User:Inyuki/How To Engineer It (idea)

(This is the earliest version of my text written at HowTo Wikia, 19:34, January 26, 2005 Inyuki)

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 * Humans managed to create cars, planes, computers, rockets, satellites etc. By doing so, they proved that all these things and more can be made only using human power, without any special instruments in the beginning. This suggests an idea that in a sufficient amount of time, it would be possible to create all these things with the "bare hands" of human beings. However many of the beings today wouldn't have an idea of as how to engineer, for example, a light bulb, if they were asked to do it in the natural environment.

The idea of this huge project is to develope a website, which provided such information in a form of exact and defined steps (where to go, what to do, what to search for, where you may find it, etc.). Anyone can do it if he or she knows the steps. Our physical capabilities do not differ so much.

Following is a good example of the scope of How To Engineer It: . . Step 5: Chip away for a few more hours and you have now got a simple STONE TOOL.

Step 735: Now affix the HANDLE onto the SPADE

Step 3,279: Following that, assemble a few more MACHINEs as dictated in steps 3112 to 3278.

Step 67,003: Start it up, now you have begun to mine OIL.

Step 1,573,388: Affix the screen to the computer, and then begin construction of a power plant. Step 1,573,389: Using your SPADE, begin digging for some more METALS. . .

Illustration by Cats Whiskers, Jan 22 2005, on HalfBakery However, it aims at providing very detailed and full instructions, not just to say "affix", it aims to explain that in the pages of procedures.

The Algorythm
In order to make any product, basically need three general components: Therefore, in order to understand how to make a product from scratch, one should follow a cycle of finding parts, tools and procedures for every part, tool and procedure. This is illustrated in the schema below: For (every chosen product ) { For (every part ) { For (every tool` ) { Procedures with parts and tools to make product. For (every part ) { For (every tool`` ) { Procedures with parts and tools to make tool`. For (every part ) { For (every tool``` ) { Procedures with parts and tools to make tool``. ..                Etc., N times, until toolN="stone tool" } //-- end of For (every tool``` ) } //-- end of For (every part ) } //-- end of For (every tool`` ) } //-- end of For (every part ) } //-- end of For (every tool` ) } //-- end of For (every part ) } //-- end of For (every chosen product ) As every part, tool or a procedure, is a product itself, every page will have the same template: any part will always be made using some parts, tools and procedures; every tool will always be made using some parts, tools and procedures; and every procedure will be "made" using some parts (the "sub programs"), tools (science - the theoretical methods to relate the "sub programs" to arrange the procedure) and procedures (explanations of as how exactly apply the theoretical methods in this exact situation to develope (conclude with) the exact procedure).
 * 1) Parts
 * 2) Tools
 * 3) Procedures

Look at a part page, as at a factory - it deals with creating parts Look at a tool page, as at an engineering laboratory - it deals with creating tools Look at a procedure page, as at a scientific laboratory - it deals with creating exact theoretical procedures

The Mission
To create step-by-step guide for engineering existing modern products, for instance, it could be something like Toshiba Notebook PC G15-AV501, Ferrari 575M Maranello, or Space Shuttle Atlantis. In any case it can be done by reversely merging the procedures lists into one huge list. Procedure 1 Procedure 2 ... Procedure N If you are curious how some peace of technology is made, and you know the exact name of it, you may want to add it to the list and start working on it!

Goals
The goals are not merely to explore the modern world and satisfy the curiosity, it also aims to:
 * Change the way we learn:
 * To be a material for students for their practice, instead of laboratory tests ;-)
 * To be used as a complement of fairy-tales for curious children
 * To be used to make multipart TV shows. Wouldn't you love to see a group of fellow humans trying to produce a computer, or a clone of a sheep in natural environment?
 * Serve as a repository of survival information, which would be useful if we get hit by an asteroid, or experience a similar global catastrophe.

Top-down or Botton-up?
For exact steps to make an existing product needs Top-down method. That is, choose an exact product and go on with the cycle. It is more likely to be successful as you have an algorythm. What's bad about Top-down method is that could be possible to show the schemes without need to explain how people came up with them. So, one could create the devices, but wouldn't know how they work. They would only be following the schemes. But for that there can always be created a hyperlink to an article about the "mental" tools, parts and procedures, which were necessary to think of a such design. Algorythms, calculation methods, etc... If you examined what tools are necessary to engineer a factory of CPUs, you realized that the parts of this factory are already being made using other computers and computer aided designing, but with less advanced or less complex processors. You can then continue to explore these through the same cycle again, until you reached the drawing-board technologies.. and so on. An advantage of Top-down method is that it is quicker (the schemes are already be designed by someone, i.e., you USE the knowledge).

Obviously, Bottom-up scenario is also possible, and perhaps it is much more rewarding, as it requires to make all the discoveries and solve all the puzzles by yourself again. It would be more like you didn't use your knowledge, but used your brain to reacquire produce the knowledge. A disadvantage is that it will require more time and work to develop most of the schemes (i.e., you will need to CREATE the knowledge, which is much more time-consuming, unless you are a genius). Still, if you are more a thinker than an explorer, it is highly recommended to add try it out. Read more about how to do it.

Why doesn't such a huge project have it's own domain?
Because it's in early incubation period, and currently How To Engineer It will reside on Wikicities.com server, however, don't be shy to participate here - it's a unique project and if something will happen to it (the domain shifted, or someone else starts the similar project), we will inform you about it, and your contributions will be shifted/merged there as well). Later we are planning to have a separate domain for this public database. Also, because it is free to keep a wiki on wikicities, and it is easy to move all the database later.

Will it always remain free and accessible for public?
How To Engineer It will remain public and free forever.

I want it in my language, what do I do?
The How To Engineer It is currently in it's early stage, and there exists only English version today, but we are planning to make it in other languages as well, as soon as the popularity of it will grow to a sufficient degree. There are Japanese and Lithuanian versions forseen to appear soon. If you want it in your language, contact one of the managers, and you may do so.

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