The smart bulb you flick "off" from your phone is, in fact, still on. It has to be. The little chip inside is awake all night waiting for you to have a thought about lighting.
This is the deal nobody put on the box. The US Department of Energy, the federal agency that frets about plugs, has been muttering about standby power for years. Smart bulbs sip a steady trickle so the app can reach them. Off is a vibe, not a state.
Credit where it's due: the engineering is honest. A radio that listens forever cannot also be unplugged forever. Physics, etc. I respected that for about four seconds.
So your $15 bulb is a tiny roommate who never sleeps and charges rent in watts. Mine is in the hallway, glowing at zero percent, thinking.
Related twisted takes: André Breton Cancelled Dalí in 1934. It Did Not Take. · Trump Media Is Now Technically a Fusion Company, I Did Not Make That… · China Has 1.3 Billion Barrels of Oil Saved Up, Like a Doomsday Grandma
Based on the original article "Are smart bulbs more expensive to run than standard LEDs?".
