It's a dangerous thought and one my higher-brow literary inclinations abhor, but I'm beginning to think that all of life can be explained with a Seinfeld reference. That's obviously overstating the case, but today's Discus LED spotlighting lamp marks the third product this week to evoke the classic sitcom. The episode in question is entitled "The Strike," and the connection to A&D involves poor lighting, for poor Jerry has discovered that his latest girlfriend looks attractive only in the familiar fluorescents of his habitual diner. If any shadow should lay claim to any part of her face, her features become twisted into a grotesque visage that makes Jerry (and Kramer, Elaine, and George) recoil in horror. Would that the nighttime world were lit by Discus.

Discus. Designed by Eoos for Zumbotel.

Designed by Eoos for manufacturer Zumbotel, the innovative new approach to retail lighting represents the first integration of LEDs into this form. The concept is inspired by the functional constraints of LEDs as well as the iconic symbology of the sun. With the source of light concentrated in the center and the lamp's cooling apparatus on the periphery, Discus emphasizes a two-dimensional radial appearance. The lamp thus resembles our vantage of the sun-a brightly glowing center with a translucent circular nimbus. Discus emits a tremendous amount of light for LEDs, achieving a "luminous flux" equal to a 90 watt halogen system. But the efficient nature of LEDs combined with the Discus cooling system gives the module a working life of about 50,000 hours-that's about 2083 consecutive days of continuous illumination.

Those statistics would be reason enough to switch to Discus, but there's also pinpoint direction and control via precision dimming and a 3-phase integrated track. Don't let that last term scare you, for Discus' new track box adaptor is as sleek and slick as the light itself, facilitating focused light via 360 degree rotation of both spotlight and track arm.

Zumbotel and Eoos liken Discus to the "archaic symbol of the sun." They also characterize it as "the master stroke for the effective display of goods with state-of-the-art light sources." Both statements are certainly true, but when I'm out shopping this silly season and I happen upon a retail location whose wares are perfectly lit with Discus, I'll remember how unusual it is to encounter truly excellent lighting and think of the concluding lines of that classic episode: "It's another Festivus miracle!"