Interactive Junk Collection

One Hundred Twenty Seventh Post: Interactive Junk Collection

Everyone keeps junk somewhere around there house. It could be in the draw in the kitchen, in the basement covered with a sheet, or in the garage where the car is supposed to be parked. In fact junk is so popular there are garbage dumps, scrap yards, and junkyards. But isn’t ones person’s junk another person’s treasure.

First let’s specify what kind of junk discussed here. The junk can range from a broken toy to an old lawn mower to a junk car. This is the stuff that no one wants, but valuable to those who see its potential. A car is worth more in parts than it is as a whole car, but when looking for junk the collector is searching for something more than material value. They are looking for design and function. What does that mean? If you, the reader, are familiar with Macgyver, A-Team, or Junk Wars, it is easy to see the value of machines, electronics, and other gadgets that are just thrown away.

When something breaks the first question that should be asked is: “Can it be repaired?” If it can’t the user must determine: “Does it have other uses or has pieces that can be used for other things?” For instance something common to all mechanical devices is a motor. Motors are very useful so much, that scrap yards save them. After these questions are ask, the final one before throwing the object away is: “What can I learn from this?” “Learning” meaning is there something in the electronics (ex. a broken computer part) or in the transmission or engine (ex. a broken tractor) that you, the user, can tinker with, draw, or study the design to increase one’s understanding of the machine or create something entirely new.

Now there are tons of reasons to start a junk collection!

But on a second note, what if there was on online junk collection of drawings or parts or electrical schematics. There already is a collection of source code for programmers. Also, there is a collection of patent information available online. The next step is to have drawings that are both 2D and 3D that would be open rights drawings. Of course there would have to be a way to categorize and search these drawings, but imagine you, the reader, needed a part drawn that didn’t have to be exact but needed right away for a demonstration. You could just search the “junk yard” and have the drawing ready to give a lecture or demonstrate a product. There are lots of possibilities.