Category: Projects

Landshark

Had a meeting tonight for the new incarnation of Landshark. We’ve been having weekly meetings for a while now, and we’re really building up steam. Still some big hurdles in our way, but we’re figuring it all out, and it feels like it is going to really take off. Exciting times.

Things I Have Done

On June 4th, the Middletown City Council unanimously passed a resolution condemning Citizens United, and calling for electoral reform. Peter, Nishi and myself had been working on this cause for months, and we got it passed in time to coincide with a national movement doing the same. The resolution reads as follows:

Whereas, the Citizen’s United v. Federal Election Commission, Buckley v. Valero and SpeechNow v. FEC legal decisions have changed the national landscape on how elections are financed, and

Whereas, the Supreme Court ‘s Citizen’s United decision has led to a flood of money from individuals, corporations and special interest groups being used for political purposes, and

Whereas, Super Political Action Committee’s (“Super PACs”) now enjoy unlimited spending from wealthy individuals and corporations, and

Whereas, outside spending by Super PAC’s, corporations, special interest groups and others totaled over $900 M or 2.5 times as much as spent during the same period in 2008 and six (6) times as much as in 2004, and

Whereas, huge sums of money are now being decried as securing elections to ensure allegiance to a specific political agenda, and

Whereas, the influence of excessive and anonymous money in political campaigns can lead to corruption, limit political discourse, subject the citizenry to unlimited and extensive “spin” which shadows the facts for any political campaign.

Whereas a coalition of groups throughout the United States are working to pass over 100 new local resolutions during Resolutions Week in June calling for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, challenge corporate power and eliminate unlimited campaign spending.

Now Therefore Be It Resolved by The Common Council of the City of Middletown that:

We join in the efforts of groups and organizations throughout the Unites States to remove the overt influence of money on our political system and stand with other communities across America to protect our democratic system by supporting public funding of elections, reducing the unnecessary time required to select candidates and conduct elections and make any and all political spending to be open and transparent.

Be It Further Resolved that

We hereby instruct our State and Federal Government Representatives to end the influence of money in politics by enacting resolutions, legislation and constitutional amendments to advance these principles.

I’ve been working on Dawn quite a bit as well, and though I’m far behind where I thought I would be, I’m about 50% done. I haven’t gotten anything done on the bus, and I’m really behind on projects in general. SomDay went unobserved for the first time since its inception. But the money keeps rolling in, which will allow me to get around to these things sooner or later.
Mostly later.

Dawn

I’ve decided I’m going to name the 300 SD Dawn. It feels right. On that same note, I’m scrapping plans (ethereal as they were) for the Caracycle. I’ve seen similar projects, and it has become far too clear that such a trailer would either require too many bikers to make it fun, or would be utterly unusable on hills. Either way I think I’m going to stop pursuing it. I have plenty of work to do on Dawn anyway. I just ordered a centrifuge and pump today, which will be installed on the bus, so I can refine oil to the tolerance I need to for the grease car kit. I’ll be ordering that soon as well. I’m still hoping I can have this 100% by May. That seems realistic. Though I’m near as busy as I’ve ever been, projects are tapering off, and giving way to my mechanical endeavors. This should be fun.

Full Plate

Stunningly busy as of late. I’m stunned. Long days dealing with waste oil, then nights at my computer designing websites. I don’t feel like a webdesigner, since I still have a fairly light load, but I’m finding myself always having something to do. I’m looking forward to that tapering off. I’m confident it will. The apartment is only getting nicer, and it’s great having cool people in it.

I think I’ve settled on the direction in which I’ll be moving forward. I’m going to convert the bus into a full-time livable rig, making Anne Marie my new home. Once I move in, it should be three to four years until I’m ready to retire, or at least give up full time work for good. I see no reason I wouldn’t be able to move in by next spring. I’m sure I’ll find a reason, but I don’t see one yet. It seems I’m actually on track with my five-year-plan, which is surprising.

The other option was building a tiny trailered house, and I think that wouldn’t be the best option for me. There is more space in a bus, it looks a lot cooler, and I have most of the stuff I need already. Buying a trailer and a truck to tow it, and getting a foot less width were all deal breakers. I love the aesthetic of tiny trailered houses, and I’d love to help build one some day, but I don’t think I’ll build one for myself. I keep looking at these pictures and dreaming about what my bus will look like in twelve months. It’s nice to be daydreaming again.

Life is pretty good right now.

One more thing

Today I talked to a mortgage broker, to see what kind of money I qualify for. I haven’t heard back yet, but I’m certainly more interested in renting a home from the bank than from an landlord. Somehow, and I’m not really sure how, I have phenomenal credit. I get very funny reactions when people check my credit score. Always positive.

An open workspace is necessary since Nishi will be running Barefoot Upholstery out of wherever we end up. The idea of living out of the bus, inside a warehouse somewhere always floats through my mind when I think about open work space. I think it would be quite a lot of fun, and new ways to use that space would emerge to fill the physical void.

Of course that’s not exactly legal, which is more of a concern if we were renting such a place. In looking around at potential options, I found a really cool solution. It is basically a small business breeding ground. There are multiple units to a building, in the same vein as a storage condo. However, these include an apartment above the open work space. It’s totally ideal, except that it’s in Washington state, and there doesn’t seem to be anything like it on this coast.

I’ve dreamt of a tiny house barn. It is essentially a barn, with the loft area turned into a tiny house, so that there is a large indoor work space below the living area. I like that I’m not the only one thinking about such a space.

Us vs The World

RUT

We’re still in Middletown. How about that? We’ve had set back after set back with the veggie system, we’ve been plagued by depressing weather, and on our way to see our guru we get stuck in mud. The photo above was taken after the tow truck showed up and pulled us out. In two weeks we need to be in Arkansas for the first of our festivals. It will happen, but how exactly is still very much up in the air. I’ve decided to call this summer Us vs. The World.
The universe may be trying to tell us something, but we’re not listening.

Caracycle

So I’ve settled upon a new project. A sub 500 pound, easily built coach composed largely of bicycle parts that are cheap(ish) and widely available, to be pulled by four bicycle riders. I’d like the coaches to be able to daisy-chain, and form into a larger caravan, with the riders of each coach pulling collectively. I’m sure there’s a limit to size, where more riders and coaches lead to diminishing returns and increasing spectacle, but I don’t know it yet.

Important things that need to be pondered:

  • Whether or not a coachman is necessary. While the steering will be handled by the cyclists, I think the coach’s brakes would be best controlled by a coachman, but it is conceivable that the cyclists (or a single cyclist) could control the coach brakes.
  • How to make this project possible without welding. I would like this project to be something that anyone with a desire to attempt could build, regardless of skillset. I need to balance the trade between accessibility and sound structure.

    • And I’m sure there is much more that has yet to reveal itself.