Listen.

This economic situation is getting very dangerous.

Cover yourselves.

Green Technology

I'm sure this is going to get someone's goat.

Look, we need to move beyond dogmatic horseshit and move to a better, more humane, more ecologically benign future. We need to think about how to do that. We need real answers and we need them now. We need to cook food, stay warm, wash our bodies, and stay sensibly comfortable. Burning wood, or biomass as it's fashionable to say, has been the means to do that for all but the last 100 years of human existence.

Has it been subject to abuses? Of course. Has it been sustainable? Not by any stretch: the forests of Europe and the UK were destroyed to build navies, and the in the United States, we more or less threw it all away for pennies on the dollar. Has it been efficient? Not really. Can it be? Yes, obviously, and the technology exists. It is at crime to cut a tree? Not any more than eating carrots, so far as I can see, if the net result is a healthier environment. IF. I'm sure it can be.

One must understand that dry wood, as fuel, has almost 50 percent of the energy of fossil fuels. That is a LOT, when you start doing the math, and will provide for you most of a home's energy needs, which consists of heat products directly, in a real and very efficient manner. There is no way, at all, that other biofuels can compete with this level of efficiency--especially for home use, where the primary needs are simply heat. Once you understand this, and you look out on a piece of property in Hawaii, for example my three acres, and you begin to quantify the tonnage of limbs and other stuff that can be used without ever cutting a tree--and it's worth per pound half of the value of propane--if I have the skills to use it--man, if a light bulb doesn't go on you've got a blown fuse.

When you consider that the single largest reason for forest destruction in the world is the cutting of rain forest to plan palm oil trees for biofuel you can see very quickly how far many have their head up their asses.

Modern technology, such as the rocket stove, can go a very long way to making biomass energy very efficent and very green--IF we cap consumption. Unfortuately there are always those who have the means and the desire to burn more than their fair share. While you can't run a jet airplane on wood, still abuses will occur. On an island like Hawaii, there needs to be some resistence to that, otherwise we face the real risk of denuding the place. It would be sensible, I expect, to make illegal(or Kapu, if you prefer) the sale of firewood. If you want to use it, that which grows on your property, it's your business. If you want to hire people to cut it, on your property, that's sensible too. But it does force one to live within their means--elsewise you'll just cut down every last tree on your place and you'll be done with.

And your property won't be worth, well, twigs.

Thoughts

You can't go it alone.

I think the need for building community is becoming very dire. Let's look in a real and honest manner of what we face.

1) The elderly and those about to retire at this moment have by and large lost their retirement incomes. At this moment, this morning, more or less all growth in real estate equity or more or less any instrument other than treasuries has lost all of the last 10 years returns. I don't believe these valueations will ever return, but even if one assumed they did, historically 10 years to get back to the break even point is certainly not an unreasonable time frame. At any rate, few will be in a position to retire as they had expect. Since even over the last period or relative wealth, the majority ended up on public assistence at some point, we need to realize that this overly burdened and underfunded system will be pushed to the breaking point.

Result: We must find ways of providing valuable and meaningful gainful employment for our elderly, and realize that the lion's share of the responsibility of caring for our own will fall into our own laps. Zoning, housing regulation as the rest need to respect the real need on the ground and flexibility needs to be written into the law, allowing people to take care of extended families in the manner that they are able, and in a permittable manner. For example, the debate about the whole "ohana" dwelling here needs to become a lot more humane, real quick.

2) Of those of working class age, we need to realize that wages will be stagnant and opportunities for growth few. Certainly those of "home buying" age at the moment are not going to be in the position of using the "capital" in their home as a de facto third income. As well, the last decade has enjoyed(ahem) historically low and unrealistic taxation. This will change. Working class families will earn less, and lose more of their earning to taxation. Health care and education costs will continue to rise disproportionally to the deflationary environment, and many families will just go without.

Result: Community will matter, in a emotional, social, and financial manner. Dollars will need to go further. When you purchase, or hire consider what that dollar will do and where it will go--and what sort of behaviors it encourages. Hire those who share your values and in a real and measurable manner do give to the community. Spending money on big foolish rims on your pickup is an anti-social act--and needs to be seen as such. Purchase little, but re-enforce ideas and ideology by seeking out and rewarding respectful and constructive behavior. Invest in those who invest in you. Your future depends on it.

3) Of those still young and in school, they will be condemned to facing an ever harder future with fewer skills, while school districts in general try to provide education with thinner and thinner budgets. Since the public school system is every bit as much a social services agency as well as education, if not more so, the climate of stress and poverty at home can only make the educational environment worse.

Result: Kids need all the help they can get, and they're not going to learn much at school. Realize that all of us need to be mentors and educators. Give a kid a job. Pay they too much. Teach them something.

Here is a place to start.

Stuff to think about. . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya9WnONk9Fw&feature=related

How close are we to a "national emergency?"

Confidence

Today, I said to myself, "Self, You're going to win on this game."

And I do believe so. I feel confident within 6 months I'll be in a position to declare my 3 acres and lifestyle "self-sufficient and THEN some" being in a position so if and when I go to work, those earnings either go to play money, pocket change, or means to re-invest in infrastructure. Thank God I've done this sort of thing before, and my boats operated as such--I've never done it with dirt before, but must say all in all it's a lot cheaper and easier, all in all.

That's really no small deal, I guess. It's only my hubris I suppose that makes me think I'm behind the game. I showed up with a sack of cordless tools and a machete not even a year ago and I'm striking distance within the status of a functional farm.

There are keys to playing this game, and I can emphasize a three big ones..

1) Owe no one anything. Money, or else wise. Pay your debts and expect the same.
2) Simplify in the extreme. It's a lot easier to pare one's style of living to a level of frugality, with skills and attitude, than it is to try to pump one's income to the level of one's indulgences.
3) Own nothing that doesn't earn its keep, whether tools, property, toys. . .etc.

Playing Leapfrog.

We're at this point certainly staring square into the face of the death of the capitalist business model. It's over with, and there is no going back. For those looking for "cyclical" effects, I'd suggest not wasting your time--the wheel is broken. There will be no "recovery" and a "normal" economy in the future isn't going to resemble the one we had for the last 12 or so years in any way form or fashion.

So what ahead? Scarcity. Scarcity of credit, and money, and jobs, and resources. Capital assets will be valued by their real implicit value rather than book value--the question will be asked, what will that asset do for me? I expect one will see high valuations, for example, of small houses, and low ones of large or speculatively placed houses. I expect to see "used" but serviceable vehicles to demand high prices, but new ones hardly able to be given away. I expect to see a similar effect in jobs--those who perform jobs that do real things will be in high demand--and consultation, sales and the rest will be fat out of luck. This effect will be magnified because in this "new" economy it's going to increasingly not pay to go to work. Jobs and wages won't keep up with transportation costs, or other expenses, and new and higher taxes are on their way--else wise government will cease to operate? Over the last 6 months the numbers of baby boomers who went from "retirement incomes" to public assistance, what, tripled? Once it makes more sense and one actually pockets more money by staying home, if you have the option, and growing potatoes where there once was lawn--you'll see productivity in the economy evaporate. On and on. It's worth looking hard and long at what's up especially in a "reflexive" ala Soros sort of way.

This is why this sort the sort of task I'm taking on here is so important--at least to my mind. We need very rapidly to find new--non dogmatically or fetish driven ways of living. Hey, I've got short clean hair, I eat beef, I don't smoke weed, I do drink, I think guns are as valuable on a homestead as screwdrivers, I believe in anthropogenic climate change, I don't believe in "alternative" energies like biodiesil or whatever--on and on--and I do all of the above for the damnedest of reasons, and the rarest, it seems: THE FACTS! Unfortunately, by and large, the "progressive counter culture movement" has simply not been any of that--it hasn't been either progressive or counter culture, it's simply been reactionary, simply a movement set in opposition to one type of materialism by positing another. Well, they've lost something to push against. . .and I expect will flounder a bit.

Whatever works, and provides the best, securest, and sanest quality of life--that's what I'm about.

So, its time for those of us who are up to speed, or mostly, to play a little leapfrog. Rather than our comrades who have more time on their hands--out there finishing degrees in ecology or sustainability or some such--with the idea that they're going to work in the "sustainable business industry"--we recognize that there isn't going to be any damn such thing as industry in the future! You're not going to be able to pull a "wage" in a "career." You're either going to have to produce something of real value, like potatoes--and from that productive ability comes your resume and expertise--or you're out of luck. In fact, the real product, unlike in the past, is likely to be more valuable than the knowledge simply because of scarcity. For those of us who understand that--to know that owning a farm is going to be akin to owning a printing press printing dollar bills, we'll be and remain ahead of the game.

I've thought a lot lately about how much easier it is at sea. . .part of that is an unjustified sentiment is simply that it's a lifestyle I've already mastered and I'm taking on something new. But, sea-steading is and remains a way to get a toe hold on very little capital. Unless you can come up with the cash to purchase 3 to 5 viable acres of land with a livable structure without payments of any sort you'd be better off with the boat. Payments will kill you. Unlike capital, debt is forever. . .

Rocket Stove II:

This has been one of the best projects I've ever pulled off, and everyone in Hawaii needs one of these.

Phase two: Got rained out from work today so I installed the magic. On boats with wood stoves I faced the issue that it was often a pain in the butt to get little fires started and drawing, and in a small space dealing with a cold stack not drawing was an exercise in desperation, especially when it was near freezing and the wind blowing 50 knots. So, eventually, I worked through installing a set of gas jets that would allow the woodstove to heat and ignite on clean propane, which used very little gas to get going, and then once hot the solid fuel took over. You didn't need to spend an hour lighting a fire to make a pot of tea, or heat the cabin up--you simply threw on the gas and let 'er rip. This would have been expensive and fuel intensive IF you didn't have a pile of driftwood in the cockpit, which you then stuck into the already hot stove. Tending a fire is no trouble. Lighting it can be a pain in the butt. So, the attempt was to live minimally but still save mostly modern convenience.

The gas eliminates the smoky start-up as well. I hate wood smoke, for I've done way too much camping past the point it was fun and exciting, so this is important to me.

So, I did the same thing with the rocket stove. Rather than piddle lighting sticks I throw the gas to it and I've got tea in 10 minutes, and a hot stove for pancakes. If I want to simmer all day, I'll run guava and sticks.

This is kind of thinking we need more of as we cross the hump from the modern world to the post-modern minimalist one. Simple near stone age reliability and costs with near modern turnkey functionality so you can still have time to go to work while you actually have a job.

This stove will be the heart of my home. There's no question it will do all the cooking, heat my hot water tanks and provide a very high level of comfort while burning sticks. This too, is a godsend.

I'll probably weld some 1/4 by 1 angle iron to the bottom the griddle top to keep the plate from warping up when it gets hot, but if you're less type A than me you'll likely not bother.

Undoubtedly the best steak you've ever eaten will be cooked on the top of this bugger.

Lucky us!

Pay attention, and keep notes! Not just everyone gets to see history in the making first hand. We're witnessing a moment of epic historic proportion, and there will be stories to be told about how it all unfolded. . .

as the timeless quote goes--

. . .this is the way the world ends
not with a bang, but with a whimper.

A little lesson in Economics and the Money Supply:

This brought to my attention: it's worth a watch. Informative and a fair treatment of a very rarely understood topic.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9050474362583451279

The Rocket Stove

Well this was a success.

I had been enjoying using the the little charcoal cooker so much I decided I'd just bump up the schedule and install the rocket stove with the griddle top that I had been planning to do. So, scavenging the parts and pieces, a bit of stove pipe here and there and the old cooker--60 bucks worth of bricks and mortar and a 24 x 24 piece of 1/4 steel from Hilo steel and I'm done for under 200 bucks. Half of that was the steel top.

It burns with nearly unbelievable efficiency, and once hot it burns very nearly smoke free. You may smell a bit of smoke odor but there will be no visible smoke. Certainly it burns as clean or cleaner than a charcoal BBQ, which is remarkable considering I'm burning not particularly well seasoned wood.

It works much like any other wood burning cook stove I've ever used. Heat is simple enough to adjust by placement of the pots or the feed rate of the sticks. A little stoking will fire up or damp down depending on what your needs are. Wood stoves have a tendency to be a little tweaky to get used to, but frankly this one presented very little trouble.

It would be simplicity itself to add hot water coils to heat a tank someplace, and I imagine this addition will be in the near future. Fpr ore discussion on rocket stoves and current designs and rocket stove plans: HERE!