Hi Ben,

Following on from your train
jottings, I’ve had a few of my own that I’d like to
share:

Instruments and/or tools:

I guess one could go to the OED and
play with semantics but I prefer your first-principle approach of
asking “What does this mean – to me?” So
following on (and without rereading your thoughts) I would say that a
tool is basically an extension of the body, used in order to better
perform a function. There probably lots of holes in this definition
and yet for me it captures the essence of ‘tool’; it
captures the description of how an animal will use a stick or rock to
gain a new food source and of how primitive man also used such tools
for similar purposes. Speaking of primitive man, the flint spearhead
and axe were the tool of choice for about 100,000 years! Amazing to
think that this invention was so suitable that further advances were
apparently not needed over that timespan. However, where there’s
Man there is also invention and the tools eventually got better,
sharper and stronger; bronze and then iron were discovered and put to
good, practical use.

So when did ‘instruments’
appear? And did their arrival cause the extinction of tools? What
was the first instrument?

Perhaps one possible definition of
‘instrument’ could be an intricate tool. However,
computers are about the most intricate thing available to all of us
but we never call them ‘instruments’, so the definition
of instrument would seem to need modifying to express some other,
perhaps intrinsic, nature. What might that be? Scientific
instruments enable us to measure things. Musical instruments bring
us joy and happiness (or tears). Instruments of torture bring pain
and suffering. It seems then that rather than being an “extension
of the body”, instruments insert themselves between man and his
operation; and further, the outcomes sought are usually not material
or tangible. Perhaps in the simplest terms a definition might
therefore be: tools help us get or make stuff; instruments act as
devices to help our senses to be more acute (to see, hear and feel
better).

An example: let’s say that
‘design’ is a proposed outcome – a material result. We
begin with instruments that measure, scale and record (intangible
attributes) and then we use slides rules, computers and all the rest
(tools) to create the design which we then draw or print (more tools)
onto paper. Or today we send the design direct to a CNC cutter
(tool) to fabricate.

So if the first instrument was say, a
10,000 year old clay flute and as both tools and instruments are
equally with us today, it is obvious that both are needed and valued
– there is no likelihood of extinction of either. There is
however, another and entirely subjective perspective; and that is my
own personal need to keep computers in their place – so that they
don’t get too uperty, and so that we don’t get too
dependent on them. Hence a definition arises from all of the above
to definitely label computers as “tools”.

But you say tomatoes and I say
tomatos: let’s not be diverted from the essential issues.
Instruments, tools – it doesn’t matter what we call them;
they are simply aides to assist in our endeavours. For example, take
this scenario: I want to climb a high and dangerous mountain. I get
together some mates whom I trust and know that I can rely on; I
assemble the best gear – new, strong rope, pitons, the best
shoes I can afford, warm clothing; we check and recheck supplies,
maps, compass; we train and practice. Having considered all
possibilities and prepared as well as we can, on a fine and sunny day
we set off on our adventure. It’s an effort; a tough, hard
climb. More than once it seems impossible that we can succeed, but
we continue. Finally, exhausted but exhilarated we reach the summit.
What a view! There’s nothing that quite compares to this.

Or I could have used a very different
‘tool’ to reach the summit – I could have hired a
helicopter and arrived at the top quickly, easily, with no sweat or
effort. But would that have evoked the same feeling of achievement,
of success, of exhilaration? Would the experience and its memory
have the same power and force in my life, enabling me to achieve
other, future goals and successes? Of course not. So I realize that
the process itself is an essential part of the experience, of the
journey. And that process includes the mates, the preparation, the
effort, and most importantly, the adventure – the preparedness
to step outside ANY box, to explore the unknown, both externally –
and internally.

Ultimately, Adventures in Engineering
(and Architecture) are adventures within. A strong desire for the
new, the individual, the taking of calculated risks, and the
overcoming of trepidation and fears. In my experience, very few
designers are interested enough (or courageous enough) to take this
approach. However I am hopeful that the new breed of computational
designers, enthusiastic to take a fresh approach and armed with the
sharper and improved aides such as parametrics, Rhino, Grasshopper
etc. can explore fresh territory and open up new grounds within the
building industry.

Regards,

Harry Partridge

I’ll post a response in a bit when I get back tonight