The Gadget Bill of Lights?

I'm glad someone else started to recognize something rotten in the state of gadgetry: Those pesky LED status lights have become so ubiquitous and bright that they not only distract you from the actual LCD screen, they can completely light up a room at night. Kids no longer need night lights, even. Plug in a digital clock and a DVD player and you can practically read books at story time by the LED glow alone.

Like ComputerWorld writer Mike Elgan, I took a quick inventory of my gizmos to see what important status information I was being given. My laptop has lights for the three "locks," caps, num, and the critical scroll lock, plus Wi-Fi and Bluetooth lights. More lights tell me the machine is on, the hard drive is being accessed, and the laptop is running off the battery. There's also a battery of buttons on the front panel to control media functions. Push one button and all seven light up in bright blue. That's 15 possible lights on one little machine. 

Is this so bad? Well, it can be. I actually had to put electrical tape over the display on one DVD player I owned because it was so bright it was keeping me up at night. Elgan rightly points out that most status lights are completely useless. (Take a look at your cable modem for perhaps the worst of all.)

Sorry, folks, if this annoys you, it's only going to get worse: Researchers just announced a massive improvement in LED brightness: Red LEDs could soon jump a whopping 50 percent in light output, from 12 to 18 lumens per watt. Good news for light bulbs and flat panel displays. Bad news for insomniacs. Bust out the electrical tape.

LINK: We the people demand a Gadget Bill of Lights