Latest news with #lighting
United News of India
10 hours ago
- Business
- United News of India
Plan ahead for growing Hyderabad: Emphasises Telangana CS Ramakrishna Rao
Hyderabad, June 20 (UNI) Telangana Chief Secretary Ramakrishna Rao on Friday emphasised the need for proactive planning to meet the growing demands of Hyderabad and its surrounding areas. Addressing officials during a review meeting at Shamshabad Municipality, the Chief Secretary highlighted the importance of efficient civic services like water supply, drainage, street lighting, and property tax collection. He stated that Hyderabad's rapid urban expansion requires local bodies to plan ahead for infrastructure and basic amenities. The review, conducted as per the directive of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, focused on improving grassroots governance and service delivery. Following the meeting, the Chief Secretary visited key HMDA projects, including the 85-acre Eco Park at Kothwalguda, Budvel multi-use layout with direct ORR access, and the newly constructed Neopolis trumpet interchange built to AASHTO standards. These infrastructure projects, aimed at improving connectivity and livability, are set to be inaugurated soon by the Chief Minister. UNI VV GNK
Forbes
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
This Ceramic Artist Started At The Table, Now She's Lighting Up Rooms
Erin Hupp's tabletop lamp was inspired by an egg cup. Kelly Puleio Erin Hupp was inspired by her work with Michelin-star chefs to create a new lighting collection. Kristen Loken Ceramic artist Erin Hupp has created custom tableware for chefs at renowned restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond including Californios, Nightbird, Sons and Daughters, and Pasta Bar. Now, she's applying her reverence for clay to a new venture: a lighting collection called Solum, Latin for 'of the earth.' Hupp wanted to expand her practice into another realm, while continuing her goal of creating custom art objects that are also functional. Much like she works with chefs, she's now also collaboration with interior designers to create the perfect mood and ambience for a room. 'Working alongside other creatives allows me to immerse myself in their vision and reinterpret it through my own artistic lens,' Hupp says. 'There's a unique synergy that emerges when two creative perspectives come together, resulting in something truly special.' Erin Hupp's pendant lamps are inspired by bowls she created for restaurants. Kelly Puleio Hupp first gained attention for her collaborations with restaurants, where she created handmade ceramics that enhanced the look and feel of the dining experience. 'My ceramics provide the architecture for the chef's menu and how it will exist within the restaurant space,' she told me in 2022. That same sense of storytelling and collaboration drives Solum, which includes table lamps, pendant lamps, and sconces—each made to order and customizable. 'Lighting requires specific parameters—size nuts, bolts, shrinkage rates. Art is a lot of math, but those constraints spark creativity and ingenuity. It's the same as when a chef asks me to design a plate with very specific dimensions and functionality. I love the problem solving.' She draws inspiration from everyday objects as well as previous restaurant collaborations. For example, one of her porcelain table lamps is inspired by an egg cup. 'There's something incredibly charming and sweet about a porcelain vessel used to serve French-style soft boiled eggs, where the top of the shell is delicately removed like a hat. I wanted to translate that sense of delicacy and design work into lighting.' Erin Hupp's tabletop lamp was inspired by an egg cup. Kelly Puleio Similarly, her pendant lamp is inspired by a simple bowl, and the wall sconce is inspired by a sauce pourer she created for Pasta Bar in Los Angeles, and the wall light echoes a caviar dish she created in collaboration with The Caviar Company. 'By replacing the caviar with a beautiful Tala porcelain light bulb the form takes on a completely new feel and purpose.' Erin Hupp's wall sconce was inspired by a sauce pourer she created for a restaurant. Kristen Loken More than decor, Hupp views lighting as an intimate part of daily life—an object you interact with emotionally. 'Artful pieces in your home inspire you to be more connected and present in your day-to-day living,' she says. In a world of mass production, a personal connection is part of what makes a hand-made lighting fixture special and investment worthy. 'They tell a story in your home,' Hupp says. 'Storytelling, intention, and the hands that make it—that's what gives art its soul.' Hupp's interiors work also includes a collection of vases and mirrors. Erin Hupp designed and created bespoke tableware for San Francisco brunch restaurant Hilda & Jesse. Adahlia Cole The lighting launch does not mean she plans to give up creating dinnerware. 'My art practice starts with—and will always include—my collaborations with chefs for restaurants,' she says. 'It's about understanding their vision for color, texture, and the atmosphere they want to create. When we collaboration we're speaking the same language through different mediums.' Her latest restaurant project is with Chef Philip Tessier, who's launching Understudy, a culinary destination in Napa featuring a patisserie, butcher, teaching kitchen, and a culinary museum. Hupp's miniature cake stands and ceramic pedestals will be featured at the patisserie counter, supporting the creations of master pastry chef Frank Vollkommer. Hupp first experimented with jewelry design via a collaboration with San Francisco's Fiat Lux, and she's planning a capsule collection with San Francisco brand Goldstories. The pieces are inspired by her Fold Texture Plate, which was originally part of a two-piece caviar server created for The Caviar Co. She's reimagining it as a statement ring, necklace, and earring set. 'It's thrilling to see something I created in clay become wearable,' she says. Solum pieces are primarily available to interior designers, but she is open to commissions outside of the trade as her schedule allows.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
The Asus ROG Azoth Keyboard Types Smoothly and Looks Like a Show-Off
This site may earn affiliate commissions from the links on this page. Terms of use(Opens in a new window) . Some keyboards just feel like they were made for typing 'LOL' in all caps. The Asus ROG Azoth Keyboard is not one of those. This thing was built for serious clickiness, with a level of polish and customizability that makes mechanical keyboard nerds go a little glassy-eyed. Right now, it's down to $199.99, which saves you 20% off the list price. If your current keyboard sounds like a potato chip bag and feels even worse, this is your cue. This keyboard's hot-swappable switches let you tweak your setup without pulling out a soldering iron, and the ROG NX Red switches it ships with are smooth and quiet enough for late-night gaming without roommate rage. The three-layer dampening design helps reduce that annoying clack, while still feeling satisfying with every keystroke. And the PBT keycaps? Crisp, durable, and zero shine even after months of rage typing. This keyboard has a little OLED screen in the corner actually comes in handy too. It can show system info, custom animations, or act as a volume display; basically, it gives the keyboard a mini dashboard vibe. Plus, it connects over low-latency wireless or Bluetooth, so you're not stuck with cable clutter if you want a cleaner setup. Battery life holds up for ages, too, especially with the lighting toned down. This one also looks cool. Sleek black casing, soft glow RGB, and a solid, hefty build that makes it feel premium on your desk. The stabilizers are pre-lubed and sound like a dream. Honestly, once you start using this thing, everything else will feel like typing on a soggy cracker. At $199.99, the Asus ROG Azoth feels like a bit of a splurge, but the kind that'll still be making you happy long after your next mouse dies. And hey, 20% off makes it a lot easier to justify a little keyboard indulgence. Need more gear to level up your setup? You'll find more in our gaming desktop deal roundup.
CNET
3 days ago
- CNET
Experts Answer: Why Our LED Lights Die So Quickly
Today's LED lights offer warm colors, smart connections -- and higher prices than old incandescents. That's what makes it so disappointing when they suddenly fail after a year or two of use even though they're promised for years of low-energy performance. It's happened to me and many others, too, so I asked the experts to figure out what's going on. It turns out our home LED bulbs fail for very specific reasons and there are steps we can take to keep them lasting as long as they should. Here's what's going on. 1. LED lifespan ratings are a broad average, not a promise Not all LEDs last the numbers you see on the box don't always work out in real life. LED bulbs do last longer but those claims about five to 10 years are estimates based on internal testing -- and companies are always looking for ways to show their bulbs in, well, the best possible light. So if the packaging says the bulb lasts seven years, that means testing showed an average of seven years, and you don't always know the math applied to get that result. Thomas Grable, from the LEDvance product technical team, said that when LED bulb averages fall within a normal distribution chart, about 95% of the values fall within two standard deviations of the mean. That still means some LED lights will experience short lifetimes -- and as Grable points out, we're more likely to remember the lights that flicker and die right away than those that plod on. Plus, companies may use sneakier language, like "up to seven years," which means they're probably doing serious weighting toward the very top performers in their bulb testing, making it more likely you'll see bulbs fall short. And don't forget to check LED bulb details for how the manufacturer is defining a single day of use in these year calculations (if it says). Some companies use a more honest 6 to 8 hours of use for a single day. Others may use two to three hours of use to greatly inflate their lifespan numbers. All that said, Grable reports that incandescent bulbs have an average of about 800 hours, far shorter than the average of most LED bulbs, so you should still be getting your money's worth unless something goes wrong. That's where other factors come in. 2. LED drivers overheat and fail Temperature plays a key role in LED life. Getty Images The LED, or light-emitting diode, is very unlikely to fail, and if it does, it goes out slowly over years. Instead, it's the other electrical bits in LED bulbs that fail and cut off the bulb's light. LED bulbs use DC power, which requires a converter and drivers to switch from standard AC power in homes. That means inside every LED bulb are tiny circuit components -- and their soldered contact points -- which are far more vulnerable than the diode itself. The Lighting Research Center of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute reports that research shows the delicate soldered points are most likely to fail in harsh conditions. Heat, in particular, can cause these components to quickly break, so installing an LED bulb in a hot corner of your home or in a deep-set socket with poor ventilation can cause the lights to go out far sooner than expected. You can help prevent these issues by looking for LED bulbs that have weighty aluminum heat-sink materials but ultimately LED bulbs won't perform the same in high heat conditions. 3. Your home electrical power may not be 'clean' Chris Wedel/CNET In electrical grid terms, clean power is steady and reliable, with very accurate alternating current and few unexpected spikes in amps. But not all electricity is like that. Depending on the electrical infrastructure near your home, your power may be on the dirtier side, with tiny spikes in power, and other problems. LED bulb converters need to manage all those small discrepancies, which can quickly wear them down and cause them to overheat. If you seem to frequently lose bulbs around the home for no good reason, you could have a dirty power supply. 4. Sockets may be old or installation may be poor An Ecosmart dimmable bulb against a wood surface. Tyler Lacoma/CNET Even if your electricity is clean, a bad installation could yield the same effects as dirty power. Old, dirty sockets won't transfer electricity as smoothly, creating burnout issues. And screwing in an LED bulb too loosely or too tightly can also create problems. Aim for a firm but gentle installation process in a clean socket for the best results. 5. Your home may have high humidity High humidity is bad for electrical connections that bulbs use. Olga Dobrovolska via Getty Humidity teams up with heat to wear down LED electrical components even faster. If you live in a wet area with high moisture content in your indoor air, LED bulbs aren't as likely to last their full lifespan. Luckily, CNET has several dehumidifier recommendations to help dry out your home. 6. LED bulbs and old dimmers don't mix LED bulbs might not work well with older dimmer switches. Treatlife Many LED bulbs can dim, but that doesn't mean they play well with older home dimmer switches. As LED installer Torchlight mentions, old dimmers are made to work with high-wattage incandescent bulbs. They don't really know what to do with low-wattage LEDs, which leads to burnout issues. You can either install an LED dimmer switch or -- my preferred option -- choose a smart LED bulb with self-dimming features you can control via app rather than relying on old-fashioned dimmers. 7. Quality control issues can be a factor LED bulb installation and manufacturing quality are key. Getty Images Finally, the manufacturing quality of LED bulbs will affect all the issues I've discussed above. Many manufacturers have serviceable diodes but try to save money on cheap drivers and converters (as well as sloppy assembly techniques), which is a major cause behind early failure. When picking an LED bulb, it's best to stick with well-known, reliable brands, even if you have to pay a bit more. For smart bulbs, our testers have found some of the best results from Philips, Wiz, Govee, Nanoleaf and Cree. To find the best LED bulbs for your home, visit our guides to the best LED bulb for every room in your house, what to consider when switching to LED bulbs, and the best LED floodlight bulbs we've tested.
Entrepreneur
3 days ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Salesforce Joins Hands with Jaquar Group to Drive Digital Transformation
Jaquar Group will deploy Salesforce tools like Consumer Goods Cloud, CPQ, Partner Community Cloud, and Field Service to boost sales efficiency, pricing, partner collaboration, and service delivery. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Salesforce has announced a strategic partnership with Jaquar Group, a brand in bathroom and lighting solutions, to accelerate the company's digital transformation journey. This collaboration aims to unify customer engagement, boost productivity, and drive revenue growth by leveraging Salesforce's AI-powered, mobile-first platform. As part of the initiative, Jaquar Group will implement a range of Salesforce tools across its operations. These include Consumer Goods Cloud to improve sales efficiency, CPQ and Partner Community Cloud for smarter pricing and partner collaboration, and Field Service to enhance service delivery for internal teams and contractors. Tableau will also play a key role in enabling data-driven decision-making across sales and service teams. With a presence in over 55 countries and a workforce of more than 12,000, Jaquar is adopting Salesforce as its end-to-end customer solution across key business divisions, including Bath and Light. This move is part of the company's vision to build a smart, scalable platform that gives a 360-degree view of customers by connecting previously siloed data sources. Arundhati Bhattacharya, CEO of Salesforce - South Asia, said, "Digital transformation is not just a business initiative — it is a strategic imperative. Jaquar's decision to harness AI, automation, and data shows a future-ready mindset. We are proud to partner with such a visionary company," she said. Rajesh Mehra, Director and Promoter at Jaquar Group, highlighted, "This collaboration is more than just a tech upgrade — it's about embedding intelligence into every customer and operational interaction." Ninad Raje, CIO of Jaquar Group, added, "Markets today are dynamic and digitally driven. With Salesforce, we're moving from conventional upgrades to a truly connected and intelligent enterprise." This partnership also aligns with Salesforce's ongoing product innovation, including the introduction of Agentforce, its new platform enabling AI agents to act autonomously across business functions — shaping the future of work. With this collaboration, both companies aim to redefine customer experience and set new benchmarks for operational excellence in the manufacturing and consumer goods sector.
