Ikea Dioder



  • http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50119407

    "Includes light diodes; has 30 times longer life than an incandescent bulb, consumes less energy and never has to be replaced."

    "Diod life approx. 30.000 hours."

    I think they are getting confused... 

    WTF2: Who the hell thought up the name?!



  • @Mole said:

    "Diod life approx. 30.000 hours."
    If you use it as a Christmas light (it looks like one), and run it 24 hours a day for all 12 days of Christmas, it will last over 100 years. Since most humans don't plan on living that long after they buy it, they'd never have to replace the thing. Of course, if you use it as a regular light for an average of 7 hours a day, it will only last 11 years.@Mole said:
    WTF2: Who the hell thought up the name?!
    IKEA (sounds like "ih-keh-ah", not "eye-kee-uh") is a Swedish company. Dioder is "diodes" in Swedish - "er" is the plural ending, like "s" in English.



  • @TarquinWJ said:

    @Mole said:
    WTF2: Who the hell thought up the name?!
    IKEA (sounds like "ih-keh-ah", not "eye-kee-uh") is a Swedish company. Dioder is "diodes" in Swedish - "er" is the plural ending, like "s" in English.
     

    I think I once saw a product name that was dubiously close to "smegma".



  • @TarquinWJ said:

    @Mole said:
    "Diod life approx. 30.000 hours."
    If you use it as a Christmas light (it looks like one), and run it 24 hours a day for all 12 days of Christmas, it will last over 100 years. Since most humans don't plan on living that long after they buy it, they'd never have to replace the thing. Of course, if you use it as a regular light for an average of 7 hours a day, it will only last 11 years.
    I think his issue was not realizing that inferior parts of the world use the point for digit grouping.  Thus, he didn't realize that "30.000" means "30000". @TarquinWJ said:
    IKEA (sounds like "ih-keh-ah", not "eye-kee-uh")
    It's neither here nor there, but in the US, they refer to themselves as "eye-kee-uh" in commercials and in-store.  Perhaps they gave up correcting people long ago and simply opted to embrace it, I don't know.

     



  • @TarquinWJ said:

    @Mole said:
    "Diod life approx. 30.000 hours."
    If you use it as a Christmas light (it looks like one), and run it 24 hours a day for all 12 days of Christmas, it will last over 100 years. Since most humans don't plan on living that long after they buy it, they'd never have to replace the thing. Of course, if you use it as a regular light for an average of 7 hours a day, it will only last 11 years.

    30[,.]000 hours / 24 hour per day / 365.24 days per year = 3[.,]4224(07184317) years.

    Now, admittedly, I understand that turning these things on and off shortens their life expectancy - but if average off/on switching reduces the length by that much, it's likely that many people will need to replace it within their lifetimes.  [b]Especially[/b] because we're talking about an [b]average[/b] here - there will be instances with significantly shorter lifespans.

    Edit: yes, I realize I did the significant figures wrong.  Sigh.  No, I'm not going to fix that - it would involve error handling.  As previously explained - Error handling?  Why?



  • @dhromed said:

    @TarquinWJ said:

    @Mole said:
    WTF2: Who the hell thought up the name?!
    IKEA (sounds like "ih-keh-ah", not "eye-kee-uh") is a Swedish company. Dioder is "diodes" in Swedish - "er" is the plural ending, like "s" in English.
     

    I think I once saw a product name that was dubiously close to "smegma".

     

    Wasn't that their uncircumcised sofa?



  • My issue was the two things I put in bold, ie, it never has to be replaced, and yet it only lasts 30 times longer than a normal bulb. Surely it's one or the other? It can't be both. Who measured how long they last compared to a normal bulb anyway? and what is the definition of a "normal bulb" ?



  •  It's called marketing.  It doesn't have to be true, just close enough that no one will notice.



  •  I replace incandescent light bulbs on average every 2-4 years.  Hence the life of this bulb will be 60-120 years.  I would say that is "never" for reasonable definitions of "never."



  • I find it very difficult to believe that every LED in that product will last 60+ years without failing. I noticed an LED failed on the christmas tree lights, and they are just over 13 months old, but then again, maybe they are different LEDs that don't last as long as Ikea ones. 

    I hate it when people redefine words. "Never" should mean exactly that, but then again I was told by Orange that I had "Unlimited free internet access" and then read the TCs to find out that only the first 50MB is free (per month), after that its chargable. No notice, they just start charging. Apparently a typical user would never use more than 50MB, so typically, its unlimited.

    What next? A harddrive with unlimited space? "Actually, it's capped to 1TB, but you'll never use that much, so you can call it unlimited". 



  • @Mole said:

    I find it very difficult to believe that every LED in that product will last 60+ years without failing. I noticed an LED failed on the christmas tree lights, and they are just over 13 months old, but then again, maybe they are different LEDs that don't last as long as Ikea ones. 

    I hate it when people redefine words. "Never" should mean exactly that, but then again I was told by Orange that I had "Unlimited free internet access" and then read the TCs to find out that only the first 50MB is free (per month), after that its chargable. No notice, they just start charging. Apparently a typical user would never use more than 50MB, so typically, its unlimited.

    What next? A harddrive with unlimited space? "Actually, it's capped to 1TB, but you'll never use that much, so you can call it unlimited". 

     

    It is correct to say that I will never need to replace a light bulb which will last longer than I will live.  Your other examples are silly. I am OK with people making reasonable assumptionsin marketing.  For instance, if I knew I was going to use these bulbs 24 hours/day and would have it blinking and would be under heavy vibration, I would assume that the "never" claim would not hold up.



  • @bstorer said:

    @TarquinWJ said:
    IKEA (sounds like "ih-keh-ah", not "eye-kee-uh")
    It's neither here nor there, but in the US, they refer to themselves as "eye-kee-uh" in commercials and in-store.
    It's an initialism. It doesn' t have a "correct" pronounciation. I personally pronounce it much like TarquinWJ but with the second "syllable" closer to "kay".

    Having said that, at least one Swedish guy (this guy) pronounces it EEE-kay-A.



  • OK, so it's spelled "pronunciation" even if the verb is "pronounce". My bad for not checking before posting.



  • I typically pronounce it "eye-key-ah", though for comedic effect, I sometimes pronounce it "ick-ee-ah" with a significantly faster cadence and a shrill intonation like the "Knights Who Say Ni"



  • The comment about Orange may be silly, but it's truthful. They have now dropped the "Unlimited" part, so it just now says Free Internet, but the terms still limit you to 50MB:

    "usage is UK only and subject to a monthly 50MB cap - any usage over this will be charged at standard rates. Orange considers 50MB sufficient for typical mobile internet browsing usage."

    My typical mobile internet *without* browsing is  100 - 150MB. With browsing, it can easily reach 500MB.

    My home internet is typically a few GB per month. 



  • @Mole said:

    I find it very difficult to believe that every LED in that product will last 60+ years without failing. I noticed an LED failed on the christmas tree lights, and they are just over 13 months old, but then again, maybe they are different LEDs that don't last as long as Ikea ones. 
    I'm just going to put this out there.  After having used several Ikea products, I don't expect them to last.  I just expect them to be cheap.



  • @belgariontheking said:

    @Mole said:

    I find it very difficult to believe that every LED in that product will last 60+ years without failing. I noticed an LED failed on the christmas tree lights, and they are just over 13 months old, but then again, maybe they are different LEDs that don't last as long as Ikea ones. 
    I'm just going to put this out there.  After having used several Ikea products, I don't expect them to last.  I just expect them to be cheap.

    To be fair to Ikea, some of their higher-end products are actually of decent quality.  Of course, they also have a lot of stuff that's essentially $2 worth of sawdust and glue with wood-grain-printed paper wrapped around it.


  • @Mole said:

    The comment about Orange may be silly, but it's truthful. They have now dropped the "Unlimited" part, so it just now says Free Internet, but the terms still limit you to 50MB:

    "usage is UK only and subject to a monthly 50MB cap - any usage over
    this will be charged at standard rates. Orange considers 50MB
    sufficient for typical mobile internet browsing usage."

    My typical mobile internet without browsing is  100 - 150MB. With browsing, it can easily reach 500MB.

    My home internet is typically a few GB per month. 

    This is where the "reasonable" bit comes in. Who is going to use under 50MB in a month? It's like a "free buffet" that charges you for taking more than one mouthful.



    What is "UK only"? Do they charge for visiting sites outside the country?



  • @bstorer said:

    To be fair to Ikea, some of their higher-end products are actually of decent quality.  Of course, they also have a lot of stuff that's essentially $2 worth of sawdust and glue with wood-grain-printed paper wrapped around it.

    And sometimes, that's all you need.



  • @dhromed said:

    I think I once saw a product name that was dubiously close to "smegma".
     

    Sure you're not thinking of the Smeg oven? Whose site has the very appealing 'cooking with smeg' link on the front page... 



  • @Nyquist said:

    Sure you're not thinking of the Smeg oven?
     

    You're right, that too.

    Pretty filthy shit in IKEA's portfolio as well, still.


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    @lolwtf said:

    What is "UK only"? Do they charge for visiting sites outside the country?
    If they even allow it, yes. It's called international roaming. (i.e. when you're outside the country, not when the website you're visiting is outside the country.)



  • @PJH said:

    @lolwtf said:
    What is "UK only"? Do they charge for visiting sites outside the country?
    If they even allow it, yes. It's called international roaming. (i.e. when you're outside the country, not when the website you're visiting is outside the country.)
    Obligatory bash.org reference

    [quote user="bash.org"]

    docsigma2000: jesus christ man
    docsigma2000: my son is sooooooo dead
    c8info: Why?
    docsigma2000: hes been looking at internet web sites in fucking EUROPE
    docsigma2000: HE IS SURFING LONG DISTANCE
    docsigma2000: our fucking phone bill is gonna be nuts
    c8info: Ooh, this is bad. Surfing long distance adds an extra $69.99 to your bill per hour.
    docsigma2000: ...!!!!!! FUCK FUCK FUCK
    docsigma2000: is there some plan we can sign up for???
    docsigma2000: cuz theres some cool stuff in europe, but i dun wanna pauy that much
    c8info: Sorry, no. There is no plan. you'll have to live with it.
    docsigma2000: o well, i ccan live without europe intenet sites.
    docsigma2000: but till i figure out how to block it hes sooooo dead
    c8info: By the way, I'm from Europe, your chatting long distance.
    ** docsigma2000 has quit (Connection reset by peer)
    [/quote]


  • @Mole said:

    I was told by Orange that I had "Unlimited free internet access" and then read the TCs to find out that only the first 50MB is free (per month), after that its chargable.
     

    Unlimited free access != unlimited free bandwidth.

     



  • @Shishire said:

     It's called marketing.  It doesn't have to be true, just close enough that no one will notice file a complaint and/or sue.

    FTFY



  • @Nyquist said:

    Sure you're not thinking of the Smeg oven?
     

    Smeg has been around for a long time, 1948 according to Wikipedia. I always thought it was funny, as I am a Red Dwarf fan.

    There are heaps of new meanings for old names. For example, my wife's father worked for Email decades ago! (Hmm that website is a WTF. They don't even have an area code on their phone numbers!)



  • @tgape said:

    Now, admittedly, I understand that turning these things on and off shortens their life expectancy
     

    I'm not sure about these particular LEDs but normal LEDs are generally dimmed by using PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) at several kilohertz. They are flashed thousands of times per second and don't appear to badly affect them. I know this is used in some cars.

    Also banks of 7-segment displays are generally LEDs. The controller will use one line for each segment and another line for each digit, so a 4 digit display only requires 12 (8+4) output pins, instead of 32 (8*4). (7 segments plus decimal point) So if it wants to display "1234" it will output the pattern for "1" while sending the line for the first digit to enable. A short time later it will output the pattern for "2" and send the second digit enabled (with the rest disabled). And so on. Each segment may be switched on and off thousands of times per second. My alarm clock uses this method and it has been used constantly for many years with no sign of wear on the display.

    @TarquinWJ said:

    and run it 24 hours a day for all 12 days of Christmas

     I don't know about other parts of the world but I run my Christmas lights starting on 1 December, though really only 6:30-10pm (It's too light before 6:30). And they have to survive 40+°C heat during the day, and evening storms. This year I replaced some aging 0.3W incandecent bulb strings with LED strings and they are much brighter and use a lot less power. (Using 8W (instead of 30W) low voltage adaptors for the 250-300 bulb strings). And they are more reliable - they all still work and no chance of being knocked out like the old-fashioned bulbs. The purchase prices are coming down so LED-based christmas lights are economical now.



  •  OK here's a WTF. Both the white and multicoloured strips are $49.99 on the US site, but the white ones are $69.99 (AUD) and the multicoloured strips are $99.99 on the Australian IKEA site (use the dropdown options). Other than the fact that we are getting ripped off as usual (50USD=~56AUD ATM, plus 10% GST (tax) should make it ~$61 instead of $70) but we pay more again if we want the multicoloured one!



  •  @Zemm said:

    There are heaps of new meanings for old names. For example, my wife's father worked for Email decades ago! (Hmm that website is a WTF. They don't even have an area code on their phone numbers!)

    Could that be because they don't want to service A/C units out of the area? It saves the phone calls with the reply "No, we don't cover that area."

    The website is a WTF though. I particularly like the links referenced to file:///C|/Program%20Files/...

     

     



  • @Zemm said:

     OK here's a WTF. Both the white and multicoloured strips are $49.99 on the US site, but the white ones are $69.99 (AUD) and the multicoloured strips are $99.99 on the Australian IKEA site (use the dropdown options). Other than the fact that we are getting ripped off as usual (50USD=~56AUD ATM, plus 10% GST (tax) should make it ~$61 instead of $70) but we pay more again if we want the multicoloured one!

    IKEA knows better than to give you dangerous criminals easy access to bright colors.


  • @dhromed said:

    I think I once saw a product name that was dubiously close to "smegma".

    I always giggle a litte when I see Svedka Vodka in the stores.



  • @Mole said:

    My typical mobile internet *without* browsing is  100 - 150MB. With browsing, it can easily reach 500MB.
     

    How do you do that? The only mobile thing I could think of is email (maybe IM). If you consider an average email 1 kB (I think they're actually smaller usually)... You geta million mails every month? Even without spam filtering I find that hard to imagine...

    btw: in Holland "fair use" is legally defined as (user-average*10), if they offer that (and give a 2 warnings before billing/locking you out) companies may call something "unlimited"



  • @dtech said:

    @Mole said:

    My typical mobile internet *without* browsing is  100 - 150MB. With browsing, it can easily reach 500MB.
     

    How do you do that? The only mobile thing I could think of is email (maybe IM). If you consider an average email 1 kB (I think they're actually smaller usually)... You geta million mails every month? Even without spam filtering I find that hard to imagine...

    btw: in Holland "fair use" is legally defined as (user-average*10), if they offer that (and give a 2 warnings before billing/locking you out) companies may call something "unlimited"

    Web browsing?  File downloads?  YouTube?  Porn?



  • I get normally > 100 emails a day (excluding spam), to which I reply to about 95% of them. Of course I don't reply to them all on my phone, but it has background sync, so it downloads all the emails (both received and sent). Most emails are conversations, so they can easily be several pages with images. My phone also syncs my calendars, contacts, and some rss feeds (sometimes I get bored and want something different to read). 

    I'll grab a typical email in the format that a typical email browser would receive it in via pop3... 54821 bytes. Thats  53KB for a single email, of which the only useful content was 3 lines of text. The rest is useless quoting & even more useless html formatting. No attached images in that one. If the sender just quoted the relevent parts of the mail and turned of the "Send as plain text and html" 'feature' of there mail client, it would probably be 1KB or less. 



  • @morbiuswilters said:

    @dtech said:

    @Mole said:

    My typical mobile internet *without* browsing is  100 - 150MB. With browsing, it can easily reach 500MB.
     

    How do you do that? The only mobile thing I could think of is email (maybe IM). If you consider an average email 1 kB (I think they're actually smaller usually)... You geta million mails every month? Even without spam filtering I find that hard to imagine...

    btw: in Holland "fair use" is legally defined as (user-average*10), if they offer that (and give a 2 warnings before billing/locking you out) companies may call something "unlimited"

    Web browsing?  File downloads?  YouTube?  Porn?

    He said "btw: in Holland..." they have porn right there on the street, why would you want to use your 2 inch phone screen to look at porn when you could look simply look left?


  • @amischiefr said:

    He said "btw: in Holland..." they have porn right there on the street, why would you want to use your 2 inch phone screen to look at porn when you could look simply look left?
    First of all, I seriously doubt that the whole of Holland has pornography right there on the street, unless they've started attaching it to the sails of windmills.  Besides, looking up is far too much work.  I want to look at pornography, not practice for a freaking marathon.



  • @tgape said:

    Now, admittedly, I understand that turning these things on and off shortens their life expectancy

     

    I am pretty sure that is not the case for LEDs. Running them at too high a temperature does reduce the lifetime, though.


  • @dhromed said:

    Pretty filthy shit in IKEA's portfolio as well, still.

     

    The classic example of this was a storage box named Knep (not sure they still carry it). In Swedish, knep means 'trick' - but in Denmark, where the same name was used, the word means 'fuck'.



  • @bullestock said:

    @dhromed said:

    Pretty filthy shit in IKEA's portfolio as well, still.

     

    The classic example of this was a storage box named Knep (not sure they still carry it). In Swedish, knep means 'trick' - but in Denmark, where the same name was used, the word means 'fuck'.

    Oh, and I suppose you don't keep your wife in a storage box, but just let her run around freely?  Don't come crying to me when she figures out she can vote or when she manages to slip through the bars on your windows.


  • :belt_onion:

    @morbiuswilters said:

    Don't come crying to me when she figures out she can vote or when she manages to slip through the bars on your windows.
    I don't have bars on my windows. You must be confused with MacOS


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