What's your plan? If everything we know gets turned on its ass, what preps have you made?
Here are my thoughts and plans.
So far, I've studied electronics engineering, union electrician, framing, plumbing, basic mechanical engineering, hydrodynamics, basic combustion engine design, principals and maintenance. I've also studied fluid dynamics and chemistry enough to undrstand the basics of fuel extraction and the way it combusts.
I've also researched waste managment and water filtration, management, and collection.
I've studied metallurgy, including forging, alloying, and am currently learning general metal-working (turning and casting).
The goal: Totally self sustaining existance with a retention of quality of living.
In other words, the rest of you can go back to caveman tech, and I'll be a god!
Seriously, its pretty obvious that I feel the generation and use of electricity is invaluable. With what I've learned, I can generate, transform and harness lightning
My plan:
The house is, for lack of a better definition, a Hobbit house. Totally subterranean, but only about 6 feet of soil over top. Basically, a chunk of hillside is removed, a rammed earth home built, then back-filled to bury.
This gives me a naturally controlled environment without having to invest much, if any, power into climate control. This reduces power consumption drastically. It also allows for the storage of many staples without refrigeration, think "root cellar".
Electricity will be combo-sourced from hydro, wind and solar. Our area is prime for hydro, and nominal for other methods. But, when one fails, another takes over. If it's pretty, I get some hydro, some solar, and some wind. Stormy, no solar, but loads of hydro and wind, flip it for drought conditions. Worst numbers I've run show that I'll be able to run at least 14 days of light in the house (LEDs, natch). Of course, to do that, we'd have to shun hot water, and appliances To be fair, that would mean every drop of water was gone, no sunlight reaches the earth, and not a breath of wind wheezes. If its like all that, you ain't got a dog in the fight anyway, and I look like a wizard when my cold light still works
Emergency/peak power would be provided by a diesel generator, which, conveniently, also welds. Diesel rules the day for motors in that situation, IMHO. Flex fuel will be prominent as well. With diesel and eth engines, I can grow my own fuel.
Waste management, IMHO a much overlooked concern, will be handled thru a Humanure system, with an artificial wetland for grey water. This allows me to realize an automatic fert generation system with an environmentally friendly byproduct. Humanure fertilizes the field, grey water (shower/bath/dish water) creates a ready wetland, feeding stocked fish (primarily catfish for their high fat content), and wetland fowl.
For freshwater, spring-fed local source. A damned spring will act as a freshwater reservoir for both drinking and utility without preventing downstream flow.
Basically, a self-suffecient farm, like grandmaw would know, with a 21st century twist. I grow electricity too
Needless to say, I've studied multi-crop systems, complimentary crops and organic pest control. Just to clarify, I'm not suddenly converting to the "organics are uber and only", but in a EOTWAWKI situation, its all that is sustainable.
:
There are more details, like mix of flex, diesel, and electric vehicles (all types, I did mention the pilot lessons, right?).
All in all, I'm aiming to preserving electtricity. In my opinion, light-on-demand has had a more profound effect on civilization than is appreciated. Preserving thos knowledge I believe is paramount. If for no other reason than increased productivity.
Given the skillsets I've obtained, and the ones on the way, I feel I could maintain and create new equipment for power generation, and pass those on to my kids.
Way I figure it, even if we never have to self sustain, I'll at least rest easy in the long sleep knowing my kids have an Eden should everything go to Hell.
What are your plans, IC? What is it you're preserving for the Next First Generation?
BTW, since it is bound to come up, I place my bet on a massive solar storm that blasts the earth with such force that every unshielded electrical circuit fries. Its happened before, and not too long ago (1800s). Today, a storm of the same intensity would cause Trillions inn damage, with a minimum of two years to restore power to the major cities.
That assumes the cities would still be livable, of course. The current consensus is that we have a 72 hour society. 72 hours makes most foods inedible. When it comes down to food.... Well, we ARE animals... Did we say 2 years without power? Fuck two years, if you're still kicking after a week, you're probably in the top 10% of the human race. And you're probably desperately lonely
Let's hear it IC! What have/are you preparing for, and how?
Here are my thoughts and plans.
So far, I've studied electronics engineering, union electrician, framing, plumbing, basic mechanical engineering, hydrodynamics, basic combustion engine design, principals and maintenance. I've also studied fluid dynamics and chemistry enough to undrstand the basics of fuel extraction and the way it combusts.
I've also researched waste managment and water filtration, management, and collection.
I've studied metallurgy, including forging, alloying, and am currently learning general metal-working (turning and casting).
The goal: Totally self sustaining existance with a retention of quality of living.
In other words, the rest of you can go back to caveman tech, and I'll be a god!
Seriously, its pretty obvious that I feel the generation and use of electricity is invaluable. With what I've learned, I can generate, transform and harness lightning
My plan:
The house is, for lack of a better definition, a Hobbit house. Totally subterranean, but only about 6 feet of soil over top. Basically, a chunk of hillside is removed, a rammed earth home built, then back-filled to bury.
This gives me a naturally controlled environment without having to invest much, if any, power into climate control. This reduces power consumption drastically. It also allows for the storage of many staples without refrigeration, think "root cellar".
Electricity will be combo-sourced from hydro, wind and solar. Our area is prime for hydro, and nominal for other methods. But, when one fails, another takes over. If it's pretty, I get some hydro, some solar, and some wind. Stormy, no solar, but loads of hydro and wind, flip it for drought conditions. Worst numbers I've run show that I'll be able to run at least 14 days of light in the house (LEDs, natch). Of course, to do that, we'd have to shun hot water, and appliances
To be fair, that would mean every drop of water was gone, no sunlight reaches the earth, and not a breath of wind wheezes. If its like all that, you ain't got a dog in the fight anyway, and I look like a wizard when my cold light still works Emergency/peak power would be provided by a diesel generator, which, conveniently, also welds. Diesel rules the day for motors in that situation, IMHO. Flex fuel will be prominent as well. With diesel and eth engines, I can grow my own fuel.
Waste management, IMHO a much overlooked concern, will be handled thru a Humanure system, with an artificial wetland for grey water. This allows me to realize an automatic fert generation system with an environmentally friendly byproduct. Humanure fertilizes the field, grey water (shower/bath/dish water) creates a ready wetland, feeding stocked fish (primarily catfish for their high fat content), and wetland fowl.
For freshwater, spring-fed local source. A damned spring will act as a freshwater reservoir for both drinking and utility without preventing downstream flow.
Basically, a self-suffecient farm, like grandmaw would know, with a 21st century twist. I grow electricity too
Needless to say, I've studied multi-crop systems, complimentary crops and organic pest control. Just to clarify, I'm not suddenly converting to the "organics are uber and only", but in a EOTWAWKI situation, its all that is sustainable.
:
There are more details, like mix of flex, diesel, and electric vehicles (all types, I did mention the pilot lessons, right?).
All in all, I'm aiming to preserving electtricity. In my opinion, light-on-demand has had a more profound effect on civilization than is appreciated. Preserving thos knowledge I believe is paramount. If for no other reason than increased productivity.
Given the skillsets I've obtained, and the ones on the way, I feel I could maintain and create new equipment for power generation, and pass those on to my kids.
Way I figure it, even if we never have to self sustain, I'll at least rest easy in the long sleep knowing my kids have an Eden should everything go to Hell.
What are your plans, IC? What is it you're preserving for the Next First Generation?
BTW, since it is bound to come up, I place my bet on a massive solar storm that blasts the earth with such force that every unshielded electrical circuit fries. Its happened before, and not too long ago (1800s). Today, a storm of the same intensity would cause Trillions inn damage, with a minimum of two years to restore power to the major cities.
That assumes the cities would still be livable, of course. The current consensus is that we have a 72 hour society. 72 hours makes most foods inedible. When it comes down to food.... Well, we ARE animals... Did we say 2 years without power? Fuck two years, if you're still kicking after a week, you're probably in the top 10% of the human race. And you're probably desperately lonely
Let's hear it IC! What have/are you preparing for, and how?
