Whenever I think of General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE), I see a curvy, 20th-century light bulb in my mind's eye. A calm, loving woman's voice sings melodically, "we bring good things to life!" Imagine, then, a world in which the iconic GE light bulb -- the pear-shaped incandescent one -- is no longer a big seller. What would we put over little cartoon heads as shorthand for a brilliant realization? What would become the universal symbol for "idea?" And, more importantly, what would GE do?

On Friday, GE announced it was closing seven plants and warehouses that currently make and store incandescent bulbs, "reducing [GE's] footprint." Other bulbs, like the CFL (compact fluorescent lamp), are gaining ground on the 128-year-old icon of electric light as consumers seek to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions. That GE is using the environmentally-friendly "footprint" terminology to describe what is a decision brought on by shrinking demand is both shrewd and damning. The layoff of 4,400 employees (GE has already laid off 3,000, and plans to reduce its force by 1,400 more) is slyly positioned as being a plus for the planet.

As CFLs and other efficient devices save energy, they also require changing far less frequently; meaning sales must be reduced for GE and the other market participants (Philips Electronics and Siemens are the number two and three in the light bulb market). This can't be good news for the industrial giant, although GE has spent considerable time and money investing in more environmentally-friendly lines of business from emissions control and testing for other industrial clients to (you guessed it) fluorescent bulbs.

The third name in my list of the top 25 stocks for the NEXT 25 years (again, in no particular order) is Color Kinetics (NASDAQ: CLRK). This Boston-based company has the opportunity to redefine the world of lighting -- a massive market. Color Kinetics closed at $21.55 and currently sports a market capitalization of $459 million. Color Kinetics has $100 million of cash on its balance sheet. My estimates for this year call for revenues of $85 million and earnings per share of $.44-.47 and for 2008, revenues of $110-112 million and earnings per share of $.65-.67.

Color Kinetics makes intelligent solid-state lighting systems using light emitting diodes (LED). The company has 68 awarded patents in its portfolio with another 100+ applied for. The intellectual capital that Color Kinetics possesses is becoming extremely valuable. Its business model is to directly sell lighting systems, from architectural design to implementation, to licensing its technology, to third party partners.

The world of lighting is undergoing a revolution and Color Kinetics is emerging as one of the de facto leaders. The traditional incandescent light bulb is going the way of the horse and buggy. The incandescent bulb uses far too much energy to operate efficiently, and the lifespan is limited to normally a couple of thousand hours. LED lighting, not yet economical for mainstream homeowners, is winning in the commercial world. Color Kinetics systems are the choice for casinos, theaters, new commercial building projects, and street lighting. The technology included allows the customer to change the color of the lights from pure white to an array of different colors. The physical beauty of the systems are awe-inspiring.