Ask HN: Do You Also Marvel at the Complexity of Everyday Objects? – The TechLead

A few weeks ago I was doing some soldering and I started using a spool of insulated 22-gauge wire.

Maybe it was the solder fumes, but I started thinking about what it actually took to create that spool of wire — everything from the geologists and miners extracting ore, through all the metallurgy, industrial engineering, and plastics work. And I started to marvel at all the work and expertise it took to make something that I normally would’ve just considered a semi-disposable consumable item. It made me wonder whether that spool of wire was actually a piece of technology on par in sophistication with all the software that I build every day.

It was such an odd moment, but it’s has caused a lasting perspective shift. almost every day I’ll look at some commonplace object I took for granted and think “this is actually so complex, no single human has all the knowledge or expertise to create it”.

I’m curious if anybody else has had a similar experience and/or what are some simple everyday objects that give you pause when you stop to think about their complexity