[quote=@Multifarious]
<Snipped quote by Etcetera>

But nobody makes anything out in deserts, and stuff barely lives in them.
[/quote]

That's a pretty generalized view of deserts. I've seen deserts full of plants with roots embedded deep into the solid rock of the underground. Deserts with lively civilizations that thrive while surrounded by lifeless sand. Deserts that would make you stop and say "Woah. That's cool."