Do Co-Workers = Tools?

People say "computers are a tool.". You hear that all the time, but I don't think that's quite true. Computer Software is more like an annoying co-worker.

(When I say "tool" here, I refer to the first definition: "a device or implement, esp. one held in the hand, used to carry out a particular function", not the open ended second one: "a thing used in an occupation or pursuit".)

Really, tools of this sort are just things we attach to our arms to have a different ending -- like different bits on screwdrivers. I swing my fist, something breaks, I swing my hammer, something breaks. 1:1 ratio. I move my wrist a certain way and the pencil tip attached makes a line that directly corresponds to my movement.

Studies (that I am too lazy to look up and source) say that when people use tools, their body image extends to include the tool. Makes sense. I mean, it's your arm, just making different marks on the paper. As long as youre holding the pencil or pen or brush or whatever, it is consistent that your movements will make a mark when your new bit at the end touches the paper. If we can be fooled into thinking a detached plastic hand is ours just because the pattern we feel and the pattern we see matches up, then we have even more reason to believe a pen or a pencil is "us".
See the hand experiment details.

None of this sounds like software.
Computers are really like co-workers. It does things on its own. It is has certain requirements, it can misunderstand you, sometimes it's sick and doesn't come through with the work you need it to do, sometimes it barges in to tell you things you don't care about while you're deep in the flow zone. Sometimes it's lazy, sometimes it botches what you are trying to do.

And all you can do to communicate with it, is point and grunt at the potentially obscure or mismarked choices it gives you.


Jeff Hawkins said about developing Graffitti that people would rather learn a new and consistent way to write that works than suffer through bad handwriting recognition. He's right. They'd rather use a tool than a translator. People would rather do it themselves. I don't know about you, but that means something's wrong with what we've been doing with computers. All we can get them to do is act like tools so maybe we should either go the tool route, or concentrate more on making them better co-workers.

I'm more excited for the latter.