Hooked up my Air-X Land wind turbine a few days ago, but still lacking sufficient wire diameter to get full use of it. Also reading more of Ender's saga but starting to get tired of Card's cultural chauvinism. He ought to read some Daniel Quinn if he hasn't by now.
Looking into building a pedal-powered generator using either a Ford Taurus radiator fan motor or a GM alternator (with built-in voltage regulator). There are some on sale on the web for hundreds of dollars, but I should be able to build something for less than $100 using junk-dealer parts. Some other nice ideas I'm finding with google: a heads-up display from a junked camcorder LCD for a wearable computer, and a simple hydroponics rig using an old electric drill and Flotec or similar drill-operated pump, using a dishpan on the bottom shelf as a reservoir and intermittently (using some kind of jerry-rigged timer) spraying a sprouting tray on the top shelf, which then drains down through trays on lower shelves till it trickles back into the reservoir.
No luck getting soap out of yucca leaves. I've tried several different plants and no matter how much I mash the fibers there's no suds generated. I'd hate to have to kill a yucca plant to use the roots, but might have to if I can't get anything else to work. I did find a good way for a desert dweller to clean his ass though: just squat over gravel or silt in an arroyo, picking up the dirt in your hand and wiping yourself with it until there's just a coating of dust on your hand and rectum. Since I haven't been shitting "clean" for months due to my beer habit, this saves me from having to buy toilet paper. Not that I would anyway, when old phone books are always available, but this is usable away from "home" also.
I'm half done covering the dirt "shelf" around my bunker with six-packs. Every time I get a ride into Deming or El Paso I buy different beers, and use the colorful six-packs as decoration around my shebeen. So far I have about 40, no two alike. Also getting a new keg of Guinness this weekend, so any of you who've been putting off visiting, this Saturday would be a good time to mosey on down. I've also got some Hacker-Pschorr Weisse Dark (what a contradiction in terms), TsingTao, Anchor Liberty Ale, Tuborg Gold, and a couple of others I can't remember at the moment. I'm renaming my place to "Don Nowhere Shebeen", I think it sounds better.
last updated 2013-01-10 20:46:43. served from tektonic.jcomeau.com