Why do we have people who spend without boundaries? Most people I know spend with a huge amount of care. There exists this notion that if we can do it ourselves, we should do it ourselves and only use tools and services when really necessary. There is also the other end in which we rather spend on the littlest things possible, or use all tools possible.

In coding, I always tend to write as much of the code as I can and others always find it funny: my unwillingness to use other’s code that already exists and is free. In the real life however, I tend to spend money on many “conveniences” and others tend to hold to their methods and don’t migrate to more tools and rely on them.

Thinking about what is the boundary here has always remained a huge question to me: where you should do it yourself and save and where you can give it away?

And I think I somewhat know the answer. And I’m thinking about a name for it. There has been a sudden “expansion” in our development and usage of tools. From the very first bone that used to defend and hunt, to the millions of objects that we acquire in our lifetime. I call it the #GreatToolingExpansion" and—as you can imagine—there should exists a #GreatToolingContraction".

Our resources are finite, our mental capability to learn and operate tools are also finite, our time is finite, and more than that, our mental capability to hold information in our heads are finite. Emergence of advanced AI models, will eventually eliminate our need for software. Smart devices will handle themselves for us, instead of us handling them. These are already here. Your washing machine knows how to clean and you don’t have to master the parameters manually, just as your smart TV automatically updates and setups itself and so on and so forth.

This I guess is what can be called “The Great Tooling Contraction”. Where instead of the driver, you become to the passenger. If you look at everything that has been going on for the past 25,000 years of humanity, you easily spot the great extraction. And so it becomes evident that we are at the peak of the events (and even the past few thousand years can be counted two).

After so many years of thinking, it just suddenly stroke me. The whole thing about “What’s the boundary of spending” is only an effect. An effect as a “Confusion of how should be the world” at the end of the #GreatToolingExpansion.

GPT Formatted

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to spend money without any regard for their financial situation? Most people I know are careful with their spending, only using tools and services when necessary and preferring to do things themselves if possible. However, there are also those who spend freely on even the smallest things, or rely heavily on tools and technology.

As a programmer, I tend to write as much code as possible and avoid using other people’s code, even if it’s free and available (which receives a lots of criticism from others in the industry). However, in my personal life, I often rely on various “conveniences” and tools that make my life easier, while others prefer to stick to more traditional methods.

It’s always been a challenge for me to determine where the boundary lies between doing things myself to save money and time, versus outsourcing and using tools for convenience. However, I believe I’ve found an answer, which I’m calling “The Great Tooling Contraction.”

Over the past 25,000 years of human history, there has been a significant expansion in our development and usage of tools, from the earliest bone tools used for hunting and defense to the millions of objects we acquire over a lifetime. This period of expansion is what I’m calling the #GreatToolingExpansion. However, as our resources, mental capacity, and time are finite, and the emergence of advanced AI models will eventually eliminate our need for software, we are now reaching a point where tools are taking over and becoming more autonomous. This is what I’m calling the #GreatToolingContraction, where we become passengers instead of drivers.

After years of contemplation, I’ve come to realize that the confusion over the boundary of spending is only a symptom of the broader confusion over how our world should function in the face of the Great Tooling Expansion.

— This text is edited by AI.

Note: A huge picture of the Great Expansion would be so awesome.