Gravity is indeed the law

Not covered under warranty

This photo begins the wind-down of Thematic's week-long exploration of all things reflective. There's still time to share yours here. Stay tuned, as we'll be launching our next theme, streetscapes, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. That's tonight...I'd better get cracking! 

In this era of smartphones and tablets, everyone's got a hard luck story of unplanned, uh, loss. And I'n betting that it usually goes something like this:

1. Start with an electronic device with large slab of exposed glass
2. Mix in a rushed schedule and a little distractedness to set the stage
3. Add some clumsiness to get things in motion
4. Let gravity do the rest
5. Make sure there's a hard surface below it all to put a rather abrupt stop to the gravity thing
6. Stand around and watch for the inevitable reaction: sick feeling in the pit of the stomach, quick pickup, futile - and potentially dangerous - rubbing of the glass in the vain hope that it's just dirty, followed by the sickening realization that the $700 to replace your once-pristine device will have to come out of your own pocket.

Thankfully this particular tablet wasn't mine. And I'm guessing whoever dropped it has since either moved to a marshmallow-rich community or bought an armored case. Either way, we're stuck with it until flexible plastic replaces rigid, finicky and fragile glass. Fortunately, salvation is on its way.

Your turn: Ever destroyed a device? How did you feel afterward?