foreign exchange and establishing world leading best practices in the bargain.

That LED light bulb manufacturers shall be the stalwarts of the new age of eco-friendly lighting is beyond doubt. GE, Sylvania, Phillips, Osram and other big names of the lighting industry are trying their hand at marketing LED lights. However, these big name lighting companies are going to face a lot of competition from smaller manufacturers and customer focused retailers like MyLEDLightingGuide. The reach of our E-commerce platform renders their distribution muscle redundant negating one the main advantages enjoyed by these big players. Intelligent customers do not choose brand name products blindly. Instead they like to see, study, analyze and understand evidence about the benefits of the product they have chosen to invest their money in. This is where our ROI calculator, data analysis and knowledge articles prove to be of great value.

The world of lighting seems ready for democratization.

As part of our series on pop culture from 15 years ago – a continuing celebration of our 15th anniversary as Pegasus Lighting – here are 15 moments from March 1999 you may remember. Monica Lewinsky’s book on her affair with Bill Clinton goes on sale; the Dow Jones average beats 1000 for the first time; and The Matrix is released. Ah, the sweet 90s. Where were you?

1. Jar Jar Annoys Basically Everyone

At the Golden Raspberry Awards, better known as the Razzies, the award for Worst Supporting Actor went to Ahmed Best, who voiced the character Jar Jar Binks in STAR WARS: EPISODE 1, THE PHANTOM MENACE. Poor Jar Jar, you-sa not much appreciated by STAR WARS fans.

2. The Worst Picture of the Year

The Roth 401(k) combined elements of the Roth IRA and the traditional 401(k). In a traditional 401(k), you contribute income without paying taxes on it. You then pay taxes on the funds when you withdraw them during retirement. With the Roth 401(k), however, you pay the taxes upfront so that you can withdrawal funds tax-free during retirement.

 5. The Melissa Worm Attacks the Internet

At the end of March 1999, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above the 10,000 mark at 10,006.78. This was unprecedented! People made “DOW 10,000” hats and celebrated. In hindsight, people wonder whether that day represented the peak of our economy’s health up to that point or the peak of market excess that was responsible for the economic instability of the 2000s.

7. You Are the One, Neo

Legendary film director Steven Spielberg was once again named Best Director at the Academy Awards for SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. In fact, the director of early 80s movies like E.T. was on a real tear, just coming off of the JURASSIC PARK series and SCHINDLER’S LIST. He continues to direct great movies today.

9. Roberto Begnigni Is Exuberant 

Roberto Benigni won Best Actor for his role in LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL at the 1999 Academy Awards. His reaction immediately became more popular that the movie itself. I’ll have a glass of whatever he’s drinking!

10. Gwyneth Wins Best Actress

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE was the most awarded film of the night of the Academy Awards. Perhaps the most touching award acceptance, though, was Gwyneth Paltrow’s. Try to watch her acceptance speech without getting teary. I dare you.

11. Lewinsky Tells All

In March, 1999, The Supreme Court of the United States upheld the murder convictions of Timothy McVeigh for the Oklahoma City bombing, which left too many dead and wounded to even go into detail here. It was a tragic and totally unnecessary crime, and the Supreme Court decision echoed the feelings of many Americans.

14. Stanley Leaves Us

On the day after we lost Stanley Kubrick, we lost another beloved American hero, the legendary baseball player Joe DiMaggio. His death was caused by lung cancer. He was 84 and sure saw America from an interesting point of view. The loss of this former star was felt all over the nation.

It’s fun to think back to these moments in the popular culture of 1999, even though not everything that happened was happy. Most of us lived through all these events and remember them well. Come back next month to see what we resurrect next.

There’s no question that LED lights are the best option for fleet vehicles—or any vehicle for that matter. They consume 90 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs and last about 42 times longer. Because fleet vehicles are constantly in motion, long-lasting LED lights can be of extreme benefit to trucking companies. A longer life span means dramatically lower maintenance and replacement costs as well as a reduction in downtime.

We have LED lights for Peterbilt, Kenworth, Freightliner, Volvo, International, Mack, and Western Star trucks as well as box trucks, tow trucks, dump trucks, and more. Options include LED tail lights, LED brake lights, LED marker lights, LED reverse lights, and LED clearance lights. These truck lights are available in a wide variety of styles, shapes, sizes, intensities, and connector types. Take a look through the categories below to see some of what’s available, and visit the links for complete product lists.

All of our LED truck lights meet DMV FMVSS 108 requirements and are protected by a lifetime warranty to guard against manufacturer defects and malfunctions. Mounting accessories are available under the accessories tab on each product page.

Options include multi-function combo boxes. Rear combination lights can be mounted vertically or horizontally on either side of box trucks, tow trucks, dump trucks, trailers, and flatbed trucks. The all-in-one lamps can be used as tail lights, brake lights, parking lights, turn signals, reverse lights, and running lights. Light heads can be rearranged for customized positioning.

Multi-function combo box lights have red and white LEDs and can be used as rear reflex reflectors, turn signal lights, hazard warning lights, reverse lights or backup lights, brake lights, and tail lights. Separate LEDs are positioned on the bottom of the box for license plate illumination.