How to Use a Laptop In the Sun

After the 10 foot snow banks melted and I could actually see grass, a wonderful weather phenomena happened: warm spring sunshine.

I love the sun. Naturally, nothing seemed more tempting than grabbing my laptop and heading outside to sit in the sunshine with a beer and do a little writing. (In moderation – the beer, not the writing.)

Well, I couldn’t see a damned thing. The laptop was on and I was squinting away trying to see what I was doing. Fun? No. Productive? Not at all.

I used Twitter to ask people their solutions – I mean, hey. Everyone else seems to live in warm, sunny places. They must have all the answers to avoid going screen blind, right?

Face the Sun. The most common prevention for screen blindness offered up was to sit facing the sun. Angle the laptop and turn up the brightness for your screen display. (Brought to you by Vegaspenman and RLD002)

Look Cool. Put on a pair of shades while you’re working to help cut down the glare. And sit facing the sun, of course. (Merci, SandieLaw)

Find the Shade. Sit underneath an umbrella, a parasol or a tarp, or find a shady spot where you can work. You may not soak up the sun, but you won’t go blind trying to see, either. (Merci, SHurleyHall, WritingJourney, DebNg and Vingold)

Get a Box. Some contraptions in high-tech styles helped box in your laptop to cut down glare. Another alternative is to find a nice-sized cardboard box, set it on its side and stick your laptop in it to type. Use duct tape as required in true Canadian style (Thanks, Rjleaman, NezSez and DebNg)

Wear Socks. The best answer was to both sit in the sun and be in a dark place. This body sock provided the ultimate answer to isolate yourself and your screen. If you have an Aunt Betty, she could even knit you one. (Innovation itself from Radix33)

Traditional Means. Duh. We can still use a pen and paper. The downside is that while you’ll see and be able to write in the sun, you’ll probably get hand cramps because you haven’t used a pen to write with in years. (Cheers, Humminbird!)

Give Up. Sage advice included realizing that the Sun God is giving you a message. Begone, industrious worker, or revel in the rays. When you really can’t see, call it quits and go have a great day outdoors. (Grazi, Rogueink)

As a matter of fact, I think I will. That beer’s calling me.

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