Bacteria can be put to work in cleaning water? Apparently. This from csmonitor.com: World Water Day 2012: Two innovations for purifying water. Want energy with your water? Use bacteria. Engineer Bruce Logan of Penn State University is perfecting a process by which bacteria in wastewater generate the necessary electrical power to clean the water. [continue] [...]
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What if you could exchange goods and services without using cash? Sure you can do that informally amongst people you know, but what if there were a system to make it easy to do this throughout a larger community? With that in mind, consider this Guardian article: Greece on the breadline: cashless currency takes off. [...]
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If you live on Gabriola, I bet you’ve got at least some ferns on your property. How could you not? They’re everywhere. Perhaps, then, this NYT article will be of interest: Ferns Fling Their Spores With a One-Two Catapult. Unlike most other plants, ferns reproduce without seeds or flowers. Instead, they use spores, which are [...]
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X-ray Vision: Fish Inside Out Floral X-rays You know you want to look!
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When a tree falls in the forest, do you wonder what song is embedded in the wood? Maybe you should. Gizmag explains about a record player that plays tree rings. Artists often say they can find music in everything, particularly nature. The question they often face is how to get the general public to hear [...]
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We’ve been thinking a lot about firefighting lately, so I couldn’t resist sharing this news about a robot firefighter with you. From discovery.com: Fire has proven deadly for sailors throughout the centuries of naval warfare. The U.S. Navy wants to counter that ancient foe with a humanoid robot capable of throwing extinguisher grenades as it [...]
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When we have an election or referendum on Gabriola, I usually hear from somebody who wonders why we don’t have internet-based voting. The idea seems to be popular amongst those who have property on the island, but live elsewhere for most of the year. Here’s a story about the security vulnerabilities in one e-voting system: [...]
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Do you remember the story of the German woman who lives without money? Well, here’s the tale of Daniel Suelo, who closed his bank account and moved into a cave. He certainly puts the rest of us to shame in the ecological footprint category.
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Oh my, this looks too fun to be real: Tentsile hanging tent. I want one, but of course they’re crazy expensive.
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Here’s an interesting tale from the University of McGill Daily: Homeless on purpose. It’s about a student who chooses to live outdoors on McGill’s Montreal campus (brrr!), even in the winter.
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On the left we have the Very Serious bumper sticker, seen in Nanaimo. On the right we see a Gabriola bumper sticker, spotted the same afternoon (at Folklife) once we got home from our day of town errands.
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A few years ago I found Gabriola’s forest monster, which was a fun thing to happen across. Now, for far more fun, you must go look at King Hollow, which must be one of the most amazing things ever done with a tree stump. Isn’t it stunning? In Gabriola’s 707 Acre Park, trailmarkers tend to [...]
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My car would be cooler if I had one of these, I’m sure. But this skull is on somebody else’s car antenna.
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Ooh, this is fun: top 10 smallest houses in the world at trouvetout.ca. That rolling German thing… oh my! And if your crawl-space is flooded right now, you might conclude that the last house shown is perfect for Gabriola. In other small house news, the The Parasitic Cabin of San Francisco is delightful.
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We like hammocks, and have two here. (You’ve seen my hammock in summer and in winter.) I notice other people’s hammocks, especially the unusual ones. Red Ferret has found a hammock that looks awfully fun: Cacoon is half tent, half hammock. Would you sleep in one of those? I’d try one, but think my own [...]
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Are you one of the diligent souls who study on the Quinsam? I see you over there with your textbook; bless your academic heart. Well. Here’s some news about studying for you from Wired.com: Everything You Thought You Knew About Learning Is Wrong.
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We’ve got some dedicated cyclists on Gabriola. Are you one of them? If you’re determined to ride on snowy roads and trails, here’s something you might like to try: zap straps (also known as zip ties) on your tires for added traction. The Dutch Bike Company of Seattle explains all in their Seattle Snowpocalypse blog [...]
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You want to know how tall that Douglas Fir is, but you also want to sit on your deck with your feet up. How can you calculate the tree’s height with minimal effort? Lifehacker knows.
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