Sunday, December 19, 2010
Come Out Of The Closet
Why I Came Out Of The Marijuana Closet Anyone who smokes or ingests cannabis should be reading this.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
I Know A Place...that clears my blogging block
It's just breaking dawn. From my bed, a wooden framed platform covered in a large soft down mattress above the forest floor and protected by a large mozzie net, I can see the ocean. It is like glass, tinted by the morning glow of the rising sun. My view is about fifty metres above the beach. I make my way down the steep narrow track that cuts through forest covered hillside to the shore below. Lorikeets, pidgeons and other birds fill the air with music. A lizard darts across the track in front of me, its bug hunt interrupted by a giant stomping through its domain. By now the local Tree Kangaroo will be asleep in the canopy somewhere. We've seen it once or twice at night when spotlighting the treetops.
About 50 metres off the beach is a small reef. On the high tide I fish from the beach with a rod. But when it is low, I walk to the reef and and hunt crayfish, or spear the odd fish from the outer edge of the reef. I usually catch 'lippers' or the odd Coral Trout. The fish are scarce this morning, but two fat crayfish aren't so lucky. My spear was made from a length of hardwood, slowly whittled and shaped, then hardened on the fire. A barb fashioned from a pig tusk is fixed to the point with twine. I cheated though. Instead of using tree sap, I used rod resin to seal the twine. It is the perfect shape for hooking crays and muddies out of their crannies and mudholes.
My soulmate is preparing a fire on the beach for breakfast. Today it is roasted cray, accompanied by a salad of Cedar Bay Cherries, banana and fresh Avocado, washed down with Green Coconut juice.
I set some traps up near the Mangrove beach yesterday. It's about two kay's North. Later on I'll head up and see if I've snared a pig. The Mudcrabs are abundant around the edge of the Mangroves this time of year, so if I don't get a pig, I'm sure to spike a muddie or two.
When we get pigs, we usually spit roast them, or if we're feeling lazy, wrap the meat in leaves and cook it Hungi style. That way we don't have to watch it for hours. We can explore the forest and the mountain and come back around sunset to a sumptuous meal of Pork and vegetables.
Muddies are best cooked in a large pot using sea water. If not, a short sear on the coals of a fire will cook them nicely in their own juices.
Every now and again we do a Stingray broth. Catch your 'ray. Tail it and carefully gut it, saving the liver and gizzard. Throw away the Pancreas, it's no good. Now chop the b'wings up and toss them and the guts into a pot and add seasoning. Simmer until the meat is cooked and the flavours have blended. Good tucker.
The shadows come early here, due to the high mountain on our West. We live at the very foot of it, cradled in a spot sheltered from Sou' Easters but with enough Northern sunlight to grow vegetables in the natural clearings.
We grow our vegies in spots where large trees have fallen and broken the canopy. We have four spots all within a few minutes walk. Stuff just grows here with minimal care. So long as we keep the vines from overtaking the tomatoes and greens, we do OK.
The pigs sometimes attack our Taro and potato, but we've managed to trap a few of the squealers as well, so it's a bit of give and take. A balance if you will. They get some good healthy vegies and we get a protein boost when we need it.
Water used to be a bit of a fitness exercise. Out of necessity, we had to make a small dam in a natural hollow about a hundred metres up the mountain. It was the only place where we could 'store' enough water to fill our 25 litre jerry cans. Once a week we'd climb the trail to the pond, fill the drums and cart them back down. Nowadays we have a hundred and fifty metres of poly pipe with a tap on the end. Lazy buggers we are. We've built another small catchment about two minutes walk across the hillside. It's our bath. We only use coconut oils and natural soaps to wash, resulting in negligible effect on the water. The 'tub' is big enough for two...and it gets full sun at certain times of the day. It's also a natural spa, due to the small waterfall that ryns in from upstream over the rocks.
Technology wise, we are pretty spoiled. We have two 150 watt solar panels set up in a clearing. They receive about nine hours of direct light a day. This supplies power to four deep cycle 12 volt batteries hooked to an inverter that runs our small satellite transmitter/receiver, the computer and some rudimentary lighting. You may think, "so what, anyone can set that up".
Well, we're not exactly close to civilization. It is an eight hour walk to our humble abode...over a mountain. It took about two months to carry all that gear in. One battery each at a time. One solar panel between us, negotiating a trail that at times is hard to see, let alone walk along it with a 6 by 4 lump of glass and silicon and aluminium. But we did it. We wanted our privacy, but we didn't want to lose touch with our friends and family.
Posting a letter would be akin to sending mail by ship to England. On rare occasions we head into town. This is what most people would call a journey. You see, as much as we have technology in our little bit of paradise, we still have to buy the odd staple. Flour, rice, yeast etc. all has to come from town. As I said, it is an 8 hour walk to civilization. That is just to a friend's property over the hill. It is then another two hours to any town of substance if you don't count the Pub and Trading Post half-way along the road. We keep our old four-wheel drive at a mate's place. It runs on a mixture of diesel and chip oil from the snack bar in town. It manages to get us to town and back with minimal cost and environmental damage. Plus, it smells like fish and chips :o)
So, posting a letter takes a full day or more just to get to the post office. It's then another two days before the receiver gets it. Now, if we don't go to town for a month or more, people worry. So we decided to marry the technology with the solitude. It's quite surreal sometimes. We are lucky to see another human here. The odd adventurous back-packer makes their way here from the National Park to the South, but not very often. But we can stay in contact with friends from as far away as Canada, or chat with people in realtime via video on a good reception night.
We are somewhat physically isolated in a number of ways. About three kay's to the South, a deep creek blocks easy access. To cross the creek and stay dry, one has to walk about 2 kilometres upstream through thick rainforest, and near a tidal creek that is home to a rather large crocodile. To the North, the mountains drop straight into the sea. It is difficult, if not impossible to traverse this natural barrier. Finally, the reef makes access to the beach possible only by small tinnies.
I know this place. It's in my heart and in my dreams. We'll be there one day soon.
About 50 metres off the beach is a small reef. On the high tide I fish from the beach with a rod. But when it is low, I walk to the reef and and hunt crayfish, or spear the odd fish from the outer edge of the reef. I usually catch 'lippers' or the odd Coral Trout. The fish are scarce this morning, but two fat crayfish aren't so lucky. My spear was made from a length of hardwood, slowly whittled and shaped, then hardened on the fire. A barb fashioned from a pig tusk is fixed to the point with twine. I cheated though. Instead of using tree sap, I used rod resin to seal the twine. It is the perfect shape for hooking crays and muddies out of their crannies and mudholes.
My soulmate is preparing a fire on the beach for breakfast. Today it is roasted cray, accompanied by a salad of Cedar Bay Cherries, banana and fresh Avocado, washed down with Green Coconut juice.
I set some traps up near the Mangrove beach yesterday. It's about two kay's North. Later on I'll head up and see if I've snared a pig. The Mudcrabs are abundant around the edge of the Mangroves this time of year, so if I don't get a pig, I'm sure to spike a muddie or two.
When we get pigs, we usually spit roast them, or if we're feeling lazy, wrap the meat in leaves and cook it Hungi style. That way we don't have to watch it for hours. We can explore the forest and the mountain and come back around sunset to a sumptuous meal of Pork and vegetables.
Muddies are best cooked in a large pot using sea water. If not, a short sear on the coals of a fire will cook them nicely in their own juices.
Every now and again we do a Stingray broth. Catch your 'ray. Tail it and carefully gut it, saving the liver and gizzard. Throw away the Pancreas, it's no good. Now chop the b'wings up and toss them and the guts into a pot and add seasoning. Simmer until the meat is cooked and the flavours have blended. Good tucker.
The shadows come early here, due to the high mountain on our West. We live at the very foot of it, cradled in a spot sheltered from Sou' Easters but with enough Northern sunlight to grow vegetables in the natural clearings.
We grow our vegies in spots where large trees have fallen and broken the canopy. We have four spots all within a few minutes walk. Stuff just grows here with minimal care. So long as we keep the vines from overtaking the tomatoes and greens, we do OK.
The pigs sometimes attack our Taro and potato, but we've managed to trap a few of the squealers as well, so it's a bit of give and take. A balance if you will. They get some good healthy vegies and we get a protein boost when we need it.
Water used to be a bit of a fitness exercise. Out of necessity, we had to make a small dam in a natural hollow about a hundred metres up the mountain. It was the only place where we could 'store' enough water to fill our 25 litre jerry cans. Once a week we'd climb the trail to the pond, fill the drums and cart them back down. Nowadays we have a hundred and fifty metres of poly pipe with a tap on the end. Lazy buggers we are. We've built another small catchment about two minutes walk across the hillside. It's our bath. We only use coconut oils and natural soaps to wash, resulting in negligible effect on the water. The 'tub' is big enough for two...and it gets full sun at certain times of the day. It's also a natural spa, due to the small waterfall that ryns in from upstream over the rocks.
Technology wise, we are pretty spoiled. We have two 150 watt solar panels set up in a clearing. They receive about nine hours of direct light a day. This supplies power to four deep cycle 12 volt batteries hooked to an inverter that runs our small satellite transmitter/receiver, the computer and some rudimentary lighting. You may think, "so what, anyone can set that up".
Well, we're not exactly close to civilization. It is an eight hour walk to our humble abode...over a mountain. It took about two months to carry all that gear in. One battery each at a time. One solar panel between us, negotiating a trail that at times is hard to see, let alone walk along it with a 6 by 4 lump of glass and silicon and aluminium. But we did it. We wanted our privacy, but we didn't want to lose touch with our friends and family.
Posting a letter would be akin to sending mail by ship to England. On rare occasions we head into town. This is what most people would call a journey. You see, as much as we have technology in our little bit of paradise, we still have to buy the odd staple. Flour, rice, yeast etc. all has to come from town. As I said, it is an 8 hour walk to civilization. That is just to a friend's property over the hill. It is then another two hours to any town of substance if you don't count the Pub and Trading Post half-way along the road. We keep our old four-wheel drive at a mate's place. It runs on a mixture of diesel and chip oil from the snack bar in town. It manages to get us to town and back with minimal cost and environmental damage. Plus, it smells like fish and chips :o)
So, posting a letter takes a full day or more just to get to the post office. It's then another two days before the receiver gets it. Now, if we don't go to town for a month or more, people worry. So we decided to marry the technology with the solitude. It's quite surreal sometimes. We are lucky to see another human here. The odd adventurous back-packer makes their way here from the National Park to the South, but not very often. But we can stay in contact with friends from as far away as Canada, or chat with people in realtime via video on a good reception night.
We are somewhat physically isolated in a number of ways. About three kay's to the South, a deep creek blocks easy access. To cross the creek and stay dry, one has to walk about 2 kilometres upstream through thick rainforest, and near a tidal creek that is home to a rather large crocodile. To the North, the mountains drop straight into the sea. It is difficult, if not impossible to traverse this natural barrier. Finally, the reef makes access to the beach possible only by small tinnies.
I know this place. It's in my heart and in my dreams. We'll be there one day soon.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Bugger! Someone Hacked My tyres!
Geeks Hack Tyre Pressure Sensors -
This is the future folks. As more and more vehicle bits get hooked up to wireless for monitoring and adjusting, more and more doors will open for hackers (ooh a sort of a pun). In the future your car will be open to all sorts computer type horror stories.
"You were doing 140 in a 100 zone"
"But Constable, my fuel injection system got infected with the 'Roadrunner' worm".
"Russian hackers have hijacked my boot (trunk)! They're using it to transport bodies through 2nd Life!"
"Wow dude! Your tyres were hacked? That'll cost you to replace."
"No. They were hacked, not hacked. But now every nerd in Australia knows what my tyre pressures are!"
...or worse...
"Some teenybopper geek hacked my stereo and now all I get is the Justin Dweeber Channel!"
This is the future folks. As more and more vehicle bits get hooked up to wireless for monitoring and adjusting, more and more doors will open for hackers (ooh a sort of a pun). In the future your car will be open to all sorts computer type horror stories.
"You were doing 140 in a 100 zone"
"But Constable, my fuel injection system got infected with the 'Roadrunner' worm".
"Russian hackers have hijacked my boot (trunk)! They're using it to transport bodies through 2nd Life!"
"Wow dude! Your tyres were hacked? That'll cost you to replace."
"No. They were hacked, not hacked. But now every nerd in Australia knows what my tyre pressures are!"
...or worse...
"Some teenybopper geek hacked my stereo and now all I get is the Justin Dweeber Channel!"
Politics and Alcohol - A Great Mixer to Delay Cannabis Law Reform
It is probably one of the worst kept secrets in the world, but the Alcohol industry doesn't want cannabis legalized for medicinal purposes, and especially not for private home use.
Now, call me cynical (or even a conspiracy theorist), but I don't think that the Alcohol Lobby opposes Cannabis reform for altruistic reasons.
Now don't get the Chilli Man wrong. I like a good beer or two in the evening, or on the weekend (give me a reason). It is relaxing, and refreshing after a hard day doing the Super Hero type things that Chilli Man does.
If Cannabis were legal in my country, the alcohol industry would still get its cut from me. Marijuana is my medicine, alcohol is my 'getting high' drug. Having said that, I only drink one brand of beer, which is from a privately owned company and is 5.8% Alc/vol. I only drink two or three a night, so even if I did stop, I doubt anyone would notice.
Insert obligatory alcoholic beverage image here:
The Alcohol Industry employs a lot of people and keeps a lot of people happy (or unhappy if you can't control your Alcohol intake).
According to Alternet, there is mounting evidence that the Alcohol Lobby and certain Police groups (in opposition to their members) are the primary financial backers to California's anti Prop-19 group 'Public Safety First'.
I'll repeat what I've read of other opinion pieces. The Alcohol sector stands to lose a lot of money if cannabis is legalized across Western cultures. The Pharmaceutical Industry, another anti-Prop 19 heavy-weight will also lose a lot if a non-patentable drug is available to grow in our homes. Lastly, it is widely rumoured that Narcotic divisions of certain Police Departments will have a hard time justifying expenses if their one 'easy catch' offence is no longer available.
Will every state or territory in every Western country have to fight this type of attack when they see the light and try to pass a legalization motion for cannabis?
Now, call me cynical (or even a conspiracy theorist), but I don't think that the Alcohol Lobby opposes Cannabis reform for altruistic reasons.
Now don't get the Chilli Man wrong. I like a good beer or two in the evening, or on the weekend (give me a reason). It is relaxing, and refreshing after a hard day doing the Super Hero type things that Chilli Man does.
If Cannabis were legal in my country, the alcohol industry would still get its cut from me. Marijuana is my medicine, alcohol is my 'getting high' drug. Having said that, I only drink one brand of beer, which is from a privately owned company and is 5.8% Alc/vol. I only drink two or three a night, so even if I did stop, I doubt anyone would notice.
Insert obligatory alcoholic beverage image here:
The Alcohol Industry employs a lot of people and keeps a lot of people happy (or unhappy if you can't control your Alcohol intake).
According to Alternet, there is mounting evidence that the Alcohol Lobby and certain Police groups (in opposition to their members) are the primary financial backers to California's anti Prop-19 group 'Public Safety First'.
I'll repeat what I've read of other opinion pieces. The Alcohol sector stands to lose a lot of money if cannabis is legalized across Western cultures. The Pharmaceutical Industry, another anti-Prop 19 heavy-weight will also lose a lot if a non-patentable drug is available to grow in our homes. Lastly, it is widely rumoured that Narcotic divisions of certain Police Departments will have a hard time justifying expenses if their one 'easy catch' offence is no longer available.
Will every state or territory in every Western country have to fight this type of attack when they see the light and try to pass a legalization motion for cannabis?
Sunday, September 19, 2010
AAAAaaarrrgghhh! Two Posts in One Day? Aye Me Hearties!
I was runnin' me schooner (while drinking a few) around the Interweb and found me some treasures!
This be a fine wench for cold nights aboard me ship:
Then I got to thinkin', what about me shipmates? They'd be lookin for some buxom wenches too, so I found some:
Before we weigh anchor, I need to find some rations to keep the dreaded scurvy away:
This should do...aaaarrrggghhhh!
Last but not least, a good Pirate needs a good ship.
What is this all about? Have ye god barmy me old salt? Noooo, it's TLAPD
This be a fine wench for cold nights aboard me ship:
Then I got to thinkin', what about me shipmates? They'd be lookin for some buxom wenches too, so I found some:
Before we weigh anchor, I need to find some rations to keep the dreaded scurvy away:
This should do...aaaarrrggghhhh!
Last but not least, a good Pirate needs a good ship.
What is this all about? Have ye god barmy me old salt? Noooo, it's TLAPD
HIGHTIMES.COM 19th Annual Seattle Hempfest is Most Successful Hempfest to Date
Congratulations Seattle on a great HempFest. I wish I'd been there. Maybe next years MardiGrass...
HIGHTIMES.COM 19th Annual Seattle Hempfest is Most Successful Hempfest to Date
2011 MardiGrass, Nimbin Australia
HIGHTIMES.COM 19th Annual Seattle Hempfest is Most Successful Hempfest to Date
2011 MardiGrass, Nimbin Australia
Thursday, September 2, 2010
OK, He IS an Uber Geek...
http://www.slothfurnace.com/
My last post about that wonderful waste of time that was on 'Hack-A-Day'? Well, the above link is to the makers website.
In honour of his Uber Geekness, I give you his short intro:
I do encourage anyone who appreciates fine engineering and/or a love for all things Star Wars to visit.
It is truly an excellent waste of time in my opinion. Congrats Bradley, you are a True Legend.
Seriously.
Oh, and he is a member of RobotPirate (I had to put an image in this post somewhere, it's the done thing):
:o)
My last post about that wonderful waste of time that was on 'Hack-A-Day'? Well, the above link is to the makers website.
In honour of his Uber Geekness, I give you his short intro:
Howdy! This site is for my custom lightsaber and prop builds, and whatever else I feel like posting. My friend Shay Pierce told me to register thisthing and post these pics.
The lightsabers in the step-by-step builds will be similar to the hasbro Force FX sabers, but brighter, louder, and more accurate to the films. Meaning, where I can, I will use the same vintage parts used in the movies,or replicas machined as close as possible.This site will feature documentation of the build process, tips and tricks.
Your friendly neighborhood Slothfurnace is none other than Bradley W. Lewis. I am videogame developer by day, and a robotpirate builder of things by night. You can contact me at bradley at slothfurnace dot com if you like. I also have some twitter and facebook links up in this piece.
I do encourage anyone who appreciates fine engineering and/or a love for all things Star Wars to visit.
It is truly an excellent waste of time in my opinion. Congrats Bradley, you are a True Legend.
Seriously.
Oh, and he is a member of RobotPirate (I had to put an image in this post somewhere, it's the done thing):
:o)
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Geek Hacks - Yep, There Had To Be A Star Wars Something...
I've mentioned my love for all things Star Wars before, so it should be no surprise that I bring you another sad case of SW Geekdom.
Why, Oh why would you spend your time creating this:
Why, Oh why would you spend your time creating this:
I guess only the creator could explain, so head on over and check out this wonderful waste of time.
Geek Hacks - First Pick - The Internet Beer Vending Machine
I want one of these:
Check out this page because it may still be for sale.
http://varenhor.st/2010/05/vender-an-internet-controlled-classic-vending-machine/
Check out this page because it may still be for sale.
http://varenhor.st/2010/05/vender-an-internet-controlled-classic-vending-machine/
The 8 Most Absurd Reasons to Oppose Cannabis Legalisation
I was drifting about the Interweb (as you do) and came across this post in respect to California's Proposition 19. Proposition 19, for those of you who don't know, is a bill that will be voted on this year to make Cannabis completely legal in California (in direct opposition to US federal Law).
It was originally posted on AlterNet on 19 August, 2010.
The 8 Most Absurd Excuses for Trying to Defeat Legal Pot
(Follow the above link for the complete article)
8. The federal government will pull all its contracts with California businesses because they won’t be able to drug test employees!
7. Legalizing marijuana for healthy people will end medical marijuana for sick people!
6. Legalizing marijuana will never raise any money because the social costs would outweigh any fiscal benefits… look at alcohol and tobacco!
5. Big Tobacco will buy up great huge tracts of land in Northern California and mass produce lousy joints pumped full of toxic addictive chemicals!
4. Today’s pot is fourteen times more powerful than Sixties weed and will lead to more crack babies
3. People who smoke marijuana in the same apartment building as a child will be arrested! (Not that your landlord will let you grow pot anyway.)
2. Legally home-grown marijuana will lead to outbreaks of toxic deadly molds!
1. Workplaces would be overrun by workers smoking marijuana on the job!
It was originally posted on AlterNet on 19 August, 2010.
The 8 Most Absurd Excuses for Trying to Defeat Legal Pot
(Follow the above link for the complete article)
8. The federal government will pull all its contracts with California businesses because they won’t be able to drug test employees!
7. Legalizing marijuana for healthy people will end medical marijuana for sick people!
6. Legalizing marijuana will never raise any money because the social costs would outweigh any fiscal benefits… look at alcohol and tobacco!
5. Big Tobacco will buy up great huge tracts of land in Northern California and mass produce lousy joints pumped full of toxic addictive chemicals!
4. Today’s pot is fourteen times more powerful than Sixties weed and will lead to more crack babies
3. People who smoke marijuana in the same apartment building as a child will be arrested! (Not that your landlord will let you grow pot anyway.)
2. Legally home-grown marijuana will lead to outbreaks of toxic deadly molds!
1. Workplaces would be overrun by workers smoking marijuana on the job!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
