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Wrath Of Gnon

@wrathofgnon

16 May

https://twitter.com/wrathofgnon/status/1230036331364937729

“Trust the experts.” Yes, but which ones? The microbiologists who for over 30 years have been saying wooden cutting boards are much safer than plastic cutting boards? Or the food safety experts who forced every restaurant you have ever visited to use plastic cutting boards?

https://twitter.com/wrathofgnon/status/1230036331364937729

“Trust the experts.” Yes, but which ones? The epidemiologist who say masks are vital or the epidemiologists who says masks don't matter because the virus isn't airborne? Or the experts in fluid dynamics that can convincingly model how virus carrying droplets move through air?

“Trust the experts.” Yes but which ones? The epidemiologist who can tell you if 5 feet or 7 feet is a safe distance but won't tell you to lose weight to up your survival chances? Or the nurse at the local clinic who will lose her job for telling her patients to get in shape?

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Wrath Of Gnon

@wrathofgnon

13 May

If gas pipelines can fail so can water pipelines. Not too long ago Texans were self-sufficient in household water. Here's a beautiful neoclassical Victorian style above ground cistern to store roof rainwater, at the Rooke House, La Rosa Ranch, U.S. Highway 77, Refugio County.

The problem with above ground cisterns is that they are vulnerable to weather and fire. In Texas all towns and many homesteads used private hand built underground cisterns that could hold 2,000-4,000 gallons of clean drinking water. No water bills, less taxes, sustainable.

Almost all of these have either been removed or filled in, in a fit of damn-the-consequences progress. Here is one that at least remains partly in place, the cistern at the 1834 Fanthorp Inn. Beautiful building, a must visit for Texans into trad building.

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Wrath Of Gnon

@wrathofgnon

12 May

In the Hindu religion, planting certain herbs and trees is considered a traditional religious duty. Tulasi is known as Holy Basil: "A person is honored in Vaikuntha for as many thousand years as the days he resides in a house where tulasi is grown." — Vrukshayurveda, 10th century

"And if one properly grows bilva, which pleases Lord Siva, in his family, the goddess of riches resides permanently passes on to the sons and grandsons."
"He who plants even a single asvattha, wherever it may be, as per the prescribed mode, goes to the abode of Hari."

"He who has planted dhatri has performed several sacrifices. He has donated the earth. He would be considered a celebate forever."
"He who plant a couple of banyan trees as per the prescribed mode would go to the abode of Siva and many heavenly nymphs will attend upon him."

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Wrath Of Gnon

@wrathofgnon

11 May

The future is the past: inland waterway cargo transport is the most efficient way to transport solid or liquid cargo. Units of fuel needed to move 1750 tons of solid goods:

Trailer/truck: 70
Railway: 15
Canal Barge: 1

And imagine the differences in necessary crew numbers.

For liquids the difference is even greater: barges are twice as efficient with liquids as with solids so the efficiency factor between a truck and a barge is now increased to 1:144 in the barges favor.

As for total cargo capacity. The largest feasible cargo barge can transport as much stuff as 1050 trucks or 216 train cars powered by 6 engines. It is a ridiculously large difference.

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Wrath Of Gnon

@wrathofgnon

7 May

It is okay to be interested in how our ancestors solved the problems they faced, because after all the human condition and its predicaments have not changed. To be cynical when someone finds solace or joy in reading Homer or Marcus Aurelius, Dante or Austen, is just unnecessary.

It is okay to go "Wow! Look at this!" when you see an ancient Egyptian child's knitted sock. Ancient Egyptian parents worried about their children's cold feet too. But this doesn't mean we should worship Egyptian feet or reject knitted socks as a barbaric relic of a distant past.

It is easy to imagine a day when factories will stop producing socks: whether by a lack of energy, rising seas, nuclear war, financial crises, etc. What is impossible to imagine though, is each family on their own rediscovering the art of knitting wool socks from scratch.

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Wrath Of Gnon

@wrathofgnon

4 May

Guardian forests (鎮守の森) used to be found in every village in Japan but these days we seldom see them, where the village guardian God manifests. They are usually centered around a small shrine and is as close as possible a remnant of the original forest coverage of the area.

Guardian forests belonged to the village (or the other way around?) and when charcoal or timber products were harvested it was only supposed to be used for religious festivals or in maintaining shrine buildings.

They also performed eco services: as forests were cut back to make room for fields Guardian Forests were important "safe islands" for pollinators, beneficial insects, bees etc. and a roosting place for birds that preyed on pests like rodents, grasshoppers etc. Better harvests!

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