As convenient as e-readers are, I can’t give up precise books. Possibly 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 subject that’s been a very giant albatross round my neck is studying in low-light environments. Once I accomplish that, I’m both protecting 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 Big Light.
However you understand what? That’s all historical past. I’ve seen the sunshine! Extra particularly, a neck gentle. 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 gentle (or neck lamp) is strictly what it feels like: a light-weight 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, which means you may regulate the place and angle of the sunshine. Many models — together with my Glocusent, just like the one within the video above — include an array of white colour settings from very heat to chill and the power to toggle by brightness ranges. Even higher, they’re low cost, typically costing beneath $30.
I began looking for 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 typically offered 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 hold 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 just like the clip-on gentle and headlamp, however devices you strap round your neck don’t precisely have a glittering monitor document.
Simply take into consideration the Bose SoundWear, a horseshoe-shaped speaker that rests in your shoulders as a result of… I’m nonetheless not fully certain. Or, certainly, the Pulsetto, a stress administration system that makes use of radio waves to (supposedly) stimulate the vagus nerve within the neck. Why? Wellness functions, in fact.
No, the neck gentle is extra akin to the unsung hero of the wearable world: wireless neckband headphones.
Due to the rise of true wi-fi expertise (thanks, AirPods), these “neckbuds” have been largely forgotten. This, buddies, is a crying disgrace, as each they and neck lights share lots of Positive traits. Particularly, they’re comfy, comparatively cheap, and, resulting from their measurement, powerful 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 lot of public locations. And what I’ve realized is that this: you shouldn’t. It’s powerful to appear 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, assume a aircraft or prepare, however in most different {cases}? Until you’re actually above caring, you’d greatest hold it at house, individuals.
All in all, it is a minor quibble. Whereas it’s true that carrying a neck gentle gained’t get you invited to the Met Gala, I’ve bought an enormous TBR (to be learn) pile to get by anyway. And trend isn’t all the things. Generally you simply need one thing comfy, environment friendly, and inexpensive. Like sweatpants. The neck lamp, then, is the sweatpants of the studying world: cozy and greatest used within the consolation of your individual house.
Past even that, I can genuinely say the gadget has improved my life. My companion is not sleep disadvantaged, my posture isn’t fairly as appalling, and, blessedly, the Large Gentle stays unused, all for the worth 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 individuals age, this gadget could make an precise distinction in individuals’s lives.
However wouldn’t a Kindle work simply as properly? Actually, there’s no higher technique to learn in dim environments — however I’m not prepared to surrender on my romance with bodily books. And in the event you really feel the identical method about paper and ink smushed collectively, then you definitely additionally must get your self a neck lamp.