But that which is useful is the better. – Meditations, Book III

My Take – Something that is pretty or novel is always fascinating to us primates.  Our entire society is coated with a liberal layer of gloss.  But over and over again, I walk away from the gadgets and doodads that grab my attention to the things that I can actually use and that are reliable.  Yeah, my Mosin is as plain and ugly as a mud fence, and it’s about as novel as a grain of sand, but I can still make the gong ring with it every time I pull the trigger.  My cars will never grace an automotive museum, but they get me from here to there.  Always take function over form.