One of the most annoying things about fluorescent bulbs (including their new and improved little brothers, the CFLs) is the way they take a little time to get to full brightness. It differs from bulb to bulb, but you always end up cursing it inwardly, as it always keeps you in suspense of when that slight flicker will end.
Well, GE has solved that problem, at least kind of, by putting a tiny halogen bulb in the gap between the fluorescent coils. Go ahead, zoom in, you can see it nestled in there.
So when you flip the switch, the halogen bulb comes on instantly, and then after a minute or so, the CFL will have gotten fully lit, so the halogen bulb goes off. Very good, I suppose, but these are going to be rather expensive, aren’t they? If you’re already resigned to sub-par lighting (fluorescents still give me headaches), why not go with the cold, everlasting light of LEDs?