How complex is it?

Regenerative & Transitional Technology Misc.
#1

I often get frustrated when people throw around the terms high- and low-tech without really explaining what they mean or even applying the terms regularly. I needed a way to determine for myself how complex something was, so I came up with this test. Let me know what you think and what I can do to improve it.
Test for Complexity of Manufatured Items
+one point for each primary component over two pieces
+one point for each secondary component over one
+ one point for each tertiary component
+one point for each processing used to make each component (eg.cooking, firing, carving, etc.)
(if heating is used)
+one point for each time charcoal is used, two for coal, three for nat. gas or petroleum fuel
+one point for every day over one that is spent making a given primary component
+one point for every person over one that makes each component
+one point for each specialist involved in making primary components
(if R+D is used)
+one point for each month spent in R+D, times the number of persons involved
+one point for each primary component traded for
+one point for each day over one spent assembling primary components
+one point for each person over one who assembles primary components
+one point for each part-time specialist employed, or two for each full-time specialist
+one point for each component over one that must be used in any subsequent reassembly

If sum is less than about 15, it is low-tech
If less than about 25, it is mid-tech
If over about 25, it is high-tech

This test might be adapted to apply to natural systems or societies as well, but I havent gotten around to that.

#2

I have a couple of questions.

  • Does waiting time count in the number of days (such as waiting for a component to dry) or only days spent actually working?
  • If it’s an animal product, does it matter if the animal is wild or domestic?
  • Is there any point value to the complexity of the tools used to make the item? For example, in cloth making a factory loom is more complex and takes less time and skill to operate than a farmer’s loom, which is more complex than a loom used by nomads.
#3

[quote=“starfish, post:2, topic:1580”]I have a couple of questions.

  • Does waiting time count in the number of days (such as waiting for a component to dry) or only days spent actually working?
  • If it’s an animal product, does it matter if the animal is wild or domestic?
  • Is there any point value to the complexity of the tools used to make the item? For example, in cloth making a factory loom is more complex and takes less time and skill to operate than a farmer’s loom, which is more complex than a loom used by nomads.[/quote]
    ^This is excactly why I needed to post this on this forum. Thanks for the hard to answer questions! Now to try answering.
    -Waiting and not working on it counting would probably depend on what kind of infrastructure is needed to house what is being made (such as a Wet Room for slow-drying unfired pottery) and on if the one waiting isnt occupied watching it to make sure it doesnt go wrong. This latter issue would count as a normal working period, since the person cannot garden or do other sustenance-related activities.
    -I would say that domestication of plants or animals is more complexity for the human to deal with, but this complexity is often exported to far off areas, nowadays. This would put it under traded for items and IMO should not count any greater than other traded for items (unless you particularly want to factor in the value of the items traded away for the components of the thing being made). The plants and animals themselves are not any more or less complex than their wild counterparts, so counting points for domestication would depend on what attitude the particular situation calls for. If, say, you needed to measure complexity for limiting negative impact on the health of the ecosystem, it should definitely be counted. If you were only concerned with personal convenience and weighted complexity against the value the item has for your life, you might be inclined to simply ignore domestication as a factor (whether that is a good or bad thing).
    -I had thought about including tool complexity; I forget why I didnt include anything to that effect. If the tool was made by the same person using it (not traded for), it might work to simply add that tool’s total points onto the total of the item under construction. Or, it might be fair to add half the points from the tool? I’m not sure on this one. How would you deal with tool complexity?
#4

If we’re talking about total complexity, than it shouldn’t matter if the work is exported somewhere else or not. A steel knife that I buy from a big box store is more complex than a flint knife that I buy from a local craftsman, even if both take the same amount of effort on my part.

I think for tools the most fair thing would be to first get the complexity score of the tool, then give it a point value. So for example an item made with an electric drill would be more complex than the same item made with a hand drill. You could also assign a point value to the number of tools used. Maybe that would just make the whole thing more confusing, though.