Around our house, we have a few of those head bands with flash lights on them. We get them at an outdoor store. They're great for camping (if you need to move around at night). If you ever need a hands free spot light, they would work as well.
As for the bobbin, my machine tells me when it's getting low and I'll lift up whatever I'm doing and take a peek in to see how much is left. I can usually stitch to the end of whatever I'm doing at the moment, or at least find the best place to stop. I don't like to waste that last little bit of thread!