WikiProject Bootstrap
The scientist James Lovelock, best known for his Gaia theory of life-mediated regulation of the atmosphere, has proposed compiling a start-up manual for civilization, beginning with how to make fire, moving on through all of science and technology, from subjects such as ancient genetic design (domesticating plants and animals by selective breeding) to current genetic design (cloning).
Bootstrap is related to Wikipedia:Pushing to 1.0
Bootstrap is a project to ensure that articles in Wikipedia contain sufficent information to Bootstrap a civilization up to a certain level of technological mastery. Articles should contain sufficient explicit information that a person, armed only with a copy of Wikipedia, could receate and use technological artifacts from that age. Note that we are not shooting for Featured Article status, but that'd be fine if that happens.
Current goal edit
Bootstrap's current technological goal is:
- Stone Age - create and populate article Stone Age tools and techniques
- Chisel
- Carpentry
- log raft
- canoe
- Animal husbandry
- Making fire
- Rope making
- Lever
- masonry
- Tanning is a good example of what ought to be done to address materials limitations. The section History of Tanning addresses issues in the rest of the article, like: You've got to alkali treat the skins. What's alkali? How can you tell if something's alkali? What if I (oddly enough) don't have any litmus paper (not a stone-age material or technology) with me? They didn't have chromium to tan leather with in the Stone Age, what was used back then? What do you use as a water-tight container?
- Archery
- Wheel
- History of technology
- Glacial subsistence living
- Desert subsistence living
- Your suggestions here
Stone Age materials, unexploited techniques edit
The Stone Age is the first of the three prehistoric ages, prehistoric ages are defined where there is no written history. However, papermaking and impression printing are both technologically feasible with Stone Age materials. Should we be including these? Money could have be implemented with paper notes.
Future goals edit
Future goals, in order, are:
- Bronze Age - create and populate article Bronze Age tools and techniques; coins.
- Iron Age - create and populate article Iron Age tools and techniques
- Your suggestions here