TALKING TOOLS"The intentions of a tool are what it does. A hammer intends to strike, a vise intends to hold fast, a lever intends to lift. They are what it is made for. But sometimes a tool may have other uses that you don't know." -Philip Pullman, The Dark Materials TrilogyA tool is an implement or simple device designed to make completing a task or performing a particular kind of work easier. Tools are an integral part of our daily lives. They come in all shapes and sizes and are used to achieve a variety of goals. A wrench helps in repairing cars or building and maintaining machinery. Hammers and screwdrivers are common carpenter's tools. Pencils help us write. Rulers help us measure. Hair dryers, microscopes, welders, pulleys, computers and cell phones are all tools used everyday to help accomplish tasks more easily. Ironically, tools also tools help us understand societies past and present; tools talk.Because humans make tools for specific purposes, tools have evolved as people and societies have evolved. As human society became more complex, the number, variety and application of tools also increased. Metal replaced stone. Copper gave way to bronze; bronze to iron; iron to steel. People began making tools specifically for agricultural, industrial and home use. Hoes, scythes, pulleys, levers, spoons, and brooms became common items. For larger, more complex tasks, humans built machines to help get the job done. Looms replaced drop spindles. Typewriters replaced quill pens. Cell phones replaced landlines. This system of designing, modifying and using tools is known as technology.Because we are constantly designing, applying and evaluating the implements we use, tools are a reflection of the societies in which they appear. Tools tell us what raw materials were available, provide some idea of the existing level of technological expertise, and offer some insights into what problems the people faced. After all, humans do not create tools for fun. Tools are created to ease workloads or overcome obstacles. So, each tool has a story. Each began as an idea, developed into a prototype, became an application, experienced evaluation, underwent modification, and either continued to serve the needs of its maker or was cast off in favor of another tool that was more efficient, easier to use or cheaper to make. These "tool" stories can reveal information that written documents cannot. Authors may omit information by choice. Societies may possess only oral histories. All societies work. All societies create tools. All tools talk.As the complexity of tools has evolved, tools have acquired two important characteristics: "substitution capability," and "repurposing ability." In the first instance, because some tools share a functional characteristic with others, they can be substituted for each other. Who has not used a screwdriver as an ice pick to break up ice at a BBQ? Repurposing is the act of rechanneling the use of a tool into another tool. Cutting old 50-gallon oil drums in half and using them as barbeque grills is a good example of repurposing. Employing a tire rim as a pulley, or an axe blade as the "cutter" in a wood plane are also repurposing examples. Repurposing most often occurs when access to a replacement item is either too expensive or too difficult to obtain. Substitution and repurposing provide insights into ingenuity, practical application, and immediate circumstance in a society or civilization. Tools talk.Tools can be simple or complex. They help us to achieve goals, and are designed to make work easier. Tools are such common items that we often overlook their importance in helping us understand both individuals and entire societies. Tools provide valuable insights for those who are willing to examine them closely for the stories they contain. Proper analysis combined with critical thinking allows tools to talk to us and to our students. ARTIFACTS TEACH
