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April 2015

Community

Apocalypse Then

surivalcar* Hundreds of survivalists and ‘Preppers’ gathered in Salt Lake City last weekend to forestall the Apocalypse

* Shown underground bunkers, tactical weapons and an armed $2,500 Motoped Survival Bike

* Taught how to store food and dressed as zombies for special contest

Hundreds of survivalists and “preppers” were gathered in the Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy for the first PrepperCon, last friday, featuring demonstrations of underground bunkers, food storage and armoured vehicles.
Scott Stallings, one of the show’s founders, says the event was inspired by the success of ComicCon and is amping up the entertainment with the hope of attracting younger people who may not be enthusiasts of food storage and other survivalist strategies.

Among the expo’s main events is a zombie apocalypse costume contest and appearances by actors from the AMC hit show “The Walking Dead.”

During the two-day expo, visitors were shown specially-equipped underground bunkers, learned new methods of storing food, tried out solar powered flashlights, knives of all shapes and sizes, hi-tech gadgets, food storage units, first aid supplies and armored trucks. There were also live demonstrations and a survival cooking contest.

Motoped employee Ken Stone showed off the Motoped Survival Bike, described by the company as a ‘tactical blank canvas’ with a 500-mile range, 200mpg efficiency and a heavy-duty universal rack.

THE MOTOPED SURVIVAL BIKE

The Motoped Survival Bike is described as something in between a ‘hard-core downhill mountain bike and a fully-fledged motorcycle’.
It can be pedaled or motored without stopping to make a change, and can ‘go where stand alone bicycles or motorcycles can’t’.
Unit weight: 132 pounds
Range: 500 miles (805 km)
Efficiency: 200 mpg (1.2 L/100km)
Top speed: 24mph
Engine Displacement: 49cc / 125cc
Max Horsepower: 49cc – 2.41 HP @ 7500 RPM / 125cc – 7.78 @ 7500 RPM
Front Suspension: Adjustable DNM USD-8 Forks (8″ travel)
Rear Suspension: Adjustable DNM Burner – RCP2 Shock
Seat Height: 35″ (Adjustable)
Cost: $2,499
Source: Motoped
The $2,500 bike can be pedaled or motored without stopping to make a change, and can ‘go where stand alone bicycles or motorcycles can’t’.
But with a top speed of 24mph, could it outrun zombies?
The company certainly appears to think so. ‘This bike was built for the creative survivalist. Apply your favorite gear and escape with your life,’ an online description of the vehicle reads.
Following PrepperCon, Miller, 15, told KUTV that she thought the expo had been ‘really cool’ and that Salt Lake City was a ‘gorgeous’ region.
‘I enjoy meeting the fans and getting their perspective on the show,’ she added.
The North Carolina teenager was joined at the event on Saturday by her co-star, Theo Crane.
Celebrity survival expert Mykel Hawke, a retired U.S. Army Special Forces officer who is best known for his role on the reality TV series ‘Man, Woman, Wild’, also made an appearance.
On its website, PrepperCon describes …

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Win a Tiny Home ($100 purchase necessary)

Social Entrepreneurs at SustainaFest have announced the Tiny House Essay Contest, which will make one person’s dream of sustainable living come true.

The winner of the prixe – its halfway between a competition and a very expensive lottery, will assume ownership of a 210-square-foot, hyper- efficient, off-grid home built by Maryland middle and high school students.

Contestants are required to submit $100 and an essay of 350 words or less answering the question, “What are your keys to living a sustainable lifestyle and how would owning a Tiny House help you realize your dream of living that lifestyle?”

Submissions must be entered by June 1 and will be evaluated by a panel of academics and so-called celebrity judges. A winner will be announced by June 15.

In 2014, sustainability experts and students from around Maryland engaged in a month-long exploration through SustainaFest’s Student Sustainability Lab, sponsored by a housebuilding company and an investment broker.

“The program allowed students, educators, professionals and military veterans to combine forces and build this tiny house – a fully habitable, hi-tech, mobile dwelling,” said George Chmael, director of SustainaFest.

“We now want to share the wonder of this construction marvel with a deserving recipient and spread the word about making more sustainable lifestyle choices,” said Chmael. “(The) contest is a far superior alternative to selling to the highest bidder and makes home ownership attainable for one fortunate person regardless of the size of their bank account.”

SustainaFest has now designed its own tiny house models, with an eye toward addressing the challenges faced by our community’s most needy members, including the homeless and struggling military veterans.

The organization will continue to build houses with students this year and beyond. All proceeds from the contest will support these efforts.

To learn more about SustainaFest, including complete contest rules and how to submit your essay, visit www.sustainafest.org or email info@sustainafest.org.

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Community

Project green junk – Reflector oven

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I have some truly ingenious friends on FaceBook, and Kent Lee Ivey is one of the best, he loves nothing more than to travel around, pick up seemingly unrelated junk and turn it into really useful stuff. Earlier today I saw pictures he posted about how to build a reflector oven, these are really cheap items, but with a bit of effort, it is transformed. Here is how he did it in his words (and pictures):

Two sets of cheap baking trays from Wally World, a pack of brass fasteners from their office supply, and a cheesy trellis thingy from the garden section..
Whalla !
A reflector Oven for $15
Folds back down and nestles together for easy travel.

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Re-posted with permission




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Community

Castle de-fence

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Well, more like a gate, it is part of the defense, I don’t expect anyone to really charge the door, they would have to find it first. PB decided he wanted to reinforce the front door from whatever or whoever may try to come in uninvited, so he built a gate out of solid oak, it’s big and it’s heavy. It’s mostly finished, just needs a good latch of some sort. Here are some pictures of the gate.

 

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With spring here, it’s getting warmer, though it’s still cool enough at night to sometimes build a small fire, just enough to break the chill. The rain seems to have started up early, which is fine, unless I’m needing to get out of the neighborhood, then it’s a mudfest on our unpaved roads, most of the time I can just wait a while for the roads to dry out enough to pass through.

The truck is looking pretty good, PB has really gone above and beyond in getting everything pushed, pulled and knocked back into place, I have been traveling very slowly at night, no more than 45 mph (the speed limit is 70 mph!), I get home later but I get home in one piece. I have had a few more close calls with deer, I seem to be a deer magnet now for some reason. I still plan on getting a grille guard, the one I’m looking at is over $500 installed, but that’s cheaper than having to replace my truck or even spending some time in the ER or worse.

I now have the money to buy this grille guard, but haven’t had the time to get it installed, I’ve been working a LOT, not complaining though, it makes for good paychecks (remember, I live on the cheap, so even a little more money seems like a lot). I’ll be happy to get back into my regular schedule though, working a few days a week then having the rest of the time off to do the other things I need to do.

That’s an update on my life lately, it’s a good life, I am so thankful that I get to live this way, it’s not for everyone, and it took hard work and time to get here, it was worth it.




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I finally got it!

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Actually got it last week, it was sent out a month ago from the UK, it arrived in Chicago and took a long rest, must have been very tired from flying over the ocean ;). I was starting to worry that it just vanished, more likely it fell on the floor behind some desk and someone found it later and sent it on its way.

So what is this? I’m very excited, it’s a Battery Extra battery desulfator, but not just any desulfator, this is designed specifically for off-grid users. This works on the larger battery banks that off-gridders typically have, many desulfators work best on single batteries, they aren’t designed to work on multiple batteries. Sakura Batteries UK company designed this 2nd generation desulfator to work on deep cycle lead acid batteries that are connected together in bank, the one I received is the “EX02 12-48-400“, this work for 12-48 volts up to 1500 Ah, there is one above this unit, it will handle up to 120 volts and 3000 Ah.

Here is what they have to say about this unit:

For the first time a single unit battery desulfator specifically designed to maintain, recover and keep large battery packs in top condition whilst still maintaining the ability to work on smaller battery packs. Generally battery packs in the 12 to 48 volt range, over 500Ah are found in fork lift trucks, medium size off-grid solar systems and power back up systems. Dual power settings allow you to set the Battery Extra EX02 for battery packs up to 500 Ah, or for packs from 500+Ah up to 1,500 Ah. A thermostatically controlled, built in, cooling fan helps dissipate the heat created, when used with 24 volt or higher voltages. The EX02 Battery desulfator also gives an indication of battery internal resistance.

Off-Grid solar system battery packs are particularly susceptible to battery sulfation. Lead acid batteries should always be fully charged before use and with solar batteries this not always possible.

– Quad voltage 12, 24, 36 and 48 volt
– Automatic voltage detection
– Dual power settings 200 and 400 mA
– Battery voltage indicator
– No mains power required
– Works during both charge and discharge cycle
– Aluminum case
– Settable low voltage cut off
– Internal cooling fan
– Short circuit protection built in
– EMC tested to EU standards
– CE compliance tested
– Works on all types of lead acid batteries
– Easy installation via ring connectors.

Noticeable results may be seen after the first use, but in most cases the full benefits of using the Battery Extra will take longer, which is why we offer a 60 day risk free trial. If within 60 days, you are not impressed with the results, we’ll refund your money in full – no questions asked. Try the Battery Extra today.

FREE DELIVERY

Our prices

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Internet of things is anti-people
Mobile

The Coming of Post-Industrial Society

In 1973, the American sociologist Daniel Bell, in his book, The Coming of the Post Industrial Society predicted that advanced societies would change from being based on manufacturing of goods to ones in which knowledge workers would occupy a central position.

This did happen, but because of the meteoric rise of Big Data, the role of the knowledge worker is in danger of being eclipsed by the widespread adoption of smartphones.

These technologies are changing not only society, but the economic models on which society is based.

Jeremy Rifkin remembers Bell’s book very well: “Think about what has changed, it is amazing,” he says.

Over the last few years Rifkin has been traveling the world, predicting a society orchestrated by an all-encompassing communication system, the Internet of Things. It is also the subject of his latest book, The Zero Marginal Cost Society and The Third Industrial Revolution. Spectrum magazine asked him about it.

Spectrum: We are all familiar with the Second Industrial Revolution, the use of steam power, later internal combustion engines, the beginnings of long-distance communication with the telegraph and telephone, cheap travel, etc. What is different today? We have more sophisticated technology, but don’t we basically operate the same way?

Rifkin: That “general purpose” technology took us through the 20th century, and I really believe that it peaked in July 2008 when crude oil hit US $147 a barrel and purchasing power shut down all over the world. I think that was not just the beginning of the Great Recession, but the beginning of the long sunset of the Second Industrial Revolution. I think it is a 30 to 40 year sunset.

Spectrum: So the Third Industrial Revolution would be a consequence of the cost of energy?

Rifkin: From a thermodynamic point of view, we are continuously borrowing low entropy inputs from the planet—that can be a rare earth, a metallic ore, or a fossil fuel—and at every step of conversion across the value chain we are embedding energy from the planet into a product or service, but we are losing energy in this conversion at every step.

We started the Second Industrial Revolution in 1905 with about 3 percent aggregate efficiency. Aggregate efficiency is the ratio of the potential to do useful work. This means that 97 percent of every conversion experienced during the value chain—‚from marshalling resources, shipping them, storing them, producing them, distributing them, recycling them—in every step 3 percent got into the product and service, and 97 percent was lost. By the 1980s we got up to about 13 percent energy efficiency in the United States, and Japan got up to 22 percent. Nothing has moved since then, so you see how the economists keep wondering why productivity has stalled for 25 years, even with all the innovation. The reason it stalled is that our aggregate efficiency maxed out on the Second Industrial Revolution’s …

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Community

Japanese inspired tiny home in Ohio

When Alex Melamed and his wife moved to the traditional brick and mortar town of Yellow Springs, Ohio they built a home only as big as they needed at the time. Melamed is a builder (Green Generation Building) and could keep costs low while still incorporating high design elements like shou-sugi-ban (charred wood) siding.

The tiny square house was affordable to build and to run. It meets Passive House standards relying on “primo” insulation, passive solar and a heat pump when necessary. “Our electric bill was $36 last month,” explains Melamed.

Johnny Sanphillippo filmed the video and gives more context to the story on his blog. “It’s not only a super insulated Passive House, but it’s also a super small and cute Tiny House. It was part of a long-term plan that allowed Alex and his wife to buy land, build a honeymoon cottage for themselves, then save and organize the construction of a larger home in the front portion of their lot. The Tiny House in back will eventually be pressed into service as a home office/guest house/rental unit that can provide flexibility and/or generate income as they go through different stages of life. They’ve actually built with their future children and grandchildren in mind. People are more likely to build a durable high quality home if they expect to occupy it for a lifetime. That’s a very different approach than a developer slapping up cheap condos and speculators buying them with the intention of flipping as the market fluctuates.”

“The larger home that’s currently under construction will not only meet the Passive House standard for energy efficiency, but it will blend with the historical character of the neighborhood while sporting a few modern touches… Of course the town itself is a significant part of why Alex and Andrew are building where and how they are and it’s a key part of the success of their business model. Yellow Springs, Ohio is a pre-World War II “Norman Rockwell” town that offers a pedestrian oriented environment where kids can walk to school and the elderly can age in place in their own homes without the isolation and auto-dependency that is common in post war suburban sprawl.”

* Filmed by Johnny Sanphillippo, owner of a small, mortgage-free home. He also films stories about urbanism, adaptation and resilience for his site Granola Shotgun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFRdUHJekDQ

Source:
https://faircompanies.com/videos/view/japanese-inspired-wood-clad-legal-tiny-home-in-ohio-town/




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Viggo Mortensen interview explaining his secret life off the grid
People

Backwoods past of Movie Star

Actor Viggo Mortensen recalls his favourite filming locations are “the outdoors and natural landscapes, so there are places in New Zealand, particularly the South Island that I really enjoyed and have gone back to. I’ve revisited remote places in the deserts and mountains of Argentina and North Africa. I look forward to going back to Russia to where Eastern Promises was shot, at the border between Siberia and the Ural Mountain region. I also enjoyed shooting in some very remote areas in the west of North America. I recently finished a movie called Captain Fantastic, where I play the father of six kids and we live in a big tent in a completely off-the-grid pine forest. These are places that I’m familiar with because I used to live in that part of the country, literally in the middle of a national forest for some time.”

How often do you travel? Nearly every two or three days I’ve been on a plane going somewhere this year, to Paris, Berlin, London, Argentina, Canada, and America. But I never lose the inspiration to travel because places always change. A place you think you know very well, including where you were born, is not the same place you were born in, it always changes.

Filming in Denmark and Argentina for Mortensen’s latest film ‘Jauja,’reminded him of his childhood in Argentina
“It wasn’t very different from my memories of it when I was there for the film. The streets, the sounds, the people, the way they speak, the food – everything was very familiar. But we were shooting in wild places far removed from urban landscapes, places nearly untouched by humans, with no roads, phones or internet. In Denmark, we shot in the south of the island of Zealand – the island Copenhagen is on. Anytime I go to Denmark I feel at home. I find the more one travels, the more places one can call home and the better you’ll get along with people and also yourself. Travel is probably the greatest anti-war weapon that exists – seeing things first hand, not through the internet, being in direct contact with different cultures, languages, smells and landscapes – different ways of looking at life can only be a positive thing.”

“During the filming of Lord of The Rings, the Department of Conservation allowed us special access into remote areas that most New Zealanders only knew from photos. We got to live and work in there and it was wonderful.

For a perfect holiday Mortensen leaves “my phone and computer behind. Because everything you need is going to be wherever you go. You’re going there to find out about other things so why bring things from the place you’ve just come from? Worst ever travelling experience? Sometimes things that are really disturbing or inconvenient are what make a trip memorable. I remember my dad taking us …

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Community

The new shape in tiny homes, arched cabins

Arched cabin

You have seen A-Frames, you have seen traditional box shaped cabins, but have you seen this? An arched cabin? It’s like an A-Frame but with more room. When I first saw one, it reminded me of the pictures I’ve seen of boats being turned upside down and turned into cabins. (link, link)

I would think these would be good in places with heavy snowfall, and places with lots of wind, I like the design being similar to the A-Frame but it gives you much more useable room, especially in the loft or upstairs area.

Here are some pictures and a couple of videos showing these wonderful cabins, contact info at the bottom

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You can learn more about these arched cabins here
https://archedcabins.com




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Magna Carta Village eviction threat

Residents of the Runnymede Eco-village, next to the site hosting the 800th anniversary celebrations this June, won a court battle yesterday to delay their eviction from the site where they have lived for over 2 years.

But the court ruling today may prove to be a short-lived delay. Lawyers for the owners of the land will be back in court early May and a campaign has started to defend the Magna Carta village.

“We are appealing for as many people as possible to support us,” said Phoenix Rainbow, one of the defendants.

“There are millions of acres of disused land where people could live and grow food,” and we want to draw attention to that.”

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Community

Oogoo

oogoo

As frugal and creative off-gridders, we are always on the lookout for good DIY projects, recently I “discovered” a product that can be made with 2 simple ingredients, one of them I’d be willing to bet you have in your kitchen cupboard right now, the other one you might or might not have BUT it’s easily purchased inexpensively from your local store, even the dollar stores carry it.

The commercial version of this product is called Sugru, it’s basically a silicon molding product, it has many uses from the obvious, creating small molds of nearly anything, to creating rubber coatings and bumpers on items. The only drawback to Sugru is it’s expensive and not readily available.

There is a DIY alternative that seems to be every bit as good as the commercial product, and it’s very inexpensive to make. It’s called “oogoo”, look it up and you’ll be intrigued as to what it can do. The two ingredients to make it are corn starch and 100% silicon, that’s it, unless you wish to color it or make it electrically conductive.

A few days ago, I purchased a big tube of 100% silicon, I was going to get a small tube, but when I compared the price, I could get the larger tube for just a few pennies more, I couldn’t pass up a bargain, and besides, if I don’t use it all, then PB will use it on something.

The way this works is you use about a 50-50 mixture by volume of silicon and corn starch (it’s also referred to as corn flour), you mix mix mix until the starch is fully incorporated, do this is a well ventilated room or outside, it does release fumes that smell of vinegar, it basically smells bad and can irritate you eyes and lungs. Once mixed, it’s like a soft clay that can be shaped, molded, or you can stick small items into it to create a castable mold.

You can experiment with the ratios of silicon and starch, the more starch you add, the quicker it sets, you can add graphite powder to make it electrically conductive, I’m thinking things like making your own stylus for your tablet or phone…

Silicon by itself takes longer to cure, but mixed with the starch, it cures inside and outside at the same time and much quicker. This can act like a glue, it sticks to other items very well, but can be removed, it also sticks to itself very well, so you can add more layers of it after it cures.

I did some searching to discover what this can be used for, I am thinking that it will be perfect for repairing PB’s mukluk boots, the rubber heel part has worn through, they are basically unusable as they are now, so if it works great, if it doesn’t work, then we haven’t …

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