Published by jay on February 28, 2008
in Blog and Energy.
Our friend, Mikey Skylar, recently bought himself a diesel car which he converted to veggie oil. He found that he wanted a better way to know when to switch his diesel tank to a the vegetable oil tank. You do this because the veggie oil must be warmed up before it can efficiently run the engine.
Being the builder he is, Mikey made a device called The Greasy Mon that tells him when his veggie oil has warmed up enough. You can either download instructions on how to build your own, or he is now selling these devices to other people who may want them for $100.
There are three thermistors which measure temperature changes based on resistance. Each of the thermistor sensors has four LEDs associated with it which the driver can see illuminate as the temperature increases. Each LED that turns on indicates that the grease has increased by 20 deg. fahrenheit in temperature. The temperature range is from 65F - 135F. Due to the sensors being placed on the outside of the fuel hoses the sensor range peaks rather low to allow for the insulation provided by the fuel hose.
Published by jay on February 25, 2008
in Blog and Food.
I ran across this mention of this subterranean farm in an old bank vault under the busiest part of Tokyo . This blog explains how the farm works has has lots of great pictures showing the different grow rooms.
Though walled in from sunlight, weather and geology, it’s unbelievably verdant. Tomatoes, lettuces, strawberries, and other fruits and vegetables, as well as flowers and herbs, are grown in an area covering almost a square kilometer(!!!). There is even a terraced rice paddy.
This kind of farming can’t be an efficient use of energy, but interesting to see how urban farming experiments are taking shapes in other parts of the world.
Our friend Chris at WannaFarm is now making videos about the details of farming. With his wife and new kid, they are farming FOR REAL up in Portland. We can’t wait to see more web savvy folks grow food or farmers using the web to share their experience. Can you imagine the practical farming knowledge we can share and archive with video?
Update: Chris’ farm is actually here. “We’re about 4 hours south of Portland about 20 miles from the California border.”
Published by jay on February 16, 2008
in Blog and Waste.
The folks at Frogdesign have launched a challenge:
“For the next two weeks, I will be living without a garbage can. Where will my trash go? I am going to start needing to think about that before I buy something because, according to the rules I have set up for myself, I’m going to have to live with it. My own garbage must be within five feet of me at all times”
Read the entire challenge here. The idea is to see how much trash you actually create by not being able to throw it “away”. Every two weeks a new person blogs about their experience keeping their trash:
“At the end of my two weeks, another frog will continue the project, experiencing his/her own two-week stint of trash-free living. The transference of this blog will highlight the differences in environmental consciousness across cities, environments, governments, and economies. And, ideally, it’ll mean a few hundred less pounds of garbage in our landfills – a small step, but a measurable one. “
Ryanne and I try to be smart about the garbage we generate. Whatever your political persuasion might be, it just makes sense to be more self-sufficient. So food waste goes into a worm bin or compost pile. Paper and cardboard goes into recycling. But what about all the plastic wrapping and bags that come with all manufactured goods? There’s nothing reasonable we can do but throw it “away”. A two week experiment where you must keep your trash near you at all times is a good way to demonstrate this problem.
OMG! I love Etsy.com. How have I not heard of this site before now? Etsy is an online marketplace where only handmade, original goods are sold. Search by catagory, location or by color (that’s awesome!!). It’s not just for crafters either, there’s also a nice selection of edible goods. Next time you have a gift to give or you want something for yourself but are boycotting the box stores, check out Etsy. Rumor has it (ok its a fact) that our good friend and fellow videoblogger, Bre Pettis of Make Zine fame is now producing videos for Etsy! Wow, what a combination! More info about Esty here.
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