“I think I’m allergic to sleekness,” writes Callan Lamb, a friend of mine who was recently a guest contributor to David Byrne’s website, davidbyrne.com. He continues with the unsettling effect that an Apple store’s “cleanliness” and the ever-present IKEA minimalism we’re subjected to has on him. It doesn’t stop there, he admits, as sleekness pervades our landscape, from “toasters and apps” to “cars and condos.”

If you read the entire article, and I recommend you do, you may feel as conflicted as I do. I’m a flannel-wearing Vermonter who, in his spare time, makes furniture out of tree limbs — quite the opposite aesthetic from iOS 7’s flat design, which I swooned over when it was first released.

I love that my apps update to Helvetica and expect me to know which way to swipe for more content. I’m too broke to risk a drop, but every so often, I take my iPhone out of its case just to appreciate how cool it is. However, it’s Lamb’s assertion that design “is at its best when it tosses asides truisms and embraces flexibility [because] that imperfection is what makes us human,” that makes me nod my head in agreement.

Today in Tech Tails, embrace the sleekness of your technology and minimize the human error factor. We’ll explain all you need to know about installing your Apps properly, a story about keeping sleepy MacBook awake, and some more tips for keeping you secure.

– Mike
miked@smalldog.com