USB-powered Verilux Natural Spectrum Book and Travel Light

Oftentimes when we are in and around our local library sucking down free WiFi, we notice several people (not the ones sleeping in the over-stuffed chairs, mind you) peering into strange stacks of paper held together by an ingenious binding method. Further investigation revealed that these stacks of paper are actually known as "books," and that they were the preferred method of imbibing information prior to the 21st century. Of the many downsides involved in using these so-called books, the most irritating must be the lack of a built-in backlight, which probably makes low-light reading nearly impossible. Luckily for our fellow library patrons, we have stumbled across a small flashlight that clips to the top of a book and bathes the reading material in glorious illumination. The Verilux Natural Spectrum Book and Travel Light is no ordinary battery-powered flashlight, though; rather, it is able to draw power from a nearby computer via its "self-coiling" USB cord. So now if the Internet ever gets hijacked, and we are forced to get our info-fix from one of these old-fashioned books, our laptop can serve as more that just an overpriced word processor—it will also act as a very expensive electricity conduit between our booklight and the wall outlet.

[Via bookofjoe]