I've wanted to try it for a long time, but never got around to it. I'm curious about any techniques that are more grass roots outside of the commercialized space, like what are the absolute minimum things needed when repeatability, convenience, and time are not important factors, but money and access to rare markets is extremely...
Haha insane, I swear this popped into my head out of nowhere yesterday.
Well not entirely nowhere, but I work with plant dyes. So far I've only dyed wool, but I suddenly had the idea to create some T-shirt printing process with what grows around here. A dye bath and ink are rather different things though, so I'd be curious for ideas how to turn plant pigment into ink, or where to look?
I've never even seen normal silkscreen printing done, but vaguely understand the idea. I'd try different fabrics stapled to a wooden frame as sieve, and maybe use wax to cover the non-print areas?
For a non natural method - could 3D printing be interesting for making sieves?
The world is on the cusp of an energy transformation that could make the Industrial Revolution look minor. Mike Cannon-Brookes is banking on the Land Down Under to be a major driver of that change....
I'd describe my feelings around the current solar boom as cautiously positive with a good sprinkle of skepticism.
I'd like to see billionaires investing in education towards self-regulating communities. I'd like to see them heavily investing in funding coops, not buying up startups. Billionaires investing in renewables means more money in billionaire's pockets, because they will just sell the clean energy back to you for a profit while remaining the owners of everything and then some.
I'd carefully agree that more solar panels are good, but I've now lived through enough eco hypes to not have at least a few concerns. In the worst case we will now quickly and thoughtlessly plaster solar panels over hectares and hectares of useful farmland, important ecological reserves, and poor people's homes, just because line go up. And probably trash them all in ten years when maintaining them proves too costly, or the next hype comes along. In the best case we actually start polluting less and use the time we buy to seek for more energy-saving ways of living in general.
It's a technological and a physical issue. We just can't store every bit of information plus a picture of everyone's cat. We can't guarantee that no information ever gets lost. We've also not really stored and archived every shopping list, advertising, pamphlet, silly poem, ugly drawing etc. since the time of the printing press and that's okay.
It might be a good idea to store and archive some written material as time passes but we want to be a bit picky about what we store. That said, I wouldn't mind to find more shopping lists and less posh documents in museums.
Where are you based? I found myself facing the same problem. In my small rural community a 2nd hand and artisan market proved to be effective to get people out of their houses and meet up. No need to throw political theory at them immediately, it's just great they appeared. Though I do admit there's already a bit of a community to work with and entertainment is sparse around here so it's easy to get people's attention. Where are you based? Not sure what would work best there.
The organizing steps that worked so far for me and bf are described in the Community community of this instance (and the many social anxieties suffered by a person who wants to encourage community but isn't very social to begin with).
First of all, a hug from far, and may the alienation go away soon.
Second, I've found there's no point in discussing politics with people. Not with friends, not with strangers. There's no point in trying to find people 'aligned enough' with my political ideas. Since I've accepted that I feel that my attempts at spreading anarchism lead so much further! As long as I never mention the word (or any other political jargon), and always, always approach my fellow humans as humans and try to inquire about what moves them, not tell them what I think they should do.
What do you think is missing in your neighbourhood? If you think it's human contact, try to start there and invent ways to encourage friendly contact. Maybe create a point for food sharing or book sharing. If people are too shy to speak to each other in person at this point, give them other options, so they can lose their shyness gradually.
In this case the problem with the question is not that we might or might not adapt to something happening in the future. We are already adapting to something already here, so I find the question a little stupid. The discussion between the two is interesting and worth the read though.
What are you even trying to say? I am still trying to find something actually useful where blockchain is necessary that doesn't spend as much energy as a small country. Every 'explanation' of why I should adopt this tech for my project/business/government/younameit is intransparent as heck. Lots of hot air, especially emanating from all those data centers. Fuck blockchain and AI.
Get off the internet if you don’t like datacenters and technology.
Non-haters don't care about the differences between datacenters, technology and blockchain. They want M.O.R.E. T.E.C.H. because it's new and shiny. ;)
I do understand my banking statement, and even most of the fees I'm paying or my account. I don't really understand what happens in a blockchain. If you can explain it to me like I'm 5 maybe I'd be more likely to adopt the technology. I've heard rumours that it's really just a glorified database - if that is true, what's the difference between databases we already have, and this new fancy kind?
The gist is really just that blockchains are a ton of computers everywhere recording the same list of transactions permanently, under a certain set of rules, and a normal database is just that, but under one person/company’s control
So do all Bitcoin or Ethereum holders have some kind of general assembly or online vote to decide under what rules their currency is run? Does one bitcoin equal one vote? Which blockchains are private, which are not?
Also, banking (including their computing systems) already adheres to a set of rules, luckily. Unfortunately heavily eroded by powerful global players, but very functional, at least in Europe. Hey there's even cooperative banks and credit unions here if you look carefully! In my opinion we should seek to build common sense and evolve to an economy based on mutual trust, not build technology based on general mistrust.
I got into and forced my way through a degree in EE just to prove I could as a foreign student working mother. Dropped out after half the time in part due to burnout, in part due to loss of motivation.
Learned a million different things (literally from basket weaving to drone racing) all stored away or suffering from lack of time after figuring out how to do them well. These days I'm between pretty decent and almost hopeless at everything. Want a mediocre wooden bed? A fairly good bathroom with mosaic art? A vegetable garden? A small computer program?
I sometimes wonder what this ADHD thing is good for, for sure it must have some purpose? It's like I'm waiting for the big conclusion of something that connects all the things I have been picking up throughout the years.
Goats know. Sheep know. Equines know. If I make sure the farm animals have access to different flora around the pastures they won't get ill. It's nice following the animals around and finding out what they eat, and other ways they use plants. The more time I spend with animals the more I think it's us humans being the dumb ones.
On that note, watching what great apes do in their natural habitat might teach us a few things about plants.
I find nations problematic because they are units that are too large and therefore are controlled by groups not easily overseen and almost impossible to make accountable by the population.
The USA is not only a nation but an empire, which is like a nation with an integrated, violently imposed pyramid scheme.
If only we could find a way to organize into independent smaller units that federate into larger units and remain tolerant of the differences of the smaller units. Ironically that is what the USA seems to have attempted to do with their united states thing?
I love the French for being the most outspoken people among the European countries and having a ton of good initiatives going on. But don't idolize them, most of their population is just as braindead and complacent as the rest of us Europeans, and their general unwillingness to speak English like most other Europeans hinders the spreading of their radical initiatives in the rest of Europe. (Sorry for the blatant generalizing. Not every French, not every European, .....)
Yup, this. And because old habits tend to die hard. To redesign this without body shaming I am looking for other, non-genital related associations that make suv drivers just as fucking mad
I feel like it’s a common script that most good companies eventually fall to short term focused management types who are happy to shred the company as long as they get their golden parachute....
Great to hear! I guess others who are not in leadership roles would like to hear more about guys like you, and would like to know that some of you are also taking the time to teach other leaders take a different approach to work management and leadership culture.
That’s a very good point. If the seeds people get from a seed library tend to be unreliable the idea will not thrive in the long term. A regular education offer about seed saving will help people and plants. Or people could note on their contributed seeds if their seed saving efforts are advanced or just ‘I collected a seed’.
I could imagine a sort of ‘plant patronage’ in a seed library where groups of people specialize in and care for certain plants or groups of plants.
Not really, and @TropicalDingdong has explained above why saving seeds can be technically quite challenging even for advanced gardeners. However there is another side to this - it is good that people consider saving seeds again, and learn how to. Because a lot of regionally adapted (easy to grow in certain places) varieties got lost when people stopped saving seeds and companies started doing it instead.
I’m still trying to figure out how to store the water I pump with my ram pump on a hillside in a sustainable and safe way. I have started to think about reservoirs made from living trees (willow might be a good candidate). I don’t want to lug a pile of ugly materials up any beautiful mountain if it can be avoided.
Yes, that’s what that is called, I’m just trying to figure out better ways to create them on steeper hillsides where you can not just build an earth wall. The traditional way used to be granite, but it’s heavy work. I am just dreaming up a solarpunk future where we could plant reservoirs. I’m too lazy to carry stones. And the current method of building cheap, quick water reservoirs involves corrugated sheet metal, and that is ugly and awful to work with, and usually gets imported from elsewhere (as do bricks and concrete). My tree reservoir has the problem that the quick changes in water level of the reservoir could be bad for the trees.
Hello everyone! For my bachelor’s thesis, I am making a survey to find out what Solarpunks think of the movement, the genre and the community. I believe Solarpunks are often curious about the thoughts of others in the community, so I think this could be another instance to promote discussion and interesting conversations...
A couple of years ago I built two ram pumps and installed them in the stream near my house. They pumped water for the garden for a few months during spring and summer. I’m okay with the fact that the pumps are just useful during part of the year, but didn’t really like damming up the entire stream for my installation, seemed...
No. This problem has been solved long ago, with water. Water is already providing gravitational energy storage all over the world. I don’t think using different types of weight adds value to the process.
Ever since I’ve accepted that dystopia is already here, and there’s nothing to avoid it, but we can do everything in our power to create something better. I’m not as afraid, I’m not feeling as powerless as I used to. I’ve learned to seek good council, that helps. Got over wanting to feel or appear important and now rather want to do important work.
How? Got divorced from someone who could not handle their anxiety well, also my child grew up to spend more time with their friends, and so all I was used to disappeared. I had time and opportunity (or was forced) to re-evaluate my life choices - because the unhealthy imbalance in my former relationship mirrored the unsettling imbalance of the world in crisis in some eerie way. It was as if I was shown the workings of abuse and then forced to apply my learning onto the world and my position in it. I went through months of doubt and confusion. With support of my wonderful bf who I met on the way I managed to come out a better and more happy person on the other side, it was a very wild ride.
This or similar seems to have happened to a lot of people recently.
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That is a beautiful and impressive list of inspirations you have collected on here, thanks for putting together and sharing! May it inspire many to personal action and towards working together for an abundant future.
Learning to grow some food (even just herbs on your balcony or windowsill)
You need a large enough container (bucket, bag, pot), with some holes for drainage (plants don’t want to sit in water). It needs to be warm enough for the plant you want to grow, and moist enough. Getting the moisture right for seeds and plants can be tricky at first, it will get better with experience. There needs to be sufficient light, some plants need more than others. Research a few easy to grow plants and start with these. If you have little space, grow some kitchen herbs rather than vegetables, they increase the quality of your food by 99% and are expensive to buy, plus they are medicinal as well.
Joining or creating a local sharing circle
Is there a preferred online portal where a sharing circle in your country might exist already? Facebook? Whatsapp? Telegram? A physical space somewhere? Search there first. If there’s nothing, create the space yourself, as an online group, a sharing box in a public space, or an actual group of people you know.
This isn’t really about “You can only be one of the cool kids if you’re at least 89.5% self sufficient.” It’s more on the line of “Hey, try to grow at least one sad plant in the best way you can manage, it’s going to make everything a little better.” Back when I only had a balcony I had boxes and bags with sad plants, now I have a garden with happier plants. We learn while our plants keep us company, and maybe one day can apply what we’ve learned in luckier circumstances. No attempt of caring for life is ever really lost.
By the way, if light conditions where you live are really bad you can always grow mushrooms instead of plants, they are not as demanding as plants.
Or hell, here’s a dodgy pro-tip if you are a die-hard bacon fan but can’t handle the environmental impact: go for a mealworm farm in a drawer. I promise the buggers taste similar to bacon and are the most sustainable animal protein you can imagine. All they need is food scraps and a dark space where they can crawl around. (Don’t let them escape into your kitchen)
I just don’t see how the far right can rise or how they can win. The odds are so stacked against them. Is this something to actually be worried about ?...
Drawing. I set myself the strict rule to be completely unambitious about my coloured pencil drawings. I do them only for myself, and the enjoyment while doing it is the main purpose. So sometimes I just draw some squiggles and then I fill them with colours, one layer over another. One drawing can take weeks, I do a bit every evening and it is so relaxing. Now with time they start looking really neat as a cool side effect, so I have been thinking about framing them.
Very good analysis, especially about purity and inaction. The thought palace is such a neat place, as soon as you get out there it gets messy. I so much enjoy the much needed change in narratives. They make something really powerful happen in real life, the first seedlings of change rising from the tiredness, with better focus on what matters.
Have you ever tried silkscreen printing?
I've wanted to try it for a long time, but never got around to it. I'm curious about any techniques that are more grass roots outside of the commercialized space, like what are the absolute minimum things needed when repeatability, convenience, and time are not important factors, but money and access to rare markets is extremely...
Billionaire bets big on largest solar project ever proposed to deliver power across oceans: 'At the forefront of the clean energy transition' ( www.thecooldown.com )
The world is on the cusp of an energy transformation that could make the Industrial Revolution look minor. Mike Cannon-Brookes is banking on the Land Down Under to be a major driver of that change....
Online Content Is Disappearing ( www.pewresearch.org )
community is punk ( slrpnk.net )
The Collapse Is Coming. Will Humanity Adapt? (interview with Peter Watts) ( thereader.mitpress.mit.edu )
Decentralized Autonomous Communities ( sturlabragason.github.io )
A concept which aligns nicely with Solarpunk. 🙂
Business Cat ( lemmy.world )
Hydro Power Overview ( www.builditsolar.com )
A good overview and link collection around small scale hydro power technologies
Once I achieve I lose motivation
So I've noticed a pattern in my life that I was hoping someone could empathize with....
A wild orangutan used a medicinal plant to treat a wound, scientists say ( apnews.com )
Do you think America as a nation is genuine?
Kind of a vague question. But I guess anyone that responds can state their interpretation....
suv ( slrpnk.net )
Small reminders for stupidly big cars
Coffee consumption in Europe ( files.catbox.moe )
Source: https://landgeist.com/2022/04/19/coffee-consumption-in-europe/
How do short-term thinking business types infiltrate technology companies?
I feel like it’s a common script that most good companies eventually fall to short term focused management types who are happy to shred the company as long as they get their golden parachute....
THEY DID IT!!!! Local library built a seed library! ( infosec.exchange )
3 Old Technologies For A Sustainable Future ( www.resilience.org )
Should we replace democracy with science?
The Solarpunk Survey 2024 ( leidenuniv.eu.qualtrics.com )
Hello everyone! For my bachelor’s thesis, I am making a survey to find out what Solarpunks think of the movement, the genre and the community. I believe Solarpunks are often curious about the thoughts of others in the community, so I think this could be another instance to promote discussion and interesting conversations...
Water is running again, ram pump installation year 2 ( slrpnk.net )
A couple of years ago I built two ram pumps and installed them in the stream near my house. They pumped water for the garden for a few months during spring and summer. I’m okay with the fact that the pumps are just useful during part of the year, but didn’t really like damming up the entire stream for my installation, seemed...
Gravitricity: Storing energy using gravitational potential ( gravitricity.com )
I have been following them for a few years and they are making some slow and steady progress...
1000 years from now physics is forgotten and all that remains is the legend of two hobbits, Charm and Spin, and their quest for the Higgyboson. At this point, is physics true?
Do you think/feel that you are living well? Happily? Embodying your values and dreams? If so, how did this happen?
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Doncaster giant airship plant to create 1,200 jobs ( www.bbc.co.uk )
Did someone say airship?
self sufficiency and community sufficiency - both are necessary, neither are sufficient ( slrpnk.net )
Is a far right rise actually something to be worried about ?
I just don’t see how the far right can rise or how they can win. The odds are so stacked against them. Is this something to actually be worried about ?...
What skill can I learn while stimming?
Instead of biting my nails or playing with a fidget toy, is there a skill I can learn/practice?...
Hopepunk, Optimism, Purity, and Futures of Hard Work by Ada Palmer ( beforewegoblog.com )