Perpetual Rewiring

Play with Light

Automatic brightness has always been way too bright for me. I suspect most people, automatic or not, have their brightness set entirely too high.

Maximum brightness on modern devices is meant to counter direct sunlight. I use my phone screen at maximum brightness as a psuedo flashlight at night sometimes if I don't want a proper light.

You don't need that much power most of the time.

It takes a fraction of a second to adjust your screen brightness. Set it to maximum and minimum, see how they feel.

Unless you are sitting outside in direct sunlight, maximum probably burns your eyes a little. Minimum might be unreadable if you aren't in a well lit room, depends on the device. Now that you have an actual baseline, go find the happy middle.

I'm writing this on 1% brightness on a modern laptop in a moderately sunlit room with no issues.

When in doubt, I favor lower brightness. It saves battery and doesn't blast my screen to everyone around me. I've been hit by other people at maximum brightness a few times. It's obnoxious.

Consider the rest of the lighting around you.

The overhead light is wrong for most rooms. But is it too bright or too dim?

Get a little nightlight instead of fumbling around in the dark for your phone.

A desk lamp for late nights instead of the overhead light can work wonders.

Open your windows more. More sunlight makes a room feel lived in.

Light is the most basic way we perceive the world. It shouldn't be static. You don't have to stick with the defaults you were given.

Play a little.

- Rew

Nightly Notes

I would have more to say about normal lighting if I had more control over it.

We make do with what we have.

Anyway.

I'm done, but I'm not really happy with this, but I don't know how to express it more articulately.

I don't really have much to say today.

Maybe tomorrow.

- Rew