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I've been feeling like I need to post something on the Nation of Earth blog, and something else over at Tellurian Motors... Really, I suppose, I've had the itch to write and am not quite ready to jump back into my novel.
I can feel it coming though, as the story keeps taking form in my head. It being set in the near future, of course I'm going to have to get serious about writing this novel very soon...
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On the Nation of Earth blog I was going to write something about an intentional community -- or 'tribe', if you will, within the 'nation' -- but then got conflicted over where the post should appear. While the subject of a 'colony' that I would like to establish certainly falls within the subject matter of the Nation of Earth blog, the post I've been working up to probably fits better here at Phil's Mythos...
So anyway as a sort of update, I guess I'll tell you what I've been thinking (or daydreaming) about the place, and put off writing a full post until later...
While I still look at mountaintop removal sites as being nearly ideal, there is some concern about what the mining activity has done to the water table. A good source of clean water is an absolute must, and I'd rather not have to go to extreme measures for it...
There is a company in California that produces premanufactured homes that are about as 'green' as you can get, so as a measure of expedience I'd like to commission one to be sent to the site, shortly after the site is established. If you watch television at all, you may have seen commercials for steel Quonset-style buildings. I'd like to get a few of those as well -- and so right away you see that architectural planning has gone out the window.
The thing to do would be to make every effort to survey and plan for the future use of the grounds...
[break*]
...from the beginning, even without time for full architectural planning. My dream 'lodge' can be added later, but certainly not before the greenhouses go in.
Look for a new Nation of Earth post soon...
[*had to stop yesterday]
I'm the only one in our family of five who drives, for now, so I was pulled away from this blog to play chauffeur. Had to wait in the car for almost an hour...
Started thinking about my first flat-panel design, the Brubeck, and how it might be updated. Happened to have a pencil and a couple of blank, unlined 3X5 cards in the car, so... I did a few quick (and small) sketches.
The Brubeck was originally intended to be powered by a pair of largish bike engines (finally settled on Kawasaki ZX14s) fuelled by propane, as a sort of farewell celebration of internal combustion. Now, all the concepts for Tellurian Motors are electric -- and if there's going to be an electric Brubeck, I thought, it should benefit from the packaging advantages inherent to electric vehicles.
Meet the Brubeck 2.
The original is front-engined, and its proportions are reflected in that. The redux can have its electric motor mounted between the rear wheels, and its ultracapacitors can be tucked away in various places throughout the chassis. With electric vehicles, the packaging constraints designers have always had to deal with in order to fit in an engine and fuel tank are gone. What freedom!
The Brubeck 2 retains a long nose and short deck, but the base of the windshield can be brought farther forward, without having to worry about engine access.
What I had wanted to write about before, concerning Tellurian Motors, was the future availability of ultracapacitors (which can be fully charged in five minutes, and will eventually replace batteries in countless applications). I've learned that Zenn has acquired exclusive rights to purchase EEStor's ultracapacitors for a very wide range of civilian applications, including conversions and production vehicles.
This means that until someone else starts producing this key component, anyone who wants ultracapacitors for their vehicles will have to go through Zenn. Shrewd move on their part, but now they'll be even more difficult to acquire than I imagined.
Speaking of imagining, of course without a ton of money I'll never be able to establish a planned community, or build a line of electric vehicles there. No, for now I'll have to be satisfied with daydreaming and writing about them.
However there's no reason I can't incorporate these fantasies into my novel -- and so all the mental effort I put toward them will not be entirely in vain.
Meanwhile I continue to carve 'utensil art', and have been taking photos of my current work-in-progress...
Phil Smith
June 24 & 25, 2008
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