Talking about Technology vs USING Technology

Dave Johnston goes on a rant about people obsessed with tools.

A large section of the internet today reminds me of the guy at your high school in 1984, out in the student parking lot, talking endlessly about the awesome new stereo in his red Camaro Z28. He spends much more time in that parking lot showing everyone his massive kicker box and bad ass set of tweeters than he does actually using them.

…I could talk about Twitter or any other of an endless number of tools or Web 2.0 services, but let’s just take WordPress as one quick example of this happening right now. Stating the case: I’m pretty sure more blogs about WordPress and its various themes and plugins exist than actual blogs using it as software to, you know, write.

…Imagine the brain power going into all these WordPress sites. Brain power that could be used on anything, but is going into blogging widgetry. The time and effort, the late nights up toiling in PHP.

…And at some point, after twenty straight days of tweaking themes and plugins and widgets and flimflams, you’re going to be left with one thing on WordPress: a piece of digital paper.

No more, no less.

You are supposed to write on it.

Something. Anything.

Just not 1000 words on how to use a hammer.

Because you would never write that in a million years. Right?

We are the generation that talks about technology. The next will actually use it.