Tools are Imperative

A continuation on the theme of humans being better innovators...

Creating new tools is often a key step in stimulating innovation. To do the innovation one wants, one may need to develop better tools to help. These tools in turn can beget an entirely new tier of innovation in a virtuous upward progression. A metaphor could be applied in some cases that the tools ARE the innovation much like Marsh McLuhan's medium IS the message.

Freeman Dyson cites the important example of astronomers, who build their own tools, being farther up the development curve than biotechnologists, who rely on others to build the tools they use. There appears to be a fundamental linkage and relationship between the tools and the innovation.

To innovate, we can focus on improving and creating tools. We can think of the areas of our lives and the tools we currently use there and problems we'd like to solve and what tools or solutions, objects, processes, etc. would do this and make life easier and better. We can dare to dream, create and invent!