Cinema's Inadvertent Design Statements

"No, it's just, I, you know, I just think - right now I have one key and everything I own is in the car, and I just... I like that, you know? I mean, I just, if I get an apartment, that two keys, if I... get a job, you know, I might have to open or close, that's more keys, you know, buy some stuff, I'm afraid it's gonna get ripped off, or something, and I get more keys, and I just, I, you know, I just like having the one key, it's clean."

-James Spader as "Graham"
Sex, Lies and Videotape

On Keychains and Diminished Quality

I guess this first observation is not so much about the behavior relating to design, but about design consideration itself.

After about a year of heavy use, my "hoop & clasp" key chain(B) has started to open during rough use. When I stumbled on a shiny new replacement hoop(A) at Office Depot, I quickly switched my keys over to the new hoop. However, hoop A split open easier!

The two hoops are about the same gauge, but hoop B's clasp simply takes advantage of the full loop diameter. The engineering is clearly superior, but it's not the details of clasp tension measured in millimeters that interests me here.

Hoop A is produced vs. Hoop B is designed.

I can't think of anything less sustainable than manufacturing a second generation of products worse than the first. It is just another example of something degrading over time versus improving. I need to know full story of these hoops, and how this little tragedy could happen.