Flat Bulb - A Bright Idea

would it not possibly create shadowing from the squared edges?

We already have such things in fluorescent versions, but they take forever to warm up, go flickery after a few months and you're not allowed to throw them out because they contain mercury vapor.

That is a great idea!

33% of the size, Shirley, not 33% smaller.

Not much use in the UK where we mostly use bayonet fitting bulbs which would be hard to do.
Anyway, in this house we have lovely CFL bulbs which come on in less than a second, last for many years and can be recycled at the local dump and some shops.

Why are they round like that anyway?

the only thing stopping lightbulbs from getting smaller and lighter is the economic factor of introducing a newer standard. The answer is not another new design, the answer is a new standard that allows a smooth migration between the old and the new.

@ CheeseDuck

I believe that more spherical bulbs are better able to resist the atmospheric pressure. It looks like the flat bulb has thicker glass to compensate.

Neat-O-Rama!

They're bulb-shaped because many years ago that was an easy shape to blow in glass. Tradition sticks.

Your mom sticks

These "conventional" type bulbs have now been outlawed in the UK and most of Europe. From 2010 no one will be able to sell them, only the new "low energy" bulbs.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1076366/Let-energy-saving-light-Traditional-bulbs-banned-sale-2010-reduce-greenhouse-gases.html

Canada too, I think.

The screw-in on this one is scary, simply because it looks like a huge gap on either side. That seems really dangerous.

What a simple, innovative solution. This is similar to the idea I saw a while back of growing square watermelons, an idea invented in Japan I believe.

Yall should read the comments on that site. They make a lot of sense; they talk about incandescent bulbs not being around for much longer

emmakate: Which is asinine as there IS no viable replacement right now. CF has to be handled like it's toxic waste when it's gone, and they're recently discovered LCD's create a hell of a lot of toxicity issues too.

So it's either incandescent or candles really. Of course the government will make the typical kneejerk ill thought out reaction to the whiny green idiots (who know even less than the government), and force us all to use CF most likely, despite the fact they cause migraines in susceptible people (myself included) and are a toxic nightmare.

I agree that it's an interesting idea except for the fact that regular incandescent bulbs are going the way of the dodo. If it was simply a piece of artwork making a statement it might be more accepted.

NeonCat:
Most incandescent bulbs are filled with an argon/nitrogen mix. Bulbs are usually mostly spherical or cylindrical to limit shadows.

It will never hit the hardware store shelves. There is so much wrong with it. The base is dangerous, and smaller bulbs are already available. Fluorescents and LED's will soon replace incandescents for most applications.

Another "designer" on the loose.

gonna need flat lampshapes

lampshades, I meant