Oooh! A chance to post a link to my ...
(almost never updated) blog about things I hate.

I've also just added an entry so I can post something here.

Blue LEDs on Everything

Let me explain this one: an LED is a light-emitting diode, and is familiar to most people in the form of the tiny blinkenlights festooning nearly every gadget ever made. As it happens, blue LEDs were a serious technological challenge and not available until fairly recently. The moment they became available it sparked a technological revolution as suddenly white light was available from these tiny, extremely economical bulbs, and technologies like Blu-ray could exist. This is a truly great thing, and I therefore love blue LEDs.

The problem is that every gadget manufacturer simultaneously suddenly saw the popular appeal of the intense blue they produced, and now one almost cannot buy a gadget without the things on the front of the device. Why is this a problem? Why has it elicited my hatred? Because they are too fucking bright for their actual purpose and do not inherently communicate anything.

This is very simple. Green means "on", orange means "standby", "charging" or "processing" and red means "off". It's a scheme that has worked for ages and is still employed by responsible manufacturers because everyone who lives near a road with a traffic light understands it.

But now nearly every device has a bloody blue-violet eyeball-tanner instead of a proper status LED. This is particularly galling on audio/video components, where, when watching a movie late at night, it is difficult to see low-level detail on your TV screen because you are blinded by the power lights on your gear rack. I have a USB wall charger that I bought specifically to charge things overnight without the sound of a computer intruding on my precious sleep, and the stupid blue LED on the thing is so damn bright that it's actually possible to read in bed with it on.

Are we all over this new colour yet? I am.
(Ladyfingers is in your wardrobe,, Fri 1 Apr 2011, 2:04, 10 replies)

My computer monitor (which I am using right now) has a single discreet blue LED at the bottom-right.
It's next to the power control, and it's quite dim. It's steady when the monitor is in use, blinks when the monitor is sleeping, and is dark when the monitor is off. It's not intrusive at all, and it serves its purpose well.

It's the only blue-LED-festooned gadget I own which manages its blueness properly. I wish to almighty Christ (much like the OP, by the sound of it) that the rest of my gizmos would have much more discreet LEDs. But they don't. This is the only one.
( flake has nothing against your right leg, Fri 1 Apr 2011, 2:12, closed)

They certainly could be dimmer
my TV has a tanning blue LED in the bottom right corner, red for standby, SUPER BRIGHT BLUE when it's on. I've put three pieces of PVC tape over it and it still shines enough for me to see a little blue blob.
(Sadarse works like Mist condensing mud flaps, Fri 1 Apr 2011, 2:26, closed)

I kid you not...
My USB charger is so bright that my girlfriend started laughing at my unintentional shadow puppets in the middle of night.
(Ladyfingers is in your wardrobe,, Fri 1 Apr 2011, 2:58, closed)

Hehehe
And that article is good, Quote "Blue LEDs are literally 20 times brighter than traditional red or green LEDs" end quote. I don't doubt that for a second.
(Sadarse works like Mist condensing mud flaps, Fri 1 Apr 2011, 5:16, closed)

you'd hate my pc then
it has so many blue LEDs i can walk around the house with the lights off without risk of tripping over the cat.
( real i'm not happy 'til you're not happy, Fri 1 Apr 2011, 3:03, closed)

Well I'll be...
It's an acknowledged problem.
(Ladyfingers is in your wardrobe,, Fri 1 Apr 2011, 3:07, closed)

I bought an LED alarm clock with blue numbers because I thought it looked cool
I had to turn it to face the wall as I couldn't sleep in the glare of the display. :(
(Bad Monkey hasn't had an abusive gaz since, Fri 1 Apr 2011, 8:43, closed)

i'm with you
I have an energy monitor in the living room and at night the LED comes on and is so bright the whole room is visible, yet it's a single tiny little LED!
(mr_spongmonkey, Fri 1 Apr 2011, 15:48, closed)

Black insulating tape
Cut a small square, stick over annoying LED. It's actually very slightly transparent so you can still see the status, but it won't fade your wallpaper any more.
( Amish Information Systems hates misplaced, commas, Fri 1 Apr 2011, 15:50, closed)

ah, red./orange/green status leds,
... not so useful to anyone who's red/green colour blind.
Especially when there's only one of them so you can't do
a comparison.
(haberman is singing in the changes, Sun 3 Apr 2011, 14:45, closed)

Me too
I have a blue light as my PC's power light. It shines through a little cut-out power icon and with the lights off, you can see the shape projected on the opposite wall.
(unciebana It's good, but it's not right., Tue 5 Apr 2011, 20:05, closed)