A piece of string, at first, looks useless,easy to throw away, not worth keeping. But those who keep some with them find uses for it in odd places, which could not be forseen. String can fix broken things or tie things together. It can be combined with more string to make longer, stronger string. It is utterly forgettable, completely innocuous, and one of the simplest technologies in the world. It comes in many different types. You would be hard pressed to find a place without string.
Knowledge is like a piece of string. Simple, useless at first glance, but there are thousands of reasons to keep some with you, if you think about it. I carry string in my pocket, I hoard it, and wind it into great skeins. As one of those of us who love string, I lament for those who don't. String is remarkably handy.
A Piece of String: The ramblings of a philosopher (in the old sense of the word)
