Topic Tuesday #50 2013/07/02 - "CHARGE!!!"

Topic Tuesday #50 2013/07/02 - "CHARGE!!!"

CHARGing you batteries is not the easiest thing to do some days. It gets especially difficult when you do something unusual. For instance you may have seen the MIT/Wilson Solar Grill.

This implementation is unique in the way is stores energy, which is certainly different from the way a cell phone or laptop stores power. This configuration (which has not actually been constructed to my knowledge) uses a fresnel lens to magnify and focus the rays of the sun to melt a lithium nitrate substrate. The melted lithium nitrate, due to its phase change reaction, is able to release its thermal energy for longer periods of time and at higher temperatures than other methods up to now. Heat is then redistributed through convection, which allows for outdoor cooking and heating homes. This method is referred to as "latent heat storage".

Obviously this is a unique application that requires a specific set of criteria. This could also be used to provide electric power or boil water for steam applications. 

Peltier element

Remember any time you have a change of temperature you can utilize that to create power as the heat is exchanged and returns to a neutral state. Peltier coolers use power to create heat, which in turn creates a cold side. With an application such as this, derivatives of that technology can turn a heat source, into power. If done creatively, a refrigerator too. 

Batteries, and power sources in general, are complicated things. The design may be simplistic, but usually a power supply is designed to fit an application.  Some things to consider:

Capacity (Amp Hours)

Weight 

Size (Physical Dimensions)

Discharge Rate (Time to Empty at designed load)

Charge Rate (Time to Charge, when under load and not under load)

Charge Cycles (number of charge/discharge cycles before needing to replace)

Operating temperature range (Affects charge and discharge rates. Batteries can catch fire and explode under the "right" circumstances, like being embedded in a cooking appliance like the solar grill)

Architecture of storage media: Lead-acid? NiCd? NiMH? NiZn? AgZN? NaS? Lithium ion? - and so forth.

Longevity and recyclability:

Obviously what the battery is made of has far reaching implications for the ability to recycle them. Lithium is rare, expensive, and in high demand. Lead Acid (car, marine, UPS batteries) are low cost, high weight, and readily recycled into new batteries given the proper facilities.

So, thank your local engineers for building all this stuff we take for granted all the time, and keep the innovation alive by encouraging our youngsters to... play with electricity, fire, water, light... and anything that interests them. Who knows what problem they might solve.

Topic Tuesday #44 2013/05/21 - "The Finger of God"

Topic Tuesday #44 2013/05/21 - "The Finger of God"

The devastation in the heartland cannot be ignored. We will not go into the bloodshed and human damages imparted to us by the recent rash of twisters through Oklahoma. We must look ahead so I will talk about the power of nature and how we classify these storms.

The National Weather Service was instrumental in saving lives by having a tornado warning in effect 16 minutes before the 2 mile wide twister wrought havoc on the ground for over 40 minutes traveling 17 miles. This was the worst of a series of storms that devastated 16 counties in Oklahoma over the weekend.

Tornados are measured on a severity scale, similar to hurricanes. Let's be clear however. To equate the two would be like saying trench warfare in WWI was the same as the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in WWII. Hurricanes are a slow burning bonfire; tornadoes are kegs of black powder and nitro thrown into a volcano.
In 1971, Dr. Tetsuya Fujita and Allen Pearson came up with a scale (F-Scale) for measuring the intensity of tornadoes by their damage path. 
In 2007, the scale was updated to its current form, the Enhanced Fugita Scale. 

Each damage level is associated with a wind speed however, the Fujita scale is effectively a damage scale, and the wind speeds associated with the damage listed aren't rigorously verified. 
Basically, rating the damage of a tornado is as much an art as it is a science.
For a write up on what is entailed in the EFScale, follow the link below. The reading is fascinating but dry.
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/weweb/Pubs/fscale/EFScale.pdf

What we are usually concerned with is the F0 - F5 range.

• F0 - Wind: 64-116 km/h - Damage Path Width: 10-50 meters - Damage: Light. Heavy storm style
• F1 - Wind: 117-180 km/h - Damage Path Width: 10-50 meters - Damage: Moderate. Hurricane force winds, roof surface damage, light structures damaged.
• F2 - Wind: 181-253 km/h - Damage Path Width: 10-50 meters - Damage: Significant.  Roofs sail away, trains overturn, large trees snap, highrise windows blow in.
• F3 - Wind: 254-332 km/h - Damage Path Width: 200-500 meters - Damage: Severe. More and worse, larger missiles, some cars leave the gound.
• F4 - Wind: 333-418 km/h - Damage Path Width: 400-900 meters (1/4 to 1/2 mile) - Damage: Devastating. Well constructed homes demolished. Cars take flight.
• F5 - Wind: 419-512 km/h - Damage Path Width: 1100 meters (3/4 of a mile) - Damage: Incredible Car size missiles hurled 100+ meters, bark on trees removed, steel reinforced concrete structures damaged

The storm in Oklahoma, would be beyond an EF5. It's damage path was over 1.5 miles wide.
No one every really classifies tornadoes beyond an EF5. But now, you know why storms of such magnitude are referred to as "The Finger of God".

If you wish to lend assistance to those in need, please visit http://newsok.com/how-to-help-several-nonprofits-are-collecting-donations/article/3828009 They have done a phenomenal job of collating a majority of the charities giving the real needed aide to those affected by these storms.
For government assistance Governor Mary Fallin and her staff have out together www.­okstrong.­ok.­gov

Topic Tuesday #33 2013/03/05 - "Do not pass GO, Do not Collect $200 - Go directly to Privatization"

Topic Tuesday #33 2013/03/05 - "Do not pass GO. Do not Collect $200 - Go directly to Privatization"

The seed for today's topic. Florida Atlantic University in it's efforts to pay for a 30,000 seat football stadium found an unlikely backer. The Stadium will be christened the GEO Group Stadium, thanks to a $6 million dollar (over 12 years) donation to the public university. GEO Group is the nations second largest operator of for-profit privatized prisons. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/19/florida-atlantic-football-stadium_n_2720223.html?1361323728
This leads to a great many questions about what privatization really means. We have corporate prisons, corporate schools, corporate space programs, and some would say politicians should dress up like race car drives so we can see who is sponsoring them as well.

Today I want to look at prisons, specifically.

The United States is the world's leader in incarceration with 2.2 million people currently in the nation's prisons or jails - a 500% increase over the past thirty years. These trends have resulted in prison overcrowding and state governments being overwhelmed by the burden of funding a rapidly expanding penal system. The original intent, some 200 years ago, when the penitentiary system (etymologically derived from "penance") was formed by the Quakers and other reformist groups, was to take sinners, lock them in a cell, make them read the Bible, and they would repent for their sins. This model of incarceration (which didn't have great success at rehabilitation and repentance) has not changed that much since the inception. What has changed is the perception, method, and value of incarceration.

Not all the privatizations for to Corporations, some just migrate jurisdiction from state to county. In Louisiana it works this way: County or parish sheriffs get about $25 a day for inmates that would have otherwise ended up in state prisons. Some of that money goes to house and feed the prisoners. What’s left over goes to the underfunded sheriffs’ departments to use for much needed equipment and for manpower. The sheriffs get their needed bullet proof vests, and somehow prisoners end up with longer sentences and jail remain at capacity to get their $25 a head. This narrows any funds left for an actual rehabilitation. Again in this example, the funds for those activities come from charity functions like rodeos and Church outreach.
This method is simple, the more you have the easier it is to take care of, and you end up with a more economical situation with more money left over. This is not as insidious as what the real private for profit prisons do. 

Slave Labor.

In the eyes of the corporation, inmate labor is a brilliant strategy in the eternal quest to maximize profit. By dipping into the prison labor pool, companies have their pick of workers who are not only cheap but easily controlled. Companies are free to avoid providing benefits like health insurance or sick days, while simultaneously paying little to no wages. They don’t need to worry about unions or demands for vacation time or raises. Inmates work full-time and are never late or absent because of family problems.
Under the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), private-sector employers receive a tax credit of $2,400 for every work release inmate they employ as a reward for hiring “risky target groups” and they can "earn back up to 40 percent of the wages they pay annually to target group workers."

Companies can lease factory time in prisons. Lease prison work forces.
Noah Zatz of UCLA law school estimates that:
“Well over 600,000, and probably close to a million, inmates are working full-time in jails and prisons throughout the United States. Perhaps some of them built your desk chair: office furniture, especially in state universities and the federal government, is a major prison labor product. Inmates also take hotel reservations at corporate call centers, make body armor for the U.S. military, and manufacture prison chic fashion accessories, in addition to the iconic task of stamping license plates.”

Making stiffer penalties that lead to longer stays in the "big house" has proven a great way to get votes. Making other people responsible and shifting the financial burden is also a great slight of hand for policy makers. 

And thanks to all this, there is a dark economy of slavery in this country while record unemployment continues to plague the news, the government has it's armor and ammunition built by felons, and Corporate America hires prisoners for a few dollars a day to slice "Made in Honduras" tags off garments and replace them with "Made in America".

Is it ethical to incarcerate people for the sole purpose of making money? How can anyone think it is?

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/january-11-2013/prisons-for-profit/14485/

http://www.sentencingproject.org/detail/news.cfm?news_id=1445

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/dec/19/corporate-welfare-incarceration-industry

http://www.alternet.org/story/151732/21st-century_slaves%3A_how_corporations_exploit_prison_labor?page=0%2C0&paging=off

http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-pentagon-and-slave-labor-in-u-s-prisons/25376

Topic Tuesday #29 2013/02/05 - "Meme Machine"

Topic Tuesday #29 2013/02/05 - "Meme Machine"

MEME (pron.: /ˈmiːm/ /mēm/ MEEM) Noun

1.) An element of a culture or behavior that may be passed from one individual to another by nongenetic means, esp. imitation.
2.) An image, video, etc. that is passed electronically from one Internet user to another.

Culturally we have been inundated with memes in our information age. We should all have a general concept of what a meme looks like, but do you know what a meme actually is? What it stands for? What it's great purpose is? Perhaps, or perhaps not. Let's jump into some abbreviated back story.
In 1976 the book "The Selfish Gene" was published by author Richard Dawkins, a British evolutionary biologist. Dawkins was set about explaining how the genes in all living organisms could be analogous to a replicator. The gene has a simplistic purpose, to replicate itself as successfully as possible. That is the essential take away from the book on the topic of genes, however he coined a term to expand on the notion. When an idea or concept is replicated through a culture, he dubbed it a "meme". The Ancient Greek words; mimeme ("something imitated"), mimeisthai ("to imitate"), and mimos ("mime"). These Greek terms, combined with the concept of the 'gene' being a replicator, served as foundations for the concept. Thus modifying the word 'gene', become 'meme'.

We have seen many of these memes through our lives and mostly we just look over them. We are blissfully ignorant over their (memes) innate power to program us as a host to pass along the memes knowledge and concepts. You might think that a maddening prospect. That an inanimate, no... worse than inanimate, a figment, a concept at best - could be something that could do something like force you to know something and even to pass it along unwittingly. But it's true. Our brains are good at one thing in particular: Pattern Recognition.
Have you heard of a "mnemonic device"? Mnemonic devices are techniques to help remember something. It’s a memory technique to help your brain better encode and recall important information. It’s a simple shortcut that helps us associate the information we want to remember with an image, a sentence, or a word, etc, etc..
Mnemonic devices are very old, and virtually everybody uses them, even if they don’t know they are. It’s simply a way of memorizing information so that it “sticks” within our brain longer and can be recalled more easily in the future. This is the nature of a meme.

Have you ever been someplace and smelled something that reminded you of something from your childhood? Have you ever heard a word said in a particular way that caused you to have a melody or entire song to populate in your head, so strongly it was there the rest of the day? Perhaps an image that caused you to cry, for no apparent reason. These are all indicators of memory programming. You can call it "learning" if you like.  The result is the same.

So what can you do with this knowledge? Perhaps you can do something great. Program little life lessons into your own memes. A funny little picture, a few well phrased words, inserted in a simple shape (usually squarish), and presented in a way that gets lots of eyes to look at it. Memes spread like a virus. This is one reason for the term, "going viral", on the internet. The meme is so popular, so easy to remember, so catchy, that it spreads like wildfire and soon everyone knows it. Just don't take every meme you see on the internet as gospel. Just because somethings catchy, doesn't make it true or useful.
Propaganda spreads this way.
Misinformation spreads this way.
Songs, pop culture, politics, news, old wives tales, lies, truths, rumors, gossip, and occasionally educationally useful things are all apt to be replicated in the meme machine that is our own brains.

Soon I will be putting out some memes for CanWeFixIt.org. Let's put that 3lbs of pattern recognition meme machine to good use!

Topic Tuesday #19 2012/11/27 - "Grab a Snickers"

Topic Tuesday #19 2012/11/27 - "Grab a Snickers"

Last night I was confronted by the past. Not my past but an event that took place in Spokane, Washington on March 18, 2006. Otto Zehm, 36, a mentally disabled janitor, was mistaken for another man stealing money from an ATM at the convenience store that Zehm visited every day to get a soda and a Snickers. I will sum it up as briefly as I can, and you can see the full report here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/16/otto-zehm-beating-death-karl-thompson-mental-disabilities_n_2143920.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false

Otto Zehm

• Report: ATM Theft
• Respondent: Officer Karl F. Thompson Jr. ( a Vietnam veteran and a decorated 40-year veteran of law enforcement in Los Angeles, northern Idaho and Spokane)
• On Scene: Officer assaults suspect (Zehm) with baton, striking him 7 times in 8 seconds and used his stun device.
• Reinforcements: More officers arrive, gag and hogtie Zehm and sat on him.
• Results: It was determined sometime later that he was not at fault however was beaten unconscious and expired 2 days later. His last words were "All I wanted was a Snickers bar."
• Aftermath: Cover-up of the excessive force and violations of Zehm's civil rights. Officer Thompson was sentenced November 15th 2012 to 4 years and 3 months for his roll in Zehm's untimely death.

My take is this and I will end and open to comments:

I love and respect any member of law enforcement and our soldiers that are willing to put their own lives at risk every minute of the day to keep the majority safe. I am only concerned with the outliers. The ones that make grievous errors. Keep an eye on those that are there to serve and protect. Don't be afraid, but don't be dumb either. Bad things happen. This was/is a tragic tale that echos all over.
How do we go about fixing something as pervasive as power corruption? Did the officer have a bad day? Not eat his Wheaties? Just make a mistake? We won't know. These black marks, like all such, are swept under the rug as quietly as possible. The authorities can't have tarnished reputations as it just causes more unrest. Like a wild animal seeking weakness .. Then they get hurt, and they will always protect their own. I wouldn't expect anything less. They are few. The criminals are many. It's a hard dirty job. This does not excuse anyone or make them less accountable for their actions-EVER...
The bad apple does spoil the bunch, especially when all you wanted was a snickers bar, and were beaten to death over mistaken identity...

Topic Tuesday #17 2012/11/13 - "Slicing the American Pie"

Topic Tuesday #17 2012/11/13 - "Slicing the American Pie"

States With Petitions to Secede.

After the 2012 presidential general election there came a great stir in the states that leaned in favor of the challenger from the GOP, Mitt Romney (some that ended up going to Obama as well!). This stirring is nothing new, but worth talking about. There are at the time of this writing 20 states, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas - that are seeking peaceful secession from the United States. Most read like this one from Tennessee: "Peacefully grant the State of Tennessee to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government." Not everybody who wants to secede is polite enough to write a petition. Peter Morrison, treasurer of the Hardin County (Texas) Republican Party, wrote a post-election newsletter in which he urges the Lone Star State to leave the Union, with some rather unpleasant and pointed imagery.

"We must contest every single inch of ground and delay the baby-murdering, tax-raising socialists at every opportunity. But in due time, the maggots will have eaten every morsel of flesh off of the rotting corpse of the Republic, and therein lies our opportunity... Why should Vermont and Texas live under the same government? Let each go her own way in peace, sign a free trade agreement among the states and we can avoid this gut-wrenching spectacle every four years."

2012 Results

The whole affair of secession from the USA is largely a symbolic gesture  as the 14th Amendment signifies citizenship of being of the USA not of the individual states. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has even addressed the constitutionality of secession and how a state would go about it in a letter to a screenwriter who posed the question: "To begin with, the answer is clear. If there was any constitutional issue resolved by the Civil War, it is that there is no right to secede. (Hence, in the Pledge of Allegiance, "one Nation, indivisible.") Secondly, I find it difficult to envision who the parties to this lawsuit might be. Is the State suing the United States for a declaratory judgment? But the United States cannot be sued without its consent, and it has not consented to this sort of suit." Texas does have the ability to subdivide itself into 5 states. This would give it more Senators on the whole, but as you divide a state up, there is no guarantee of loyalty to the original cause.
As with any of these type of movements, Texas in particular, the logistics is what hamstrings the entire endeavor more than even the legal ramifications. There are a great number of nationalized services that would all have to be... "repatriated" into a state government. The cost of the operation would be phenomenal. Texas would have it better off. They have their own power grid. They have enough manufacturing and population to make sustainability an option. Of the other 19 states however... Well, it wouldn't be hard to see that any sedition among them would harm the citizens far more than help them. So in the end, secession just isn't going to happen. If it does... It will be a civil war and there will be millions of lives lost. /Begin SOAPBOX/ Pretty simple. Stay and fix the things you are trying to run away from. Do it legally. It was the law that got you into "this mess" in the first place! Make good choices, and advertise those choices to everyone else. /End SOAPBOX/

What do you think? Should the states be allowed to bow out? Do they even have the right to do so? How do you think it could be done? How many infrastructures would be interrupted? Would I need a passport to get to Louisiana?

Topic Tuesday #14 2012/10/23 "The Signal and the Noise"

Tuesday #14 2012/10/23 "The Signal and the Noise"

Last night was the final debate of this presidential election season. (I am going to refrain from partisan support in this post, but those that have read my work before will inherently know where I lean.) The talk was heated, but fluffy through most of the debates. All of the debates were far less about facts than they were puffed chests, interrupting the moderator, going over on time, and the ever so important last word. They were quite entertaining, and even sickening at times. Overall, I would give them 2.5 stars out of 5 for a you should have seen them, but didn't need to since it wasn't anything new, AT ALL. 

This leads into today's topic. 

We are getting a lot of noise through the media outlets and mailings and signs in years, and graffiti on said signs, and stump speeches and rolling roadblocks when they come to our cities etc... How do we filter the noise to get the right signal? I have been talking to several colleagues about the polls and who is doing well where and it never fails that when I bring up a website or media outlet, it is immediately disparaged and dismissed because of their slant. I bring up another, and another, and another; then dig deeper to find where they get their data and show how they arrive at their conclusions. This is to little avail other than showing that I am actually fact checking and not talking out of my arse. Overall, the chat has been civil, if not mind-numbing. And that's the problem-There is too much noise and not enough substance for the signal. The most bi-partisan organizations still seem to lean one way or the other, or at least someone will tell you they do and dismiss them as biased. It seems the only way to know what you need to make a rational decision is to do your own digging and sifting. It takes time. It takes patience. It takes booze in many cases...

I have said it a few times, but I would encourage you all to read the platforms of the main parties, since until campaign reform happens, there is little point in casting a vote for another candidate (sad but true). Keep in mind that an evolution of ideals has happened and these ARE NOT the same political groups we grew up with. They certainly are not the ones your family has supported for generations. 

Some further advice: 

• Read the platforms - But do it alone, but aloud, first. If the language is difficult to get through, you are not supposed to get through it and it is deceitful by intent. Your challenge is to... 
• Critically Compare - Take a highlighter and red pen to the platforms and mark the heck out of them. Compare which side believes what. You may need to translate the legalese doublespeak into plain english. This usually makes the paragraph a sentence. 
• Look to the future -  The one that is elected will be setting policy for decades to come. Not only that, but the likelihood that they will pick Supreme Court Justices (2 are most likely this time) will weigh heavily on law going forward for a long time. Laws can be overturned and our lives directly affected by this decision. 
• Science & Education - As the song said, I believe the children are our future. If we do not educate them correctly, we lose as a nation. What is being taught is as important as how it is taught. Examine the tail tail markings of where the education is going and ask yourselves if that will hurt the next generation. The best technology that we have came out of the furnace of scientific exploration of space. This is a cold and rational endeavour that is filled with wonder. There is no place for superstition in science. Tossing salt over your shoulder or whispering an enchantment will not replace an antibiotic to make your ear infection abate. Act accordingly in this regard. It's your grandchildren's futures you will be deciding.
• ASK - If you are still left asking questions, then do not keep them to yourself. ASK EVERYONE. Communication is key. You may get some rather interesting answers but you may do a service by prompting others to ask the same or other questions. Remember back to your days in school how a single question in class could derail a lecture and make everyone engaged. It's exactly the same in real life, just you are both teacher and student. This principle is for everyday, not just politics.

In conclusion: 

Educate yourselves and Vote. If you do not vote, I don't want to hear a single complaint about the next 4 years; beyond, "Man, I should have voted!"

How do you sift through the noise to get the signal?

Topic Tuesday #3 2012/08/07 "Sustainability: The future is at stake."

Topic Tuesday #3 2012/08/07

Sustainability: The future is at stake. 
Open your mind to the sustainability of our actions as a species.

• When we run out of oil, what will we do? 
• When we run out of coal, what will we do? 
• When we have contaminated the water, and can't drink it or eat the fish, what will we do? 
• When the air we breath is toxic and the plants (not factories) all die from the acid rain that falls though the soup, what will we do?

We are literally consuming the planet. I'm not making it up. Fossil fuels (you know from the dinosaurs that died millions of years ago) are not renewable. We can recycle some of it, but not the gasoline that is converted into toxic hydrocarbons that we pump into the atmosphere.
Now the question, given the above as a primer: 

If you were granted virtually unlimited financial resources and the best and brightest minds, what do you propose we do to ensure our species lives for the next 10,000 years and beyond?

Richard Feynman ♥

The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bgaw9qe7DEE

Fun To Imagine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3pYRn5j7oI&feature=bf_

prev&list=PL04B3F5636096478C

Thanks to April for creating this and sending it our way.



Responses from Facebook (my wall is PUBLIC, so always remember that the world will see it.):

 Share · August 7 at 10:13am ·

• • 
    

    Tom Houston The people in charge making these decisions will be dead long before it becomes an issue so they don't care as it will be someone else's problem. :P

    August 7 at 10:16am · Like
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    EditDelete

    Andy Cowen But there is always someone to replace them. So what would you do? What would you hope that your children and grandchildren do to keep us going? The stock market punishes anything other than growth. We cannot grow infinitely (on this world). So how to we make sure humanity (such as it is at times) isn't a galactic flash in the pan?

    August 7 at 10:23am · Like · 1
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    Jim Mathews Our civilization has been built on technology and abundant, convenient and cheap fuel. The infrastructure up till now has been very robust because we are still operating on much of that infrastructure. We are facing many challenges before we even try and tackle expensive, inefficient and so far not sustainable without major government involvement which is why industry has only taken only a research interest.....

    August 7 at 1:04pm · Like
  • 
    

    Andy Cowen 
    

    Again... What would you do if the limitations you specified were removed? Brainstorm with me. Science tells us some simple truths. As long as there is a difference, power can be generated. Take a fan that was still and put it into the flow ...See More

    August 7 at 2:08pm · Like
  • 
    

    Andy Cowen 
    

    Sustainability is not just power... It's also agricultural. Currently our farmland and crops have been engineered to over produce. It strips all the nutrients out of the land leaving nothing for the next crop. All the nutrients have to be ...See More

    August 7 at 2:15pm · Like
  • 
    

    Jim Mathews 
    

    Well, of course with unlimited resources and all those resources going to solve the problem instead of lining peoples pockets..... sorry, off subject, we could make anything we wanted. The technology is there. one of the problems is the pop...See More

    August 7 at 5:26pm · Like
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    Andy Cowen I think it may be a matter of population distribution.

    August 7 at 5:39pm · Like
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    Jim Mathews yes, that is definately a problem. the other problem is transporting food and resources to the population

    August 7 at 6:07pm · Like
  • 
    

    Tom Houston Hydroponic Skyscraper Farms, about 1 square acre by about 100 stories tall. :)

    August 7 at 6:09pm · Unlike · 1

Responses from Google+ (my wall is PUBLIC, so always remember that the world will see it.):

AWE... Nothing today from G+

Topic Tuesday #2 2012/07/31 "What do you do when the power goes out, for a LONG time?"

Topic Tuesday #2 2012/07/31


What do you do when the power goes out, for a LONG time?:


Here's a hypothetical situation to get your neurons firing. Wherever you are, the power just simply goes out. No one on the radio or TV says anything for a few hours. Your cell phone is glitchy, and calls fail almost immediately, and you don't have reliable data. Even SMS isn't always making it to your contacts. You are cut off. The power is down, inexplicably, and you have no idea when it will be restored (if it will be restored) Assume at this moment, you don't have power for the foreseeable future unless you are the source. Now (easy for hurricane veterans) consider all the items you rely on that require power. The clock starts ticking on perishables, your AC or heating doesn't work. The power backups at the utility providers (like gas stations, natural gas, water, sewer, internet, telephone) likely have 4-48 hours of reserve power. So... What do you do? What are you going to do if and when the rioting starts?

(This is an exercise to get you to plan ahead and to help others that may not have the same insight. This is NOT for fear-mongering. Those that have lived through storm events know what this is like. Share the love and lets see your plans, and maybe make a better one.) http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/poweroutage/needtoknow.asp

Responses from Facebook (my wall is PUBLIC, so always remember that the world will see it.):

 

Becca Diehl Charvet move north! this state ain't fit for not having a/c ;)

July 31 at 9:26am · Like

Andy Cowen but, given the example, how would you move north? This is an immediate survival situation.

July 31 at 9:28am · Like

Becca Diehl Charvet these boots were made for walkin'... (come on! just let me be snarky!)
ok, really? I'd get my peeps circled up in one location with as much fuel as we can get, gas, propane, charcoal, wood, car batteries. Then figure out food & water sources. We happen to have some free-range chickens, so making sure those are secure is tops. Oh, & make sure the bikes are working. That's off the top of my head.

July 31 at 9:42am · Unlike · 1

Jim Mathews LOL, first thing I would do is take my trusty 5kw generator over to my friends gas station and trade him a .22 pistol and a couple hundred rounds ammo for as much gas as I can pump into my 5 20 gallon army surplus gas tanks. I won't go into further details, just know that I have thought this out and prepared......

July 31 at 9:53am · Like

Linda Mahoney Sauls bank, gasoline for vehicles and spares, LOTS of ice. fast thawing food to cooler, add ice, compact everything else from our 3 freezers into one freezer, pack with bags of ice and newspaper and foil, shut and don't open till food gone in cooler. All set for food and water, matches sterno, gallons of water prepared for hurricane each year. Do seal and fill bathtubs with water, washing machine as well. Gather neighbors and help put together plan so we all know what the others have to share if things get tough. (Andrew was a lesson well learned) Traded gas washer and dryer use for ice and food, traded our steaks for gasoline, game plan for finding water and ice, would split up as neighbors and each head for a different site and share what we got.

July 31 at 10:09am · Like

Andy Cowen In case you wonder where I get ideas like this... http://www.cnn.com/2012/

07/31/world/asia/

india-blackout/index.html

Most power restored after India hit by second, even larger outage - CNN.com

www.cnn.com

India suffered its second huge, crippling power failure in two days Tuesday, dep...See More

July 31 at 3:14pm · Like · 

Michelle Rasberry Here in Arkansas we are use to our power going out for weeks at a time, especially in the winter months. You just light the fireplace and pull out the board games for the kids and do the best you can until power is restored. If you are smart you have a gas stove and you can heat some water to take a spongebath and at least eat. But if all else fails you just put the pot in the fireplace and do the best you can.

July 31 at 4:42pm · Like

Donald Davis Lack of running water is much more scary than lack of power. There is wood to burn to cook if you have tools, etc whatever food is available, but fresh water is the real commodity.If there is no power for long periods of time, perishables can soon be forgotten about because ice only lasts for so long, same with gas once supply lines are cut and it runs out. The only real way to move forward is to learn to live without those comforts. people did it before, and survival instincts will kick back in, hopefully there will be some civility left among people if it ever does come to pass.

July 31 at 9:22pm · Like

David OConnor I figure out my survival plan based on a few things - Water: Know where and how to get fresh water every single day. Food, be aware of how much you have and where/how to get more. Multivitamins help here. Shelter - don't let your environment kill you, and is also a handy place to prepare food. Showers and defecations - have a plan to facilitate this.

How prepared should you be? Some people go to extremes in their bid to survive the worst holocaust, but that's incredibly expensive to do. If I have a knife, some rope, a tarp and a water filter I would feel pretty well prepared because the worst case scenario is the world goes to hell when you're out on vacation. Plan for that and think about what it would take to acquire the things you need to keep going. One week of food and water is pretty reasonable to have on hand - One month of food and water on hand will get you past the worst of most emergencies. For the most extreme (Look up katrina) you will have to rely on your neighbors working together to keep everyone going, which is read: alive.

July 31 at 9:38pm · Like

Becca Diehl Charvet reread Alas, Babylon :)

August 1 at 8:47am · Like · 1

Responses from Google+ (my wall is PUBLIC, so always remember that the world will see it.):

Tony SandovalJul 31, 2012

+2

part of the problem is that people panic before they think.

We are not that far removed from being the people who never had power to begin with.

My grandparents lived in one room shacks with wood stoves and outdoor toilets.  No indoor plumbing.

I spent summers on a farm that was the same until I was a teen.

 I used to "hobo" when I was a teen.  slept where I found space, camped in a tent.  ate out of cans and cooked on an open fire.  Walked or got rides however I could.

The first thing is not to panic.  The next thing is to realize we do not "need" electricity to live.

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David OConnorJul 31, 2012

I figure out my survival plan based on a few things - Water: Know where and how to get fresh water every single day. Food, be aware of how much you have and where/how to get more. Multivitamins help here. Shelter - don't let your environment kill you, and is also a handy place to prepare food. Showers and defecations - have a plan to facilitate this.

How prepared should you be? Some people go to extremes in their bid to survive the worst holocaust, but that's incredibly expensive to do. If I have a knife, some rope, a tarp and a water filter I would feel pretty well prepared because the worst case scenario is the world goes to hell when you're out on vacation. Plan for that and think about what it would take to acquire the things you need to keep going. One week of food and water is pretty reasonable to have on hand - One month of food and water on hand will get you past the worst of most emergencies. For the most extreme (Look up katrina) you will have to rely on your neighbors working together to keep everyone going, which is read: alive.

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Matthew O'ConnorAug 1, 2012

Well, the first thing to keep in mind is that zombies are interested in brains, brains, brains...

Tony SandovalAug 1, 2012

That's just B grade movie zombies.

"Real" zombies just eat living flesh.  doesn't matter arms, ears, legs.  they don't care.

but, this is about a regular power outage not  a zombie apocalypse.  That would change a lot of things.

Andy CowenAug 1, 2012Edit

Zombie Apocalypse will be another Topic Tuesday down the road. :-)

Matthew O'ConnorAug 1, 2012

Very good.  In that case... I'll take a stab at what memory serves me, and hopefully I won't get too much wrong...otherwise I'll be DEAD if this ever happens!

in situations where supplies of finite quantity and there is no foreseeable resumption of basic social infrastructure, rationing is a good thing.  Food intake should be kept to a minimum where possible - humans can survive on around or less than 1000 calories per day, as I recall, though that number may be high.  If hunting for food is not a plausible activity, attempt to seek out and organize food acquisition and distribution; again, rationing here will become a necessity.  Canned goods are always a good thing.  If you're a baker, sourdoughs do not require much more than the starter, flour, and water.  Makeshift solar ovens, clay ovens, or underground fire pits can be useful for baking.

Water is a necessity, especially in hot climates.  If gas or wood fuel is available, water boiled for 15 minutes (after a full boil is reached) should kill most microorganisms.  Do not catch water out of your gutter, especially if you have an asphalt roof - set up an independent catch-water system if you intend on trying to use water from the sky.  Coffee filters may remove a good number of large impurities, but distillation is the best for removing the most.  Wells have to be used with caution, especially around urban environments - lots of pesticides, heavy metals, and other nasty things will wind up in them.  A water heater can be an invaluable source of water - the catch to having it be one is that you have to regularly flush the tank.  The tanks have ports near the bottom for this purpose.  Flushing once a month would generally be sufficient to keep sludge to a minimum and a full 40+ gallons of fresh potable water available.

Staying cool can be hard - wearing as little as possible and avoiding movement during the hottest daytime hours can help, as well as residing in the shade.  This also conserves energy and water.  Bathing may be reduced to sponge baths every couple of days, or longer if the situation becomes dire.  Wear hats to keep the sun off you, and loose breathable clothing if you must be in the sun.

The propane tanks used for gas grills can be handy to have, but you have to have at least one or two on hand because once the power goes out, those things go out of stock fast.  The downside to the gas grill is it's terribly inefficient for heating things like water - we had to use ours for a while while our kitchen was obliterated.  Making spaghetti took a looong time.  Maybe it was just our piece-o-junk grill...

Digging back to basics, if you are running out of fuel and happen to have trees available for the chopping, you can acquire two useful things: pitch and charcoal.  I don't remember the particulars about pitch and its usage (other than for making boats waterproof), but as I recall the charcoal is made by setting the chopped bits of wood on fire, then burying them to smolder and cool.  The process takes many hours.  The resultant charcoal should make excellent fuel.

If riots are really a concern, having a shotgun or two on hand should at least deter people from rioting on your property.  The goal - get them to realize that your neighbor doesn't have a shotgun and doesn't mind a riot in HIS front yard. ;-)  No need to fire unless they are intent on causing you harm, the sound of a shotgun cocking should make most people rethink their intentions.

And remember this above all else, and especially when the scoops come: Soylent Green is People.

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Andy CowenAug 1, 2012Edit

Excellent advice Matt. For calories, basic rule as I understand it, to maintain your current weight an average metabolism must consume 100 calories per pound of person. So if you are 200lbs, 2000 calories on a normal day will sustain your mass. Do more work, you need more calories and start to shrink or waste away. Do less, need less.
CDC and FDA recommend 1 gallon of fresh water per person per day. Plan accordingly.
Rain water from roofs is still invaluable. You can use it for bathing and irrigation and for washing clothes and such items that will not be ingested. Washing dishes for instance, as long as the final rinse is with clean water. 

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Matthew O'ConnorAug 1, 2012

Great info!  Enjoyed the CDC article after I got done blathering on, too.  Now about those zombies.... ;-)