These are dark days. Now, I’m in no way referring to the current state of politics (for goodness sake, Obama is President now!) or the economy (I was living off ramen long before the downturn). I’m talking literally — sunlight is hard to come by during these long, dreary Chicago winters. In spite of its occasional streetlights, Northwestern isn’t the most well-lit campus, and most of quiet Evanston folds up by 9 or 10 p.m. Therefore, it would serve well to have your own light source when wandering home from a study group (or the Keg) late at night. However, no one wants to be the douche carrying a flashlight or torch walking down Sheridan, so in an effort to protect my readers from harm and fight that winter-time darkness, I am proud to present: Shit that glows.
LightLane
Something that actually glows purposefully, the LightLane is great for anyone who bikes with authority, who refuses to be limited by the pathetic and sporadic bike paths painted at random by the city, or who wants to pave their own way but plans to do so in a heavily trafficked area. It’s a laser attached to the back of your bike that projects a glowing bike path to alert drivers of your presence. If you ask me, it also gives you authority and the right-of-way wherever you go, as the lines marking your path of travel move with you. Although I hope for your sake that Escalade will respect your authority, too.
Power Aware Cord
My inner hippie can’t help but love the Power Aware Cord, which tells you how much power is surging through it by varying the levels of illumination, which correspond with the charge. Far more importantly, my inner klutz, who constantly stubs her toes or gets tangled in wires and stuff, and my inner idiot, who has on more than one occasion electrocuted herself trying to unplug a cord in the dark, are pretty thrilled as well.
Glow in the Dark Pebbles
No, your pet rock didn’t go all Alex Mack-radioactive on you. This is just another sad attempt to make stones more interesting. The idea behind glow in the dark pebbles is simple enough: illuminate your walkway without obtrusive or unsightly lights lining the path. Granted, it looks more like a collection of alien poop to me, but if you’ve ever wondered what living in a fish tank was like…. Well, to each their own.
Glo Cup Holder
Keeping my aforementioned propensity for mess-making in mind, here’s another glowing device meant to prevent, or at least combat, total senselessness in the dark. For anyone who’s ever woken up only to step into a puddle of whatever they drank last night (or two weeks ago) is the Glo Cup Holder. When you’re flailing for your alarm in the dark, this stable, glowing coaster will alert what not to wildly punch at, keeping bedside drinks safe and sound. However, its claim of “no more spillages at night” might disappoint those who may be expecting different results.
Glow-in-the-Dark Cats
Cats are great. They are low-maintenance, furry, sometimes cuddly, and they can entertain you for hours on end. They may or may not love you, but as far as I’m concerned, they’re a great pet. But they do have that nasty habit of being hard to keep track of, especially in the dark. And like all things, they could always stand to be a little more kickass. Cue the Glow-in-the-Dark Cat, who was created as part of a research project on cloning with manipulated genes, but has the unintended side effect of being the most awesome cat ever. A lifelong companion and a night-light all in one? Count me in!