Little BabyDoll Christine Posted January 20 Posted January 20 Now, these are not stupid questions, but questions about stupidity: So have at it Question ONe is an example of what I mean Why are cell phones made of the sliperiest mateials they can find? Mine is made out of some kind of glass that makes a greased pig seem absolutely sticky by comparison. The other day, I Super Glu'e mine to a table, turned around and waled 8 feet away. When I turned back to admire my handiwork from that distance, the phone had already slid off the table. I put my phone on the table in the physics lab and it started to lift up. The head physicist said "It's too slippery for gravity to hold it" Why? 1
oznl Posted January 21 Posted January 21 Your very query rests upon the assumption that cell phone manufacturers would have any interest in materials choices designed to minimise or avoid accidental damage: an outcome that has no impact on their warranty costs and if anything, is more likely to trigger incremental spend by their consumers. I therefore reject the premise of your question 🤣 I am however amused and intrigued about the concept of “too slippery for gravity to hold” which may also explain Geckos, something of a local scourge in my part of the world. Perhaps Geckos are made of cell phone, or maybe cell phones are made of Gecko. 1
Little Sherri Posted January 21 Posted January 21 My wife destroys about a phone a year. She once dropped on off of a pier into a lake, within about 9 hours of having gotten it. She said, "It's fine, I have the warranty that replaces it even if it's my fault..." They needed to see a body, however. At work, they mandate enclosures that make the sleek, lightweight, miracles that women slip into the waistbands of their leggings, and into their bras, or that disappear into men's pockets, back into the bricks we used to carry around in the late 1990's. But, I have dropped mine from a scaffold 20 feet in the air, and it survived.
Little BabyDoll Christine Posted January 21 Author Posted January 21 2 hours ago, oznl said: Your very query rests upon the assumption that cell phone manufacturers would have any interest in materials choices designed to minimise or avoid accidental damage: an outcome that has no impact on their warranty costs and if anything, is more likely to trigger incremental spend by their consumers. I therefore reject the premise of your question 🤣 I am however amused and intrigued about the concept of “too slippery for gravity to hold” which may also explain Geckos, something of a local scourge in my part of the world. Perhaps Geckos are made of cell phone, or maybe cell phones are made of Gecko. My query has no hidden premises. Only two observations 1. Most ojeects meant to be hand-held in different secnearious use materials and techniques that facilitate the grip unless there is an erro in design. Examples are pistols and knives 2. Every cell phone I have seen and handled is made of extremly slick materials, almost in defiance of sound ergonomics, which makes this a "dumb" question. It entails a "why would they be so stupid, when 90% of grip-centric items are made to facilitate manual retention of the object, since it is a better than even bet that such objects will be used in situation where conditions are not only sub-optimal, but inimical to, maintaining a secure grip on the object?" The "Dumb" is "How could the be dumb enough to ...?"
oznl Posted January 21 Posted January 21 6 hours ago, Little BabyDoll Christine said: 1. Most ojeects meant to be hand-held in different secnearious use materials and techniques that facilitate the grip unless there is an erro in design. Examples are pistols and knives Pistols, knives, cell phones: compare and discuss the risks and opportunity cost of sub-optimal grip 🤣 Actually, there IS an accessory solution to your dilemma: 8 hours ago, Little Sherri said: At work, they mandate enclosures that make the sleek, lightweight, miracles that women slip into the waistbands of their leggings, and into their bras, or that disappear into men's pockets, back into the bricks we used to carry around in the late 1990's. But, I have dropped mine from a scaffold 20 feet in the air, and it survived. Yeah I've got one of those, now... My beloved bought me a gorgeous, top-of-the-range Pixel 9 for Christmas (I'm not even a phone junkie) and I got so freaked out by the thought that I'd drop it (lending some legitimacy to @Little BabyDoll Christine's premise I suppose) that I bought a case (made from Otters apparently) that's turned it into something resembling a lunchbox... 2 1
Little Sherri Posted January 22 Posted January 22 On 1/21/2025 at 10:44 AM, Little BabyDoll Christine said: Most ojeects meant to be hand-held in different secnearious use materials and techniques that facilitate the grip unless there is an erro in design. Examples are pistols and knives I have a Garman handheld GPS the size of... maybe put two Mars bars side by side. It's for hiking and doesn't rely on cell signals. One thing that's cool about it is, it works in airplanes, so I can see that my groundspeed is 865 km/h. But I digress. To @Little BabyDoll Christine's point, the sides of it are paneled in a ribbed, grippy rubberized plastic that makes it very easy to hold on to, even if it's wet (it's waterproof), or if you're wearing gloves, or your hands are covered in your own blood as a result of the mountain lion you are fleeing, etc.
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