Hardware is temporal. Software is forever. You cannot kill software, for it's like Casper the Friendly Ghost. No matter how sharp your spear or cutting blades, the attempt will be futile. I run Skype 2.6 for Mac that came to me as a 30MB file. I can download it a million times and it'll still be there, pretty as ever. It will not burn, drown or develop blemishes.

Sadly, this cannot be said about the Apple iPhone. A lovely device. But one that, mind you, doesn't run Skype. Well, umm.. ok.

When I lived in Utah, a Mormon friend claimed that temple garments can shield and protect their wearer from evil and bullets. Kevlar for the mind, body and spirit. Utah is also home to Blendtec, a company that's been running hilarious online promotional videos for its commercial blenders. Just add iPhone. Watch:

Weep. Would the result have been different if the iPhone could run Skype? Would our software have acted as its temple garment? With said device reduced to black powder, we may never know.

As you ponder the meaning of all this, feel free to bid for the blended iPhone on eBay, for another two days. Also, if you know someone at Blendtec, drop me a line. There are many fine devices out there with built-in Skype software. I'd love to see one of them -- together with my half-baked theory -- meet its blender.