PermaKent Permaculture Ideas of J. Kent Hastings

Oh, happy day! (If you’re a prison stock investor.) Digg links to a New York Times story reporting that more than 1 out of 100 Americans are in jail. So forget the 750 per 100,000 I mentioned before, it’s up to over 1,000!
See also the SVTC campaign against toxic prison sweatshops.

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There have been several BBC online reports this week about polluters in China.
The first was official concern about the pollution impact of the Beijing Olympics.
The next day a report about a river running red due to pollution.
And today an announcement of a plan to log industrial pollution sources.
Water supplies to about 200,000 people in central […]

BBC reports “Scientists advance ‘drought crop’”.
The researchers say that this understanding could allow them to modify plants so that they continue to absorb carbon dioxide but reduce the amount of water released into the atmosphere, enabling them to thrive in very dry conditions.
I know that some of you objected when genetically modified plants were made […]

Boing Boing links indirectly to a WIRED magazine article I missed about an interesting advance in nanotechnology.
Researchers at UCLA made headlines this month by developing a nanoscale crystal that traps roughly 80 times its volume of carbon dioxide.
Not that we should care, because smart people say global warming is all lies.
General Motors Corp Vice Chairman […]

Shawn Frayne discusses applications for his windbelt micro-wind nonturbine generator, which is a breakthrough in cheap windpower. Popular Mechanics honored Frayne with a 2007 breakthrough award. Follow the link to see video of a demo.

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Although this three wheel solar “photon drive” scooter doesn’t have air bags, air conditioning, OnStar(tm), or a proper machine gun turret–it will probably fall under most states’ “motor vehicle” regulations anyway, despite Jeff Dekzsty ranting against “motor car” fatalities. And oh yeah, where are the anti-lock brakes?
And even though I’m a pro-2nd Amendment NRA gun […]

Jeffrey Yago, in an article at Backwoods Home, describes how inefficient incandescent bulbs are being phased out in some states by 2010, and federally by 2012. But there are problems with the most common replacement.
In past articles I have also described how the more energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps being promoted to replace these incandescent light […]

As seen on Digg, link to Framebox alien art designs made from salad fixins, by artist Till Nowak. And big agrobiz claims genetically altered food is safe.

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Boing Boing’s Cory Doctorow marvels at how green the One Laptop Per Child XO is. The device uses a tenth or less of the energy required by typical laptops, which is convenient for those off grid villagers who must recharge it manually. It creates an ad-hoc local wireless mesh network so that neighbors can communicate […]

KurzweilAI had a link a week or so ago to a New York Times report headlined “Scientists Would Turn Greenhouse Gas Into Gasoline.” Here’s what the scientists are saying.

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I get Google Alerts for terms such as “forest garden,” “permaculture,” and “seedball.” Whenever one of those is in the news or on the blogs, I get email. It’s useful to keep track of events and avoid missing things.
After reading the mail, I found a cool thing from March, 2007. This Flash presentation, converted to […]

Korea treats the Blizzard real time strategy video game Starcraft like Americans treat the Superbowl. Millions watch as a few players seize scarce resources and launch military assaults on a big video screen. Would you rather watch overpadded guys tackle each other on the astroturf or witness wicked on screen simulated characters launch nuclear attacks […]

I decided to drive to my Mom’s place in Chico, California for Christmas last year.
On the way, I stopped by Winnemucca, Nevada to inspect 40 acres listed on eBay at attractive terms, $199/mo for 10 years. The seller has a great reputation selling only surveyed land with solid contracts. The location, where Hwy 95 and […]

Classic 2003 report of seedball “terrorism,” just in case you missed it. The comments are funny, too.

Here’s a YouTube Video of a test for toxic chemicals a Greenpeace lab in the UK performed on the Apple iPhone when it came out. According to Greenpeace: “The tests uncovered two types of hazardous substances, some of which have already been eliminated by other mobile phone makers.”
Apple had advertised the iPhone as a green […]

Los Angeles Eco-Village’s very existence is being threatened by the evil LA Unified School District, who wants to build a school, described as a “boondoggle”. The bastards! What? John Walsh (who spoke last night at our local libertarian supper club and is pictured at this link from a previous appearance, along with a real flattering […]

A Newsweek article shows lakes around the world being lost due to warming or, in other cases, source waters being dammed, damn it. In my home state of Nevada, Lake Mead is projected to go dry in 13 years, which means Hoover Dam will not be generating hydropower any more.
It’s time to collect water in […]

My previous post describes the surprising (in my opinion) adoption of Permaculture in Cuba. It’s exciting good news for everyone, no question. BBC reports Four Dissidents Freed by Havana today. [BBC Update: Castro Steps Down…]. [Another BBC Update: Dissident Condemns Cuban Prisons (Big surprise)]. A while back, they quoted one of 75 dissidents jailed for […]

A Global Public Media article from 2006 describes the adoption of permaculture concepts from Australian teachers by Cubans back when 80% of foreign trade was abrubtly cut off from the Soviets and their partners. I’m surprised as a U.S. citizen at how supportive the Cuban government seems to have been to the new idea, according […]

Organic folks might not be as thrilled about income on automatic pilot as others, but Paper Free Billing has a paid recurring paper-optional billing option with unlimited invoices that seems reasonably priced. If you’re like me, the free basic email only option, limited to three monthly invoices, is sadly more than enough. Want to get […]

Claire Wolfe has a thought (if not action) promoting article at Backwoods Home about the virtue of idleness. She’s taking aim at the heart of the industrial revolution! Keep busy, buy more and be happy.

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When googling the phrase “stretch grocery money” (yep, I’m dollar-challenged at the moment), I found that America’s Cheapest Family recommends the organic garden methods at Square Foot Gardening. The site has photos and everything. I’d be concerned about using the optional “durable” vinyl boxes. Vinyl, a.k.a. PVC is reputed to be toxic. I’d stick with […]

BBC interviews famous Singularitarian Ray Kurzweil about the future of man-machine relations. Nanotech, artificial intelligence, and genetic engineering will give us potent tools to deal with the scientific challenges of the 21st Century, including real solar and/or fusion power, carbon sequestration, cleaning water, attacking diseases with more precision while leaving healthy tissue undamaged, and eliminating […]

BBC reports a study that shows “probiotic” supplements reduce infections, but qualify the results to the top athletes who were sampled in a controlled experiment. Another BBC reported study indicates that the elderly may benefit from probiotics to boost their immune system.

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A few years ago I stumbled upon The Global Ideas Bank and found an entry for “Forest Garden,” a project suggestion for growing food year round with “minimal labor” (it really said “labour,” actually — danged Commonwealthers). Seems plants grown together in different layers (roots, herbs, bushes, trees, vines, etc.), as in a wild forest, […]

Digg article link to Inhabit article about artificial offshore islands designed to produce energy.

I have no affiliate relationship with this company, but the product looks interesting on TV. AeroGrow lets you grow herbs in your kitchen, even if you’re a landless apartment dweller. It supposedly uses NASA technology, so let’s hope it doesn’t explode or make all the plants taste like TANG. Ah ha! The thing’s at Amazon, […]

A story on Slashdot linked to a Seattle Times story citing a study that claims biofuels, such as switchgrass grown for ethanol, would produce 50% more carbon emissions than the equivalent amount of gasoline.

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