Duct tape. We’ve all seen it used in myriad applications. But I never really thought deeply about duct tape and technology until I saw my friend Dave make a call on his iPhone. To keep his iPhone safe from bumps and scratches, he had slapped on a swatch of duct tape, which his kids promptly decorated with glow-in-the-dark bug stickers. The result: A not-too-elegant masterpiece of homespun practicality.
No boring, off-the-shelf, aftermarket case for this ex-Marine with a penchant for doing things his way. “The beautiful thing about the iPhone as a platform is that every iPhone is different from a software standpoint (apps) and music/photos standpoint,” says Dave. “All the covers, though, are
pretty much the same: you can change the color but a protective cover is a protective cover…not mine!”
You know things have changed dramatically from the early days of smartphone adoption when people carried them around like expensive jewels (because they were). Now they are omnipresent and utilitarian enough to get do-it-yourself duct taped just like shoe soles, hammer handles, torn gloves…. For me, it’s more proof of the new normal--of the ubiquity of technology and how tightly it has become integrated into our daily lives.
Originally published 7/10/10
No boring, off-the-shelf, aftermarket case for this ex-Marine with a penchant for doing things his way. “The beautiful thing about the iPhone as a platform is that every iPhone is different from a software standpoint (apps) and music/photos standpoint,” says Dave. “All the covers, though, are
pretty much the same: you can change the color but a protective cover is a protective cover…not mine!”
You know things have changed dramatically from the early days of smartphone adoption when people carried them around like expensive jewels (because they were). Now they are omnipresent and utilitarian enough to get do-it-yourself duct taped just like shoe soles, hammer handles, torn gloves…. For me, it’s more proof of the new normal--of the ubiquity of technology and how tightly it has become integrated into our daily lives.
Originally published 7/10/10