Toys or Tools

Many things can be both toys and tools. With so many things doing multiple jobs, it is easy to lose sight of their primary use in life. And that is okay. Remember it’s not all the tasks that a piece of electronics can do, its how people use the electronics to start with.

Many of the major electronic systems on the market will overlap each other in use by a large degree. They were designed to do this. What once was the purview of a desktop computer quickly became the use of a laptop, which allows us to take our office with us wherever we need or desire to go.  Downloaded work on the laptop can be accomplished almost anywhere, although it is easier if you have a connection to the internet.

The tablet took over from the laptop, doing most of the same work on a platform you could carry in your hands and a 7 to a 12-inch screen that was easy to read and handle just about anywhere. The tablet can do anything from playing games, to face to face conversations, to reading books, playing games or even running your business, the modern tablet far outstrips the old desktop computer, and the better computer tablets give laptops a run for their money.

Nowadays, with a smartphone, you can do almost anything that a computer or tablet can do. It can do this work over a cell tower or an Internet. And many tasks not requiring connections can be done without either a cell tower or an Internet. The phone can take a picture of what you want to organize. The phone can take a picture of the excellent work you did so that later on when other people mess things up, you can explain why it’s their turn to fix it. You can record and save your shopping list, control your calendar, your library, read books, watch movies, and do many more fun activities.

So are electronics time stealers who rob you of precious moments that you could be doing something else? Or, are these machines safety devices which keep you connected to the world allow you to perform most of your needed tasks and required planning? It depends. Electronic or not, a machine is just a machine. A computer can either do or not do whatever the user desires. They perform safety and emergency functions as well as communication and services of relaxation and enjoyment. The machine has no real intent of its own. It only does what is asked of it.

Thank you for being with me today. I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Author: Mike Balof

A retired Air Force Master Sergeant, Mike used to lay in bed at night and worry about what would happen if his plant closed or found himself without a job. One day his plant closed. Rather than panic and hysteria (OK, maybe a little) Mike found himself carried away on the adventure of his life. Mike started with the best job he ever had working at Home Depot. He spent 8 years working with job seekers at a local workforce center, helping them to find employment. He then started his own company developing courses, writing books and urging others to follow their own paths into the future. Mike holds a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training and a Bachelor of Business Management, earned through the University of Phoenix and an AAS degree in Electronics Systems Technology from the Community College of the Air Force. Mike is a member of the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society. View all posts by Mike Balof