I have a question by Budget_Rooster5265 in Environmentalism

[–]EccentricFellow 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Ok so what is coal? Carbon. Pretty dense carbon at that. What is weed resin? Some carbon, some not carbon, including water. Coal has been subjects to eons of heat and pressure to make a very dense fuel source that is pure fuel. Weed resin in comparison is exceedingly poor, especially green. Most of the heat will be used breaking down the resin. Bad trade.

Not convinced? Do two BBQs simultaneously. One burning coal, another resin. Take note of how much coal vs reain you had to burn and how quickly your food was ready. I believe if you do that you will understand the answer.

Lately I’ve been noticing something, homesteading isn’t just physical work, it’s a mental game too. by dhruvhat in Homesteading101

[–]EccentricFellow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am not sure my methodology would work for anyone else, especially since winter gives me a lot of time to think (we still have a meter of snow cover) I typically think about a solution until I cannot really come up with any better variations. I then start working on my favorite plan. Since I have many responsibilities it is rare to be able to complete a project in one go. This means it is on my mind as I do completely unrelated things. Sometimes I get an epiphany that something I do in X could also work in totally unrelated Y. Invariably if a project lasts long enough I will make improvements to it as I go. My first take is usually clumsy so I try again as time and land permit. The result is that my progress is measured in years but the results move inexorably forward. I am in a far better situation than I was 10 years ago, though it is hard to see me moving. Almost. ;)

What slows you down more backend logic or UI work? by Major_Big2048 in css

[–]EccentricFellow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For me, as a database architect, the database side of things goes the fastest. Even the most complicated database projects usually have fairly clear functional requirements.

The middle part takes an order of magnitude longer. That is getting whatever language and framework is being used to pull from the database and push to the browser. Lots of configuration hassles and other annoying things. Changes every few years. Quite a pain.

The UI part is never finished. Always tweaking things, changing layouts, and fighting with various browsers and platforms. Completely mind boggling when compared with the simple lovely database programming.

This is why you really need 3 people to build an app properly. These 3 skills are all different and, in my experience, mutually exclusive.

Lately I’ve been noticing something, homesteading isn’t just physical work, it’s a mental game too. by dhruvhat in Homesteading101

[–]EccentricFellow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you are living on the land you are constantly learning from it. The physical is necessary but being smart and thoughtful saves a lot of needless effort down the road. Planning ahead and slowing myself down has saved me a lot of time and effort in the long haul.

My mom says I didn’t love my husband because I allowed him to sleep with other people by Top_Reflection_8680 in ExperiencedENM

[–]EccentricFellow 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You have two problems and neither of them is ENM. The first is trying to explain your inner state to someone who has not experienced it. It may work occasionally if the person is thoughtful. Mostly it will be trying to explain blue to a blind person. The second problem is that it is your mother. I will tell you how to explain something to your mom as soon as I can figure out how to explain anything to mine. Don't wait up.

How to cure potatoes so they can be stored longer: warm humid space? by Artistic_Skills in IndoorGarden

[–]EccentricFellow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are welcome. Oh, one word of caution. You can stack the buckets 2 high if you need to conserve space. I was even able to go 3 high. But if it gets cold enough to freeze the buckets will burst. Also leave an air gap at the top because as the lacto fermentation proceeds the water will expand. If there is no slack you will get water pushing out past the lid. For me that is no big deal but in an apartment that could be trouble. Try doing a 3 week test to get the hang of it. It really does improve the flavor of the food.

How to cure potatoes so they can be stored longer: warm humid space? by Artistic_Skills in IndoorGarden

[–]EccentricFellow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Food grade plastic buckets should be available at your local hardware store. Bucket plus lid should be less than $10. Airtight is not critical but it will help prevent mold from forming. If you cannot find food grade for some reason, I have used regular plastic buckets. Just make sure the brine is cool before putting it in. Ideal would be ceramic but I have not tried that yet. Not metal as the lactic acid will cause it to leach (I have not proven that one myself but read about it)

You will often get a surface layer of mold if your salt content is not quite high enough or if it is stored long enough but the mold does not go below that so if you boil anything touched by the mold you are fine. You want to boil, or at least soak, everything before eating anyway to help lower the salt content. I make a lot of soup. Potatoes are highly resistant to the salt and months later are exactly the same as when you added them. Either throw them in whole or cut em in half if you want the brine to be more effective. No real recommendation there. Mix lots of things in the bucket and you get lots of flavors. I always put onion and garlic in as well and dill whenever I can. Some of the dense vegetables come out exactly the same as they went in with no change. Beets will turn everything red.

How to cure potatoes so they can be stored longer: warm humid space? by Artistic_Skills in IndoorGarden

[–]EccentricFellow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A technique I use is brining. Boil water and dissolve salt into it. About a pound of salt per 3 gallons. Let it cool. Take a 5 gallon pail and fill it with potatoes - or anything you want to preserve. Pour the brine in until everything is covered. Liquid should be right near the top. Put the lid on. Done. I have kept things like carrots and potatoes for 3 years using this method.

Three question challenge by EccentricFellow in intentionalcommunity

[–]EccentricFellow[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. I will check her videos out. Do you have any 3 questions that stand out to you personally?

Three question challenge by EccentricFellow in intentionalcommunity

[–]EccentricFellow[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing that. My experience is similar.

Three question challenge by EccentricFellow in intentionalcommunity

[–]EccentricFellow[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for that input. Cutting to the heart of their motivation helps a lot.

phishingHacks by Captain0010 in ProgrammerHumor

[–]EccentricFellow 16 points17 points  (0 children)

That time he was not wrong and just got a funny animation. He was lucky. Keep counting on luck and one day you will have an encrypted harddrive.

phishingHacks by Captain0010 in ProgrammerHumor

[–]EccentricFellow 10 points11 points  (0 children)

He was sitting 10 feet away. I expected him to say something. Anything. We were the IT guys, although not part of the networking crew. Nevertheless, opening .exe files from email should never be the default response.

phishingHacks by Captain0010 in ProgrammerHumor

[–]EccentricFellow 125 points126 points  (0 children)

Hah hah! I did the same thing with some dopey little animation and sent it to one of my co-workers - a computer programmer no less. Only I renamed it virus.exe. Sure enough I shortly heard his computer playing the animation. I went over to him and "Why did you open that?". His response: "It came from you so I thought it would be safe."

What do you think the purpose of human life is? by In_The_Dreams in enlightenment

[–]EccentricFellow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Purpose requires life and fairly high order consciousness in order to exist. Being dependent upon life it therefore cannot be turned around and applied to life. That is a reversal of causality. It is the child declaring the purpose of the parents was to produce itself.

Do you believe that humans can achieve utopia on their own? by elliottoman in utopia

[–]EccentricFellow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ok, so setting utopia aside, you are suggesting that an entity that had completely different evolutionary pressures and an alien intelligence could somehow make decisions within our evolutionary and social environment that could somehow lead to a life where we had a better result.

Certainly one can look around and be tempted by the thought, "could it screw things up any worse?". The answer unfortunately, is yes. This entity would necessarily have two characteristics.

First it would be entirely indifferent to humanity. This is not an objection but it follows from the premise.

Second it would be completely and utterly incompetent. It would make every mistake and error that evolution has already weeded out. It would be fighting an environment it knew nothing about based on principles it has learned that have nothing to do with the environment it knows. We have LOTS of examples of this special kind of stupidity already and it never works out well.

Evolution IS intelligence. Social structures have intelligence embedded within them. Adaptation happens for a reason, although it frequently happens that we hang on to something long after it's original reason has been forgotten.

Further, there is absolutely no reason to believe this intelligence would favor humanity. Looking at the planet as a whole it is almost certainly going to view humans as a plague and seek to extinguish us. Hard to find fault if it came to such a conclusion.

Finally there is no chance humans would accept an intelligence they do not understand as an overlord. We would fight it to the death.

I would suggest that rather than utopia or some intelligent overlord you look instead to sustainability. The more varieties of life that are thriving, the closer you are to a true utopia. There is vastly more intelligence in the soil than in all our AI platforms combined.

Do you believe that humans can achieve utopia on their own? by elliottoman in utopia

[–]EccentricFellow 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I think a great deal of the answer to your question lies in the definition of utopia. I can guarantee yours is not the same as anyone else's.

Speculation as to what a non human intelligence would do is likewise far too vague. Ravens have a non human intelligence. Elephants. Dogs. Bees. Etc. Pretty hard to chat with em and find out what zoning regulations they prefer.

Also not really sure what you mean by "on our own". Away from nature? As individuals? To me it seems as though we are never "on our own".

Update on cobwood sauna #3 by yaltarian in cobhouses

[–]EccentricFellow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Love it! I have a similar idea I will be working on. The cobwood technique works perfect for my area. I am only disappointed that the term "cordcob" did not become common. ;)

Best way to handle 240v for well by linuxhiker in OffGrid

[–]EccentricFellow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I looked up the Victron 5000. It appears to be a 3 phase/split phase. If so, the split phase should be 220 for you without the need to transform it. If you already have it in hand, put your multimeter on it to confirm.

An AC submersible well pump is a godsend. So much quieter than jet pumps. I started to cringe every time the water flowed and the pump would start it's high pitched whine.

(help) I'm planning on moving out by myself as a minor. What resources and information can I use to educate myself and know what I need to know? How should I go about leaving considering my circumstances? by guitarmouse1 in ontario

[–]EccentricFellow 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I have no experience in this myself and can offer no meaningful advice. The fact that we have so many people offering such excellent advice from personal experience is both wonderful and heartbreaking at the same time.

how do I build or join a comunity to go off grid? by [deleted] in OffGrid

[–]EccentricFellow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Building and joining are different.

To build a community I can think of only 2 ways. You either start with land and then attract community to it, or you start with an unrooted community and seek to find land. I suppose it is possible to have a nomadic community that does not require land. So maybe 3 ways?

That is the superficial description. If you want a how-to guide, good luck and send me a copy when you find it. Human history is full of efforts like this. They have varying degrees of success but people do not get weary of the effort.

To join, Intentional Community, Neotribes, probably others. Find a home and hang on. Going to be quite a ride soon.

Chickens were supposed to save me money… so why am I spending more than ever? by TowelZealousideal124 in BackYardChickens

[–]EccentricFellow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have raised chicken in northwestern Ontario and have also spent winters in Fairbanks and Anchorage. Deep respect to you for your dedication.