My 2013 New Year’s Resolution

...as a collection of merit badges. I think it’s an obvious trap for a how-to book author and homesteading blogger to fall into. My merit badge accumulation better served my ego than those around me. This year, rather than collect merit badges, I’m going to focus on skills and goals that will serve friends, family and community (which includes the audience of this blog). And I’m not going to make a new list–I’ve got plenty to work with from last year...

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We’re Car Free

...r into a bad-ass electric vehicle. Or fuel it with our humanure methane digester. Airbrush the Root Simple logo on the door and folks would really notice our arrival at book signings–especially when we do donuts in the parking lot. So, dear readers, what do you think we should do?...

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Saturday Linkages: Poison, Pee and Plagiarism

....html … Plagiarism Jane Goodall’s Troubling, Plagiarized, Error-Filled New Book, ‘Seeds of Hope’ http://thebea.st/X9k58O ??? Hard times for Marshmallow farmers!: http://youtu.be/h9RfuD1Im4U Vegan Black Metal Chef, A Vegan Cooking Show Like No Other http://laughingsquid.com/vegan-black-metal-chef-a-vegan-cooking-show-like-no-other/ … The Archdruid Report: The Illusion of Invincibility http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-illusion-of-i...

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Picture Sundays: Doberman Chariots

...ve forms of transportation. Our late dog was a Doberman and I remembered a book we used to have about the breed that showed some unusual events that used to be held in South Africa in the 1970s: harness racing with Dobermans and kid jockeys! Remembering just how powerful and fast our Doberman was, I imagine these races were quite a thrill for the kids in those carts. Try this in the US and, no doubt, child protective services would shut down the f...

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Stoicism as a Toolkit for Modern Life

...it off of Boing Boing. I was introduced to stoicism by Nassim Taleb in his book The Black Swan (nothing to do with the movie!). Taleb says, “My idea of the modern stoic sage is someone who transforms fear into prudence, pain into information, mistakes into initiation, and desire into undertaking.” The stoic learns from mistakes and practices tranquility of mind in the face of chaos. Stoicism originates with the Greek philosopher Zeno around 308 B....

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