My desk lamp isn’t just “aesthetically unpleasing.” It’s ugly.

The base is too wide. There are cables and wires everywhere. It’s bulky, without any elegance of design. And its rotating joints are exposed and complicated.

I cringe whenever I see it.

Yet, it does one thing supremely well.

When I am reading or writing, I can position the light source in precisely the place I want, optimizing the amount of light striking the page without any reflection, regardless of the paper I am using.

It makes reading and writing a joy.

My desk lamp is a striking example of functionality superseding beauty—and that’s why I love it.