David Shiller

  I’ve previous written two articles (1) & (2) about a startup that is seeking to reflect sunlight onto Earth with a constellation of giant space mirrors. That startup, Reflect Orbital, based in California, plans to deploy up to 50,000 orbiting mirrors by 2035 to provide $5,000/hour “sunlight on demand” for solar farms (also to [...]

  As of March 3rd, 2026, the EPA is transferring the ENERGY STAR program to the Department of Energy (DOE) through a 10-year Memorandum of Agreement. This shift, driven by a desire to unify labeling with DOE’s efficiency standards, initiates a 90-day transition period for transferring partnerships, IT systems, and databases. Key Details of the [...]

  Focal Point’s Seem Sweep 2 has expanded their award-winning curvilinear luminaires with narrow, 2.5″ aperture, offering additional design flexibility to specifiers. Building on the success of the original Seem Sweep 2 Patterns, these new offerings introduce a broader toolkit of curved and linear forms, now unified by rounded end caps that deliver a soft, [...]

  This study used ultra–high-field 7T fMRI to examine how temporal light modulation (TLM) (aka flicker) at different frequencies activates or deactivates brain regions in healthy adults, with a particular focus on whether non-perceptible flicker still drives visual cortex responses. Participants viewed LED stimuli modulated at 50 Hz (clearly perceived as flicker) and at ≥100 [...]

  Matter over Thread is the combination of the Matter smart‑home standard (the “language” devices use) running on top of the Thread wireless mesh protocol (the “network” they use to talk to each other). Together, they are designed to make smart devices more interoperable, responsive, energy‑efficient, and reliable than today’s Wi‑Fi or proprietary‑hub systems. What [...]

  Home adoption of smart devices is widespread but shallow, and AI is the lowest priority feature for buyers. A Vivint study finds people want reliability, simplicity, and security more than “intelligence.” About 85% of U.S. homeowners own at least one smart home device, such as smart TVs, speakers, doorbells, outdoor cameras, or thermostats, but [...]

  Polymer, sodium-ion, and oxygen-ion batteries are emerging as three safer and potentially cheaper alternatives to Li‑ion, with direct implications for outdoor lighting, poles-as-a-platform, and conventional lighting projects. Texas A&M has built a polymer‑based dual‑ion battery that replaces liquid electrolyte and hard inorganic electrodes with soft polymer materials, dramatically improving low‑temperature performance. This prototype maintained [...]

  BougeRV’s T1 is a telescoping, rechargeable camping lantern that collapses into an 11.5‑inch metal tube, then extends to 5.5 ft to act as a freestanding light post covering up to 100 m² with up to 3,000 lumens output. Three adjustable fold-out light arms and multiple colors/modes let it function as area light, lantern, or [...]

  Vertical GaN is a power semiconductor technology where current flows vertically through a GaN-on-GaN structure rather than laterally across the surface, enabling much higher breakdown voltages, current densities, and switching speeds in a compact device. By using bulk GaN layers on native GaN substrates, it reduces defects, improves thermal handling and avalanche robustness, and [...]