Cubicles suck, but if I'm going to be stuck in one anyway, I might as well opt to block everything out of my vision except for my screen. My monitor bezels, keyboard, mouse, desk surface, phone, post-it notes, office locker, etc. are just distractions unless I actively need to interact with them.

I suppose so, but in a remote world it might be your cubicle? Probably just another bifurcation between the "cattle" (provocative term that I disagree with but still) and the 5x-ers (HN readers...).

One man's prison is another man's minimalist office?