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Incandescent light bulbs are officially banned in the U.S.
(www.digitaljournal.com)
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
They're lights that emit in the ultraviolet part of the spectrum for the purpose of making fluorescent materials light up. To the human eye they don't look quite black, but more like a darkish purple.
But yeah, I too always found the name deliciously ironic.