The "specialness spiral" leads us to not use some ordinary objects (2021)
I saw a talk where the gist was that <i>objects are made to be used</i>. They serve us, we don&#x27;t serve them. A device or a tool will never thank you for taking care of it.<p>An example is that professional photographers don&#x27;t &quot;baby&quot; their cameras. The corners are dinged, everything is worn, and they pick them up in one hand without putting the strap around their neck to stop it falling. If it&#x27;s too fragile to use, it&#x27;s <i>too fragile</i>.<p>My application of this philosophy is that I don&#x27;t put a protective case on my iPhone. I typically buy the <i>most expensive model</i>, and I have dropped them, and even scratched the screen.<p>But here&#x27;s the thing: the bare phone is beautiful. It has a very well designed glass and metal body. It&#x27;s shiny. It&#x27;s elegant. It&#x27;s as small as it can be made.<p>If you put a plastic cover on it, the phone gets bigger, heavier, and <i>uglier</i>. You&#x27;re sacrificing something (usability, comfort, appearance) for the benefit of the device, not for your own benefit.<p>PS: Everyone I know who has a protective case on their phone has broken the screen at least once. Typically they just get it repaired for ~$100 and then... they still have their unblemished pretty phone again, which they put back inside an ugly case.