Search Results for: label/appropriate technology

107 results

Simple Tech

Mr. Homegrown
Thoughtstylings
RLeave a comment
...or third world counties is a strict one-way proposition. The university educated experts parachute in to offer advice to the locals but don’t bother to take any lessons back. Sometimes this arrangement goes bad when the technology developed by the “experts” breaks down when the parts can’t be sourced locally. There can also be a considerable amount of arrogance in asking poor folks living in places decimated by the legacy...

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Behold the Western Electric 500

Mr. Homegrown
Thoughtstylings
14 Comments
...til I decided to fix a wiring flaw that silenced its bells. The WE 500 should be the poster child for Mr. Jalopy’s Owner’s Manifesto as it adheres to all the tenets:  The case is easy to open, all connections are labeled and subassemblies dissemble with ease. Virtually all repairs can be done with a screwdriver. And phone companies, to this day, stick to backwards compatibility–you can still use a dial phone to make a call. Som...

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Pure Vegan

Mr. Homegrown
Food, Reviews
4 Comments
...ill find are some of my favorite ethnic foods: a nut mixture called Dukkah and roasted red pepper paste from Armenia called muhammarah. There’s also an idiot proof bread recipe that I teach at the Institute for Domestic Technology that Shuldiner runs. And, do I need to mention the vegan cocktails? Full disclosure: Kelly and I helped test a few of the recipes in this book. Neither of us are vegans, but I’d happily make this book a part...

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Pooh Power!

Mr. Homegrown
Preparedness
1 Comment
...use, simply fold the Wag™ Bag into the zip-close bag and close. Dispose in trash container. An absolute must for your car, camper, boat, or plane (or those unsavory outhouses). Weighs 3 lbs. per kit. The Wag™ and Pooh-Powder technology was developed by Phillips Environmental Products, a company that received a federal windfall after the weather and toilet disaster known as hurricane Katrina. FEMA soon became a huge customer as did the Pentagon w...

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Licensed to Rant

Mr. Homegrown
Bikes, Thoughtstylings
1 Comment
...for state drivers licenses. Two of the requirements of the law “physical security features designed to prevent tampering, counterfeiting or duplication for fraudulent purposes” and “a common machine-readable technology with defined data elements” sound a lot like incentives for fingerprinting and RFID, a kind of computer chip which stores information that can be read from a distance by a radio frequency device. Currently a...

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Volvo Camper by John Ross

Mr. Homegrown
Design, Thoughtstylings
5 Comments
Volvo Camper (in front of a vintage Spartan trailer) Spotted in the Museum of Jurassic Technology’s parking lot–a Volvo-based camper created by über tinkerer/genius John Ross. Ross started with a 1,200 gallon underground water cistern like the ones below: He insulated the tank with polyisocyanurate foam-board and covered the whole thing with a $70 tent to block out light. You access the tank through a hole in the roof of...

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There Will Be Kraut Part II–Full Day Hands-On Fermentation Workshop at the Greystone Mansion

Mr. Homegrown
Events
2 Comments
Part II of the Institute of Domestic Technology’s Fermentation Fest begins with a lecture on Friday, April 26. The next day will feature a hands-on workshop. Here’s the description from the IDT’s website: Full-Day Hands-On Fermentation Workshop: $195 (Includes lunch, snacks and a take-home fermentation jar) Saturday,  April 27th, 10 ~ 4pm  |   Greystone Mansion Vintage Kitchen  (Beverly Hills) Sign up here. Our full-day fes...

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Social Media as a Homesteading Tool

Mr. Homegrown
Thoughtstylings
34 Comments
...t from what Facebook friends have posted about their homesteading adventures. Yes, the privacy issues are alarming but, having written two books now, our life is public anyways. I think that it’s healthy to look at new technology critically and to take a break both daily and monthly from all the screen time we seem to accumulate. And I’m not a fan of cell phones, even though I own one. They seem like tracking devices with phone privi...

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Thong Theory

Mr. Homegrown
Preparedness
RLeave a comment
As author Daniel Pinchbeck suggests, we’re in a time when technique is more important than technology. Take the Homegrown Revolution Thong for instance. A friend and fellow “thoughtstylist” posed the question last night, what else could the real survivalist do with a thong in an emergency situation? It’s all about the brain my friends, so get out there and innovate – that thong has many uses – tourniquet, band...

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