Is It Possible To Make Our Screens "Healthier"? The New Blue-Light, Flicker-Free Technology That May Change the Face Of Computing Forever, With Daylight Computer's Anjan Katta

Ben Greenfield

Oct 17, 2024

Episode description

Anjan suffered from eye strain and disrupted sleep cycles, as well as worsening of ADHD symptoms from using modern computers.

Resolving to do something about this, Anjan committed to reading only from paper which meant he had to print everything he wanted to read from a computer screen. He soon missed the convenience of computers. He became more enthralled with e-ink, buying and testing every e-ink device on the market. Finding these products were too slow to function as helpful, productive tools, Anjan hacked e-ink devices. Yet, they were too slow and ineffective to serve more practical computing needs.

This journey led to Anjan innovating screen technology specifically suited for eye health and circadian rhythm preservation. Additionally, Anjan developed a vision for an entire operating system that prioritizes holistic health. After developing his first prototype, Anjan navigated the challenges of bringing the device to production.

Through the long journey and the successful launch of Daylight’s first product, Anjan has received overwhelming feedback of the life-changing effect of his product and vision. Thousands resonate with Anjan’s belief in the potential for technology to enhance rather than detract from people’s well-being. Daylight’s goal is to offer alternative technology solutions that support your health, attention, freedom, and quest to live a more balanced life.

Full show notes: bengreenfieldlife.com/daylightpodcast

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Mindsip insights from this episode:

Avoid overhead lighting at night to align with natural rhythms

From an evolutionary perspective, you should avoid overhead lighting at night because the only natural light source that comes from above is the sun, signaling daytime to your body.

#circadian

#light-therapy

Avoid dimming screens to reduce flicker effects

Contrary to intuition, dimming a standard screen actually increases the negative effect of its flicker because the light is in the 'off' phase for a longer percentage of time.

#screen-time

Beware: blue light blockers don't prevent screen flicker harm

While blue light blocking glasses and software like Flux or Iris can reduce blue light, they do absolutely nothing to mitigate the harmful effects of screen flicker.

#blue-light

Avoid screen flicker to alleviate concussion symptoms

The best evidence for the negative impact of screen flicker is that people with concussions or traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) experience migraines and headaches from screens, which are alleviated by using flicker-free reflective displays.

#concussion

#screening

Experience reading on Daylight's innovative reflective tablet

A company called Daylight has developed a tablet with a fast, 60-120fps reflective screen that feels like paper, works in direct sunlight, and has an optional flicker-free, blue-light-free backlight.

#blue-light

#device

Use broad-spectrum orange light for comfortable night reading

For reading on a screen at night, a broad-spectrum orange light is superior to pure red because our eyes are more sensitive to it, requiring less intensity and reducing eye strain.

#light-therapy

Utilize black-and-white reflective screens to combat digital addiction

Using a black-and-white reflective screen can reduce digital addiction by acting as less of a 'supernormal stimulus' at a hardware level, unlike vibrant, light-emitting screens.

#addiction

Utilize 'Reduce White Point' to manage screen light exposure

In your phone's accessibility settings, you can use the 'Reduce White Point' feature to lower the intensity of whites on your screen, which is another tool to manage light exposure.