Working with Twenty-First Century Tools

The thing that distinguishes humans from most other animals is that we are tool-users. Our earliest ancestors found pointed sticks to catch fish, sought out large shells or flattened bark to dig holes, and used conveniently-shaped rocks to open nuts, pulverize edible roots, or crack open the occasional clamshell. In these earliest times, humans used what they found to go about their daily business. In modern terms, that period was Tools 1.0.