If this is an example of an "invention" merely being the documentation of long-known folk practices, as some have argued, it makes me wonder how many inventions

If this is an example of an "invention" merely being the documentation of long-known folk practices, as some have argued, it makes me wonder how many inventions out there remain to be documented. How many construction sites, workshops, factories, studios, etc have craftsmen passing along techniques that have never been formally described? I know this type of science and discovery was much more prevalent in the 19th century when these undocumented practices were more common, but there must still be some and they must still be evolving. I'm reminded of a talk I attended in school where a guest speaker from industry came in to describe the ideation aspects of industrial automation. The faculty were asking about all these cutting edge technology and management frameworks. The speaker replied that the most effective meta-tool they had for process improvement was a wiki that the assembly line workers could edit. I am guilty of ruminating on the new hotness in SaaS apps alone at my computer when trying to come up with business ideas. I should just go out and talk to people!