February 3, 2011 at 9:24 pm
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Toys V. Tools
Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
_______________________________________________
I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
SQL RNNR
Posting Performance Based Questions - Gail Shaw[/url]
Learn Extended Events
February 4, 2011 at 1:43 am
Definitely T-SQL itself!
For no other reason that you can draw Mandelbrot with it.
(http://thedailywtf.com/Articles/Stupid-Coding-Tricks-The-TSQL-Madlebrot.aspx)
February 4, 2011 at 1:47 am
Google is most definitely both, and sometimes its main logo is the toy.
February 4, 2011 at 4:24 am
Interesting discussion. I would say a tool is an aid to solve a problem, whilst a toy provides its own justification for use. For instance, if you buy an iPhone because you want one, then come up with ways to use it afterwards, it's basically just a toy. However, if you're always on the move and need to be able to make phone calls, do your email and retrieve information from the Web whilst you're travelling, the iPhone may well be an efficient tool.
I think almost anything whose use could be seen as enjoyable can end up alternating between being a tool and a toy. At certain regular times each day, our kitchen is basically a family fuel distribution centre, but come the weekend it may well end up as a playground instead. Similar distinctions can be made for my PC, my car, my bike and so on. If you're using something for the pleasure of using it, it's a toy. If you're using it to help you achieve a necessary end, it's a tool.
IMHO, of course.....
Semper in excretia, suus solum profundum variat
February 4, 2011 at 7:42 am
First off, children are not allowed in my office room at my home, period. But with that said, I think toys and tools are interchangeable. For example, my Corvette is definitely a useful tool, it gets me to and fro, but it is also most definitely my favorite toy too.:-D My iPhone is a very useful tool with alot of extended functionality, but is also just great to play around with too. I can think of several more examples where tools and toys are definitely interchangeable, but you get the idea.;-)
"Technology is a weird thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ...:-D"
February 4, 2011 at 8:09 am
I think of life in terms of it being a game, so pretty much everything is a toy to me. Even such dangerous tools as tablesaws and nuclear bombs have their (limited) entertainment value.
(Think of the fireworks display you could do if you could reasonably expect to survive a series of nearby nuclear explosions! Maybe on the moon or something like that!)
- Gus "GSquared", RSVP, OODA, MAP, NMVP, FAQ, SAT, SQL, DNA, RNA, UOI, IOU, AM, PM, AD, BC, BCE, USA, UN, CF, ROFL, LOL, ETC
Property of The Thread
"Nobody knows the age of the human race, but everyone agrees it's old enough to know better." - Anon
February 4, 2011 at 8:27 am
If only the Tardis on my desk was actually more than a USB port and I could time travel about the universe. It's not really a toy, but it sort of hides the fact that it is just a tool. My surfboard is a ...? I need to exercise and surfing (or just paddling) get my cardio up, and most the time it's fun. If it's fun, does it necessarily make it a toy? I consider the computer a tool but my kids definitely think of it as a toy. Maybe it's just your state of mind. TGIF!
February 4, 2011 at 8:47 am
Alan Vogan (2/4/2011)
....If it's fun, does it necessarily make it a toy?...
To my mind, no. I think it's just emphasis. If you're using the surfboard for exercise and fun is a spin-off benefit, it's a tool. If you're using it for fun and the health aspects are a spin-off benefit, it's a toy.
IMHO, of course...
TGIF!
Seconded.
Semper in excretia, suus solum profundum variat
February 4, 2011 at 9:16 am
I recently won an iPad. It has some nice SQL monitoring tools as well as email and Citrix so it works great as a tool. It also has Angry Birds, Worms, Pandora and guitar amp modeling so it's a great toy, just ask my kids. There's also my bikes. They are tools in that I commute to work year round, get groceries and haul lumber on them, but they're also a great source of fun and entertainment. Tool and toy are not mutually exclusive and many things fit happily as both.
Since it's Friday do you think I can get away using things as toys instead of tools at work today? Like surfing the web on my work computer instead of working on those SSIS packages :hehe:
Tim
February 4, 2011 at 12:35 pm
This reminds me of the saying "The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys."
😀
February 6, 2011 at 8:38 am
I maintain the best tools were once toys.
:{>
Andy Leonard, Chief Data Engineer, Enterprise Data & Analytics
February 6, 2011 at 9:48 am
I just bought an iPad. Right now it's firmly in the category of toy. I do expect that is will become a useful tool, especially for writing.
Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability
February 6, 2011 at 9:49 am
Bob Abernethy (2/4/2011)
This reminds me of the saying "The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys."😀
I totally agree.
Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
_______________________________________________
I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
SQL RNNR
Posting Performance Based Questions - Gail Shaw[/url]
Learn Extended Events
February 6, 2011 at 8:33 pm
majorbloodnock (2/4/2011)
Alan Vogan (2/4/2011)
....If it's fun, does it necessarily make it a toy?...To my mind, no. I think it's just emphasis. If you're using the surfboard for exercise and fun is a spin-off benefit, it's a tool. If you're using it for fun and the health aspects are a spin-off benefit, it's a toy.
IMHO, of course...
TGIF!
Seconded.
So you're saying it is intent that defines them? It makes it very subjective. One man's toy is another man's tool, is another man's weapon?
February 7, 2011 at 1:26 am
karyn.webb (2/6/2011)
majorbloodnock (2/4/2011)
Alan Vogan (2/4/2011)
....If it's fun, does it necessarily make it a toy?...To my mind, no. I think it's just emphasis. If you're using the surfboard for exercise and fun is a spin-off benefit, it's a tool. If you're using it for fun and the health aspects are a spin-off benefit, it's a toy.
IMHO, of course...
TGIF!
Seconded.
So you're saying it is intent that defines them? It makes it very subjective. One man's toy is another man's tool, is another man's weapon?
Yes, absolutely.
I know we can classify (for instance) a Power Rangers doll as a toy since we expect most children will want to play with it. However, given to me, I'd reclassify it as "junk" because I will neither want it, nor like it, nor use it. Alternatively, a Harley Davidson is an excellent tool for state-wide travel given the distances involved, often in a straight line. However, in the far more congested UK it becomes far less practical, so would probably have to be considered a "big boy's toy" first.
Perhaps it would be simpler to look closer at the definitions. To my mind, any artificial aid to achieving an end is a tool. I see toys as simply a subset of tools where the end in sight is primarily enjoyment. For me, all toys are tools, but not all tools are toys.
I'll agree about the definition of "weapon" being somewhat subjective, too, sadly.
Semper in excretia, suus solum profundum variat
Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)
You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Login to reply