# Ingenious product design **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 26, 2023, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingenious-product-design/989159 "2023-08-26T22:11:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingenious-product-design/989159/41 "2023-09-04T12:04:56Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > The new ones are pocket-size – less than 6" long, about the same length as my mini-flashlights that take two AA batteries but thicker because of the robust Li-ion battery – but the LED beam is at least as bright as my traditional big Maglite with four D cells. But good luck trying to use that little LED flashlight as a billy club. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingenious-product-design/989159/42 "2023-09-04T12:10:06Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > But good luck trying to use that little LED flashlight as a billy club. Ha ha! That had actually occurred to me. The old four-D-cell Maglite had a nice heft to it! 😀 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingenious-product-design/989159/43 "2023-09-04T14:27:19Z")
I can always use another flashlight, so can you identify the one you just purchased? (Feel free to send via private message if you don’t want to promote it.) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingenious-product-design/989159/44 "2023-09-04T15:32:02Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Ha ha! That had actually occurred to me. The old four-D-cell Maglite had a nice heft to it! I think that’s why so many of our dads, back in the 80’s/90’s, kept those 4D maglites in the car. It was like keeping a baseball bat, but also a glove and a ball (for plausible deniability) in their car. It was a pretty common site on a cop’s utility belt as well. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingenious-product-design/989159/45 "2023-09-04T15:34:24Z")
To add to the ingenious designs on flashlights. Now that they have smaller bulbs and lighter batteries, a lot of them have magnets. It’s so much nicer being able to stick the flashlight somewhere rather than trying to hold it while you’re doing something else. Or worse, have someone else hold it for you. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingenious-product-design/989159/46 "2023-09-04T15:37:44Z")
I live in a rural area and have lots of flashlights. Most powered by Li Ion cells of various sizes. One of the new technologies is LEP. That’s Laser Excited Phosphor. They use a small UV laser to excite a phosphor dot. These provide long throw as opposed to a flood beam. One of my LEP lights has the LEP element for throw with a set of conventional LEDS for flood beam. Check out [Candle Power Forums](https://www.candlepowerforums.com/) for all you’d ever want to know about flashlights. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingenious-product-design/989159/47 "2023-09-04T17:19:07Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I can always use another flashlight, so can you identify the one you just purchased? (Feel free to send via private message if you don’t want to promote it.) It’s this one that I got it from Amazon Canada. For some strange reason I can’t find this particular model on [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com). The pricing has also been weird – when I bought two they were $15.99 each. A few days later they were $17.99. Now they’re $16.99 with a $2 off coupon but only on the first one! 🙄 [https://www.amazon.ca/Flashlight-Rechargeable-Blukar-Adjustable-Lightweight/dp/B0C3VZ57NY/ref=sr\_1\_5?crid=1D3GZUCQSYQI2&keywords=flashlight&qid=1693847846&sprefix=flashlight%2Caps%2C110&sr=8-5](https://www.amazon.ca/Flashlight-Rechargeable-Blukar-Adjustable-Lightweight/dp/B0C3VZ57NY/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1D3GZUCQSYQI2&keywords=flashlight&qid=1693847846&sprefix=flashlight%2Caps%2C110&sr=8-5) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingenious-product-design/989159/48 "2023-09-04T17:24:58Z")
This is my favorite flashlight: > **[SKY RAY KING Desert yellow 3xCREE XM-L T6 2000 Lumens 3-Mode Flashlight ...](https://www.lightmalls.com/sky-ray-king-desert-yellow-3xcree-xm-l-t6-2000-lumens-3-mode-flashlight-4-18650?srsltid=AfmBOoq_3QYBvnATE4Ty9R2BeZEBFXZzpBDPmiOM0HXld1HnjuYVzm9-MMc)** > > LED:  Cree XM-L T6 > Brightness:  Max Output 2000 Lumes (manufacturer rated) > Color BIN:  White It’s a bright as a car headlight, uses 4x 18650 rechargeable batteries, easy to hold. Great dog-walking flashlight. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingenious-product-design/989159/49 "2023-09-04T17:29:36Z")
I believe Cree was a pioneer in household LED bulbs and established a great reputation. I’ve had problems with LED bulbs (not Cree) failing prematurely, but an early Cree LED that I have in my kitchen exhaust vent has been on 24/7 for nearly a decade now and is still going strong. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingenious-product-design/989159/50 "2023-09-04T18:20:06Z")
I wonder how much, if at all, the lack of power cycling has extended it’s life. I have some LED ‘incandescent’ style bulbs at work that run about 12 hours a day and they usually only last a few years. But they’re also in can-style track light fixtures, so it’s possible it’s a heat issue. OTOH, I swapped about 400 lights from standard florescent tubes to direct wire CFL tubes. Some are on 24/7, some are turned on/off once a day, some multiple times a day. None have burned out since I installed them 5-10 years ago. ETA, possibly worth noting that the bulb style lights are just off the shelf lights from Home Depot. Probably Sylvanias or Phillips or something. The tubes are by Eiko, which I don’t believe is available through standard retail channels and I’ve always (very possibly incorrectly) assumed they were more of a ‘professional’ brand. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingenious-product-design/989159/51 "2023-09-04T18:43:32Z")
Power-cycling is much less an issue for LEDs than for CFLs, and especially incandescents. The big issue with LED lamps is the use of crappy electrolytic capacitors. Cree was very conservative in their design, especially in regards to heat dissipation. Most cheap Chinese LED lamps use the lowest-cost parts available, and push them to their limits in regards to heat. When one of those lamps fails, it’s always the power supply, and not the LED emitters themselves that failed. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingenious-product-design/989159/52 "2023-09-04T18:46:04Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I swapped about 400 lights from standard florescent tubes to direct wire CFL tubes > [@beowulff](#): > > Power-cycling is much less an issue for LEDs than for CFLs, and especially incandescents. I didn’t mean to write CFLs. I installed direct wire LEDs. But your point still stands. And I’m sure the spot where I have the bulb shaped LEDs is getting quite hot as the plastic base is usually noticeably yellowed and often cracked when I remove them. ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingenious-product-design/989159/53 "2023-09-04T21:48:37Z")
This is ingenious. A square bridge that normally serves as a pedestrian walkway can be manually rotated 180 degrees to allow boats to go underneath. A perfecly square wheel can be made to roll (i.e. no vertical change in center of gravity) on a relatively simple curved surface. Because this has rounded corners the math gets a little more complicated. [https://youtu.be/SsGEcLwjgEg?t=410](https://youtu.be/SsGEcLwjgEg?t=410) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingenious-product-design/989159/54 "2023-09-05T09:44:03Z")
I wish that video actually showed it in action, with people using it. They did slowly use a winch to move it in the end, but I don’t really see the point. It is pretty cool though. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingenious-product-design/989159/55 "2023-09-05T11:37:42Z")
> [@Hatchie](#): > > Greatest innovation of the 21st century so far: the slow-close toilet seat. > > It’s a miracle! How does it work? Magic. I don’t like those a lot … hear me out … i like a slow-closing t.s. … but i dispise a sloooooooooooooow-closing one … thats the equivalent of buying a 2007 smartphone in 2023 😉 * * * I recently air-travelled internationally, and the plane had “darkening on demand” windows … those were centrally operated (by the head-honcho of the stewardesses) … and def. used to keep the herd calm by pretenting an 18 hr. night … but I found it impressive … those were probably blacked out above 90% by tiny LCD elements … I am sure we will see something like that in the next few ours creeping into “regular house/office windows”, possibly replacing curtains or shades/rollers. > **[How do electrochromic and other 'smart' windows work?](https://www.explainthatstuff.com/electrochromic-windows.html)** > > A simple introduction to windows that darken at the flick of a switch. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingenious-product-design/989159/56 "2023-09-05T11:48:10Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I wish that video actually showed it in action, with people using it. They do, multiple times. It’s just short snippets, but you do get see it being cranked and the end shows a stop motion video of it moving. But, IIRC, it takes like 20 minutes to move it. I’d expect there’s a million other videos of it being moved though. > [@enipla](#): > > They did slowly use a winch to move it in the end, but I don’t really see the point. It is pretty cool though. Don’t see the point of what? The crank? The bridge? The video? ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingenious-product-design/989159/57 "2023-09-05T11:59:52Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Don’t see the point of what? The crank? The bridge? The video? I don’t see the point in what this is accomplishing. A walkway that is perhaps on rails could just be slid over. I’ll have to look at the video again. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingenious-product-design/989159/58 "2023-09-05T12:18:21Z")
A combination of art and a group of people looking for a unique challenge. Infrastructure isn’t required to be entirely functional. It can have aesthetic components as well. Also, a sliding bridge would require a lot of extra space on at least one side of the bridge that they may not have had space for. I would _think_ (but have no idea) that a bridge like this would have less routine maintenance requirements that one that slides or lifts as well. In any case, here’s a stop motion video of it rolling. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Nhup4qO6hgM/hqdefault.jpg "Cody Dock Rolling Bridge by Thomas Randall-Page") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nhup4qO6hgM) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingenious-product-design/989159/59 "2023-09-05T12:28:46Z")
Oh, I think I get it now. When it’s rolled a boat can go under it? I definitely agree that it’s pretty cool. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingenious-product-design/989159/60 "2023-09-05T14:36:02Z")
Yes, it’s just a fancy way of gaining a few more feet for some of the bigger boats to get under it. I believe in the video they mention that it really only have boats coming through that require it to be moved a few times a week (maybe once a day), so it’s not a huge inconvenience. Plus, it makes the area a bit of a destination. But, yeah, it’s not that it rolls for the sake of rolling, it’s functional too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingenious-product-design/989159.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingenious-product-design/989159.md?page=4)