Highlights of the week included the purchase of a freezer and solar heater, plus the continuing plans to move out west.
"Best of" posts found this week:
Shackleton Energy Company Crowdsource Fundi
Moon Mines: Visionary or Senseless?
Marcin Jakubowski on the Global Village Constru
Al Fin: "Cowboy Commentary", aka "Eat your veggies" The Flag banner is posted in order to defy those who would make patriotic symbols illegal or disreputable.
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Grab bag of links
Been thumbing through Alexander's pdf book and found some useful links. Not all of them are current and not all of them have good customer reviews. However, I did find some good reviews for the following items:
This one should be linked to the prior one ( or in this case two because that one is linked also) in order to keep a series of like minded posts.
I bought a passive solar water heater today. Not that much, about 50 bucks. I'll use it in combination with my freezer and a water pump plus transmission cooler in order to passively heat/cool my trailer.
If you didn't notice, there was yet another trailer link in there. This time for a 5x8, and this one looks like the best one yet. A slight modification to the 5x8 concept D floor plan, and we could be in business.
Update:
Sewage treatment system.
- RTS Home Accents 50-Gallon Rain Water Collection Barrel with Brass Spigot, Brown
- WaterWorker HT20HB Horizontal Pressure Well Tank, 20-Gallon Capacity, Blue
- Nature's Head Dry Composting Toilet / Standard Crank Handle
- - Northern Industrial Easy-to-Assemble Utility Trailer Kit - 40in. x 48in
- - Ironton Heavy-Duty Trailer Kit - 5Ft. x 8Ft., 5.30-12in. Tires
- one more I just found : Fresnel lenses by Greenpowerscience
This one should be linked to the prior one ( or in this case two because that one is linked also) in order to keep a series of like minded posts.
I bought a passive solar water heater today. Not that much, about 50 bucks. I'll use it in combination with my freezer and a water pump plus transmission cooler in order to passively heat/cool my trailer.
If you didn't notice, there was yet another trailer link in there. This time for a 5x8, and this one looks like the best one yet. A slight modification to the 5x8 concept D floor plan, and we could be in business.
Update:
Sewage treatment system.
Alternative trailer idea
Shoot. I completely overlooked this one. It has all the plans for a bug out trailer like the one I'm designing. It was in Lamar Alexanders book I bought not too long ago.
It is slightly smaller though, but much cheaper and maybe much handier.
Looks like a rethink could be in order.
Update ( continuation from previous post and this one):
Floor plan for this size trailer is now plan "E"
Tentative plan below:
This is very, very tentative since it hasn't been simulated ( dry run ). Also, the exterior layout may need adjustment. However, being that it is cheaper, it is very tempting to go this route. It is so small that it will need two doors in order to access everything. Very crowded too, but it may hold everything that the bigger one can.
It is slightly smaller though, but much cheaper and maybe much handier.
Looks like a rethink could be in order.
Update ( continuation from previous post and this one):
Floor plan for this size trailer is now plan "E"
Tentative plan below:
Trailer plans ( exterior )
Prev Next
This post goes into the off-the-grid construction subseries
Well, here it is. The trailer with the plans tacked on to it.
Current interior layout is concept d. The one last posted has changed a bit again.
This post goes into the off-the-grid construction subseries
Well, here it is. The trailer with the plans tacked on to it.
 |
| Exterior layout 1 |
 |
| Exterior layout 2 |
 |
| Exterior layout 3 |
Friday, December 5, 2014
Afterburner w/ Bill Whittle -- Lights Out! How We Could Lose Everything
Thanks for pointing it out. I did, but nobody seems to care.
Conservative impotence
This is something of a joke. You never know how people might take what you write. NOTICE: THIS IS A JOKE.
Okay, the joke is this ( which may not really be a joke ): In order to be a conservative, you have to have a limp dick. If you can manage a hard-on, you ain't no conservative.
Wha?????
The thing is this: In order to have power, you have to be able to do something. If all you do is talk, you might as well be a 90 year old guy who can't get a hard-on anymore. He might think about pussy, but he sure as hell can't do anything about it. So, all he does is TALK. That's all conservatives do is talk. A bunch of limp dicks.
Okay, the joke is this ( which may not really be a joke ): In order to be a conservative, you have to have a limp dick. If you can manage a hard-on, you ain't no conservative.
Wha?????
The thing is this: In order to have power, you have to be able to do something. If all you do is talk, you might as well be a 90 year old guy who can't get a hard-on anymore. He might think about pussy, but he sure as hell can't do anything about it. So, all he does is TALK. That's all conservatives do is talk. A bunch of limp dicks.
Quickie post: Freezer experiment
About this time yesterday, I unplugged the new freezer in order to see how well it contained the coolness. Once I got back home from work, I checked the thermometer--- 40 degrees Farenheit. The Dr. Pepper bottles were still frozen, especially on the bottom. The one closer to the lid was slightly melted. Upon inspection this morning, the temperature is holding and the ice is melting, but is still abundant. So, this says that the ice will remain for at least 24 hours, and likely to last longer.
Calculations show that the bottles should have about a million joules of energy stored in them. That's about a third of a kilowatt hour. This means that the energy loss can be said to be less than this over the course of how much time it takes to melt the ice inside this freezer. This can tell me how much energy has to be replaced by the freezer's operation, and thus, how much it will take to keep things frozen inside. Perhaps not exactly correct, but a fair estimate. We are NOT rocket scientists here, doncha know.
But it might as well be a moon shot, just the same.
Update:
48 hours and counting. The closer you get to the lid, the warmer it is. This makes sense. It is holding at 46 degrees. A little too warm for food storage, but the thermometer is near the lid. Moving the food down to the bottom would enable it to keep cold enough for near term storage. I am estimating 72 hours like this before it gets useless.
Given that there's 1 megajoule to freeze the (6) 2-liter bottles, that means that there is a loss of 1 mj/72 per hour heat loss to the environment. This works out to about 14 k joules per hr, or about a third of a kilowatt-hour per day.
As a thought experiment, what would something 30 times as large calculate out to: about 116 watts per hour.
The above is a thought experiment for da trailer, in case you didn't get it. What does the BTU calculator say?
Considerably more. You'd have to use a dehumidifier in conjunction with a swamp cooler in order to get temps down to within 10 degree Farenheit of the target.
This means that even with good insulation, there will be significant heat gain on very hot days. Something to consider.
The little generator that I got will output about 20 kilowatt-hours per day if run continuously. However, you'd like to have someone monitor it while you are asleep. That case, by the way, would be worst case scenarios. It wouldn't get this bad very often, if at all.
This post goes into the off-the-grid subseries for electricity and power. It will be the first of the subseries posts.
Previous ( main series post ) Next (power subseries post )
Previous ( construction post ) Next ( construction post )
Calculations show that the bottles should have about a million joules of energy stored in them. That's about a third of a kilowatt hour. This means that the energy loss can be said to be less than this over the course of how much time it takes to melt the ice inside this freezer. This can tell me how much energy has to be replaced by the freezer's operation, and thus, how much it will take to keep things frozen inside. Perhaps not exactly correct, but a fair estimate. We are NOT rocket scientists here, doncha know.
But it might as well be a moon shot, just the same.
Update:
48 hours and counting. The closer you get to the lid, the warmer it is. This makes sense. It is holding at 46 degrees. A little too warm for food storage, but the thermometer is near the lid. Moving the food down to the bottom would enable it to keep cold enough for near term storage. I am estimating 72 hours like this before it gets useless.
Given that there's 1 megajoule to freeze the (6) 2-liter bottles, that means that there is a loss of 1 mj/72 per hour heat loss to the environment. This works out to about 14 k joules per hr, or about a third of a kilowatt-hour per day.
As a thought experiment, what would something 30 times as large calculate out to: about 116 watts per hour.
The above is a thought experiment for da trailer, in case you didn't get it. What does the BTU calculator say?
Considerably more. You'd have to use a dehumidifier in conjunction with a swamp cooler in order to get temps down to within 10 degree Farenheit of the target.
This means that even with good insulation, there will be significant heat gain on very hot days. Something to consider.
The little generator that I got will output about 20 kilowatt-hours per day if run continuously. However, you'd like to have someone monitor it while you are asleep. That case, by the way, would be worst case scenarios. It wouldn't get this bad very often, if at all.
This post goes into the off-the-grid subseries for electricity and power. It will be the first of the subseries posts.
Previous ( main series post ) Next (power subseries post )
Previous ( construction post ) Next ( construction post )
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Construction discussion
Da trailer:
Update:
I've spent this early am ( December 5th, the day after putting up this video ) hashing out the construction details. I've organized it on my computer according to the plans I've already drawn up for the interior layout. The exterior has to go up first, of course. All of this has to fit on top of this itty bitty trailer and all of it has to fit together and be sturdy, airtight, and watertight.
Tall order for a novice!!!
Update:
I've spent this early am ( December 5th, the day after putting up this video ) hashing out the construction details. I've organized it on my computer according to the plans I've already drawn up for the interior layout. The exterior has to go up first, of course. All of this has to fit on top of this itty bitty trailer and all of it has to fit together and be sturdy, airtight, and watertight.
Tall order for a novice!!!
Guantanamera - The Sandpipers
Spanish Lyrics to Guantanamera
This song sounds socialist, but it isn't really. I think it is beautiful, but it doesn't advocate politics of any kind. It is a statement of feeling and intention, that is all.
Politicians are scum. Never trust them. Never.
This song sounds socialist, but it isn't really. I think it is beautiful, but it doesn't advocate politics of any kind. It is a statement of feeling and intention, that is all.
Politicians are scum. Never trust them. Never.
People go around barking up the wrong tree
They all look for a leader that will save them. The presidency hardly matters. They need to look to themselves first.
Look at me. Here I have suggested many many a thing that I think would help. The results? Nearly total indifference. What I do hardly registers a ripple on the web. Hardly no audience, hardly no comments, hardly no reaction at all.
Yet people go out to vote for these guys and what do they do? The GOP hasn't even gotten into power yet and they are already showing signs that they will disappoint. The election was all dog and pony show for the people who are foolish enough to believe what these politicians say. Now they are complaining. What the hell did you expect?
To sum up again, here's a few of my suggestions:
Look at me. Here I have suggested many many a thing that I think would help. The results? Nearly total indifference. What I do hardly registers a ripple on the web. Hardly no audience, hardly no comments, hardly no reaction at all.
Yet people go out to vote for these guys and what do they do? The GOP hasn't even gotten into power yet and they are already showing signs that they will disappoint. The election was all dog and pony show for the people who are foolish enough to believe what these politicians say. Now they are complaining. What the hell did you expect?
To sum up again, here's a few of my suggestions:
- A constitutional convention. This is necessary in order to reign in a runaway government that doesn't respect the constitution anymore.
- A new political party. This is necessary because the GOP won't be an opposition party.
- Don't vote for the "conservatives" who don't conserve anything. This included politicians like Texas Senator John "Cornball" Cornyn. I didn't vote for him in the primaries, nor in the general election. Too many people did, and guess what? You are surprised that he won't do what you want. Why should he? You don't hold him accountable. Why then, should you be surprised that they don't honor their words?
- Definite actions to enforce the law. Every officer is sworn in to support the constitution. If those in the higher ups don't, they can! Who says? The Constitution says: read it. If the GOP at the grassroots level started enforcing the immigration laws that DC won't, then they can LEGALLY enforce it themselves. Will they? ( the sound of crickets)
- Stop listening to phonies like Limbaugh. He's getting paid to say what he says. Why listen to him? Listen to people who put themselves on the line. At least they put their money where their mouths are. Limbaugh is just cashing in on the gullibility of people to believe someone who sounds authoritative. Paul Revere didn't cash in on warning about the redcoats. He took his life in his own hands by warning his countrymen. Limbaugh? He pretends to be Paul Revere. He has no credibility.
- Stop listening to the propaganda of the media. They aren't news organizations. The late wapo bigwig, Benjamin Bradlee ( I think that was his name) said that he wasn't interested in news, but CAUSES( quote from Trashing the Planet). They aren't news organizations. Stop letting yourselves be deceived like this.
Mostly a thinker
Not a doer. That's me.
Nope, I will not be leading a revolution, unless it is a thought revolution. That's my nature.
As for fighting, I can do that, if it becomes necessary. But it is not my nature. I would prefer peaceful settlements to differences. However, I realize that there may well be times when such is not going to be possible.
What to do then? Find yourself someone who can lead such a fight. Just saying, it's not me.
The way I would prefer is that people go vote. They educate themselves. They think for themselves. They raise their own food, make their own shelter, and for the most part, are independent. This is what I am doing myself. I ask that nobody do anything differently from what I am doing. Such people can be free. Otherwise, they are likely to fall into the trap that we have fallen into. That is, to be dependent upon people who are untrustworthy, like politicians.
Unfortunately, people prefer chains as opposed to preferring freedom. That's because they think that the chains are payment for security, which they have foolishly believed will be provided for them. It can only come from themselves. If they believed that, they couldn't be fooled into giving up their freedom in the way that they have.
Such people aren't worthy of freedom and will not have it. Let them fight to remain in the chains that they love so much.
Nope, I will not be leading a revolution, unless it is a thought revolution. That's my nature.
As for fighting, I can do that, if it becomes necessary. But it is not my nature. I would prefer peaceful settlements to differences. However, I realize that there may well be times when such is not going to be possible.
What to do then? Find yourself someone who can lead such a fight. Just saying, it's not me.
The way I would prefer is that people go vote. They educate themselves. They think for themselves. They raise their own food, make their own shelter, and for the most part, are independent. This is what I am doing myself. I ask that nobody do anything differently from what I am doing. Such people can be free. Otherwise, they are likely to fall into the trap that we have fallen into. That is, to be dependent upon people who are untrustworthy, like politicians.
Unfortunately, people prefer chains as opposed to preferring freedom. That's because they think that the chains are payment for security, which they have foolishly believed will be provided for them. It can only come from themselves. If they believed that, they couldn't be fooled into giving up their freedom in the way that they have.
Such people aren't worthy of freedom and will not have it. Let them fight to remain in the chains that they love so much.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Everything that liberalism touches...
turns to shit.
An example? The streets of Houston.
Houston used to have these great streets downtown. They were wide and could accommodate a lot of traffic. Thanks to "out of town" Lee Brown, mayor, they put in a "choo choo" train that has completely mucked up the traffic patterns of the streets. Look, you could go from one end of downtown to the other without stopping for a light. Not anymore. Now, you can get stuck for 10 minutes trying to get through one lousy light. Oh, and its going to get better as more "choo choos" are about to open up.
Not only that, but his successor, "Dumbo" Bill White ( I call Dumbo because of his big ears ), changed the truck zones so that it has become nearly impossible to park downtown anymore if you are trying to make a delivery. This doesn't help traffic flow at all, but it does bring in plenty of money for the city coffers. Assholes.
These guys are Democrat mayors and they screwed up Houston's streets.
I think that plenty of other examples can be given, but this one is on my mind at the moment.
An example? The streets of Houston.
Houston used to have these great streets downtown. They were wide and could accommodate a lot of traffic. Thanks to "out of town" Lee Brown, mayor, they put in a "choo choo" train that has completely mucked up the traffic patterns of the streets. Look, you could go from one end of downtown to the other without stopping for a light. Not anymore. Now, you can get stuck for 10 minutes trying to get through one lousy light. Oh, and its going to get better as more "choo choos" are about to open up.
Not only that, but his successor, "Dumbo" Bill White ( I call Dumbo because of his big ears ), changed the truck zones so that it has become nearly impossible to park downtown anymore if you are trying to make a delivery. This doesn't help traffic flow at all, but it does bring in plenty of money for the city coffers. Assholes.
These guys are Democrat mayors and they screwed up Houston's streets.
I think that plenty of other examples can be given, but this one is on my mind at the moment.
A man cannot serve two masters
Good 'ol Abe Lincoln said that. A lot of people these days may not know that Jesus Christ said it first. 'Ol Abe was just applying it to his own situation, and making his point rather well.
Slavery was ended at that time, but the urge to enslave others never ends. It is happening today, I suspect.
As I wrote in the previous post, I am the "canary in the coal mine". When jobs like mine go, it means yours is next. You'd better get out of the "coal mine" fast, or you will be next. When that "canary" drops, the time is near to get the hell out.
Low end jobs are going to disappear and be replaced by robots. That was a revelation to me. I didn't think they'd be able to do that. But it seems that they will and it may be sooner than anybody thinks. Robotic delivery? You betcha. It's just a part of the overall trend. Low end low skill jobs are going to be the ones that go first. Low end jobs are the canary in the coal mine. They won't be replaced by humans. Robots make better slaves. They never complain and work themselves to "death". They can be replaced cheaply.
They want to make fast food to be served by robots. Hey, no more burger flipper jobs. Like I was saying.
If you can't get a burger flipper job, but aren't qualified to do the higher end stuff, you're shit out of luck. You become a ward of the state. Or you stand on a corner and hope somebody gives you a buck. Or you have to steal your next Happy meal. Then, they own you. Meet your new master. 'Same as the old boss' in Abe's time.
When they own you and you are the ward of the state, your freedom will be gone. They will tell you what to do, what to think, what to wear, what to eat, what to say and not say. They will own you. You will be their little pets.
Or you can choose to serve another master.
That's why I'm going to "da Ranch". I will be able to grow my own food with my own hands. I will be able to build my own shelter with my own hands. And I won't need money to serve the new master. I 'spec dat massa won't be too happy 'bout dat.
Update:
As far as I know, Honest Abe didn't say that. I got the quotes mixed up. I meant to say that Abe Lincoln said "A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand". Maybe it was too early in the morning and I felt groggy, who knows?
Slavery was ended at that time, but the urge to enslave others never ends. It is happening today, I suspect.
As I wrote in the previous post, I am the "canary in the coal mine". When jobs like mine go, it means yours is next. You'd better get out of the "coal mine" fast, or you will be next. When that "canary" drops, the time is near to get the hell out.
Low end jobs are going to disappear and be replaced by robots. That was a revelation to me. I didn't think they'd be able to do that. But it seems that they will and it may be sooner than anybody thinks. Robotic delivery? You betcha. It's just a part of the overall trend. Low end low skill jobs are going to be the ones that go first. Low end jobs are the canary in the coal mine. They won't be replaced by humans. Robots make better slaves. They never complain and work themselves to "death". They can be replaced cheaply.
They want to make fast food to be served by robots. Hey, no more burger flipper jobs. Like I was saying.
If you can't get a burger flipper job, but aren't qualified to do the higher end stuff, you're shit out of luck. You become a ward of the state. Or you stand on a corner and hope somebody gives you a buck. Or you have to steal your next Happy meal. Then, they own you. Meet your new master. 'Same as the old boss' in Abe's time.
When they own you and you are the ward of the state, your freedom will be gone. They will tell you what to do, what to think, what to wear, what to eat, what to say and not say. They will own you. You will be their little pets.
Or you can choose to serve another master.
That's why I'm going to "da Ranch". I will be able to grow my own food with my own hands. I will be able to build my own shelter with my own hands. And I won't need money to serve the new master. I 'spec dat massa won't be too happy 'bout dat.
Update:
As far as I know, Honest Abe didn't say that. I got the quotes mixed up. I meant to say that Abe Lincoln said "A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand". Maybe it was too early in the morning and I felt groggy, who knows?
Angry
Yesterday, I ended my day in the most foul mood. Yet, it seemed to be for no reason at all. Nothing really bad happened, yet I was pissed.
The worst of it all was that I finished my day at about 7 pm. So, I dragged my tired butt back home and ate a late supper. I was at least glad to be home and able to work on what I care about. I think that is what was making me mad. I had to spend all my time, nearly all my time that I have available, working on a job that pays too little and demands too damned much.
I get that way sometimes. Here I am, a fairly intelligent person, I'd say. And I'm doing this menial labor. I feel that I was born for far better things than this. Another aspect of my anger.
The result of this is that I was a hair's width away from quitting my job. But I can't quit. I need the money.
So, I got to thinking about things, as I am inclined to do. Basically, I'm being pulled in two different directions. It's like the saying " a man cannot serve two masters." I'm trying to serve the master of this world, which I am coming to hate, and the little world I want to build for myself, but for which I have so little time. When I got home, I realized the difference. I am coming to really enjoy the work that I am doing on "da Ranch", and I am really coming to despise the things I have to do in order to make a buck in this world I am living in now. I resented having to spend so much of my precious time doing things that I no longer respect.
Why the disrespect?
The thing that kept me late last night was the fact that a big rush came at the last part of the day. The day starts off really slow. It was nearly 11 o'clock before I started on my second delivery. Usually, I like to do about 10 per day. So, it was really, really slow. Mind you, when I am not working, I don't make money. So, just standing by costs me precious time when I can't make money, and I cannot do anything on "da Ranch". Then this rush comes and keeps me out late. It pisses me off no end. I get no respect from the customers who call in this stuff at such a late hour.
Not only that, but this city is making it harder and harder to get around the downtown area. It used to be easier. They put in these "choo choo" trains, which is a pet project of the lefties, which doesn't do anything but clog up traffic and take up space. Also, they saw fit to change the loading zones that used to exist for delivery guys like me. Now you can't park around there. So, there I was. Trying to make deliveries downtown in the middle of rush hour, where's there's nowhere to park, and I'm wasting time trying to find places to park. These requirements for doing my job are being imposed upon me for no good reason, and I resent it. My anger builds as I lose time doing things that shouldn't take so much time.
Here I am serving a master that has no consideration for me at all, and wishing to be somewhere else better, but no, I had to be where I was. Yes, I am stuck with it for now. There isn't much of a choice. That too makes me resentful.
The way I am is that I won't say anything while the anger builds. But when it blows up, it is like Mount St. Helens. I was just about to "blow" yesterday.
Hopefully, today won't be like that. Keep your sense of humor. This one is a bit sly, so it fits my mood this early morning. I'm like Bill Murray's character, I'm going to blow up the golf course ( bwah, hah hah!) :
The worst of it all was that I finished my day at about 7 pm. So, I dragged my tired butt back home and ate a late supper. I was at least glad to be home and able to work on what I care about. I think that is what was making me mad. I had to spend all my time, nearly all my time that I have available, working on a job that pays too little and demands too damned much.
I get that way sometimes. Here I am, a fairly intelligent person, I'd say. And I'm doing this menial labor. I feel that I was born for far better things than this. Another aspect of my anger.
The result of this is that I was a hair's width away from quitting my job. But I can't quit. I need the money.
So, I got to thinking about things, as I am inclined to do. Basically, I'm being pulled in two different directions. It's like the saying " a man cannot serve two masters." I'm trying to serve the master of this world, which I am coming to hate, and the little world I want to build for myself, but for which I have so little time. When I got home, I realized the difference. I am coming to really enjoy the work that I am doing on "da Ranch", and I am really coming to despise the things I have to do in order to make a buck in this world I am living in now. I resented having to spend so much of my precious time doing things that I no longer respect.
Why the disrespect?
The thing that kept me late last night was the fact that a big rush came at the last part of the day. The day starts off really slow. It was nearly 11 o'clock before I started on my second delivery. Usually, I like to do about 10 per day. So, it was really, really slow. Mind you, when I am not working, I don't make money. So, just standing by costs me precious time when I can't make money, and I cannot do anything on "da Ranch". Then this rush comes and keeps me out late. It pisses me off no end. I get no respect from the customers who call in this stuff at such a late hour.
Not only that, but this city is making it harder and harder to get around the downtown area. It used to be easier. They put in these "choo choo" trains, which is a pet project of the lefties, which doesn't do anything but clog up traffic and take up space. Also, they saw fit to change the loading zones that used to exist for delivery guys like me. Now you can't park around there. So, there I was. Trying to make deliveries downtown in the middle of rush hour, where's there's nowhere to park, and I'm wasting time trying to find places to park. These requirements for doing my job are being imposed upon me for no good reason, and I resent it. My anger builds as I lose time doing things that shouldn't take so much time.
Here I am serving a master that has no consideration for me at all, and wishing to be somewhere else better, but no, I had to be where I was. Yes, I am stuck with it for now. There isn't much of a choice. That too makes me resentful.
The way I am is that I won't say anything while the anger builds. But when it blows up, it is like Mount St. Helens. I was just about to "blow" yesterday.
Hopefully, today won't be like that. Keep your sense of humor. This one is a bit sly, so it fits my mood this early morning. I'm like Bill Murray's character, I'm going to blow up the golf course ( bwah, hah hah!) :
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
About the recent FoFu ( Focus Fusion ) tweet
You may notice on the left sidebar that I tweeted the most recent report. I did this without having read it carefully enough and made a comment that was incorrect. So, here's to correcting myself:
Recently, there was a drive to pay for new electrodes that would aid in pushing the objective of fusion energy forward. I fully supported that, as I like this concept.
It may well be that the electrode helps with impurities, but that is not what the report was about. It was about another way that impurities are getting into the mix, which is what is not wanted. The report is about a way to improve performance by adding a little pre shot before the main shot, as a manner of speaking. A small current is sent into the electrode, which clears the way for the big current flow which comes shortly later. It's the big flow that creates the focus fusion reaction. Trouble is, too many "fast electrons" are melting the electrodes, which messes up the reaction. This pre-shot takes care of the fast electrons.
I think I got it now.
Recently, there was a drive to pay for new electrodes that would aid in pushing the objective of fusion energy forward. I fully supported that, as I like this concept.
It may well be that the electrode helps with impurities, but that is not what the report was about. It was about another way that impurities are getting into the mix, which is what is not wanted. The report is about a way to improve performance by adding a little pre shot before the main shot, as a manner of speaking. A small current is sent into the electrode, which clears the way for the big current flow which comes shortly later. It's the big flow that creates the focus fusion reaction. Trouble is, too many "fast electrons" are melting the electrodes, which messes up the reaction. This pre-shot takes care of the fast electrons.
I think I got it now.
Why the mini-ac system may work
That's kinda funny. Mini-ac system. It's like Mini-me in the Austin Powers flicks. Okay, let's get down to business.
Now, this freezer can drop the temps down 70 degrees when confined to a 7 cubic foot zone of the freezer interior. You see? If you confine the zone that has to be cooled, you can get maximum effect.
Let's say you want to cool down a zone that's twice as big, which would be the zone immediately around your body. You can then cool down 35 degrees, right? So, if the immediate area is 90 degree Farenheit, you can get it down to 55 degrees! Brrr.
Look, I think a cool breeze over your body will work because that what happens in my van when I drive. The ac blows its air DIRECTLY upon me, not inside the van as a whole. Instead of cooling the entire van, it is cooling ME. Keep in mind that an auto has a lot of glass, which admits the sunlight. That makes it mighty damned hot in the summer, especially in this town. The ac couldn't keep the entire van cool, but your immediate area would be okay. Got that?
I'm scoping out the capabilities of this freezer. Maybe I will still need a swamp cooler, and that will save plenty of power by itself. But it still may not be comfortable enough. The objective is to keep down power usage to a bare minimum, see? Also, need to keep costs down to a minimum. In addition to that, swamp coolers and dehumidifiers may be able to clean up the water.
We'll see if it all can work together in a good system.
Now, this freezer can drop the temps down 70 degrees when confined to a 7 cubic foot zone of the freezer interior. You see? If you confine the zone that has to be cooled, you can get maximum effect.
Let's say you want to cool down a zone that's twice as big, which would be the zone immediately around your body. You can then cool down 35 degrees, right? So, if the immediate area is 90 degree Farenheit, you can get it down to 55 degrees! Brrr.
Look, I think a cool breeze over your body will work because that what happens in my van when I drive. The ac blows its air DIRECTLY upon me, not inside the van as a whole. Instead of cooling the entire van, it is cooling ME. Keep in mind that an auto has a lot of glass, which admits the sunlight. That makes it mighty damned hot in the summer, especially in this town. The ac couldn't keep the entire van cool, but your immediate area would be okay. Got that?
I'm scoping out the capabilities of this freezer. Maybe I will still need a swamp cooler, and that will save plenty of power by itself. But it still may not be comfortable enough. The objective is to keep down power usage to a bare minimum, see? Also, need to keep costs down to a minimum. In addition to that, swamp coolers and dehumidifiers may be able to clean up the water.
We'll see if it all can work together in a good system.
Walking away
Market ticker dot org: What it says pretty much confirms what I'm doing by going to da Ranch. You can do better by reducing your income as opposed to increasing it. In my own case, it may be a matter of survival. Perhaps yours too, as I might be the "canary in the coal mine".
Look, the whole reason I started this blog was that my job turned to garbage and I was wondering why that happened. This blog was a research project into the many ways in which this could be turned around. Nobody seems interested, so you have to take matters in your own hands.
Now that I just wrote that, I think I've struck upon the very core of the problem. What we have here is a bunch of people in this country who trust the politicians, as what was demonstrated in Switzerland when they rejected the gold standard. The gold standard will set a real standard of value for the currency and stop the manipulation of the monetary base. These politicians really think they can bring about prosperity by a wave of their hands. They don't have that kind of competence nor power. By going to the gold standard, you are allowing the collective genius of the people work. Putting it all in the hands of politicians is a guarantee of failure. Once again, people trust the politicians, and that is a BIG MISTAKE.
Taking things in your own hands is the way we use to do things in this country. It's what made the country great. Politicians didn't have a damned thing to do with it. In fact, politicians are tearing down what the genius of Americans produced. It's not only happening here, but all over Western Civilization. We have gotten away from what made us great, and we are sinking into "the swamp", instead of going to the stars.
This will go into my off-the-grid series under the general category.
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Update: It will also form the basis of the new subseries starting here.
Look, the whole reason I started this blog was that my job turned to garbage and I was wondering why that happened. This blog was a research project into the many ways in which this could be turned around. Nobody seems interested, so you have to take matters in your own hands.
Now that I just wrote that, I think I've struck upon the very core of the problem. What we have here is a bunch of people in this country who trust the politicians, as what was demonstrated in Switzerland when they rejected the gold standard. The gold standard will set a real standard of value for the currency and stop the manipulation of the monetary base. These politicians really think they can bring about prosperity by a wave of their hands. They don't have that kind of competence nor power. By going to the gold standard, you are allowing the collective genius of the people work. Putting it all in the hands of politicians is a guarantee of failure. Once again, people trust the politicians, and that is a BIG MISTAKE.
Taking things in your own hands is the way we use to do things in this country. It's what made the country great. Politicians didn't have a damned thing to do with it. In fact, politicians are tearing down what the genius of Americans produced. It's not only happening here, but all over Western Civilization. We have gotten away from what made us great, and we are sinking into "the swamp", instead of going to the stars.
This will go into my off-the-grid series under the general category.
Prev Next
Update: It will also form the basis of the new subseries starting here.
Monday, December 1, 2014
Experimenting with cooling things with ice
This ice chest is big. It can freeze things pretty well, so the flash came to me that I can double its value by having it freeze water, or some other liquid, and then run it through a heat exchanger. After going through the heat exchanger, a small fan will blow air through it and yield.... ta da!!! cold air.
I checked out the necessary hardware and can visualize how to put it together. But is it worth it?
Looking at the BTU numbers for a 2 liter bottle, it looks rather impressive how much heat can be stored in ice. Or used to take heat from the air, to be more accurate.
Currently, I'm running an experiment to see how cold the water gets with the ice bottle in it, how long it takes to melt it off and so forth. There's a new bottle in the freezer to take place of the one in the kitchen sink with 3 gallons of water. That's about a 6 to 1 ratio of water to ice. It should lower the water temperature 7 degrees, but it feels like it has already done that much and more. What could I have done wrong? The bottle came out a 0 degree Farenheit, so it actually has to travel nearly twice as far. The water should drop about 14 degrees.
Well, it looks like the sink is losing water. The water is quite cold, but there's less of it. The experiment isn't going to yield anything useful. It will have to be redone.
However, it does show that the water will definitely get cold. But it might take a little while.
Update:
There's another bottle in there that I kept overnight, but it didn't complete freezing. So now I'm wondering about the capacity of this freezer to freeze stuff. If it can't freeze several of these overnight, then it won't be as much use as I thought it might be.
Quickie before I go: 12/1/14
As for that post about the news media claiming to be a news organization, I'd say if they show signs of not being a news organization, then they get into trouble with the truth in advertising squad. Hey, they are selling a product. It has to be what it says it is for other products, why not the news? I know first amendment issues, sure, but they ( meaning da govment ) regulate advertising, they can also regulate how they present themselves. It doesn't mean that they have to stop lying, they just have to stop lying about being called news organizations.
Back to the grind
And the usual hurry up mode that it imposes. It truly is a luxury to have all that free time for thinking and planning. This luxury is going to become more scarce until the next holiday, which is less than a month away.
With all that time from the upcoming holidays, I'm going to have to do a lot of planning for the times ahead. I would truly like to move out west by the late spring, but a look at how my bank account is shrinking fast has dissuaded me from that proposition. I will have to continue working, maybe all the way up to 2017 and well into it.
The trouble at work is that the money isn't getting better, it's getting worse. I may have to look for another line of work to supplement my income. That would be really bad. I don't have the inclination to start over somewhere else. But you do what you have to.
I don't know what it was, but something happened back in June. Sure, I bought the land, but that is only a part of what I'm spending money on. It just seems like expenses are popping out all over.
There's no trouble yet, but there could be if I don't get things under better control. I know this isn't exactly discreet to be writing about this, yet here it is. Everything is getting laid out here in open view. Normally, I don't do stuff like that. I keep things private.
This isn't begging for money. Besides, I don't think I'd get any anyway.
With all that time from the upcoming holidays, I'm going to have to do a lot of planning for the times ahead. I would truly like to move out west by the late spring, but a look at how my bank account is shrinking fast has dissuaded me from that proposition. I will have to continue working, maybe all the way up to 2017 and well into it.
The trouble at work is that the money isn't getting better, it's getting worse. I may have to look for another line of work to supplement my income. That would be really bad. I don't have the inclination to start over somewhere else. But you do what you have to.
I don't know what it was, but something happened back in June. Sure, I bought the land, but that is only a part of what I'm spending money on. It just seems like expenses are popping out all over.
There's no trouble yet, but there could be if I don't get things under better control. I know this isn't exactly discreet to be writing about this, yet here it is. Everything is getting laid out here in open view. Normally, I don't do stuff like that. I keep things private.
This isn't begging for money. Besides, I don't think I'd get any anyway.
Experimentation with freezer
Turned on my new freezer for the first time and it works great. Just for kicks, I put a 2 liter Dr. Pepper bottle filled with water, and let it freeze inside there in order to test it's effectiveness at cooling. It froze up pretty good. I got to wondering about how much energy it took to freeze a bottle like that.
The BTU measurement gives a good idea. It is defined as about 1055 joules. If a bottle weighs about 2 pounds, and if each pound requires 1 BTU in order to cool it 1 degree Farenheit, the to drop it from 72 to 32 degrees is 40 degree temperature drop. That means that 40 BTU per pound times 2 lbs equal 80 BTU. Then, take that 80 BTU and multiply it by 1055 joules to get 84400 joules.
Thus, since there are about 3.6 million joules in a kilowatt hour, then divide 84.4k joules into that and get 0.023 kilowatt hours to cool 1 Dr. Pepper bottle down to freezing. Pretty cool alright.
About 50 of these bottles would take a kilowatt hour of electricity, then. It probably wouldn't work out exactly like that, but it could be a good approximation.
This led me into a lot of thinking about how to cool down in the desert at da Ranch. Instead of spending all that money on an air conditioner, I wonder if I could cool down by recirculating cool water ( with frozen Dr. Pepper bottles inside an Igloo ice chest ) through a cooling pad. To cool down, just sit down on the cool pad and it the water will circulated through it. It picks up heat from da butt and cools you off. At the same time, it heats the water and melts the ice in da Dr. Pepper bottles. After awhile, all the ice melts and the cooling effect stops. How long would that last? Depends upon how much energy needs to be exchanged, I'd say.
That could be in combination with a small swamp cooler could do the trick. Only would cost about 250 more for the cooler. Swamp coolers need air exchange to work, but da toilet needs it too. Bwah, hah, hah.
I'll place this one on the off-the-grid construction sub series.
Update:
Found an error in the calcs. It should be 4.4 lbs for the 2 liter bottle. Perhaps more. Each liter weighs a kilogram, which weighs 2.2 lbs. So, it should be closer to 20 bottles per kilowatt-hour. Unless there's another error, that number may be close to being right.
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The BTU measurement gives a good idea. It is defined as about 1055 joules. If a bottle weighs about 2 pounds, and if each pound requires 1 BTU in order to cool it 1 degree Farenheit, the to drop it from 72 to 32 degrees is 40 degree temperature drop. That means that 40 BTU per pound times 2 lbs equal 80 BTU. Then, take that 80 BTU and multiply it by 1055 joules to get 84400 joules.
Thus, since there are about 3.6 million joules in a kilowatt hour, then divide 84.4k joules into that and get 0.023 kilowatt hours to cool 1 Dr. Pepper bottle down to freezing. Pretty cool alright.
About 50 of these bottles would take a kilowatt hour of electricity, then. It probably wouldn't work out exactly like that, but it could be a good approximation.
This led me into a lot of thinking about how to cool down in the desert at da Ranch. Instead of spending all that money on an air conditioner, I wonder if I could cool down by recirculating cool water ( with frozen Dr. Pepper bottles inside an Igloo ice chest ) through a cooling pad. To cool down, just sit down on the cool pad and it the water will circulated through it. It picks up heat from da butt and cools you off. At the same time, it heats the water and melts the ice in da Dr. Pepper bottles. After awhile, all the ice melts and the cooling effect stops. How long would that last? Depends upon how much energy needs to be exchanged, I'd say.
That could be in combination with a small swamp cooler could do the trick. Only would cost about 250 more for the cooler. Swamp coolers need air exchange to work, but da toilet needs it too. Bwah, hah, hah.
I'll place this one on the off-the-grid construction sub series.
Update:
Found an error in the calcs. It should be 4.4 lbs for the 2 liter bottle. Perhaps more. Each liter weighs a kilogram, which weighs 2.2 lbs. So, it should be closer to 20 bottles per kilowatt-hour. Unless there's another error, that number may be close to being right.
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Sunday, November 30, 2014
CNN: Michael Brown autopsy “expert” unqualified
via Hot Air
If the media won't check into stories for accuracy, then they can't claim to be news organizations. You can be sure, however, that if Parcells was a liberal adversary type info source, that they would definitely check that out.
the media didn’t feel the need to check into Parcells’ background and claims because he gave them the narrative that they wanted to sell. [emphasis added]---Ed Morrissey
If the media won't check into stories for accuracy, then they can't claim to be news organizations. You can be sure, however, that if Parcells was a liberal adversary type info source, that they would definitely check that out.
ObamaCare didn't die yet, you'll need a wooden stake to the heart to kill it
It's about as evil. Hmm. What about this pic below? You don't see this in the video. Why do you think I clicked on it? Or you, you little rascals.
Swiss voters reject gold initiative
Yahoo via Drudge
Just when you thought that the world was getting its brain back, they prove again that their brains are dead.
It's probably all in their conditioning to accept funny money as having real value. They will trust politicians, which is a big mistake.
Just when you thought that the world was getting its brain back, they prove again that their brains are dead.
It's probably all in their conditioning to accept funny money as having real value. They will trust politicians, which is a big mistake.
Floor plans for " da trailer" changing again
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This will go into the off-da-grid construction sub series. ( I'm having some fun with this now. That explains the use of the non standard English word "da" ( meaning "the" ). It's getting to be quite a kick figuring out how much crap I'm can cram into the little bitty trailer.
You may doubt that this is all possible, but I've been "dry running" it, meaning that I've laid it all out and walked through it so as to simulate where everything will go, and how to make use of all this stuff that's crammed together. It's very encouraging, and yes, it is fun. It's beginning to look like it will have an impressive set of capabilities.
Here's da latest diagram:
The recliner will double as a bed. It will set at an angle that gives additional room to put all this stuff. Ain't that cool, or what? Will probably have to use ladders to access the "pedestal region". As far as the toilet goes, it could have a cover to give further protection from bad smells. However, it will be a dry composting toilet with its own ventilation, meaning that the smell exits through a vent.
I was thinking that the freezer could double as a cooler, like an ac system. However, I haven't included climate controls yet for this diagram. The cooler could "assist" the a/c. Climate contol could conceivably include a ductless, split system described in an earlier post, with the indoor part set up high inside, and the outdoor part sitting on the trailer tongue.
Update a short while later:
Oh, btw, I forgot to include a link to the "shower" base that I will use to collect water when I'm "showering". It may fit underneath the pedestal and I can "whip it out" when I need to. It can collect 10 gallons of water, which is plenty.
This will go into the off-da-grid construction sub series. ( I'm having some fun with this now. That explains the use of the non standard English word "da" ( meaning "the" ). It's getting to be quite a kick figuring out how much crap I'm can cram into the little bitty trailer.
You may doubt that this is all possible, but I've been "dry running" it, meaning that I've laid it all out and walked through it so as to simulate where everything will go, and how to make use of all this stuff that's crammed together. It's very encouraging, and yes, it is fun. It's beginning to look like it will have an impressive set of capabilities.
Here's da latest diagram:
I was thinking that the freezer could double as a cooler, like an ac system. However, I haven't included climate controls yet for this diagram. The cooler could "assist" the a/c. Climate contol could conceivably include a ductless, split system described in an earlier post, with the indoor part set up high inside, and the outdoor part sitting on the trailer tongue.
Update a short while later:
Oh, btw, I forgot to include a link to the "shower" base that I will use to collect water when I'm "showering". It may fit underneath the pedestal and I can "whip it out" when I need to. It can collect 10 gallons of water, which is plenty.
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