STEMGeeks Favorite Gadget Contest: A USB Light

By Leonis | STEM stuff | 23 Aug 2019

One of my favorite gadgets is the USB light you could get from Staples. It holds more of a sentimental value than actual usefulness. In short, it was a gag gift I received from one of my friends years ago. The most hilarious part was that it wasn't even a LED. It was a plain light that could not even brighten the darkness.




         A quick tour on Staples' website shows one of these lights only cost around $10. Why do they make them? Why would anyone use them when there are so many other alternative sources of light to choose from? You got me because I have no idea either.

         I assume someone who does not type very well could use the light to guide their fingers in the darkness. If you search around on Amazon, you may find terms such as "reading lamps" when talking about these lights. I don't know about you, but I read fine without any additional light from elsewhere. A simple lamp on a nightstand could do more to counter the glare and lighten up the room than this...thing.

         Are you still scratching your head? Let's try to find some uses for this little guy. Could it work as a nightlight? Sure, but why would you bother? Do you want to put it in your speakers so you could see in your car better at night? You could do that, but your car has its own lights too.

         There was only one time this little gadget served a purpose beyond being redundant. While in college, I worked at the school's broadcasting station. The organization kept most of the equipment in areas of dim light. There was no shortage of USB ports in those areas. Sometimes, being able to stick one of these USB lights in is helpful when doing maintenance work. Outside of that unique setting, there are few places that I know of happen to have many USB ports in one area.

         Of course, it would have been easier had I chose to grab one of the engineer's helmets. However, they were particular about students borrowing their gears. Again, the above scenario was a fringe case, at best.




         Besides having an ironic name for a product, I fail to see the utilities. So, why did I decide to talk about this item? Because its existence is silly. It makes zero sense. It is possible that I am not creative enough to find a regular use for it. I have looked around the internet for some creative ideas, but they all seem to come to the same conclusion. That is, you can use it as a source of light.

         The only other use I could think of is some sort of customizable, decorative, display for vanity. It could attract some gazes at a party, but whether people would see you as cool or dorky is another story.

         Regardless, this item remains in my collection of not-so-useful-but not completely useless junk. Like I said at the beginning of this post, it is now an item with sentimental values.

         Do you have any idea of how to better use a USB light? Let me know in the comments below.

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