Representational image.

Apparently neck lamps are a bookworm’s best friend. They hang around the nape of the neck and the wearer is then mobile while reading. If they need to shift from one place to another, they don’t need to unplug or risk having the light fall off the book. It’s obviously rechargeable and I assume that the LED bulb casts enough light to illuminate the whole page rather than just a portion of it. The traditional book light that clips onto the top of a book, although a game changer for those who like to read at night, does have an annoying problem. Its light source is limited and the area over which it casts its light is as well. 

These lights may be small, cute and portable but I can assure you that, in most cases, the light they emit is not only weak but it lights up only a small area of the page. It’s almost like seeing in tunnel vision. The central spot where the light hits the page is bright enough to read but as the radius of the light expands, it fades away. Therefore, I don’t think all book lights are useful and I certainly don’t think that this neck lamp is a bookworm’s best friend. It’s actually a little worse than the conventional book light. Imagine having a contraption hanging round your neck the whole time you’re reading. If it were me, I don’t know what I’d be concentrating on. The book I’m reading? Or that thing round my neck which I can’t wait to remove?

There is a reason that the traditional giant headphones were replaced with wired headphones and then the in-ear devices. They were, and are, heavy and uncomfortable. That being said,  the wired ones are somewhat cumbersome as well in that they get tangled and caught in stuff.  The in-ear ones seem to be very popular but I always think that they could get lost. I heard that a friend dropped hers down the bathroom sink. He managed to retrieve it but the moisture damaged it.

I think that, because of the uncomfortable sensation they may cause, there are very few gadgets that are constantly worn on the body, as an option. Nevertheless, I suspect that those who do wear them all the time do so because they’ve got used to them. A good example is a watch. But if you’ve not worn one for years,  because your phone has a clock,  you’re going to find that it feels odd when you do. The same goes for jewellery. Some people don’t wear them because they can’t wear them.  =Some people are unable to wear headbands or even belts because they feel like there’s constriction around the head or waist. 

 I think these things are unnatural to the human body. As unnatural as wearing spectacles. But sometimes spectacles have to be worn if we are to see the world more clearly.  However, anyone who does wear glasses will tell you that, over time, they develop these unsightly dents on either side of their nose where the nosepiece of the glasses sits. Unfortunately these dents tend to remain for as long as the glasses are worn.

In fact,  a lot of things we do are unnatural for the body. Even something as mundane as holding a writing implement. Calluses often develop on the middle finger at the point where the pressure of the pen is applied while writing.  Even a handbag is a little unnatural especially if you’re prone to draping it across your shoulders so your hands are free; shoulder and neck pain can develop. This is our body’s way of telling us to stop doing what we’re doing. 

I wonder if the neck lamp, even the name sounds weird,  will take off. I suppose only time will tell. I have the feeling that they won’t really take off.

You know, I have come across phone holders that are also worn around the neck so that the phone rests across the chest. These are designed for recording videos of your arts and crafts or cooking instructions. I think that that is just nuts. I guarantee the recording will never be steady.