Alex Ojeda

I keep seeing epic pictures of Christmas trees made out of books. I tried to make one in a past year, and it was so awful looking that I gave up.

Here's my start this year. Paul thought it looks good enough to put lights and decorations on! We'll do that later and I'll post another pic then.

We chose mostly green books, some of the best titles in the house, too. :-)



Those are great books!  So, maybe colorful ribbon bookmarks hanging out of them for decoration?

Here's a shot of the tree as it hangs right now.

Jocelyn Campbell wrote:Reviving this thread because it's awesome! Have you made a similar Christmas tree in the years since this post, Alex?

Great to hear from you again!  Yes, we continue to use this same tree.  It doesn't seem to have a shelf-life.  Still trucking along just as good as day one.  We just pull it out from being a chair where it stays year-'round, hook it to the ceiling, plug it in and voila.  Christmas!

All of our Christmas presents use Christmas bags from years gone by, so there's very minimal waste.  Running the LED lights (since it's in the 80F temps here in December and we don't need extra heat) off of solar (nickel Iron batteries) helps with that too ;)

If there's a movie that belongs on this list, please let us know.

How about:

Dawn of the dead 1978 (not just a zombie movie)
Day of the triffids (British versions from the 90s or the 2000s)
Five (1951)
Glen and Randa
Mad max
Malevil (French language only :(
Miracle mile
Panic in year zero
Road warrior (80s)
Survival zone
The world the flesh and the devil
Target earth
Terminator
Testament
Threads (dark, but realistic)
War of the worlds (50s version)
Where have all the people Gone (freaked me out when I was a kid)

Books:
Alas Babylon
One minute after


There are so many more.

Michael Buck wrote:I am an off grid lifer, been here 17 years won't ever, willingly, choose to go back.  We electrified 11-12 years ago with 24v Trojan L-16HC.  I was quite careful with my maintenance and that bank lasted me nine years of daily cycling.  However, the last 6 months were dismal at best.  Anyway, I mention the history as it is my only defense against ignorance about batteries.  No science understanding, just seat of the pants daily charge and discharge.  

A couple years ago, when replacement was needed, we decide on Iron Nickel and on Iron Edison as the dealer.  I  cannot say enough positive things about Brandon and Maggie Williams (owners of Iron Edison).  Stellar individuals that really have there customers in mind and do ALL they can to help and ensure the product is understood and performing properly.  I do love my batteries and I think the payoff will come but, obviously, that is along time from now.  I have  a  neighbor with IN cells and we have fiddled and think we have found the sweet spot for DOD cycling parameters and it requires a more detailed description about what happens when you pass ~40-50% discharge.  We have noticed that the cells discharged below 50% all the way to 80% discharge behave in line with the literature.  That is, they will recharge and show no damage.  They will fully recharge, however, the amount of energy to recharge the the 50-80% portion of the deep discharge is much greater than the energy required to recharge 30% on the top 40-50%.  That is the only qualification I feel that the literature/information needs.  You can deep discharge without damage but it will cost you to smile at the e-meter again.



Since we have backed off to a 40% discharge we are seeing stronger performance easier charging cycles and with an occasional overcharge the performance is fantastic.  Water consumption is higher but even that has been largely mitigated with a slightly more gentle treatment.

Hey, do you know what would happen if you let the batteries run low on water?  Anyone?

paul wheaton wrote:

Alex Ojeda wrote:Is there a way to get a re-send of the links?

I think that if you find your ledger page, you won't need new emails:

https://permies.com/t/160/66730/kickstarter-support#578732

Thank you!  I found it all!

paul wheaton wrote:

Alex Ojeda wrote:

paul wheaton wrote:

Alex Ojeda wrote:Was this supposed to come in as an email?  I seem to have missed it.  What do I do to get my stuff

You were sent one email for each item.  

Further, there are some instructions earlier about alternative ways to find the stuff that you now have access to:   I just went to your ledger and saw the list of all your things - so you definitely have access.

What email was it sent from?  I'm doing searches my emailer and I'm not finding anything.  Thank you for the help

I am not certain.  I think it comes from something at permies.com.  

Search for "gir bot"

Thank you Paul!  OK, I've looked and I find a few things that did come in.  The Rocket canning forge, the Sepp Holzer podcast and the PDC notes.  I had already gotten those.  Nothing else.  Is there a way to get a re-send of the links?

paul wheaton wrote:

Alex Ojeda wrote:Was this supposed to come in as an email?  I seem to have missed it.  What do I do to get my stuff

You were sent one email for each item.  

Further, there are some instructions earlier about alternative ways to find the stuff that you now have access to:   I just went to your ledger and saw the list of all your things - so you definitely have access.

What email was it sent from?  I'm doing searches my emailer and I'm not finding anything.  Thank you for the help

Was this supposed to come in as an email?  I seem to have missed it.  What do I do to get my stuff

r ranson wrote:A few weeks ago, some people on the internet really pissed me off.  I went to a forum (not permies) to ask a very specific question about a project I wanted to make.  In response, I got hammered with a crap-load of everything I'm doing wrong and how my whole project is impossible.  

This kind of behaviour in public really bothers me.  It's not just that the poor poster will turn around and give up on their dream, but the hundreds or thousands of people reading that thread won't ever try it.  They will warn their friends about how impossible it is.  That it can't be done.

The funny thing is, humans, have been doing exactly this thing I wanted to do since... well you know that whole agriculture thing that someone thought up; take that day and go back three times as far, and you're almost there.  We've been doing this thing since then all the way through to the 1970s when suddenly - poof! - it is now impossible and everyone stopped doing it.  Everyone except the rest of the world who didn't know any better and kept on doing it.  

Thanks to the internet, I now know that it is impossible.  So what do I do about it?  Do I scream?  Do I stalk these people online and tell the world how horrible they are?  Do I sit and sulk?

Nope.  

I turn off my computer.  

It's been off for about two weeks now.  Every night, for about 4 hours a night, I do the impossible.  

I go to my sheep and ask him for some wool.


I take this wool and spin it into yarn.  


The yarn I make is handspun singles (which means it is unplyed).  This is the type of yarn that cannot be used for weaving because it is too sticky and weak.  The internet is animate on this "known fact".

I take this yarn and I put it on my loom.  I abuse it in every way, putting impossibly tight tension on it, beating it harshly, all the things that must never be done to non-commercial non-synthetic yarn.  



I have less problem with my handspun yarn than I've ever had with any commercial yarn.  

It's turned into beautiful fabric and I can't wait to make clothing with it.


My anger at these people is now transformed into proving them wrong.  By now, I've forgotten who it was I was so angry at.  I'm not even angry at them anymore because I have a beautiful fabric and I have loads of photos and I know at least two magazines that like my writing style and may be interested in publishing my story which will inspire people to stop believing the 'truth' about handspun yarn and start making their own beautiful clothing.  

All this because of what I learned on permies: How to make the world a better place instead of being angry at bad guys.  

Thank you everyone here for being so awesome!

Wow!  All I can say is that this post, that wool and that super sweet little lamb is just the best thing that I've read and seen for a long time.  Thank you for sharing R Ranson!  I would LOVE to have some wool like that.  Maybe one day I'll get a little sheep that super sweet loom and support your Natural Wool Cloth Making 101 Kickstarter video.  Hint, hint.  Love to you from "Southest" Georgia.