The Right Tool for the Job

Recently I wrote about diagnosing a bad diagnostic tool and would like to expand on the proper use of tools. Last week I flew out to my boat to clean it up a bit and work on the engine. I needed to replace the impeller on the water pump which required removing a pin on the water pump housing. The easiest way to do that is with a hole-punch and a hammer. Unfortunately I didn't have a hammer on my boat and so I tried a number of other tools. I did have a hole punch and so I lightly hit it with a wrench, a screwdriver, and even a piece of wood. While I made some progress, none of what I tried was a good substitute for a hammer. Ultimately I drove to a local store and bought a small picture-hanging hammer. Only 3 whacks later and the pin came out nicely.

The whole time I was working on the engine, I kept thinking of the phrase, "When the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to treat all your problems like nails." So what is the opposite of that phrase, when you have a bunch of other tools, but not a hammer? I'm not sure, but if you come up with something let me know.

This experience reminded me again of the importance of having the right tool for the job. With computers, this is very important. Anyone that has ever tried to work on Macintosh computers from the 1990's knows that the most important tool was a #8 Torx screwdriver. At the time you had to special order them but now you can find them at almost any store that sells tools.

While we all know the importance of hardware tools, there are a number of software tools that can make your life significantly easier as well. I remember one night trying to rebuild a corrupted database. It didn't have much data in it but the information it had was very important. To get the everything back, I looked at the raw data files using a hex editor. It allowed me to see the original data and write an extraction script to pull the information out in a human-readable format. Then I could rebuild the database and populate it with the correct information. Your typical editor or word processing software would have made the job significantly more difficult, if not impossible.

So how do you know if a better tool exists? Simple, just do a search on your favorite internet search engine and see if others have had similar problems. They will generally provide some ideas on what tools to use to solve them. That is how I solve car problems, boat problems, electrical problems, and even computer problems. Hopefully it works for you too.

The Right Tool

This morning I took my son to Snowbird and we arrived at 6:45 am. He is on the ski team and has early morning training all of this week and the next. That means he gets to race down the mountain 2 hours before the general public is even allowed to load the lifts. In the past I have just gone to sleep in the car. One of my Christmas gifts was a set of climbing skins to go with my super fat powder skis that also have backcountry bindings. So instead of sleeping in the car, I got out of the car and hiked up the mountain. It has been difficult hiking in the past because I have had to carry my skis and hike in my hard-plastic ski boots. Having the right equipment makes things so much easier.

As I have had a lot of time off because of the Christmas break, I have also been working with my oldest son to fix his car. He is driving a 1996 Jeep Cherokee that keeps misfiring. This problem was occurring when we purchased the vehicle and the dealership that sold it to us was trying to narrow down the problem before we took over. They replaced the spark plugs and distributor cap. They also gave us a fuel filter that we had to install. We also replaced the fuel injectors thanks to a local salvage yard. While things keep getting better, we are still not solving the problem completely. I have narrowed it down to 2 possible problems: The fuel pump or a broken valve spring. Unfortunately I don't have the tools to figure out either one. So this afternoon, I will head to my local auto parts store and borrow a fuel pressure gauge and a compression test gauge. Both are necessary to further diagnose the problem. Having the right tool is very important for me to finish this job.

Computers, tablet computers, and smart phones are another area where it is important to have the right tool. While you can edit an electronic photo with a paint program, it is significantly easier with a photo editing program like Adobe's Photoshop or the open source program GIMP. So if you find yourself taking a lot of time to do something on your computer, tablet, or phone, you might not be using the right tool. Chances are, there's an app for that.

2013 Christmas List

It is the beginning of December and so I thought I would be a bit earlier than last year and put together my annual Christmas list. The idea is to give you an idea of what I would want for myself in the hopes that it gives you an idea for others on your shopping list this year.

Unfortunately computer and electronic gadgets have a tendency to be rather expensive. I try to include one or two low-cost items for that child that wants to get their parent something special. I will start low and then get more expensive. Hopefully there is something that fits everyone's budget.

Older Video Games - With the release of the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One, we are about to see a decline in the previous generation consoles. Fortunately those older systems still have a lot of life in them and you can find a number of older games for a really good price. This one requires a bit of searching on your part though. You will need to find what games are wanted but haven't been played yet. When I was at Best Buy over the weekend, there were a number of really great games for $19.95 or less. A good starting point is to figure out the genre: racing games, first person shooters, sports games, puzzles, etc. Then do an Internet search for popular games and read the reviews and you should be able to find something that will be enjoyed.

A Remote Control Helicopter - This was on my list last year and I still want one. My oldest son had one and had a great time with it until his roommate crashed and destroyed it. You can pick up a number of inexpensive models including the more powerful quadcopters.

Rocksmith - A few years ago, my wife picked me up a left-handed acoustic guitar. I played that thing every night for several months but became discouraged at my lack of progress. Taking a cue from the success of Guitar Hero, Ubisoft created a similar video game that actually teaches you how to play a real guitar.  I mentioned this to my wife, but she got angry because she thinks I also want a new electric guitar. If you already have an acoustic guitar, all you need is an electronic pickup, which is really inexpensive and allows you to use your existing instrument with the game.

Bluetooth Speakers - I have some really nice over-the-ear headphones (which are also a really good Christmas-list idea) but sometimes I want to share my music. A nice bluetooth speaker would make a nice addition to my music hardware.

A New Monitor - This is not a gift I need at home as I have a couple of really nice monitors already. This is something I need at work. In the office, I have 4 monitors on my desk and they are all rather old. It would be nice to replace them all with a set of 24-inch matching monitors running at 1920x1080 resolution.

A New Tablet Computer - Not all tablets are created equal and my favorite one on the market now is the Xperia Z from Sony. Why do I like it so much? It is waterproof (they claim water resistant up to 3 feet for 30 minutes). This is one that you can take with you while you read in your hot tub. Should it accidentally fall in, no worries.

Non-Computer Gifts
This year I thought I would introduce some new gift ideas. I spend most days in front of a computer and this year I find myself looking at other ideas. At the end of the day, the last thing I want to do is spend more time with computer equipment. I have some other hobbies I would like to pursue. Perhaps you have someone in your life like me and so here are some other ideas.

Ratcheting Box Wrenches  - I have been working on cars a lot lately. These in both Metric and SAE sizes would be greatly appreciated. Sears also has a nice set of Craftsman that are a bit more expensive, but have a better warranty.

Wire Arc Welder - I really want a MIG or TIG welder, but they are much more expensive. However I have not done any welding for the past 30 years as my only real experience was a shop class back in junior high. An inexpensive wire welder would give me the chance to learn how to weld using cheap scrap metal before I discover I have no talent at it. With all the work I am doing on cars lately, this may be a skill I need in the near future.

Previous Years
In compiling this list, I made sure to go through my previous Christmas lists and there are a number of gifts that are still valid.

2010     2011     2012

Now all I need to do is send an e-mail to my wife so she knows what I want this year. I found out over the weekend that she doesn't really know. This is a good start.

Hammers and Tools

A few years ago everyone started using the phrase, "If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all your problems like nails." It made a lot of sense and people started re-evaluating what tools they were using for any type of job, not just home improvement projects.

At around this same time, my boss where I was working coined the phrase, "You can't build a skyscraper with a hammer." I was working for a company that had a really expensive software development tool that let small groups of programmers build really complex applications in a relatively short amount of time. The hammer and skyscraper metaphor made a lot of sense and opened several doors for the company.

Anyone who has ever worked on a seemingly simple home improvement project knows that the right tool can help keep the job simple. Not having the right tool can make it unbearably complex.

This past Friday I was working on a software project and was trying to build a skyscraper with a hammer. This meant I was going to be stuck writing a lot of code and I didn't ever think I was going to finish. Then I stumbled across several tools that made quick work of the project. Something that I expected to take a week took less than half an hour to complete and I could move on to other tasks.

So as you are working on your computer and seem to be running into a brick wall, remember to check your proverbial toolbox and see if you don't have a better tool to help with your task. If that doesn't work, you can always borrow a brick out of the wall you seem to be running into and smash your computer to bits. While it may not accomplish much, it can be very therapeutic.