Toolboxes are just places we keep tools. Which tool you pull out depends on several factors. We’ve talked about a lot of those factors indirectly over the last couple of weeks. One factor is the task you need to do. Another is the collection of tools you have in the box. A third is your familiarity and expertise with the tool. A fourth is your familiarity and understanding of the task. This complexity has given rise to some aphorisms about tools.
“When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”
When we don’t have a tool we need, we tend to use a tool we have. While this saying is usually applied as a derisive comment, there’s a certain reality that must be acknowledged. Yes, we need a good set of tools, but the reality is that it’s rare that a person has all the possible tools. Sometimes, you just have to use a hammer.
“How many administrators does it take to change a light bulb?”
“None. Call a custodian.” This little ditty is rather a smack at administrators because afterall, everybody should know how to change a light bulb. Sometimes, a person lacks the skills or requisite knowledge. It’s a pretty savvy individual who really knows when a task is outside their area of expertise and calls in an expert.
“Tools arm the man.”
Presumably the woman as well, but this saying has to do with being prepared for eventualities. One doesn’t know where the next challenge will come from or what the nature of it will be. We take precautions in advance - for example, in our cars by packing some rudimentary tools and parts, and the knowledge to use them. Sometimes that’s just a cell phone and a AAA card. The key concept here is that when the time comes to use the tool, one knows how. That means preparation, practice, and forethought.
“To do good work, one must first have good tools.”
If you’ve ever tried to use one of those cheesy little socket wrench sets to do something meaningful, you’ll understand this one. Likewise, if you’ve ever used Microsoft Works after having access to tools like Word, Wordperfect, or OpenOffice. Good tools are robust, have the requisite features, and perform reliably.
“Jack of all trades, master of none.”
When you know a little about a lot, sometimes that means you don’t know a lot about anything. We live in a world of specialists. To really master a subject takes time, effort, and a willingness to focus. When I decided to begin working with computers back in the 60s, I knew that I’d be closing the doors completely on other venues. Over the course of the last 40 years, I’ve made other choices — degrees, credentials, jobs, locations, etc — that have focused my expertise further. I know about other things, too. Food, writing, teaching, and the miscellany that comes from being a car owner and home owner and father and husband, but my expertise is in managing these devil-boxes called computers.
Finally, one of the most important sayings isn’t about the tools at all. As we analyze the efficacy of online efforts and look at criticisms of various environments, this one is the critical issue.
“It’s a poor workman who blames his tools.”
