Looks like it could be a good fit. It has about the right height, right width ( if modified ), and length. Now, the modifications may be extensive because the van has a lot of irregularities to it. Also, the desk part is too wide, so I'll have to cut it in half. What?! Yes, it will have to be cut into halves so it won't be too wide. It may a little too tall, although I think it may fit. Also, the van's irregularities may require other cuts.
I was thinking of using some insulation in order to make the van easier to climate control. It can go between the shelving and the skin of the van. Also, the van's roof is curved. If I put insulation up there, it can fit between the flat ceiling. and the van's rounded roof.
There's a small piece that goes with the computer desk that the printer went on. This can be used to house the batteries. Again, it may need to be modified somewhat.
I'll use my power saw for the mods.
I tell ya, it's a great thing sometimes to just be able to think up this stuff. The prospect of doing this gives me a kick in the pants.
Update:
Another thing I found that I can use: some metal shelving. It could fit with the computer desk because it just about the same size. The computer desk doesn't have shelving, but these shelves will fit inside just right. Perfect.
You may have noticed that people use the word "perfect" a lot these days. Now they got me doing it.
Update:
Not so fast with the perfect. It will take some extensive and well-planned and well-executed modifications in order to make this work. Been thinking about this for most of this afternoon ( the next day ).
Update ( two days later) :
Now it looks like I'm going to have to make too many cuts to the desk. Why not just build it from scratch?
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, October 17, 2015
Obligatory, 10.17.15; off grid on my mind continues...
However, the work turns indoors here at the currently occupied domicile. There's a lot of stuff that must go, but there's a lot of time to do that. However, it must begin at some point, and that point has arrived starting today.
I have 5 computers, not counting my tablet nor smartphones. Two of the five are pretty old, and one of them is practically ancient. All of them are being prepared for their removal. Two of the five have had to have their hard drives removed, and that has been done as of this writing. The third one doesn't have anything on the hard drive having been wiped before and had Windows 95 installed on top of what was there previously.
Windows 95? Yep, the original OS for this thing was Windows 3.1. Like I said, this thing is ancient.
Besides computers, other things are going to have to go as well. Old clothes being one of those things. It seems that I have stuff that I could wear when I was about 70 pounds lighter. No way I can do anything with these now, unless I lost a tremendous amount of weight. Besides, the clothes are really old.
As for the ranch, planning continues. I was thinking of using more stucco in order to make a neat tank.
By the way, the tank will fill at the shallow end. Once the shallow end fills up, it will then spill into the deep end. This is to segregate the water for their different uses. The shallow end shall be for personal use, and the deep end is for watering the plants. Don't want the two to get mixed up, so they will be cut off from each other by a barrier. I don't want any contamination from the plants, say something like fertilizer, that can get into my personal use water.
It looks like this plan can capture as much as 300 gallons of water, which means that up to 6 inches of rain could fall in a short time, and it wouldn't overflow. Not likely to ever happen. The deep end will be partially filled with recycled water from personal use. I hope to recycle up to half of my personal use water.
Okay, that does it for now as I have a busy day ahead.
I have 5 computers, not counting my tablet nor smartphones. Two of the five are pretty old, and one of them is practically ancient. All of them are being prepared for their removal. Two of the five have had to have their hard drives removed, and that has been done as of this writing. The third one doesn't have anything on the hard drive having been wiped before and had Windows 95 installed on top of what was there previously.
Windows 95? Yep, the original OS for this thing was Windows 3.1. Like I said, this thing is ancient.
Besides computers, other things are going to have to go as well. Old clothes being one of those things. It seems that I have stuff that I could wear when I was about 70 pounds lighter. No way I can do anything with these now, unless I lost a tremendous amount of weight. Besides, the clothes are really old.
As for the ranch, planning continues. I was thinking of using more stucco in order to make a neat tank.
By the way, the tank will fill at the shallow end. Once the shallow end fills up, it will then spill into the deep end. This is to segregate the water for their different uses. The shallow end shall be for personal use, and the deep end is for watering the plants. Don't want the two to get mixed up, so they will be cut off from each other by a barrier. I don't want any contamination from the plants, say something like fertilizer, that can get into my personal use water.
It looks like this plan can capture as much as 300 gallons of water, which means that up to 6 inches of rain could fall in a short time, and it wouldn't overflow. Not likely to ever happen. The deep end will be partially filled with recycled water from personal use. I hope to recycle up to half of my personal use water.
Okay, that does it for now as I have a busy day ahead.
Friday, October 16, 2015
Home again, 10.16.15; off-grid on my mind
Today wasn't so busy. Spent a little time (while on stand-by) drawing up some plans for the water tanks. It's nuts and bolts kind of thinking. Like how I was going to deploy the concrete cloth, and how to keep it nice and neat looking. It may take some skills I don't have. If you don't have skills, you just improvise. It seems that I improvised a bit when I built my shack in April. It remains to be seen whether or not that improvisation was effective.
The concrete cloth figures in my thinking. In addition to that, I may want to use some stucco in order to fill in seams and such.
While I wasn't thinking about the water tanks, I was thinking about the van conversion. Took some measurements and figured out how I may attack that project. Most likely it will have wood outside, but particle board inside. Weight carrying parts will have more robust wood. Most of the stuff going into these cabinents are going to be light weight. However, on the side next to the side doors, I'll be putting my batteries. Batteries aren't light.
I was thinking of putting my 2-cycle gas powered generator on top of the van. What?!? Yes, on top. Why? I sure don't want it inside---carbon monoxide. If I can secure it well enough, it should be alright up there. So, part of the roof will have solar panels and the other part will have this generator. It will be near the doors so the wiring won't have to go far in order to reach the batteries.
I may well rule out the wind powered backup. Too much money. I only wanted it for the water, but the other idea I looked at recently looks a lot cheaper. It may be the way to go.
The concrete cloth figures in my thinking. In addition to that, I may want to use some stucco in order to fill in seams and such.
While I wasn't thinking about the water tanks, I was thinking about the van conversion. Took some measurements and figured out how I may attack that project. Most likely it will have wood outside, but particle board inside. Weight carrying parts will have more robust wood. Most of the stuff going into these cabinents are going to be light weight. However, on the side next to the side doors, I'll be putting my batteries. Batteries aren't light.
I was thinking of putting my 2-cycle gas powered generator on top of the van. What?!? Yes, on top. Why? I sure don't want it inside---carbon monoxide. If I can secure it well enough, it should be alright up there. So, part of the roof will have solar panels and the other part will have this generator. It will be near the doors so the wiring won't have to go far in order to reach the batteries.
I may well rule out the wind powered backup. Too much money. I only wanted it for the water, but the other idea I looked at recently looks a lot cheaper. It may be the way to go.
Obligatory, 10.16.15; TGIF
Finally at the end of a grueling week. Maybe it just seems grueling because the grind is getting harder and harder to maintain.
At any rate, the weekend is near and I'm mighty glad of it.
We live in "interesting times". There was a story about a weatherman in Europe who questioned climate change and was suspended. Suspended? For what?! I supposed to doubt climate change is as bad as saying an F-bomb on television. Or maybe that wouldn't even register a complaint these days.
It's getting rather old around here, but climate change is a religion, not a science. You don't punish people for having different scientific opinions. You do punish them for heresies.
Moving on...
The stock market went up yesterday. You know what? It doesn't matter to me. There's no credibility in the stock market. It goes up because the expectation is for low interest rates to continue. This isn't good news, despite the euphoric response. Higher interest rates are a better indication of growth than lower ones. It only goes to show that the markets are responding to the wrong things. It's kinda insane to point to higher stock prices as evidence of prosperity when the higher prices are caused by bad news that keeps interest rates down. Interesting times, huh?
But there's mixed signals. Unemployment claims are said to be way down. If that's so, then isn't that a reason for higher rates? Is it mixed signals, or just bravo sierra?
When working yesterday, I saw on a TV screen the result of a poll where Hillary is seen by a significant majority to be dishonest. So, is that resume enhancer then that she's dishonest? Why is she leading in the polls if she's seen as dishonest? Character really doesn't matter anymore after all.
Up is down and down is up. As we go down deeper into the rabbit hole, we may see even more interesting things in the future.
At any rate, the weekend is near and I'm mighty glad of it.
We live in "interesting times". There was a story about a weatherman in Europe who questioned climate change and was suspended. Suspended? For what?! I supposed to doubt climate change is as bad as saying an F-bomb on television. Or maybe that wouldn't even register a complaint these days.
It's getting rather old around here, but climate change is a religion, not a science. You don't punish people for having different scientific opinions. You do punish them for heresies.
Moving on...
The stock market went up yesterday. You know what? It doesn't matter to me. There's no credibility in the stock market. It goes up because the expectation is for low interest rates to continue. This isn't good news, despite the euphoric response. Higher interest rates are a better indication of growth than lower ones. It only goes to show that the markets are responding to the wrong things. It's kinda insane to point to higher stock prices as evidence of prosperity when the higher prices are caused by bad news that keeps interest rates down. Interesting times, huh?
But there's mixed signals. Unemployment claims are said to be way down. If that's so, then isn't that a reason for higher rates? Is it mixed signals, or just bravo sierra?
When working yesterday, I saw on a TV screen the result of a poll where Hillary is seen by a significant majority to be dishonest. So, is that resume enhancer then that she's dishonest? Why is she leading in the polls if she's seen as dishonest? Character really doesn't matter anymore after all.
Up is down and down is up. As we go down deeper into the rabbit hole, we may see even more interesting things in the future.
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Quick Thought, 10.15.15; Hamster on a Wheel
"We the people" are like this hamster. The powers-that-be have us chasing after money, which is what we think we need. Like the hamster, we are on that wheel going nowhere fast. Just like they want us to be.
Off Grid Water Distillation at its Best!
Prev Next [ water subseries of the off-the-grid series of posts ]
Looks like a system that can be purchased and put to work. Up to 16 gallons of distilled water per day using biomass. A link provided with the video shows where you can buy.
Update:
The stove makes it a two-part system. Here's where you can buy the stove.
Looks like a system that can be purchased and put to work. Up to 16 gallons of distilled water per day using biomass. A link provided with the video shows where you can buy.
Update:
The stove makes it a two-part system. Here's where you can buy the stove.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Telling us how they do it
from Instapundit,
We are super infiltrated by leftists in influential positions. That explains a lot. Time to purge them out!
Update:
By the way, this is an example of Gramsci type activity. What's that? Gramsci was a Marxist who proposed taking over the "commanding heights" of the institutions of capitalistic countries in order to take them over without a shot. A takeover from above. Seems to be working like a charm.
How many people know about this guy? When I was in college, the name never came up.
Update
Hillary declares war on the NRA. Sounds like a conspiracy, does it not?
Liberal Manhattan Legislator Proposes Infiltrating the NRA With Gun Control Backers.
We are super infiltrated by leftists in influential positions. That explains a lot. Time to purge them out!
Update:
By the way, this is an example of Gramsci type activity. What's that? Gramsci was a Marxist who proposed taking over the "commanding heights" of the institutions of capitalistic countries in order to take them over without a shot. A takeover from above. Seems to be working like a charm.
How many people know about this guy? When I was in college, the name never came up.
Update
Hillary declares war on the NRA. Sounds like a conspiracy, does it not?
The science wasn't settled
So they awarded a Nobel Prize.
Gee, if all science worked that way, where would "climate science" be? Not settled, of course. Bwah, hah, hah!
Gee, if all science worked that way, where would "climate science" be? Not settled, of course. Bwah, hah, hah!
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Home again, 10.13.15; Water experiments
Nothing really complicated here. I'm just checking to see how high the water will go in a capillary action type experiment. Just cut up a towel and will use it as the wick. Earlier, I used a sock, in which the water got nearly as high as the opening of the container before it stopped. Why did it stop? Did it reach its limit, or was it stopped by something? A clip was holding it in place at the opening. I'm guessing that it was stopped by the clip.
The next experiment will place the clip higher, and above the container opening, and let's see if the water will go higher.
Update:
The water stopped at the same point. However, I will let it sit for awhile longer in order to see if it will continue. Perhaps it just slows down.
Update:
It's about the same as before. However, I will let it continue for awhile longer and see if it manages to go higher.
The next experiment will place the clip higher, and above the container opening, and let's see if the water will go higher.
Update:
The water stopped at the same point. However, I will let it sit for awhile longer in order to see if it will continue. Perhaps it just slows down.
Update:
It's about the same as before. However, I will let it continue for awhile longer and see if it manages to go higher.
Quick Post, 10.13.15; Will Wapo's Dana Milbank eat his words?
Dana Milbank says that Trump will lose out on the GOP nomination. If he is wrong about that, Milbank says he will eat the column on which the article is printed.
Anybody taking bets on this one? How much to bet if he's wrong, and how much to bet that he will really eat his own words?
I'd say he's got a good chance of being wrong, but not likely that he will carry out his promise to actually eat his own words.
The day Trump clinches the nomination I will eat the page on which this column is printed in Sunday’s Post.---Dana Milbank, Washington Post Op-Ed, Oct. 2, 2015
Anybody taking bets on this one? How much to bet if he's wrong, and how much to bet that he will really eat his own words?
I'd say he's got a good chance of being wrong, but not likely that he will carry out his promise to actually eat his own words.
Obligatory, 10.13.15; What kind of world do we live in?
Trying to keep a sense of humor about things. I'm reminded a scene in the movie Batman 1989, where the Joker ( Jack Nicholson) complains about a 'batman' who is getting all of his press. The incongruity of it was bizarre. Such is my own case and why it needs to be kept in perspective.
Here I am putting together some ideas that I think might work, criticizing those of society's ideas that are failing, and I'm like the Joker character wondering about my press coverage. What kind of world do we live in when something good is shunned and something bad is embraced?
Here I am putting together some ideas that I think might work, criticizing those of society's ideas that are failing, and I'm like the Joker character wondering about my press coverage. What kind of world do we live in when something good is shunned and something bad is embraced?
Monday, October 12, 2015
Brainstorm: Use a dolly's "blade" to remove soil
Got this idea while out on deliveries today. I set the dolly down on some dirt and it dug into it pretty good. A light bulb, as a manner of speaking, lit up in my mind. Since I may want to remove dirt and some pesky little scrub bushes from the surface where I'm working at the ranch, I can use this idea to scrape it all off without too much trouble nor expense. At least, I hope so.
The blade could be a couple feet wide, which is okay. I don't necessarily need a big one. I have plenty of old dollies around the place, and I was thinking of how to get rid of them. Maybe that was a bit hasty. These things can come in handy out there.
Now I need to rig up a system where it could be practical. It needs to slide along the ground with the blade jutting a few inches into the soil. As you pull it along, the blade will scrape off the soil and the scrubs. I'm thinking of using my little electric scooter as a motive device that will pull this thing along. ( You didn't think I was going to do that myself, did you?)
If it works really well, I could use it to make some useful tanks that can collect water, and also have a deeper portion in the tank, where it will be easy for water to collect and to pump out.
Since this involves water, it will go into the water subseries of the off-the-grid main series of posts.
Prev Next
The blade could be a couple feet wide, which is okay. I don't necessarily need a big one. I have plenty of old dollies around the place, and I was thinking of how to get rid of them. Maybe that was a bit hasty. These things can come in handy out there.
Now I need to rig up a system where it could be practical. It needs to slide along the ground with the blade jutting a few inches into the soil. As you pull it along, the blade will scrape off the soil and the scrubs. I'm thinking of using my little electric scooter as a motive device that will pull this thing along. ( You didn't think I was going to do that myself, did you?)
If it works really well, I could use it to make some useful tanks that can collect water, and also have a deeper portion in the tank, where it will be easy for water to collect and to pump out.
Since this involves water, it will go into the water subseries of the off-the-grid main series of posts.
Prev Next
Mapping the quonset greenhouse to the self-watering container gardening system, alternative system
Prev Next [ food subseries in off-the-grid main series of posts]
In this version, the quonset would consist of a single cattle panel that connects with another cattle panel coming from the opposite direction and meeting in the center. This makes a long and skinny quonset.
The containers would be serviced from outside the quonset. This gets rid of the walkway inside, which was wasting space. There's no telling how many containers could go in. May be able to stagger the containers and put as many as 20 of them in there. If double-stacked, that could mean as many as 40 containers. If 20 plants go into each container, that means as many as 800 plants can be grown in one greenhouse. Whoa!
There should be plenty of water since the tank isn't subdivided and wasting space with the walkway.
The drawing below isn't proportional. It should show a skinny looking floor plan. No doors were included in the floor plan. The gutters are on the side. If the doors were there, it would be on the top and bottom of the drawing.
Need to figure a way to cover the water so that algae doesn't grow in the tank. Also, could include a water plumbing feature that allows the containers to be screened off from the water supply. May want this water for personal use!
In this version, the quonset would consist of a single cattle panel that connects with another cattle panel coming from the opposite direction and meeting in the center. This makes a long and skinny quonset.
The containers would be serviced from outside the quonset. This gets rid of the walkway inside, which was wasting space. There's no telling how many containers could go in. May be able to stagger the containers and put as many as 20 of them in there. If double-stacked, that could mean as many as 40 containers. If 20 plants go into each container, that means as many as 800 plants can be grown in one greenhouse. Whoa!
There should be plenty of water since the tank isn't subdivided and wasting space with the walkway.
The drawing below isn't proportional. It should show a skinny looking floor plan. No doors were included in the floor plan. The gutters are on the side. If the doors were there, it would be on the top and bottom of the drawing.
Need to figure a way to cover the water so that algae doesn't grow in the tank. Also, could include a water plumbing feature that allows the containers to be screened off from the water supply. May want this water for personal use!
Obligatory, 10.12.15; Who gets to decide what's in the news?
It seems strange that a large majority in the House cannot elect a Speaker.
It seems strange that a president that is said to have increased gun sales in this country by his insistence on gun-control could single handedly enact gun-control measures.
It seems strange that the guy ever got elected in the first place. Even stranger still that he got re-elected after bragging about Al-Qaeda being on the run, and then having one of his outposts overrun by Al-Qaeda.
It should be easy for the GOP to oppose this guy, but they can't manage an opposition. It should be easy for the GOP to rein him in, but they can't.
I am incredulous. There's really no explaining any of this. None of this makes any sense.
All of this should be front row and center. Instead, the news gets dictated by somebody behind the scenes.
The public is confused and knows something is wrong, but nobody seems to know what it is. That ignorance must be planned.
It seems strange that a president that is said to have increased gun sales in this country by his insistence on gun-control could single handedly enact gun-control measures.
It seems strange that the guy ever got elected in the first place. Even stranger still that he got re-elected after bragging about Al-Qaeda being on the run, and then having one of his outposts overrun by Al-Qaeda.
It should be easy for the GOP to oppose this guy, but they can't manage an opposition. It should be easy for the GOP to rein him in, but they can't.
I am incredulous. There's really no explaining any of this. None of this makes any sense.
All of this should be front row and center. Instead, the news gets dictated by somebody behind the scenes.
The public is confused and knows something is wrong, but nobody seems to know what it is. That ignorance must be planned.
Sunday, October 11, 2015
"Gun-free" zones aren't
American Thinker
Interesting article. The writer probes the liberal mindset in order to explain the attraction of liberals for this type of policy.
When I think of liberalism, I think of the saying that there's two reasons for doing a thing:
You can't tell the truth about it though, because it is too ugly. We can't have that kind of ugliness out there.
The truth is that the liberals want your guns because it makes you utterly dependent upon them. It is a political motivation. It empowers them forever and leaves you powerless, which is what they like.
The ugliness of that last sentence would cause them to howl in protest. They are good people. You are just so mean to say it.
Interesting article. The writer probes the liberal mindset in order to explain the attraction of liberals for this type of policy.
When I think of liberalism, I think of the saying that there's two reasons for doing a thing:
- One that sounds good,
- And the real one.
What's the real reason the liberals want gun-free zones? The one that sounds good is that it is supposed to stop gun deaths. The real one is much uglier.
You can't tell the truth about it though, because it is too ugly. We can't have that kind of ugliness out there.
The truth is that the liberals want your guns because it makes you utterly dependent upon them. It is a political motivation. It empowers them forever and leaves you powerless, which is what they like.
The ugliness of that last sentence would cause them to howl in protest. They are good people. You are just so mean to say it.
The process of moving out
This is going to be a big job. There are so very many things around here that just won't fit into a very limited space.
There's three desktop computers ( old, but still functional ) that cannot go. Even the newest one is a tweener. In the end, even that one may have to go.
There aren't that many furnishings here, but those that are will have to go. A couple of desks have to go. Lots of chairs. My big recliner?!? Oh, my. My books??? There's no place to put 'em. The TV? Now, that may have some use even though I don't use it very much anymore. You can connect it to the computer (if I keep it). You can connect it to the DVD player. But all of these draw power, so they won't be useful out in the countryside.
If everything has to fit into the van and the overhead I'll have to build, it doesn't leave much room.
In order to make the cut, it has to be something I cannot live without. But, but, but... Not buts.
Actually, this move has to start here and now because there's so much to do.
Update:
Getting a bit ahead of myself. The first move should take place with all my stuff, so I don't have to get rid of everything until then. That move can take place as much as a year from now. No need to rush. Not to mention that I'll have a year from then to get rid of the stuff that I can't take with me when I move out on to the property for good.
There's three desktop computers ( old, but still functional ) that cannot go. Even the newest one is a tweener. In the end, even that one may have to go.
There aren't that many furnishings here, but those that are will have to go. A couple of desks have to go. Lots of chairs. My big recliner?!? Oh, my. My books??? There's no place to put 'em. The TV? Now, that may have some use even though I don't use it very much anymore. You can connect it to the computer (if I keep it). You can connect it to the DVD player. But all of these draw power, so they won't be useful out in the countryside.
If everything has to fit into the van and the overhead I'll have to build, it doesn't leave much room.
In order to make the cut, it has to be something I cannot live without. But, but, but... Not buts.
Actually, this move has to start here and now because there's so much to do.
Update:
Getting a bit ahead of myself. The first move should take place with all my stuff, so I don't have to get rid of everything until then. That move can take place as much as a year from now. No need to rush. Not to mention that I'll have a year from then to get rid of the stuff that I can't take with me when I move out on to the property for good.
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