As handy as e-readers are, I can’t give up precise books. Perhaps it’s their reassuring weight, the satisfying crinkle of their pages, their beguiling musk; however there’s one thing addictive about that mixture of paper, ink, and glue.
Regardless of this — and as a lot because it pains me to say it — bodily books aren’t good. One challenge that’s been a very massive albatross round my neck is studying in low-light environments. After I accomplish that, I’m both retaining my companion awake with a blazing bedside lamp, twisting my physique into awkward positions to light up the pages, or — worst of all — having to activate the dreaded Large Gentle.
However you recognize what? That’s all historical past. I’ve seen the sunshine! Extra particularly, a neck mild. And the longer I take advantage of it, the extra sure I’m that it’s a gadget each bookworm ought to personal.
A neck mild (or neck lamp) is strictly what it feels like: a lightweight that sits in your neck. The vast majority of fashions are U-shaped with an LED bulb on the finish of both arm. These are versatile, that means you may alter the place and angle of the sunshine. Many items — together with my Glocusent, just like the one within the video above — include an array of white shade settings from very heat to chill and the power to toggle via brightness ranges. Even higher, they’re low-cost, usually costing beneath $30.
I began trying to find an answer to my low-light studying woes years in the past. The very first thing I attempted had been these clip-on guide lights usually bought in stationary shops. Whereas they do the job, it’s not a very good one, as they will solely uniformly brighten the highest of a single web page and tend to flap round wildly whereas studying.
Undeterred, the subsequent gadget I examined was a headlamp. This was an enchancment however had its personal issues. Throughout lengthy studying classes its weight and strap grew to become uncomfortable, particularly as I needed to maintain my head nonetheless and at a slight angle to maintain the sunshine constant.
Quickly afterward, I stumbled throughout the neck lamp. I used to be skeptical at first. Not solely did I feel it’d have a raft of issues much like the clip-on mild and headlamp, however devices you strap round your neck don’t precisely have a glittering observe file.
Simply take into consideration the Bose SoundWear, a horseshoe-shaped speaker that rests in your shoulders as a result of… I’m nonetheless not solely positive. Or, certainly, the Pulsetto, a stress administration gadget that makes use of radio waves to (supposedly) stimulate the vagus nerve within the neck. Why? Wellness functions, in fact.
No, the neck mild is extra akin to the unsung hero of the wearable world: wi-fi neckband headphones.
Due to the rise of true wi-fi expertise (thanks, AirPods), these “neckbuds” have been largely forgotten. This, mates, is a crying disgrace, as each they and neck lights share a variety of optimistic traits. Particularly, they’re snug, comparatively cheap, and, because of their measurement, robust to misplace.
There may be one key distinction between them: it’s much more embarrassing to be seen exterior with a neck lamp — and neckbuds are embarrassing sufficient.
Illuminated in a dimly lit nook of a bar like some kind of nerdy angler fish
For higher or worse, I’m a person who likes to learn. As such, I’ve taken my neck lamp to a variety of public locations. And what I’ve discovered is that this: you shouldn’t. It’s robust to look suave, discreet, or mysterious once you’re illuminating a dimly lit nook of a bar like some kind of nerdy angler fish.
There are some exceptions I’ve found in my… exams. A neck lamp is broadly accepted in public locations with a modicum of privateness, suppose a aircraft or practice, however in most different circumstances? Except you’re actually above caring, you’d finest maintain it at house, folks.
All in all, this can be a minor quibble. Whereas it’s true that sporting a neck mild gained’t get you invited to the Met Gala, I’ve obtained an enormous TBR (to be learn) pile to get via anyway. And vogue isn’t every thing. Generally you simply need one thing snug, environment friendly, and inexpensive. Like sweatpants. The neck lamp, then, is the sweatpants of the studying world: cozy and finest used within the consolation of your personal house.
Past even that, I can genuinely say the gadget has improved my life. My companion is now not sleep disadvantaged, my posture isn’t fairly as appalling, and, blessedly, the Large Gentle stays unused, all for the value of a single cocktail in Manhattan.
I consider a neck lamp may help others, too. From going over paperwork in a darkish workplace to combating some results of presbyopia as folks age, this gadget could make an precise distinction in folks’s lives.
However wouldn’t a Kindle work simply as properly? Truthfully, there’s no higher technique to learn in dim environments — however I’m not prepared to surrender on my romance with bodily books. And if you happen to really feel the identical manner about paper and ink smushed collectively, you then additionally have to get your self a neck lamp.