Monday, October 9, 2017

electronic dreams


ELECTRONIC DREAMS

Mexico just had another earthquake.  Puerto Rico just had a dam fail right after the whole island lost electricity.  And of course Houston is going to have a few New Orleans style neighborhoods forever more.  Florida will see the most building, at least as long as it is federally subsidized with Social Security, but eventually a hurricane will blow through and they won’t ever rebuild. 

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Hurricane season seems to be the time all the crazies crawl off their street corner, holding their End Is Nigh signs high overhead.  Gore Warming will kill us all in just a few short years, so buy a Prius.  The Rapture is most likely next week, just ignore the last 879 failed warnings.  It is also a time of renewal for the less crazy but no less focused doomers.  Buy gold because, ah, I guess hurricanes are inflationary?  Hurricanes only started when we started burning coal.  Generators are the only prep against hurricanes.  Sorry, I’m winding down on the sarcasm a bit early.

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I lived in the South for ten years ( if you call east Oklahoma part of The South ) and am no stranger to tornados or hurricanes.  But I will say, I lived there as both the economy was much better and the storms far less severe.  I’m not saying I’d want to go through them now, just that I’m not totally oblivious as to their effects or preps, even if I am now living in wildfire and drought country.  Having lived there with the bugs and humidity and heat, I have some experience with conditions there day to day, also.

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So let me say this.  If you think you need air conditioning to live in the South, what you really mean is that you need AC if you live on the grid.  If you are a prepper and have a generator because you think you need AC, you are doing something wrong.  Very wrong.  Fundamentally wrong.  So wrong I’m vomiting blood right about now.  Folks lived in the region without electricity for, well, ever.  Now, you have alternate energy to live off the grid and you can’t make it because you don’t have ENOUGH electricity?  Are you listening to yourself?  Pretty pony princesses, all of you!

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Okay, we’ve all been dumb asses plenty of times in our lives, myself probably more than anyone else.  The point is you learn from your mistakes.  So here is today’s lesson I though we all had learned twenty years ago while studying Y2K.  Learn to live with almost no electricity.  Not to say you must live like that now, just that you need to be able to live like that without notice.  And stay living like that.  Because you never know when the next storm is most serious, or how long the aftereffects last, or, hell, even when North Korea nukes us and the whole country goes black.

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How long will your generator last then?  Best to not rely on it for life saving functions, just luxury, and just temporarily.  All these preppers out there, squealing like stuck pigs about how the island of PR is out of juice?  They don’t care about all those poor brown people, they worry because the thought of their own location out of electricity gives them night terrors.  Because they are the AC/generator preppers.  How about learning to be an “off-grid for life” prepper?  Do you think everyone that lives in PR is really hurting right now?  Most folks there are poor.  They know how to live without much money.  They were also living in the old slums.

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The retirees from the mainland in their McMansions, and the tourists in the new hotels, they need electricity because their ultra new shiny status symbol shelters are designed from the ground up to require power 24/7.  The slums, built prior to electricity being “mandatory”, or built with no affordable electricity in mind, they have far fewer problems.  Hey, they are living in a tropical paradise, no heat needed, and with plenty of water from rain.  How tough do they really have it, compared to say Florida retirement home residents? 

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A good portion of the world lives in Puerto Rico-like  conditions.  Hot year round.  Me, I think hot sucks, but most folks love running around in shorts, letting their junk air out every day.  Which they do in Minneapolis by running the heat  and air unit year round for a mall like climate ( as a kid, I used to love the indoor malls not for consumerism-we were not well off- and not even for the illusion of consumerism by Window Shopping, but simply because that was the only time we got perfect weather.  We didn’t have central air-that was Rich Bitch luxury ).

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And most folks live without air conditioning.  Be thankful you have any power for rotary fans.  Because, seriously, how spoiled are you if you can’t survive without it ( assuming you live in a building that isn’t sealed up )?  I lived in a mobile home in Florida.  It came with a screened in porch.  To me, that was the height of luxury, a no electric cool room.  I didn’t need AC with that and the tree overhead.  In the ex’s condo, yes, you needed AC, as there were no cross breeze windows.  At least that turd was insulated enough that we used very little.  But I only lived there about 10% of my residency, the rest being in trailers.  Without AC.  Or clothes dryers.

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In theory, as a prepper, you do understand that the day isn’t far away when no electric is standard, not just storm induced, correct?  And yet everyone is stuck on the “duplicate grid” paradigm.  You do know a bit of history, do you not?  Even if we never Civilization Collapse, we are ALREADY well into Economic Collapse.  That means we go back to pre-WWII when electric was actually just a luxury.  You went to the movies or the public pool to cool off.  THAT was luxury, not 24/7 electric for everyone.  Electric was lights, and perhaps the radio ( if it wasn’t battery powered ), and that was about it.  The future isn’t what you want.  You simply aren’t that special.

END ( today's related link http://amzn.to/2wR8K4P )
 
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28 comments:

  1. It's a precarious time right now. Some of us believe the end is nigh, but right now everything is alright. Some of us are aware of the lifestyle change we may have to adapt to in the future but since right now is OK why change to adapt to a lifestyle we don't like if we don't have to?

    If the future holds that our lifestyles will bounce back to that of the 19th century, but we don't know when that bounce will occur, why should I get rid of my Blazer now and start riding a bike or walking every where?

    I think about this a lot. Everyday. MOST of everyday.
    I have no solutions, but I believe adaptability and flexibility, and resiliency are the core requirements, right after acquiring a rural environment to live in. Preferably a rural environment 100 miles from any metropolises with more than 50k population. A substantial backstock of living items and a network of like minded folks within a few miles and that's about the best you can do.

    If the collapse is overwhelming and quick the transition will be quick and painful. If the collapse is slow, say, over the course of a year or so, the adaptability will come into play. Slowly getting used to things like electricity blacking out and getting more expensive, same with water and sewer, fuel gas, etc.

    I for one ain't getting rid on my vehicles before I had to because right now it is not possible to live without them. ALL of the work around methods you have mentioned in the past simply will not work here as the distances to anything are overwhelming. Life after a future collapse around here will be completely reliant on products and services offered by local folks. No sane person is going to ride a bike over steep hills for at least 10 miles to get supplies unless there is absolutely no other way.

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    1. I don't disagree with you and your position on vehicles. Honestly. I understand nearly 3/4 of this continent should never have been settled by Whites with such a short term solution as coal or oil ( to include my location ). I just think that the change will happen much quicker than we imagine. Our empire has had extra time to devolve, already. Extra compared to others. To think we still have extra is delusional. Okay, hopeful but delusional. I don't have a viable solution. All my work-arounds assume small town living or proximity rather than rural commuting distances. Who is to say your solution isn't better? You might have bought yourself the needed extra time with your vehicles. All my ranting might just have been putting the cart before the horse.

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    2. Hope you're not taking my reply the wrong way. I read everything you write here and agree with most of it and am thankful for the resource. I'm mostly saying we're going into the vast unknown so and DEEP planning might be the WRONG planning, so it's best to plan but allow for differences.

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    3. I didn't take it the wrong way at all. I'm agreeing with it. I'm thinking deep planning is our only salvation since we have less time than thought, but I also see you as being correct for the short term needs. We are both right and both screwed because of it. I think the current living arrangement while necessary doesn't allow MOST people to plan on allowing differences-too expensive.

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    4. aside from the fact that we have no $$$ so buying land is not an option, my husband and i are old and have need of doctors, so living far from medical facilities is not viable.
      if anyone buys land he should assess the services available or supply them himself; medical, fire, police.
      we all age, so it is an important consideration.

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    5. Just spitballing here-I don't know your location. But if it is suboptimal, the question becomes "what land and shelter can I buy cheaper than what my house is in property taxes". I would say if you downsize radically almost any junk land and small house is preferable. And if you are already paying for a car, why is a thirty minute drive to medical care unreasonable? Once pensions are no longer paid ( to include SS, even if only way below inflation payments ), property tax becomes a killer.

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  2. After living on a sailboat for seven years and no AC. We certainly learned how to survive with little electricity.
    Tho we had the same Honda gennie we've still got and a wind machine along with a single small solar panel.
    Now days we've got probably four times the solar panels. Yet don't use it for AC. Just lights , fans and the freezer which makes ice for a cooler.
    The Honda allows the freezer part. Yet if we managed well, could get by without the thousand watts it puts out.
    Nope we just have learned to get along without climate control.
    It would be easy enough to build a wood gasifier for that little Honda too. Or power it with methane. But I'd rather use the methane for cooking.
    You are correct in saying that ya don't need a generator to survive, but I definitely recommend if you do have one. Go small and go with the Honda. It will last a lifetime with proper maintenance and sure make life easier.

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    1. Before you get a Honda ( and that would be the ONLY one you should even consider ), just consider what you want it to do. Then, price quality cans, stabilizer, no-ethanol gas, for at least a year. Like what you see?

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    2. The non ethanol gas would be better, but just as long as you use additive the E gas works fine.
      A years worth though ? I guess would depend on how much Y'ALL plan on running the thing.
      Right now I only keep around fifty gallons and rotate thru the vehicle. Do use Stabil on it tho.
      I do have a back up tank which holds another fifty gallons...that I've only panicked a few times and filled lol. Main thing is to always rotate whatever you store !
      Another advantage to gasoline is that I've got three coleman duel fuel stoves, which run fine on normal unleaded with Stabil.
      In fact we used one during the Irma blackout.
      Also have an alcohol stove for use inside the house.
      Keep around five gallons of fuel for it. Which used every day for cooking would last about five months.

      Another comparable generator is the Yamaha ones, supposedly they are good too. Of course their price tag is up there with the Honda.

      Being able to run power tools, is probably their most important role.
      It might be foolish to waste the resource long term for running refrigeration. Solar being the better power for that.
      Generators in my opinion are only a supplemental back up. Used this way they are a good long term tool.

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    3. About a five year long term tool. Just like 12v batts. Only invest with that in mind. Not silly, as most of us can't go past five years of food. As long as critical functions aren't included...

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  3. Where I reside (deep south Texas - a snow event every 100 YEARS or so, 5 days or less of freezing temperatures per year), living with no A/C is misery. Even with electric fans, a few elederly are killed from the temperature highs. When the electricity dies, an outside hammock and ear plugs to block out the sound of insects will barely allow you to sleep. Really sucks ass - just no delicate way to put it.

    Winter time - not a problem at all. We don't run the heater hardly ever - it can get to mid 50's inside, but that is downright comfortable under a blanket, imo.

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    1. How do Bush Bitches in equatorial Africa or the Amazon live with the heat/humidity? Nobody lives in misery-they always find workarounds. There has to be a solution we aren't seeing.

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    2. Somebody once asked the local Injuns here what their secret was for staying warm during the winter? Answer was There's no secret; sometimes people just froze to death.

      Or another, How did the early Appalachian settlers stay so healthy when they were so far away from medical care? Well, they'd gather around and play music and sing while the sick person died, is all.

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    3. I don't care who you are, that's funny! That is our future. For the first time in several generations, it's back to Darwinist Selections. It sucks for the individual but better for everyone else all around.

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    4. I lived in Fort Myers Florida and from 1966 to 1971 we did not have air conditioning until my dad built a new house with central air in 1971. Same with junior and senior high school, no air. I remember trying to fall asleep in the summer with box fans running but not doing much good, rolling back and forth on the sheets trying to find a cool spot. It was miserable. !972-74 I worked in concrete construction on high rise condo's and the temp on the slab in mid summer was often over 120 degrees. Daily attire was cut-off shorts, boots, and a t-shirt tucked in the waist band to mop the mug off every 10 minutes. Pay was damn good though, tan was proper and all muscles well defined. I was 19 years old in 74 and I could grab 2 concrete blocks (36lbs each) with each hand (144lbs total) and swing all of them simultaneously up onto a 5' high scaffolding all day long. Now, I struggle with one. Not really, I can carry one in each hand but only for short distances of say 50 feet or so. I was a superhero in my yoot and never even realized it.

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    5. Anon 10:47 here - Hey, when you never had A/C or know of its existence, its just Reality. I get that. We'd deal with it if it came to that, but man, acclimatizing for that would really be bad during the summer months.

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    6. You look at some guys in the South, they sit around and sweat and keep wiping sweaty brows. Look at Bush Bitches they just walk around like nothing is amiss. They don't "deal with it", it just seems comfortable. The only diff. I can tell is Southerners jump in and out of AC. So the "out" part seems really uncomfortable. It took me something like three years, if not five, to completely acclimate to the cold here. Now, 40's w/o wind is shirt sleeves. I can't stand it much above 60.

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  4. If you have a battery bank worth some money (decent ones are 500+ pounds and a couple thousand bucks minimum), you don't/can't let it stay discharged (even to 50%) for longer than overnight. If the weather is dark, even your panels-of-great-size may not put out enough current for long enough to recharge. Of course, all high-draw and extra power consumption is denied/delayed, but the best solution is to recharge from a genset right away. For an all-DC house, a DC charger with a field controller is great. If you have an inverter with a built-in charger (some are really good- >100A to battery bank if the alternating current genset can keep up) , then plug in and let it work. If adding a plug-in charger, get enough charger (C/5? one-fifth of the rated amp-hours of the battery bank) so that you can get 85% charged on a fueled genset pretty quickly. If you have a 500A battery and a 15A charger ($79 Schumacher Ship&Shore is good, just too small), even plugged into the grid you may never get fully charged and your battery life will suffer.

    Having a generator is good, in general. How it's used is the difference between a noisy fuel guzzler and an important back-up. RV's REQUIRE a generator only to run the roof airconditioning, electric toaster, electric hot water, 12 cubic foot barely-insulated fridge, microwave, icemaker, hair drier, etc. as if the grid was up. LED interior lighta, laptop, and vent fan run fine on roof solar pv.

    Keeping cool in Texas? Evaporative cooling system built in to each hairless monkey called "sweating". Keep hydrated! Dehydration is what kills old and young alike. Bring a shade tarp and some line for the hot mid-day, and sit under it while telling stories of riding on airliners in the 1960's with the Jet Set.

    pdxr13

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    1. I didn't realize a big system could be damaged if you don't keep charged. Interesting.

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    2. Yes the plates will sulfate quickly on anything less than fifty%. Best is to work in the top twenty percent at all times. Doing this you can expect 8-10 years out of lead acid.
      It can be harsh on the pocket book if you break this rule of thumb.

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    3. So, since I only ever really take it below 20% a few times during a rare cloudy week, the reason I'm only getting 2 years out of them is because they are Wal-Mart. Next one I'll get Napa and pay 80% more, then in theory go another four years minimum.

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    4. Using the "top" 20% only, yes. But I'd go with name brand such as Interstate or someone that make their own batteries.
      Most Walmart, Napa or Sears are made by low bid contract

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    5. You'd think with the price of Napa or Sears...okay, Interstate it is. Knock on wood, the last one will last awhile sitting doing nothing but trickle charge.

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    6. Just beware of overcharge and running low on water , air and sulfation and heat are pretty much the only things which harm a battery

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  5. Personally speaking, I can’t sleep if I’m hot. So I’m quite baffled at how people survived, especially wearing all of that clothing that they did, in such hot, humid, hellholes such as Florida, or even a non-humid hellhole like Arizona, prior to AC or fans. If it came down to that, and I lived in such an area, I’d have to move somewhere cold. Sure, the cold is miserable as well, but if you bundle up enough, you can generally keep semi-warm, and at least you can sleep at night.

    According to the Surviving Off Off - Grid dude, most homesteaders built first, and lived in the root cellar for a while as the homestead was being built. And I don’t think that I’ve ever seen an old home without a basement, so they probably retreated down there when it got really hot. If you have a prevailing breeze, you can always build your house accordingly with large opposing windows to take advantage of the breeze. The Rancho Costa Nada dude mentioned something about dampening his sheets before going to bed, while staying in Blythe, but he also had fans. I’ve heard of others setting up a type of Gazebo covered in netting that was dampened via water reservoir, and as the breeze passed through, it sort of produced the same effect as a swamp cooler.

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    1. I also mentioned a YouTube video where they used a window full of 2-liter bottles with the bottom cut off. As the breeze passed through the reduction in size cooled the air somewhat.

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  6. some of our ancestors on this continent migrated according to season.
    the ohio river flooded in spring so people camped elsewhere until the water receded and then planted crops on the bottoms.
    read a article years ago about how middle easterners in desert regions built towers [mud brick] attached to houses. as wind passed down the the air was cooled and went into the house. the window into the house from the tower was closed in winter.

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    1. Sounds like "working WITH nature rather than against her".

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