August 13 marks International Left-handers Day, a time to remember those of us who like to do things a little differently. Being a lefty in a right-handed world has never been easy. While things are not as bad as they once were — teachers are no longer forcing left-handed students to conform, for one — lefties still face a number of annoyances on a regular basis. Thankfully, we found six essential items that will make your left-handed life a little easier.
1. DSI Left-Handed Mechanical Keyboard.
Picture this: You’re typing up a string of code for your latest project and have to punch in an incredibly long series of numbers. Being left-handed, you’re much more comfortable pecking away with your southpaw digits. However, this requires you to either annoyingly cross your left hand over your right or removing your right hand from the keyboard altogether. The DSI Left-Handed Mechanical Keyboard does away with this annoyance, entirely. Designed specifically for lefties, the numerical keypad lies left of the QWERTY keys. The DSI also provides a satisfying click with each keystroke, as opposed to the mushy presses of a standard membrane version, $89.
2. Lefty Spiral Notebooks. It’s that time of year again; back to school shopping is in full swing. If you’ve got a little lefty at home (or maybe you still like jotting things down the old fashioned way),you’ll want to stock up on these notebooks, which promise not to leave awkward indentations all over your wrist, $10.
3. LeftyCalc Calculator App for iOS. Many iPhone apps and features are designed to have a one-handed workflow. Unfortunately, these same interfaces only take right, one-handed use into consideration. Squaria Co., Ltd. saw the hardship left-handers face when using their smartphones and created LeftyCalc to remedy it. LeftyCalc is a simple placement switch of the numerical keys and the calculator function keys. This switch allows for greater precision and productivity for left-handed math-lovers everywhere. This is, perhaps, the greatest improvement for number-crunching since the invention of the calculator itself. You can get the app for free over at the iTunes Store.
4. Maped Visio Left-Handed Ball-Point Pens. Technology may dominate, yet somehow we always end up situations where we still need a stinkin’ pen. Using the science of curves and same technology found in those boring, average right-hander pens, this one features a curved barrel that allows southpaws to actually see what they’re writing, $9.
5. Left-handed mug. For far too long right-handed folks have had a better handle on coffee, quite literally. But this
left-handed mug from Think Geek holds a surprise for your right-handed colleagues who try to get a taste of your special blend jasmine green tea imported from Sri Lanka. And that surprise is a hot one, as the mug features a hole that will spill the beverage on anyone who drinks from it with the wrong hand(to be fair, there’s a visible warning label), $10.
6. Invicta Men’s Left Chronograph 3332. Timekeeping – just another thing completely dominated by the right-handers of the world. Invicta is looking to put an end to that with its Men’s Left Chronograph watch. This wrist-mounted timekeeper places its buttons on the watch’s left side, thus optimizing left-handed watch-wearing. Other features include an analog display, Japanese Quartz movement and a date display. The handheld clock is also water-resistant up to 330 feet, ensuring you don’t miss your left-handed date during left-handed snorkeling adventures, $94.
