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Podcast 682 - State of the Jungle - Part 1

posted 2 months ago

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Summary

part 1 of a 3 part podcast.

Paul is with Steven and they discuss the state of the jungle, which in this case is mostly about kickstarters.

Last year's kickstarter didn't get finished for various reasons including health issues and Paul willingly takes the blame for that lack. However, most of the material for it is now to hand and thus it should be finished fairly soon. The kickstarter was supposed to fund repairs to Judy, the larger truck, which needs attention. It doesn't get used much but is vital for moving heavier stuff. Because the last kickstarter didn't get done, there hasn't been one this year and that affects the availability of funds at the lab.

Paul moves on to talk about possible projects for the next kickstarter.

There's been a lot of interest in a willow feeder movie or book. A number of people have been working on willow feeder stuff which has led to some material being available for that. Julie is keen on the willow feeder book idea but Paul isn't so convinced as a book is a lot more work and cost to produce.

Paul and Uncle Mud have been working on a new rocket mass heater book, but Paul says interest in RMH has been declining recently and so he's not convinced the book will be a success as a kickstarter.

GAMCOD movie is another possibility, but so far there isn't enough material for that. Only 4 people completed the course, so there's not enough material yet for that. Steven feels it's doable to double that number next year and double it again the year after. He comments on the success of the GAMCOD at the lab this year which produced about 20,000 calories with minimal effort.

Another book project Paul's thinking about is reworking the better world book so it's aimed specifically at level 2 people; but again a book needs a lot of money to produce and he's not confident that a kickstarter would fund that.

Relevant Threads

What is a Willow Feeder

GAMCOD 2024: 200 square feet; Zero degrees F or colder; calories cheap and easy
GAMCOD forum

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This podcast was made possible thanks to:

Dr. Hugh Gill Kultur
Kyle Neath
Bill Crim
anonymous
Chris Sugg
Kerry JustTooLazy
Jocelyn Campbell
Bill Erickson
Sasquatch
G Cooper
Dominic Crolius
Penny McLoughlin
Mehron Kugler
Pasquale DeAngelis
havokeachday
Julia Winter, world's slowest mosaic artist
Greg Martin
Mark
Sean Benedict
Rita Bliden
Dana Martin
Candace Dahlk
Keith Kuhnsman
Leanne
Eric Tolbert
Nick DePuy
Nathan Hale
Opalyn Rose
Polly Jayne Smyth
Todd Gerardot
Katie Young
Ivar Vasara
Brent Lawson
Weston prestage
Candice Crawford
Chris Holtslag
Song Zheng

COMMENTS:

Clay McGowen

pollinator

Posts: 298

Location: Boise, ID

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posted 2 months ago

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I listened to all three parts early and in one go (and you can too if you support Paul's Podcast on Patreon! ) - I've since forgotten in exactly which part this was brought up, but...

At one point Paul and Stephen talked about the magic and soul-building experience of SEPPers and other guests operating a Rocket Mass Heater for themselves.
Personally, that's the primary reason why I went and chose to stay in Allerton Abbey - I wanted to experience it first-hand as well as prove to myself that RMHs are everything touted to be. (They are, and more!!)

Juxtaposing that was an argument for a guest to truly enjoy all Wheaton Labs has to offer, including the warmth of an RMH in their sleeping quarters, without the requisite learning curve and potentially sacrificing time spent in community and doing other things.

While some good ideas were proposed, I suggest something in the middle.
Instead of leaving a guest to do their best with the information on placards or through video and without taking a ton of boot time to do everything for them, what about meeting in the middle?
I was fortunate enough to have several boots skilled enough to teach me, which made all the difference.

During one of the gardening stints at Allerton, Brian showed me how to operate the batch box cook top. Further Stephen, Brian, and Ben showed how to get a fire going in the Library, Solarium, and Sauna respectively.

Perhaps, especially during the colder months, a fire could be started the day before a guest arrives so their bunk is already somewhat warmed, and then, upon taking the guest to their accommodation, a "mandatory" training session could be administered where the guest acts at the direction of a boot.
"Here's how you operate the most biophilic, carbon-negative, luxurious personal heating device you've probably ever encountered!"

This has the benefit of reducing the barrier to entry while also fostering community. Further, often teaching is an incredible tool for learning, so the instructor could potentially pick up new knowledge along the way.

Thanks for making this one!
A really fun podcast to hear!!

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Rudy Valvano

Posts: 84

Location: Toronto, Ontario

posted 1 month ago

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I'm not finding Paul's private "health" podcast as mentioned in this podcast. Is it with his "pay to play" politics and religion collection? My search has failed.
A link would be appreciated.

Edit: Okay, the politics link just showed up in my post, highlighted in the word "politics". Then I found the religion one.

So just the health one, please.

Liv Smith

steward