Edward Lye

Cécile Stelzer Johnson wrote: At the time, they were practical and inexpensive even though they required real artisans who would fashion a shoe to very exactly match each foot of their customers.  Poplar and willows were used because they are easier to carve from one piece of wood and they resist water.

It is what it is.   The inexorable march of progress and economics

I have seen Youtubers wield all sorts of equipment and technology.
Steel cutting lasers, 3D printers, metal forging hammers to name a few.

So while artisans lack apprentices to pass on the knowledge, it is not
impossible that someone with a router can carve out a cavity conformal
to your foot on two pieces of wood that can be joined together. Some sort
of robot can adjust the depth and smoothen the edges.

There are devices out there that can capture a 3D point cloud
of your foot to direct the robot.  

The blocks are mailed to you and you can make micro adjustments
with a carving set. You can glue on a rubber sole if you wish or attach
another block of wood or plate just to crush biochar.

David Wieland wrote:  It's hard to think of situation in any modern environment in which wooden shoes or wood-soled shoes -- any rigid.shoes -- have an advantage over ones that can conform to natural foot flex.

I wear Chinese wooden clogs - just a shaped slab of wood with a plastic strap.

They dry well and might appeal to those who want to "ground" themselves.

Safer than going about barefoot.

Sometime in the late 70's I came across this
Firestorm Apparatus
as it was called in some Encyclopaedia.

It was made of clear plastic with some liquid
fuel in a container - something like this YT video.



It was just a piece of lab demonstration equipment.
It shows how some building fires get supersized.

But I saw things differently. I made variations
of this to burn garden refuse and played around
with various dimensions and sizes.

The most promising was a large tin used to store
biscuits. I carved a flap into each face and bent
them inwards to direct the airflow into a combined
counterclockwise direction as seen from above.
A chimney improved combustion.

It was successful but lacked a means of clearing
out the ashes and embers. This accelerated the
wear and tear as the walls glowed cherry red and
quickly rusted.

Then I was seduced by the rocket stove. I could
never find enough clay pipes and this too wore
out by expansion cracks.

My last attempt was the ARS-C.

I am moving back to the Firestorm Apparatus.

It has noticeable advantages over the rocket
stove:

- silent
- the entire inlet runs the length of the apparatus
 so it never chokes
- the swirling incoming air helps to cool the walls
 of the chamber
- If I affix a yoke at the top and suspend this
 with a chain, I can lift everything an inch
 or two to clear out the ashes and coals
- it works with blocks or sticks
- since the hot coals are at the bottom, anything
 dropped in is sure to ignite
- the YT video shows his glass variation with
 two inlets working, a 4 inlet version will catch
 the wind coming from any direction to supercharge
 the flame.
- It is super simple to build - just a rectangular
 sheet of metal approximately 21 x 24 inches rolled
 up. To keep the inlet from closing or adjusting it,
 you need a stone at the bottom or long screws at
 the top and middle. Just drill two holes smaller
 than the thickness of the screw and force the
 screw in thus carving its own thread. This way
 you can set the size of the inlet and adjust it
 before the next burn. The overlap is also adjustable
 if you drill extra holes in advance.

 Or you can make this out of individual panels  
 attached to a chassis. The panels do not need
 to be curved.

 Feel free to innovate.

 Whatever design I try next depends on the trash
 my neighbours throw out. The unit you see in
 the 2023 videos has rusted to pieces.

 The best fuel is of course blocks or sticks of
 wood but this can handle scrunched up newspaper
 but then you have more ash to clear.

 You can also use this to light your barbeque
 charcoal or start a campfire.

 I will append new developments as they arise.

 A further development will be to capture the heat for cooking
 or heating but first a means of suspending it so it does not
 topple.

Here are 6 views for two separate burns:











[youtube]https://youtube.com/shorts/lvxio7gs3Q8[/youtube]

You are so LUCKY.

I once tasted this as a salad dressing at a family dinner
and it has an unusual and exceptional taste.

My niece-in-law brought it from Singapore.

I have been looking for this ever since.         No joy.

None of the supermarkets. None of the Oriental specialty
shops like Don Don Donki stock this. You can get Miso paste
and the like but not Yuzu.

3-minute sauce and variations.

DIY or find someone who can make and ,market this sauce.

Sample YT video:







Bon Appetit.

The shortest answer here: Masanobu Fukuoka.

I was so inspired.

Yes, the name is plucked directly from my memory. No referring to notes. No Google.

I failed my college diploma exam.

Not a dropout because I passed the degree exam
(it's a 2-in-1 program) but I never flaunted
that piece of paper anywhere. Not even my
employer caught sight of it - they trusted
their entrance/aptitude tests more.

I have long been retired and yet I still continue
to learn and the hardest thing is to UNLEARN.

Looking back, a lot of knowledge I accumulated
has been junk.

Anyway, I am indebted to the college library.
It held treasures like
Forman S Acton's Numerical Methods That (Usually)
Work. The word "Usually" was un-embossed from
the hardcover. I noticed that.
Other books like The Newtonian Casino and the
various books about Feynmann including his
famous lectures. I learnt to break out of the mould.

We never learnt practical things like knot tying.
  (Based off a Constrictor Knot, I invented a
   more secure one that is unfortunately  
   impossible to tie - underlying the constrictor
   is a simple overhand knot BUT what if it is
   two interlocking U-turns instead? I have
   since moved on to the better Woodland Zip-Tie
   which stays secure even in mid-air. Also, the
   Double Dragon is replacing the Bowline and
   Alpine Butterfly)

How to obtain potable water on a desert island.
   (Eliodomestico)

How to open coconuts wuthout tools.

How to open tin cans without tools.

How to rig shelter.

How to make cordage.

How to start a fire without tools.
   (Ever heard of the Rudiger Roll?)

How to drownproof.
   (I don't float well and no stamina to
    thread water(I taught myself from a
    magazine article and first tested at
    the diving pool - it works!))

How to fix a car that wouldn't start.
   (Yeah - Air, fire, fuel - but there is a
    fourth cause books don't mention)*.

How to trap and kill small animals.
   (Mojave Scissor Survival Trap)

How to rig an extension ladder.

YouTube content creators have been generous
and good to me.

Can you explain to a child why light bends in water
or how a prism splits white light?

Can you explain to a child how an airplane keeps aloft?

Can you explain how a passenger falling
out of a hot air balloon causes the balloon to
equally fall out of the sky killing everyone?

Can you explain why light has momentum but no mass?

In which Act and Scene of Romeo And Juiet does
the balcony first appear?

Did you get 5 out of 5?
With my degree I scored 0.

We learn't stuff but not how to think or question.

So I reeducated myself. I reexamined everything
all over again. My justification is backed by Buddha
in his Kalama Sutta.

I have dabbled in automotive repair (even repairing
the leak in the vacuum diaphragm).
I invented my Yin-Yong Potato recipe.
I can draw the circuit diagram for a fluorescent light fixture.
I can repair the toilet cistern.
I can explain why the Trinitarian God is
not Shrik nor violate Tawhid.
I know where Heaven is located(take that Professor Jones)
and thus where Hell is.
I am formulating anew the specifications for Heaven
because unless you tell God, you end up with the
default settings. If you read Genesis carefully, God
is a Master Gardener.
In college, I made my 4-banger calculator spit out
the usual 6 trigonometric functions as well as
logarithms and anti-logarithms.
Lastly I know how to solve the real-world-plastic
problem.

Do I qualify as a polymath?

*my air conditioner compressor siezed. True story.
(the belt didn't move - troubleshooting tip)

A token YouTube video in case you consider
yourself smart - Infinity Category Theory.

I live in the suburbs. I have a small garden. Trees have grown
and one 2-storey high was blown down in a storm.
I have handled them all by myself.

A couple of times I needed to reach a spot above the tree and
I supported an extension ladder on an A-frame ladder and
added lots of weight at the feet of the extension ladder - enough
to counterbalance my weight at the other end.

Naturally I do things by parts - branches then the trunk.
Always manageable bits.

My gotos are a couple of ceiling fan hooks. I tie each about 6-inches
from where I perform the saw cut. I wind several loops around the
branch/trunk to attach these hooks - enough that in the case of
a sudden jerk/break the hook still remains secured.

Then a short length of chain joining both hooks together with  
chain links. Loose but not too loose because the intention is
to constrain the movement of the cut end. The other end is
tied to several anchor points/posts/other trees to limit the
travel and keep it from dropping where it is not wanted.

While I reduce the problem by taking off the smaller branches,
I can also choose to leave them intact because as the trunk is cut,
the leaves and branches left will serve to cushion the fall
on the roof tiles.

Each cut is unique and weeks of mental simulation may pass
before an action is taken.

I like this method instead of betting the entire ranch on a
single cut  because this is almost always successful.
I remain unharmed enough to post this.

The saw cut is slowed as the branch  starts to break. Any break
is limited by the rope binding the ceiling fan hook. I am usually
on a ladder and sawing by hand. When the break suddenly
happens, the detached branch/trunk will not turn into a
battering ram and slam into me/my face/hands. No seesaw.
No wild unexpected rotations as it hits an obstacle on the way
down. Just a swing down.

Lastly I pass a rope through both ceiling fan hooks, detach the
chain and lower the branch/trunk slowly with a capstan.

I mentioned that the free end of the branch/trunk is constrained
by a few ropes. That is not the full story. I also add via Alpine
Butterfly Knots, weights along those ropes so there is active
tension working all the time. In addition, sometimes I set these
weights swinging to produce a pulsating pull as I gingerly make
lighter cuts.  

I illustrate the key points below.

Your mileage may vary.