Off-grid post, 1.20.23

Update: 1.21.23

A bit of research has uncovered some possibilities for going forward on this... The problem identified is that the wax melts due to high temperatures inside the flower pot. High temperatures is what is desired, but melted wax is not.

A proposed solution ( in the works, this is not final by any means):

A water bath, with recirculated water as a coolant. The coolant will keep the wax from melting, and will allow transmission of heat where it isn't wanted to where it would come in handy. That's where the recirculation comes into play. The coolant will be pumped ( not sure what I will use for a pump) into the water bath, and the water will cool down the container holding the candle. This will hopefully keep the wax from melting. The heat exchange will then drain into a receptacle that- will in turn, drain into a heater core that I still have handy from several years ago. The heater core takes the heated water from the bath, and with the aid of a fan, spreads the heat into the room where it is desired. The water is cooled and sent back to the water bath to cool down the wax in a recirculating system.

Something similar was attempted with some small success during 2017. Only then, it was used to cool down a room, as opposed to heating one. This device could therefore be used either way--heating or cooling. But the candle would not be the cooling device, of course, but instead, a block of ice.

Not all of the details have been worked out. Obviously, I will need some materials. Also, to finalize the plan, and then execute it, if desired.

Don't know how much complexity I want, or if this is getting more complex than I want it to be. Have to think it all over before proceeding.

Until then...

Candle experiment #2



As mentioned, another crack would be taken at the candle experiment. Yesterday was cooler than in recent days, so it seemed a good time. The results are about what was expected, but with one surprise. There was a lot of soot buildup on the clay flower pots. Especially the one closest to the candle flame. There was so much of it that I could collect it, and I did. More on that later...

The candle did produce sufficient heat buildup to melt the candle wax, which wasn't good. This is why the candles started smoking too much, which got my attention. I had to shut it down at that point. Going forward, a way to stop the candle wax from melting excessively must be found. Otherwise, it won't be of much practical benefit going forward.

The expected thing did happen. The flower pots got hot. The surprising part is that they weren't too hot to handle, although the inner one was pretty toasty. It is a flame after all, and you would expect some heat to be developed.

The idea of using clay flower pots came down to the proposition that the heat from the flame is wasted. The hot gas rises, probably collecting near the ceiling, which makes it useless for warming up. The clay pot captures the heat, and did that well ( particularly on the inner pot).

Is this a useful device, then? If it melts the wax, no. If something is used to capture the heat from the wax, and keep it solid, it must be moved out at a faster clip than what this is doing on its own.

Just now the thought that something rather simplistic could get complicated. That's unfortunate, but it is reality. The thing isn't practical the way it is now.

As for the soot production mentioned earlier in the post, it is the texture of the activated carbon that I've used in water purification. There's a video about making your own activated carbon. How about that! I can make my own activated carbon with this carbonized soot as a source. Cool. No pun intended.

Is the Corruption finally about to be exposed?

Is the Corruption finally about to be exposed?

Not a classified document scandal, says Bongino

It's actually worse. It's an influence peddling scandal.

Off-grid, 1-18-23

 

For 8 1/2 years, I've been practicing the skills that I think I'll need for this project. That's a lot of practice. After all that practice, what would a report card say?

Divide it up into categories, like you would with subjects. Here are the categories that I've been using: 1) water 2) construction 3) power 4) food and 5) general.

Starting with water, I'd say that's an "A". It would seem that the subject is completed, and there's nothing more to learn. But there are things that I keep thinking of. This one has been worked over pretty good, and there's probably not a whole lot more I can learn, but I keep working on it anyway.

Moving on to construction, I'd say an "F". I'm just not very good at this. Yet I've been practicing, if you can call it that. This xbox game lets me try out machines without the expense and risk of actually using a machine. Since it is only a simulator, it's not going to cut it. At some point, there has to be real world action. Without any of that, the grade has to be considered an "F". At best, it is an "I" ( for incomplete).

The category "food" refers to food gathering and agriculture. Here's another "F". The only thing I've done here in the real world is to attempt to grow some tomatoes. These didn't work out. There's always next year, but this is 8 1/2 years now.

Looks like I skipped power in the order given, so here's the grade on that category: "C". I've done stuff with the swamp cooler and batteries ( last year). It looks like I've succeeded in getting power consumption way down. This isn't the same as success though. If I had to, maybe I could get by. But it isn't a big success as of yet.

The one for "general" is in reference to everything else. Hard to grade that one. It involves such far ranging topics as philosophy and personal security. I'm good at thoughts, but not so good on action. This one is graded at a "C", which may be too generous.

In the end, the action is what matters. There hasn't been much of that. All in all, it's not quite a "C". Much improvement still needs to be made. The quickest way to improvement may be with construction. This presumes that all that xbox gaming is actually doing much good. The food category is the least important one, but the construction category is vital. Without shelter, there's not much point. Food can be bought, but that isn't exactly the point, now is it?

There could be a lot of explanations ( or excuses ) made for the lack of progress. The one deficiency that is hard to correct is the use of time. This project should be first and foremost in my mind, but truth be told, it isn't. I could redouble the efforts, but how long would that last? Eight and a half years is a long time.

Looking back on these grades, it's fair to say that it wasn't on much of a curve. There would be little point with a curve, because it would only be kidding myself.

Bongino says Chuck Todd types are one reason why libs stay dopey

There was something on that Rumble video mentioned on the last post that needs further study. Well, so I thought. I spent the last hour or so looking for this segment in the show, which had Chuck Todd video on it. Todd is speaking to Ron Johnson about the Hunter Biden laptop scandal. There was this part where Todd is grinning after he apparently thought he had a "gotcha" on Senator Johnson. Johnson said it wasn't about "individuals" but the truth, and Todd gleefully said he was going after Hunter Biden. As if that had anything to do with the issue at hand.

The issue is whether or not that the laptop indicated corruption, which would involve the now President of the United States. Yet Todd brings up a comparison with Jared Kushner's loan to some entity ( which must not have been news because I don't even remember it) to THIS.

It doesn't even take into account that these same media types echoed the phony Russian disinformation claim so as to discredit the story when it first broke during the campaign of 2020. In effect, the media was running interference for Biden, and STILL ARE. Why bring up Jared Kushner if that was not the case? But that's not exactly what caught my eye. It was that grinning after he seems to think he caught Johnson in a gotcha.

But what did he "get"? Is there really any comparison to whatever Kushner was accused of doing and THIS? This has grave issues involved, but the only thing Chuck Todd can think of is how to get over on Johnson with some completely out of the ballpark comparison. Perhaps there was an "ethical" consideration involving Kushner, but does it rise to the level of national security risks?

Yet Todd is grinning like he really got Johnson. Well, maybe some people are really impressed with Todd, and that is what Bongino is talking about. He's talking about how liberals stay dopey. They really think this stuff works, and maybe it does, but only on dim-wits like themselves.

I just cannot forget the grinning. It is like Biden in that 2012 debate with then veep-candidate Paul Ryan. That entire debate was bizarre to me. How and why people didn't catch on to it seems mystifying until you realize that these polticians are playing to people on the left side of the bell curve.

Want another example? Joy Reid had that grin when she got caught in one of these type of situations. Watch out for these ghastly grins. They tell a story that you shouldn't let yourself miss. Anyway, it was about the time it was said that Reid's show was going to be canned.

I'll go further... I think there is a criminal element that is being tolerated and even pushed as objects of respect and even admiration. This goes for these types like Biden, Todd, and Reid. They cross lines that shouldn't be crossed, and when they're caught, they flash these insincere grins. It is like the Big Bad Wolf. Well, some folks identify with that wolf. Maybe until the wolf bites a little too hard and in the wrong places...

Bongino show, 1-16-23

So Bongino mentions the COVID craze in his show today, and it's interesting. Actually, it is one of the reasons why the recent election was so disappointing that it is soul-crushing. People have got to smarten up, but what if they can't? Chilling thought.

The theme that runs throughout the entire political show is constant. The theme is this: these people LIE. Burn that into your cranial space, if at all possible. Once you get this, you become extremely skeptical of ANYTHING these people tell you. Once that skepticism is translated into actual facts and data, then the lies do not assume anywhere near the power that they do. Unfortunately for all of us, these lies might well end up killing us all.

Big time speculation there, eh? Not at all. Right now, you've got a war in Ukraine, which involves one nuclear power on one side, and another on the other. If at any time, this gets out of hand, and it is Armageddon. Of course, if that happens, everybody dies.

So it would behoove us all to get a totally realistic view of the situation AT ALL TIMES. Truth doesn't come in a package that is labelled "Republican" or "Democrat". Truth is truth. One truth that everyone needs to grasp, is that these politicians LIE. If we had a genuinely free and fair press, the lies would be uncovered before they could get dangerous. I'm here to tell you, or tried to tell you, that the danger is here and now. The LIES have to stop. But they rage on.

What is so discouraging about it all is that the liars take advantage of not so bright people. A lot of the lies depend upon people who may be on the left side of the bell curve, if you catch my drift. For "those in Rio Linda", bell curve is referring to the IQ of people, which follows a probabilty curve known as a "bell curve". Half the people fall on the left side, and half fall on the right side of the bell curve. This is by definition, so there's no arguing this. Some folks are just not gifted with much brains, and the politicians are taking advantage of these people.

I'd think that intelligent people could have seen through all this, so it isn't only IQ involved here. Some of it is just bad character. Smart people can take advantage of dumb people. In fact, they DO take advantage, and one way is through dishonest politics. If you think that one side of the "political spectrum" has an monopoly upon virtue, you'd be mistaken. But communists are by disposition, and by practice, very DISHONEST in the main. Believing them at any time is very risky business.

I keep hammering on truth, but that doesn't do much good here. Too bad. For the record, nobody is perfect, and I'm not claiming to be morally perfect by any stretch of the imagination. But I DO believe that truth is our safe harbor. I've written it again and again. Once you get out of that safe harbor, anything and everything that can happen is now in play.

I think that this is the situation now. Those who have the power to shed light upon the darker side of human behavior, have gone over to the dark side themselves. I'm talking about the miscalled "news media". There is no news in these people now. They have become politicized, and truth is hard to find. People need to wise up to this, and start get skeptical as a matter of necessity.

Question everything and question it continually without remorse. The forces against us are just as remorseless in their lying.

Off-grid post, 1-16-23

Candle experiment, take two:

The original candle experiment was just prior to the recent cold spell. It was a disappointment. However, there are ways to improve upon it, so maybe it won't be a total loss.

The only thing I was doing was burning candles in an open area. The upgrade involves using flower pots, which I didn't employ on the first take. The theory here is to trap heat, which gases do not do well ( noted many times previously). A solid clay flower pot, inside of a bigger flower pot, can keep hot air trapped long enough to impart heat to the set up. This heat can effectively radiate heat for a longer period than a gas, as it is solid, and cannot go anyway. A gas will rise and escape, while giving hardly any benefit of heating the room.

The flower pot combo will sit on top of a propane stove. It will get air from below, and hot air can escape from the hole in the bottom ( flipped over) of the flower pot. Thus, it will be well ventilated, and hopefully will not cause a lot of smoke ( or any smoke at all would be very nice). Also, I'll use a receptacle to catch the melted wax again so that it can be recycled again. ( that would be nice too)

I'm using recycled wax from the first take. ( So it might smoke). If it does, the hood has an air ventilator, which can suck the smoke out without setting off a fire alarm, and smoking up the joint.

It is still winter in these parts, so I can test it out during the next cold spell.

Off-grid post, 1.15.23

 

Still thinking about the basement proposition. Some ideas churning around. Basically, the advice is to use cinder blocks, and reinforce it with rebar.

Can't say why, but there must be a tendency for me to try to buck the trend, so to speak. I'd like to try something maybe just a little different.

Anyway, I've been thinking about it, but not making tremendous progress. No wonder that after 8 1/2 years, there's still nothing out there.