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The process is representative of the complexity involved in something so pervasive that it almost replaces water.

It is the complexity and the pervasiveness that makes it mind-boggling.

Right, this same story gets re-hashed every few months on the popular news sharing sites as a way to "blow people's minds" and there is never a shortage of people who lap it up. It is amazing how stuff is made, but not mind-blowing.

Who said anyone is trying to blow anyone's minds? It's just an article which has been posted which is interesting.

I'll go ahead and ask how pencils are made.

DO NOT CLICK THIS YOU WILL GET VERY EXCITED!! http://www.pencilpages.com/articles/make.htm

I've actually got an educational kit floating around somewhere that looks like that, from when my Mom worked at an office supply business. It was called "How a Ticonderoga Pencil is made kit", and has the raw parts from each step of the pencil making process. I'll see if I can dig it up and post pictures.