[ Sharkface leans back in his chair a bit, considering how best to explain. ]

Tech isn't my area, but....think of it like language. You can write a word down on paper and make a sign, or you can speak it, and cause another person to act. When information is digital, that means it's broken into code and then decoded at the access point. Intangible, but the impact is real.

[ He exhales slowly. The metaphor might have gotten away from him a bit there. ]

Energy swords? No. I had a hardlight shield, though. Similar principal to the sword, except the design was defensive. Saved my ass more than a few times.