I realize this topic is so dead even the fly larvae won't digest it, but it's extremely interesting and entertaining...and I would like to think it might once again become timely. I could start a new topic (and I might), but I wanted to introduce myself slowly and figured this might be the best way to do it.
I've been a permies lurker for a long time. In fact, thanks to the info I gathered here, I built a self-contained rocket mass heater out of a hydraulic oil can (about one third the size of a regular oil drum) that used railroad gravel as the primary mass, and a cut-up bed frame welded to form a square as the burn chamber and feed box. I was going to post images and pics of it to the site, but never got around to it. By the way, yes--it worked just as intended, except for the occasional backdraft from a poorly conceived temporary "chimney". These "wind events" filled our RV (which it was built to heat) with smoke more than once, and threatened to create issues with our fire from time to time. It "rocketed" like a champ, though, and I could keep it burning and producing reasonable heat for the entire night on the scraps from a pine log the size of my arm. I never got to test it with real hardwoods, because the smoke issues were too much for my wife and since we lived in the RV full-time, I wasn't able to experiment with it much more. I still have it, though, and if ever the opportunity to fiddle with it presents itself once more, I'll do so. Pics and vids to follow.
In any case, time for such things is pretty minimal for me these days, because my latest project isn't just a "project" anymore. Well it is, but it's
just a bit more large-scale and demanding than building the rocket heater was.
I've jumped into the seasteading fray with a full-scale "global" project (
http://arcaoceanus.com) and I'm happy to receive input and participation from hardy, hearty, and practical self-reliance practitioners just like you folks here on permies. I honestly wasn't expecting to come up with much when I typed "seasteading" into the search box. I am happy this post (and a small sub-"culture") exists here, though. Even if seasteading is generally a bit "off topic" for this site, I can't think of anyone I'd rather have wrapping their heads around the issues we'll be dealing with. Sustainable land management skills, practical self-reliance techniques, and reasonably unreasonable ways of doing things--you know, the overarching methodology of permaculture--are all useful processes and practices to be adapted (both practically, as in "ways of doing", and philosophically, as in "ways of thinking") to the seasteading movement. What better place to find all of those things than right here?
I hope we can have some interesting discussions in the coming days, months, and years. I'll try not to distract too much from the land-based paradigm to which this site is primarily dedicated. At the same time, I believe that sea-culture is inevitable and I'd like to see it done right, buttressed by the ideals of permaculture as championed by the members of this group.
