When Is Tool Not A Tool?
by Luke D Dillinger
http://www.arktools.com
Tool, it's a respectable word. What happened to it? It used
to mean a solid object you held in your hand and you
changed a little bit of your world with it. Oh, how it has
changed!
Remember the screwdriver? You held it and turned to insert
or remove a screw. No more. Screwdrivers are now battery
powered and automated. High tech! Just like many other hand
tools. They now sport lasers, diamonds and titanium. Of
course, lasers make a cool kitty toy now. And what would
women do without the electrical "stud finder?" So far, so
good.
Then here comes trouble. The computer is to blame, of
course, as usual. Those things began speaking to one
another. They infected one another with nasty bugs called
spyware, worms and viruses. Then, of course, some genius
developed ways to fix it all. What did they call it? An
"anti-pest tool!"
Now see what they've done? A perfectly decent word is now
so perverted and twisted that it is something totally
different. It happened when we weren't even looking!
"Tools" is now another word taken over by the computer
industry. We didn't even see it coming!
Oh yeah, I still have to use my hands to run these upstart
"tools." But really, tracking the popularity of a website
with an Alexa tool bar just doesn't satisfy me the way
plunking down a level while putting up a shelf did. What do
I have to show for it later when I use a "spyware removal
tool" to get rid of those nosy parasitic leeches that
compromise my privacy?
Often it's nearly impossible to show any sort of
accomplishment using these new "tools" for the computer. I
can't hold out the cleaned up computer and get all giddy
over the beautiful craftsmanship. Can you? Have you noticed
how computers are great for solving problems you weren't
even aware you had?
Am I being a bit reactive? Okay, maybe. Some of them do
give you something to show for all the effort. Tools for
blogging and other tools used in website building, for
example. Add search engine optimization tools and you have
definitely got worthwhile "tools" that give you tangible
results. You can make a website with lots of keywords about
a mousetrap, blog it like crazy, set the link exchange tool
on high volume and watch the site counter tick! Lots of
visitors will make it to your door via those internet
linked highways.
Maybe I'm just grieving because I'm no longer spending my
time using real hand tools. I lament because using tools
has always been one of the signs of being human. What does
it matter when I grab the Craftsman socket wrench and beat
a nail back where it belongs? Did I only contribute to some
kind of collective devolution? Or do our new "tools" let us
surmount physical limitations and build brand new worlds in
cyberspace?
Submit An Article
|
|
Improve Your Advertising ROI (Return on Investment)
|
