--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I remember reading about a court case…" description: "\"I remember reading about a court case where a man tried to stab a judge with a pencil. There are Google pages full of similar instances around the worl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/don-ihde-48619_around-the-world_i-remember-reading-about-a-court-case-wh_1616045.jpg" --- # I remember reading about a court case where a man tried to… ![“I remember reading about a court case where a man tried to stab a judge with a pencil. There are Google pages full of similar instances around the world. It's obvious that the pencil lends itself to precisely that kind of use. It's not as lacking in dominance as you might think. I have an article…” quote by Don Ihde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/don-ihde-48619_around-the-world_i-remember-reading-about-a-court-case-wh_1616045.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/don-ihde-48619_around-the-world_i-remember-reading-about-a-court-case-wh_1616045.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/don-ihde-48619_around-the-world_i-remember-reading-about-a-court-case-wh_1616045.jpg) > “I remember reading about a court case where a man tried to stab a judge with a pencil. There are Google pages full of similar instances around the world. It's obvious that the pencil lends itself to precisely that kind of use. It's not as lacking in dominance as you might think. I have an article on the fallacy of the designer intent because a lot of designers think they can design uses into technology. You can't do that. I use the pen, I make the mark, but the pen is also using me. The pen could be said to be allowing these kinds of marks. I can't do just anything with the pen.” [Don Ihde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-ihde/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Tools shape and are shaped by user behavior, revealing limits of designer intent. **In simple terms:** Tools influence use and vice versa. Key Takeaway Recognize tool-user dynamics. Themes technology philosophy design human‑tool interaction Mood critical reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - product design - user experience - policy making - ethical assessment Key Concepts affordances constraints agency Questions to Reflect On - What unexpected uses have you seen? - How can design accommodate emergent behaviors? A Different Perspective Assuming designers can fully control usage is unrealistic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Around the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/around-the-world/) [Court Case](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/court-case/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Designer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/designer/) [Designer Intent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/designer-intent-6162678/) [Fallacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fallacy/) [Google](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/google/) [Judge Pencil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judge-pencil-6162677/) [Judging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judging/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Obvious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obvious/) [Pen Using](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pen-using-6162679/) [Pencil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pencil/) [Pens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pens/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Using me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/using-me/) [Using Pen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/using-pen-1788192/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I am the author of my own life; unfortunately I am using pen and I can not erase my mistakes nor would I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/i-am-the-author-of-my-own-life-unfortunately-i-am-using-pen-and-i-can/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [What I regret most after becoming a cartoonist is having used my real name. At first, I figured there was no way I'd sell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akira-toriyama/what-i-regret-most-after-becoming-a-cartoonist-is-having-used-my-real/) [Akira Toriyama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akira-toriyama/) > [The pen is an instrument of discovery rather than just a recording implement. If you write a letter of resignation or something with an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/the-pen-is-an-instrument-of-discovery-rather-than-just-a-recording/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [The court case against me was a dictate out of the White House. Richard Nixon instructed the Justice Department to prosecute pornography to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-reems/the-court-case-against-me-was-a-dictate-out-of-the-white-house/) [Harry Reems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-reems/) > [“That was the whole trouble with police work. You come plunging in. a jagged Stone Age knife, to probe the delicate tissues of people's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dickinson/that-was-the-whole-trouble-with-police-work-you-come-plunging-in-a/) [Peter Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dickinson/) > [You really don't want to go to court and have the judge decide based on whether or not they're your friend, because you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pacey/you-really-don-t-want-to-go-to-court-and-have-the-judge-decide-based/) [Steven Pacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pacey/) > [Although the FCC has tried to introduce net neutrality rules to avoid abusive practices like favoring your own services over others, they have struggled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/although-the-fcc-has-tried-to-introduce-net-neutrality-rules-to-avoid/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [As the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court case has shown us, separate is not always equal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corrine-brown/as-the-1954-brown-vs-board-of-education-supreme-court-case-has-shown/) [Corrine Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corrine-brown/) > [“Attorney General Pam Bondi has intervened in several of the lawsuits to defend the ban and contended in a brief in the federal court…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/attorney-general-pam-bondi-has-intervened-in-several-of-the-lawsuits/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The weirdest thing can squirrel an investigation Never speak ill of the dead, and never, ever, claim you've got a suspect until the court…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ridley-pearson/the-weirdest-thing-can-squirrel-an-investigation-never-speak-ill-of/) [Ridley Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ridley-pearson/) > [To show you how radical I am, I want carjackers dead. I want rapists dead. I want burglars dead. I want child molesters dead.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/to-show-you-how-radical-i-am-i-want-carjackers-dead-i-want-rapists/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [Due to the oath I swore to the constitution when I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, by virtue of the universal human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-kokesh/due-to-the-oath-i-swore-to-the-constitution-when-i-enlisted-in-the/) [Adam Kokesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-kokesh/) > [“IT ALL BEGAN with the High Court case about the madman and the watermelons. The man in question, named Ivan, lived along the River…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/it-all-began-with-the-high-court-case-about-the-madman-and-the/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [If the court case I brought against the government over article 50 was about anything at all, it was about parliamentary sovereignty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-miller/if-the-court-case-i-brought-against-the-government-over-article-50/) [Gina Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-miller/) > [I have learned so much from my dad. Perhaps the biggest thing I've learned from my dad is how to be prepared at all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-sekulow/i-have-learned-so-much-from-my-dad-perhaps-the-biggest-thing-i-ve/) [Jay Sekulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-sekulow/) ## More by Don Ihde > [Definitions get you into that time trap, and I'm very much more process-focused. Take Lucy, for example. Lucy is famous largely because she has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-ihde/definitions-get-you-into-that-time-trap-and-i-m-very-much-more/) [Don Ihde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-ihde/) > [I never went into aesthetics. Aesthetics is what philosophers have to say about art, and a lot of them take an analytics position and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-ihde/i-never-went-into-aesthetics-aesthetics-is-what-philosophers-have-to/) [Don Ihde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-ihde/) > [You have a long history of changes in diagnosis, from no touching to touching, to assessing acoustics and visuals. But visual is a problem,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-ihde/you-have-a-long-history-of-changes-in-diagnosis-from-no-touching-to/) [Don Ihde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-ihde/) > [What specialists try to do is get at least three imaging processes that are totally different from each other. Then you can run these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-ihde/what-specialists-try-to-do-is-get-at-least-three-imaging-processes/) [Don Ihde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-ihde/) > [A lot of the medical imagery has to do with my own biography. I had open heart surgery, I had knee replacements, I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-ihde/a-lot-of-the-medical-imagery-has-to-do-with-my-own-biography-i-had/) [Don Ihde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-ihde/) > [I argue that science would be much richer if it were multisensory. The problem with instrumentation is that instruments, unlike our senses, can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-ihde/i-argue-that-science-would-be-much-richer-if-it-were-multisensory-the/) [Don Ihde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-ihde/) > [I can't experience my brain because I'm inside of it. If you're imaging your brain, you can also find scary things. As one ages,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-ihde/i-can-t-experience-my-brain-because-i-m-inside-of-it-if-you-re/) [Don Ihde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-ihde/) [Explore all 8 Don Ihde quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-ihde/) ## More Around the world quotes > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [I guess, it's a father's dream for his daughter to be known around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-soberano/i-guess-it-s-a-father-s-dream-for-his-daughter-to-be-known-around-the/) [Liza Soberano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-soberano/) > [Look at music for what it's worth around the world and not just America. In other countries, people are still buying CDs and going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/look-at-music-for-what-it-s-worth-around-the-world-and-not-just/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Throughout our history, the words of the Declaration have inspired immigrants from around the world to set sail to our shores. These immigrants have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/throughout-our-history-the-words-of-the-declaration-have-inspired/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [It's difficult to believe in yourself because the idea of self is an artificial construction. You are, in fact, part of the glorious oneness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-brand/it-s-difficult-to-believe-in-yourself-because-the-idea-of-self-is-an/) [Russell Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-brand/) > [We know the candidate Barack Obama, what he was like - the anti-war government nig... America was a source for division around the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/we-know-the-candidate-barack-obama-what-he-was-like-the-anti-war/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [Since 'coming out,' I've marched in gay pride parades all around the world, I've filled my home full of rainbow tat and I've become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carr/since-coming-out-i-ve-marched-in-gay-pride-parades-all-around-the/) [Liz Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carr/) > [Once, as an experiment, I travelled around the world with a single suit. Before I left, I went to a tailor in Savile Row…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hamilton/once-as-an-experiment-i-travelled-around-the-world-with-a-single-suit/) [George Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hamilton/) > [Thanks to all members of the military around the world for giving me the ultimate motivation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalya-neidhart/thanks-to-all-members-of-the-military-around-the-world-for-giving-me/) [Natalya Neidhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalya-neidhart/) > [I look at what's happening around the world and I see Iran four years closer to a bomb. I see the Middle East with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/i-look-at-what-s-happening-around-the-world-and-i-see-iran-four-years/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [“The low point occurred in July, during Romney’s junior week abroad, in which the press became increasingly frustrated over Romney’s refusal to talk to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/the-low-point-occurred-in-july-during-romney-s-junior-week-abroad-in/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [I believe there definitely are good things about social networking. It's a way for people to connect all around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizzie-velasquez/i-believe-there-definitely-are-good-things-about-social-networking-it/) [Lizzie Velasquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizzie-velasquez/) > [“Isn’t everyone on the planet or at least everyone on the planet called me stuck between the two impulses of wanting to walk away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/isn-t-everyone-on-the-planet-or-at-least-everyone-on-the-planet/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [You always can improve and I think that's the beauty of international cricket, particularly test cricket, is playing all around the world against different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane-williamson/you-always-can-improve-and-i-think-that-s-the-beauty-of-international/) [Kane Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane-williamson/) > [Trump is reviled around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/trump-is-reviled-around-the-world/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) [Browse all 3,349 Around the world quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/around-the-world/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I remember reading about a court case where a man tried to stab a judge with a pencil. There are Google pages full of similar instances around the world. It's obvious that the pencil lends itself to precisely that kind of use. It's not as lacking in dominance as you might think. I have an article on the fallacy of the designer intent because a lot of designers think they can design uses into technology. You can't do that. I use the pen, I make the mark, but the pen is also using me. The pen could be said to be allowing these kinds of marks. 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