Atomic Number Engineering

The practice of designing and creating materials by manipulating atomic nuclei—changing one element into another, creating new elements, or precisely controlling isotopic composition. Atomic number engineering is alchemy made scientific: instead of turning lead into gold (possible but not worth the energy), modern practitioners create elements that don't exist in nature, produce isotopes for medicine and industry, and dream of one day assembling materials atom by atom, nucleus by nucleus. The field sits at the intersection of nuclear physics and materials science, requiring particle accelerators, immense energy, and patience for extremely low yields. The payoff is everything from cancer treatments to space probe power sources to the fundamental expansion of the periodic table.

Example: "The lab synthesized element 117, adding a new row to the periodic table. The sample consisted of exactly three atoms that existed for milliseconds before decaying. Atomic number engineering had succeeded, though no one would ever hold element 117 in their hand. The periodic table grew; human ambition grew with it."

by Dumu The Void February 16, 2026

Multiverse Engineering

The hypothetical practice of designing and constructing systems that operate across the multiverse—bridges between universes, communication networks across realities, structures that exist in multiple universes simultaneously. Multiverse engineering would require materials that exist in all universes, construction techniques that work across different physical laws, and quality control that ensures a bridge stands in universe A even if it fails in universe B. It's engineering on a scale that dwarfs anything imaginable—inter-universal infrastructure for a civilization that spans realities. Multiverse engineering is pure science fiction today, but so was spaceflight once.

Example: "She dreamed of multiverse engineering, designing a bridge that connected all the universes where she'd made different choices. In one universe, she was a doctor; in another, an artist; in another, a mother. The bridge would let all her selves visit, compare notes, share lives. The engineering was impossible; the dream was not."

by Dumu The Void February 17, 2026

Ad Hoc Engineering

The practice of designing and building solutions for specific, often temporary situations—engineering without the luxury of planning, testing, or mass production. Ad hoc engineering is what happens in emergencies, in remote locations, in startup offices, in any situation where you need something to work now and can't wait for proper engineering. It's the art of the temporary fix, the makeshift solution, the structure that only needs to stand for a while. Ad hoc engineering is despised by professional engineers (who value reliability) and beloved by everyone else (who value results). It's engineering for the real world, where most problems are unique and most solutions are temporary.

Example: "She practiced ad hoc engineering in her apartment, building a bookshelf from cinder blocks and planks, a desk from a door and sawhorses, a headboard from an old fence. Nothing would survive a move; everything worked perfectly here. Ad hoc engineering wasn't permanent, but it was home."

by Dumu The Void February 17, 2026