Nudity and Design

On my lunch break at work, I read books. It’s my compartmentalized brain’s way of saying “this time is for comics”, “this time is for websites”, and “this time is for books without pictures”.

I’ve been reading Edgar Rice Burroughs, H. Rider Haggard, H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe, Robert Howard, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. So you see, even when I do read books I don’t exactly go all contemporary.

Although lately I’ve been enjoying the Steve Jobs biography. I just finished it and it was quite a read. Love him or hate him, love Apple or hate it, it’s a good book and worth your time. I don’t get political, I won’t discuss religion with you, and I won’t tell you how to raise your kids. But I will talk to death the virtues of DC over Marvel. And I will punch in the nose the next arrogant idiot who extols the virtues of an open operating system.

I. JUST. NEED. MY. COMPUTER. TO. WORK.

Okay… Phew… eremmm… ANYWAY…

One thing that the Steve Jobs biography does particularly well if you’re an Apple fanboy, as I unabashedly am, is give you a greater appreciation for the design and effort that went into their beautiful line of products. I cried and hugged my device after I finished reading the chapter on the iPod.



One of the things that caught my attention was the anecdote about iPad covers and iPhone cases. Jobs didn’t like them. I had never given that any thought, but Apple put so much time and effort into the beauty of the device and here we were covering the things up.

I glance over at my iPhone.

The biographer goes on to say that was the notion that moved Steve Jobs to have Apple create their own smart cover for the iPad. If people wanted to protect the screen that much, Jobs wanted to show them how best to do it.

I run a finger down the spine of my iPad case.

Not everyone liked the smart cover, but you have to admit that if the purpose was to offer up a product that would serve as a case and a stand for the iPad, but not really increase the bulk or mar the beauty of the craftsmanship, then Apple achieved that goal. And they offered a gee-whiz moment too when they had the magnets of the cover turn the iPad screen off and on.

I nervously fidget with my iPod’s protective hard plastic shell.

Ahem.

I finished the book. Made no changes to my routines, processes or layout, and went on with life.

But…

…what if…

One day at work, I slipped iPod, iPhone, and iPad out of their protective coverings and laid them all out on my desk in their usual spots.

I checked around, behind me, somehow sure someone would be standing there just shocked beyond believe at my brazenness.

It felt wild. It was the feeling of freedom! Enjoying the form in all it’s untethered glory, as things were meant to be!

It also felt wrong.

I checked around behind me again. No one was there. No laughing and pointing or shock and surprise. No phone calls to HR to report my bold activity.

I slowly repositioned the protective cases of each of the devices and lined them up on my desk in their usual spots.

Quite enough of THAT craziness. Let’s not do that again.

I let out a deep sigh and got back to work.


Thanks,
DCD

Lorie and the iPhone Emergency

Folks,

My wife, Lorie, is the greatest person of ever.  It’s hard to put into words all the many many qualities that make her so awesome and my time with her so much fun.  But it’s VERY easy to explain it in a series of stories.

Lorie’s relationship with her all-important iPhone has always been a little puzzling to me.  A couple days after getting our first iPhones, we were both in Heaven over the device and therefore I was surprised to come home one day and find a sticky note on the back of her iPhone.  A sticky note?  The most advanced pocket computer on the planet and you’ve written a grocery list on a sticky note and stuck it on the BACK OF YOUR IPHONE?

She laughed me off and said:  “It’s so I remember we need groceries.”

So… much…wrong… with… that.

Lorie has spent a lot of time playing games on her iPhone.  Angry Birds, Zombie Farm, and Tiny Tower are the current favorites, I think.  I’m not a game player.  It’s perplexing to me at night when we’re supposed to be watching a show together.  More often than not, a show SHE picked out.  And yet, I look over and she’s firing a tiny bird at zombies building a tower, or some such nonsense.  When I question her on this, I get reminded that my chosen role is just to sit on the other end of the couch rubbing her feet.  And regardless whether she’s watching the show or playing her games, I’m getting what I wanted.

So… there’s that.

Lorie loses her iPhone often.  Lorie misplaces a lot of things, and does this often.  But the misplacing of the iPhone is something that plagues us quite a lot.  It’s not a disposable item like the car keys or the latest grocery receipt for the budget or the cat.  This is the iPhone… and we must find it as soon as possible.

The other day, Lorie grabs my iPhone to help her out in the search for her iPhone, lost yet again.  She uses my device to call hers, and then goes running through the house trying to pinpoint the ringing.  Cuteness abounds.  She finds her iPhone on a random shelf of a bookcase in the middle of the hallway.  The suspects are three in count.  Ashton, Alex and Lorie herself are all repeating offenders when it comes to not putting things back in their proper place.  Katie and I are the only right-thinking individuals in the family, as far as being organized is concerned.  

“How did it get here?”  Lorie yells, exasperated.

“Oh Heaven only knows how it would end up on a shelf outside of the hall bathroom.” I smirk in a smarmy, arrogant manner.

“It wasn’t me!”  Lorie defends herself.  “It must have been one of the kids.  I NEVER put it here.”  She’s truly annoyed.  “And it looks like I even missed a call!”  She checks the notification on her screen.  “And it was from you.  Why would you call me?”

I smile.

She looks at me.  Waits, and then looks down at her iPhone again. 

A smile slowly spreads on her face as she realizes the call was from her using my iPhone during her hunt.

She looks up.

I’m still smiling.

Not waiting for me to say anything, she hauls back and punches me in the chest.

Thanks,

DCD