I hate reading in bed. Actually, let me correct that. I hate reading in bed in the way I currently read in bed. I can’t lie down because my arm falls asleep. I can’t sit up because I always slide down in some way, and my back feels weird. I’m a giant lazy complainer, but I don’t care, I want what I want.
Before you dive in and propose anything, let me tell you what I have seen but don’t like:
BookHolder isn’t bad, but seriously, you still feel the pain of flipping pages. Not to mention the fact that I don’t anything to hang over/near my head/groin that I’ve installed while lying down.
BookGem bad either, but, AGAIN, I hate flipping pages, and it seems like every time I flip, I’ll have to deal with that page holder, and resetting the installation of the book.
So, I gave up. Who could possibly solve this seemingly intractable problem? But it is often said that when looking for love, the first thing to do is stop looking.
While browsing the xkcd blog the other day, I came upon EXACTLY the same problem. Could this be true? Am I in love?
Here’s his custom crafted holder (from a steel hanger!)
And here’s it is in action!
Genius! But the real AHA was that the problem with existing book holders was not the angle or position, it was the book. The irregular shape of the book, and the need for occasional access to the front (to turn pages) causes the difficulty. In fact, swapping the book out for the Kindle is the root problem, and makes the other devices nearly ideal as well. For example, te BookHolder (#1) would be fine with the Kindle – though I would still have the annoying raising my arms to turn the page issue. A small, but noticeable annoyance.
I hope Mr. Munroe starts selling these asap!
BTW, while researching the pictures for this story, I came upon this gem:
True, it’s for laptops only, but I love it. Right now, propping my knees into an inverted-v position provides this functionality, but this device is much better. The price point is a deal breaker … why is this worth $99?
