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This represents a difficult question to
answer. After much pondering and deliberation (and just a sprinkling
of wasting time on the net), I have come to the conclusion that no
single best tool that an engineer can posess exists. It turns out
that a combination of 2 tools that work together makes the best
solution. One becomes the ying to the others yang. The combination
comprises the hammer and duct tape. Indeed one posesses the ability
to destroy virtually anything while the other has the virtue of
fixing virtually anything and make almost anything.
These 2 tools fit just about all of my
criteria for an ultra cool tool:
The bear simplicity – I love
simplicity and these 2 tools také it to the extreme.
They do not cost an arm and a leg
– No engineer should find himself without these, Think about it,
have you ever heard anyone ever lament „If only I could afford a
hammer/ roll of duct tape“?
The radiate reliablility – Have
you ever seen a hammer repair shop? How about a duct tape tune up? These guys exude reliability, and by that I mean reliable.
Common observation states that when an
engineers only posession is a hammer then the world becomes a bunch
of nails. That might not seem like that great a proposition but you
see this only observes half the equation. When you add a roll of
duct tape then a whole new wold of possibilities opens up to you.
The lucky engineer that posesses both of these sees the world as a
bunch of nails and other stuff that could benefit from ending up
stuck together, and this makes a world of difference. The problem
becomes no longer a matter of looking at a broken piece of equipment
but instead at something you can release some stress on with your
hammer then use duct tape to cover up the evidence and hope that
noone notices. Got a square peg and a round hole, no worries. To
start off just mallet the peg like the future has no relevance.
Then, ineveitably you'll find that the peg does not quite fit
securely and that's where duct tape comes in to finish the job off.
Indeed, not only do these tools work wonderfully by themselves but
they work brilliantly in conjunction with each other.
Don't believe me about the true power
of these seemingly simple tools? Have a look at the following ad
(http://youtube.com/watch?v=PqzICBvgLZI)
and see how the 2 effortlessly (in a way) turn a seemingly ordinary
car into something with a bit more class. I'll admit that you don't
actually see any duct tape in the commerical but I would be fairly
certain he must have used a fair bit of it. And sure he made use of
a wall and an elephant as makeshift hammers but that exposes part of
the beauty of hammers, you can resuse virtually anything as a
hammer. Not only does your world become a bunch of nails but
everything that does not represent a nail, and some things that are,
also become hammers, what more could you ask for in a tool.
We now arrive at one less question that
engineers need worry about. Next week I plan to tackle another
quetsion from the „Questions that haven't been answered yet (or,
maybe, should not be answered at all) bucket“ and slowly but
surely we'll drain that sucker. In an attempt to increase clarity I
have endevoured to write the preceding article in e-prime. It was not
easy and if I have missed anything, by all means let me know.
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