Old World Swine

Tree and Leaves

Introducing the Totally Organic Leaf Removal System (TOLRS or "Tollers", for short).

I even recycle any cans and bottles the job requires, so... how green is my frikkin' valley? It's not only good for the environment, but it's about the best exercise I get all year. Okay, it's some of the only exercise I get all year, but... all the more important, for that.

I rake a heaping pile of leaves onto a big tarp, drag it into the woods in back of our property, and Nature does the rest, breaking the oak leaves down into their component elements, along with this year's Halloween jack-o-lanterns. There was a deer bedded down in the woods last time I was working, and she must have really liked that particular spot, because she would get up and snort and stamp around a little, maybe walk away a few yards, but she didn't bolt, even though I disturbed her a few times.

I know she thought I must have been nuts. You could practically read it in her expression, "What in the world are you doing, dragging leaves from one spot to another? Are you making a nest? Storing them for the winter? Do you plan to eat them?... what?!... you're not making sense."

I could only shrug inwardly, "It's an aesthetic thing. And the neighbors wouldn't think too well of me if I didn't clean them up. Sorry to bother you.".

There is a subtle, spicy aroma to oak leaves that I find lifts my spirits, and the weather has been amazing... a classic Indian summer. I'm very grateful to be out in it, and then there is a kind of physical poetry to the work itself that seems very life-affirming. I recommend it. It's a terrific sleep aid.

Green Industries in the Red

It's a shame that an idea like solar power - an idea I find very Elvish - takes a hit whenever gas prices drop, but that's the way of things. Forms of energy ere interchangeable, to some extent, so when there is plenty of cheap gas, far fewer people are interested in things like solar or geothermal power because of the cost of the initial investment.

The idea of a basically passive and nearly invisible system to draw power from the earth or the sun is, as I say, very Elvish. I think Tolkien would approve. The idea of making individual families more independent of "the grid" is not only practical, but spiritually healthy... a distributist approach. Solar and geothermal (and other green alternatives) will never be able to provide for all of our power needs, but if families were to trim their power demands and be more responsible in terms of waste, it could provide a much bigger chunk than it does at present.

I just read yesterday that scientists have been developing a method for squeezing 10 terabytes of data or more onto a disc the size of a DVD. That's about 200 times the capacity of a Blu-Ray disc.

Surely if we really ramped up our commitment to research into solar and other alternatives, we could squeeze a lot more efficiency out of the technology. But people are fickle, and Americans in particular suffer from a kind of cellective Attemtion Deficit Disorder when it comes to making lifestyle changes.

Now, see, some of you probably thought I was anti-environmentalist, but it ain't so. I just think environmentalism - like any "ism" - will eat you alive if you let it get out of control. In it's proper relation to a comprehensive philosophy of responsible stewardship, environmentalism is a necessity. But stewardship makes no sense unless it is tethered to a healthy and ordinate love for creation as the expression of a loving Creator.

Ordinate love for all things... God first - One in Three... and all else in relation to Him.

Energy Secretary Chu: "Run in Circles! Scream and Shout!"

Now, aren't you glad that the Obama administration is taking politics out of science? That's what enables his energy secretary, Steven Chu (nicknamed "Big League" by Obama) to make sober and coldly rational assessments like this;

"Lots of area in Florida will go under. New Orleans at three-meter height is in great peril. If you look at, you know, the Bay Area, where I came from, all three airports would be under water. So this is -- this is serious stuff. The impacts could be enormous,"

So, everyone, run out and buy an electric car right now! Form a drumming circle and ceremonially break all your conventional light bulbs and replace them with fluorescents! Drink your own bathwater! Most importantly, though, be sure not to do anything reckless and irresponsible like having children, because they will suck up resources that could be better spent on spotted owls and snail darters and such.

Now, it's true that none of these actions will impact global warming at all, but they will make you feel better - will give you a vague sense of having contributed to something - and anyway, that's the way the herd is going. Polls show that people are concerned about recent polling on attitudes toward global warming. The voters have spoken!... and as we know, democracy is never wrong... just look at Palestine, and the Weimar Republic... and lemmings (an example from nature, which is also never wrong).

Unfortunately, while Crock o' Bama and his sycophantic minions cabinet valiantly attempt to keep reason science and politics in completely separate, hermetically sealed envelopes, there are still divisive and radical voices trying to ruin everything;

"Secretary Chu still seems to believe that computer model predictions decades or 100 years from now are some sort of 'evidence' of a looming climate catastrophe, said Marc Morano, executive editor of ClimateDepot.com and former top aide to global warming critic Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla. 

"Secretary Chu's assertions on sea level rise and hurricanes are quite simply being proven wrong by the latest climate data. As the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute reported in December 12, 2008: There is 'no evidence for accelerated sea-level rise.'"

Morano said hurricane activity levels in both hemispheres of the globe are at 30 years lows and hurricane experts like MIT's Kerry Emanuel and Tom Knutson of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration  "are now backing off their previous dire predictions."

He said Chu is out of date on the science and is promoting unverified and alarming predictions that have already been proven contrary.

Darn This Global Warming!

Massive snowfalls in Europe.

It's supposed to be about 12º here tonight, and some still without power from last week's ice storm.

...................

Things are pretty hectic for me this week, what with this being the last week at my day job and also recovering from the ice storm and trying to ramp up some work for the coming weeks and months. Lots of ideas rattling around in the old brain box... I just need some time to get organized. Blogging will likely be light for a few days.

Meanwhile;

Sean at The Blue Boar relates a little story about buying wine from a "Lisping Pretentious Guy". I don't have that problem... the place where I normally buy our weekly supply of wine and beer is run almost exclusively by ladies who call everyone "Hon" and take cigarette breaks out back. Once a month, or so, we drive into Missouri (we live in a dry county, which I try to treat as a penance) and go to a large, more upscale shop that gives free wine tastings and will even send a sommelier to your party or get-together. They have a baffling selection of microbrews that is a joy to behold. Is it wrong to request gift certificates from a liquor store? A bad example for the kids?... "Just get Dad a gift certificate from Macadoodles and he'll be happy...".

 

Paul at Spike is Best displays some delightful new artwork, as well as poetry, horticulture tips, meditations on modern life. His Whiskey and Winter Pears painting is beautifully done, and he has some very admirable sketches, as well. This brings to mind a scheme I have ruminated on from time to time, whereby I might swap some of my meager scratchings for the work of some artist friends... hmmm...

Talking of which, The Aesthetic Elevator has some very good thoughts on authenticity in materials, as well as posting a video interview with the founder of Etsy.

Investor's Business Daily - The Day the Earth Cooled

Via National Review Online, I came across this piece at Investor's Business Daily on the Terrifying Solar Wind Crisis, which points out that;

"...The four major agencies tracking Earth's temperature, including NASA's Goddard Institute, report that the Earth cooled 0.7 degree Celsius in 2007, the fastest decline in the age of instrumentation, putting us back to where the Earth was in 1930.

The climate is changing, but not in the direction Al Gore thinks. As the Earth demonstrably cools under a weakening sun, a 10-state coalition on Thursday held the nation's first carbon allowance auction to deal with a warming trend that may have ended a decade ago."

Global warming is over. Get back to your lives, citizens.

That being said, I do believe we ought to be as nice to the planet as we can, and that waste is still a sin.

A Cool Name for a Nerdy Hobby

Look at me! What my dad used to call "common sense" has been re-branded as "hyper-miling", and I'm taking full advantage, trying to demonstrate to my kids that behaving like a miser can be both phat and dope.

Basically, hyper-miling is a way (or a number of ways) of squeezing every last yard out of a tank of gas. Though I can't quantify it yet (not having run out a full tank of gas and crunched the numbers) I have already seen improvement in miles-per-gallon based only on how fast my fuel gauge has been moving.

There are a lot tips and tricks that can help you get farther on the pricey gas we're all buying now. I have been using only a few of these methods, and I've seen a difference. Some of them, like I said, are just common sense, some of them I had not known or thought of, and some of them might actually be inadvisable if you want to stay on good terms with other drivers and not tangle traffic. Use your best judgment.

I won't be using everything in the truly dedicated hypermiler's bag of tricks, but here's what I have done in just the last few weeks:

First, I have slowed down, shaving probably 5 mph off my previous speeds. That means driving almost always in the "slow" lane on the right side of the freeway, which bothers me not at all. It's less stressful over there (except for the occasional merging driver) and I never even blink, now, when I see a police cruiser. I also drive more slowly in town. I find on most trips I don't lose more than 3 minutes, even on my commute to work (37 miles, or so). That's not enough to even think about.

Then, I followed advice I read on a hypermiling website and inflated my tires to the maximum recommended pressure on the tire sidewall. Again, I saw a slight but noticeable improvement in mileage.

I also unloaded 100 pounds of camping equipment out of my car. That would be one of those common sense things...

In addition, I have been generally much more aware of "engine load". In town, I keep a sharper eye out for red lights ahead, and usually begin coasting almost immediately - sometimes in neutral -  rather than running up to the intersection like I was late for something. I coast down big hills in neutral, which drops engine RPMs considerably. Yesterday on the freeway, I drafted a big 18 wheeler for at least five miles, which felt kind of like cheating - only without being immoral and making me a jerk. It was kind of cool (yes, I kept a safe distance... a few car lengths).

Next, when I change my engine oil, I plan to put in the lowest viscosity oil recommended for my engine. A thinner oil makes the engine run more freely (though older engines may need oil with a greater viscosity to reduce wear). You will want to make sure and change your oil according to your car owner's manual specifications (usually around every 3000 miles).

Hey, it saves money, reduces demand for oil, helps the environment, and it is kind of fun in a geeky sort of way. Next time I fill up, I'll set my trip odometer, figure my *new* gas mileage and report back.

(Take a gander at the Ultimate Guide to Hypermiling)