Joined: Apr 03, 2004 Posts: 6604 Location: My Grandkids' Farm
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 5:07 pm Post subject: Re: Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil wo
Thanks Oo, Sir you were who I was thinking of when I mentioned choices.
Bytesmiths wrote:
BTW, Pops, when your power went out and you ran the generator to keep the freezer going, and cut through the ice on the pond to get to drinking water, why didn't you just toss a bunch of ice in the freezer?
Seems sensible huh? That is why I said it was silly.
Ever bailed a freezer full of melt water and blood?
Thrown out a season of meat and beans half thawed?
Gambled that you had kept only the good stuff?
Just an anecdote Jan, there are certainly climates where an ice house is an option but this ain't one… _________________ Make a plan and work it:
Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 1:57 am Post subject: Re: Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil wo
In just a couple of hours I put together a hay feeder for the goats. One small bale fits perfectly. I may add a piece of metal roofing to keep the rain and snow out but so far so good.
just had to put it where it was not too close to the fence so they don't stand atop it and use it to jump over. _________________ Nature is complete because it does not serve itself.
The sage places himself after and finds himself before,
Ignores his desire and finds himself content.
He is complete because he does not serve himself. -Lao Tze
Joined: Oct 27, 2004 Posts: 635 Location: Salt Spring Island, Cascadia
Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 10:58 am Post subject: Re: Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil wo
Pops wrote:
Seems sensible huh? That is why I said it was silly.
Sorry, that was too subtle for me. I didn't mean to rub it in your face. Better luck next time! _________________ :::: Jan Steinman, Communication Steward, EcoReality, a forming sustainable community. Be the change! ::::
Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 8:04 am Post subject: Re: Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil wo
This is my first post here. This morning I was in one of those states where you're half awake and half dreaming. At that moment I had a flash of invention: A bank of magnifiying glasses to cook, heat/ boil water, and so forth. It would be very inexpensive as you can buy toy magnifiying glasses for under a dollar. And its free energy. No propane just the sun.
Anyone think its worth building one?
Joined: Oct 27, 2004 Posts: 635 Location: Salt Spring Island, Cascadia
Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 10:31 am Post subject: Re: Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil wo
mark00 wrote:
I had a flash of invention: A bank of magnifiying glasses to cook, heat/ boil water, and so forth. It would be very inexpensive as you can buy toy magnifiying glasses for under a dollar.
The "toy magnifying glasses" would probably be a major hassle: 1) their focal length is too short -- they'd have to be very close to the object being heated, and 2) you'd need a bank of mirrors as well, since a single magnifying glass focuses on a straight line -- you can't make multiple stock lenses all focus to the same spot.
That said, you can buy solar cooker kits that usually consist of a Fresnel lens, a frame, and some means for aiming. Try Edmund Scientific or Real Goods.
Another thing to consider: lenses cannot increase the amount of energy, they merely concentrate it. So for heating water (for example), spreading water out over a 12"x12" area theoretically collects the same amount of energy as a 12"x12" lens would. And lenses need to be aimed, and need to track the sun. So lenses may not be appropriate for many solar energy collection schemes. _________________ :::: Jan Steinman, Communication Steward, EcoReality, a forming sustainable community. Be the change! ::::
Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 6:24 pm Post subject: Re: Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil wo
Just uprooted half my tomato plants & bean plants ready for composting. Hubby is making fried green tomatoes for supper tomorrow, using up the tail end of the harvest. I'll discover for myself why that dish is so popular.
Got bitten by mosquitoes while I was out doing the above. I have lived in this country since 1970, so when does my immune system learn to ignore them? But no, it's the same old thing every year, and each year I think I may have 'outgrown' my itchy reaction to them. Well maybe in another 40 plus years!
Joined: Apr 17, 2005 Posts: 2731 Location: Vancouver Island
Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 7:17 pm Post subject: Re: Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil wo
Did you get a few bites or ate alive?
years ago I spent a summer way up north. The first two days I was bitten hundreds of times. Seriously every inch of exposed skin was swollen from the bites. A week later and the itching stopped. It took almost 10 years before bites started bugging me again. I figure it takes a massive overload to get the itching mechanism to shut down. _________________ shame on us, doomed from the start
god have mercy on our dirty little hearts
Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 7:59 pm Post subject: Re: Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil wo
strider3700 wrote:
Did you get a few bites or ate alive?
years ago I spent a summer way up north. The first two days I was bitten hundreds of times. Seriously every inch of exposed skin was swollen from the bites. A week later and the itching stopped. It took almost 10 years before bites started bugging me again. I figure it takes a massive overload to get the itching mechanism to shut down.
Wow, Strider - that plays to the idea of "that which does not kill me, makes me stronger"!! But also, that makes a lot of sense, your immune system mounted an attack on the multiple bites, then everything that came after that, a few bites here, a few bites there, was not worth its attention.
Joined: Oct 16, 2004 Posts: 1429 Location: Appalachian Foothills of Virginia
Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 7:48 am Post subject: Re: Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil wo
mark00 wrote:
This is my first post here. This morning I was in one of those states where you're half awake and half dreaming. At that moment I had a flash of invention: A bank of magnifiying glasses to cook, heat/ boil water, and so forth. It would be very inexpensive as you can buy toy magnifiying glasses for under a dollar. And its free energy. No propane just the sun.
Anyone think its worth building one?
Solar cooking! Your flash of invention is fairly close to what is being done now, so you are indeed on the right track. Take a look at solarcooking.org and see how a number of solar cookers are configured.
The point, as you discerned, is to focus the sun's rays into the area where cooking containers reside. The pinpoint realized by small magnifying glasses are very small, though effective at starting a fire in a tiny area. In order to cook, we need a container brought up to a temperature of 150F to 350F (depending on what's being cooked and the method). As solar power is approximately 1000 Watts per square meter, the trick is to capture as much as is needed and direct it to the cooking pots. Take a look at the solarcooking.org site and let us know what you think. _________________ http://www.carfree.com http://ecoplan.org/carshare/cs_index.htm http://www.velomobile.de/GB/Advantages/advantages.html
Chance favors the prepared mind. -- Louis Pasteur
He that lives upon hope will die fasting. --Benjamin Franklin
Joined: Sep 16, 2004 Posts: 4502 Location: Southwest WI
Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 11:01 am Post subject: Re: Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil wo
Flickr has a bunch of cool solar cooking pics. Take a look.
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=solar+cooking _________________ "Oil is going up because we use too much oil, and the capacity to replace reserves is dwindling"
-President Bush 11/07/07
Joined: Sep 16, 2004 Posts: 4502 Location: Southwest WI
Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 11:37 am Post subject: Re: Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil wo
On the solar cooking topic, what would be the best plan if i wanted to use wood, glass and some type of insulation (i have fiberglass on hand, also have a bunch of wood and have access to some glass). I don't want to use plastic or anything toxic....????? _________________ "Oil is going up because we use too much oil, and the capacity to replace reserves is dwindling"
-President Bush 11/07/07
Joined: Sep 16, 2007 Posts: 1352 Location: Oklahoma City, USA
Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 8:50 pm Post subject: Re: Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil wo
A Hundred and Ten Pages!
I learned a lot there.
Well, let's see. I learned about peak oil back in June sometime, and most of the time since then has been reading and gardening, along with buying books and more reading, followed by more gardening and buying of things.
I've got a garden going, and all sorts of fall veggies started. Today, though, I found a citrus plant (the Flying Dragon Trifoliate) and a Kiwi (Issai) that are both hardy to zone 6!
I'm in zone 7a but who knows what the weather's going to do. I immediately bought both.
Also today my Big Bruno carrier came, perfect for those walking trips to the store!
And it rained today so my rainbarrels are happy. Although it looks as though my gutters may be clogged. I'll have to take a look tomorrow. _________________ Conservation is conservative
It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change. -- Charles Darwin
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