If I Had a Hammer
Friday, March 24, 2006
I got downtown quickly this morning, and took the opportunity of the clear, crisp morning to wander around. I schlepped over to my favorite hidden, never-busy Dunkin Donuts and took the long way back to the office. This route took me sideways, sort of, past the construction site of the Trump Tower.

Do you know what I saw? A man, standing on the edge of an enormous concrete post, hammering away at two steel beams. I don't have an extensive knowledge of construction, but I'm fairly certain that when connecting two steel I-beams, a hammer isn't necessary. An industrial grade blowtorch, maybe, but not a hammer. But let's assume he knew what he was doing, and wasn't just an imposter or a teamster working his 3 hours for the day.

Oh my God, tangential thinking will be the death of me. Spit it out, Jamie.

The point I'm trying to make: Doesn't it seem weird that hammers are still being used on major construction jobs? Hasn't some MIT mechanical engineer figured out a way to just make skyscrapers that snap together like legos? The Trump Tower still needs individuals hammering away?! Can one person really make a difference on a project of that scale? Do you think that person feels proud upon the completion of a building of that magnitude, knowing that he/she was one of thousands that made it happen?