To attempt to show the size of the damage with one of the larger trees that was uprooted, I had my daughter take a picture of me near the uprooted bottom of the tree. (She, at 7, refused to be in the photo... she acts 13 at times.) And, no, I am not crying about the tree, but a bit sober at the damage of a friends home... 
A lot of folks were quite lucky not to have the trees fall on their homes. No one died or was critically injured, that I am aware of, through the last month when these storms occured.
All you could hear for the last few days outdoors, is a combination of chain saws, backing up trucks, and lawn mowers.
Some of the trees that were lost would make an aborist cry, I know because I love old trees and almost cried myself at a few of the old landmarks that are now gone.
A conversation I had with someone about the fallen tree removal got me to thinking about tools... The fellow said his chain saw could not cut through some of the older trees that were felled on his land due to their size. They were just way too big in diameter for the average Joe's chain saw.
Here in the small Northern Maine communities there is a really big tie to roots. Folks decorate their homes and property with items from days gone by. It is a really nice tribute to the history of the communities. It is part of the reason I love it up here - folks are still connected to where they came from. But that connection appears to create a Blind Spot to what their history reveals.
There are quite a few folks up here who have old tools hanging on the walls of their homes and barns. For instance, the two-man saw, once important to the lumber industry up here, now it adorns homes like an antique relic. This tool may have been taken down off the walls and cut the bigger trees in peices - using muscle and teamwork. But I don't think it was even considered.
This brought me back to testing. Our methods and tools used in testing change "to keep up with technology". But is this the answer to better/quicker/stronger testing? Yes and no.
It is always good to learn about the newer/latest developments in testing, but it is also smart to remember the roots of testing and to not assume the roots are without merit/pertinence to today.
There are lots of tools and methodologies in today's testing that can be considered wonders/working/snake oil/etc. And there are others that have historically been proven, if even just for the project they served.
Today... there are so many tools out there that could do the job faster... even sometimes better... than the older tools... The two-man saw can be beaten out by quite a few tools, but most folks with projects to tackle of that magnitude could hardly afford them, (I would think) and most businesses/organizations who don't use such tools to capture a particular audience would even consider purchasing them. Because of this, the fact remains that we need to keep whatever tools we have on hand sharp and ready to use.
Think about the tools you have used since you began your career as a software tester. Maybe one of those tools is what you need right now...
To me, the simplest tools, that require the least amount of maintainence, bring about the biggest value for my time, in both my personal life and my career.
