Fog catchers collect drinking water

"Every year 2.5 million people die from thirst or from drinking polluted water, and The United Nations expects that by the year 2025 two-thirds of the world’s population will be suffering from water shortage. While studying Industrial Design at Germany’s Muthesius Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Imke Hoehler based her final thesis on finding a resolution to this important challenge. Her DropNet fog collector offers a versatile design that literally harvests drinking water from thin air and mist. This easy to assemble design could have a significant impact on the bleak and waterless future many climate scientists believe to be inevitable.

By utilizing natural and local resources, the DropNet could greatly improve the drinking water supply in many isolated areas that have limited infrastructure. This fog collector filters tiny water droplets from fog clouds and causes the droplets to coalesce. Each unit can collect 10-20 liters of water per day, and an array of several structures could easily supply a whole village with clean healthy drinking water. Due to its tent like construction the DropNet collectors can be assembled by non-skilled workers on both flat and uneven grounds."

http://inhabitat.com/dropnet-fog-collector-harvests-the-mist-to-create-pure-drinking-water/water-sample-extraction/

Sent us by David Naas

Day 3-D on the road

I've got tons of pics from the past 3 days. All I have to do is get out anywhere in the world, and bam-bam-bam. However, it's time to head south.

Day 3-C on the road

Just north of Gualala are these welded steel dinosaurs, viewable from Hwy. One

Day 3-B on the road

The ocean has been vibrant these 3 days. Big swell, crashing waves. Surfers are a hardy bunch up here. This ain't no stinkin Southern California. Water's cold, there are rip currents, surfer dudes are tough.
Lots of driftwood on beaches. When I leave this cafe in Gualala, I think I'll head back down to the beach where we went yesterday, this time with my backpack to pick up driftwood treasures.

On Wednesday, I skated for an hour and a half. First real skateboarding in months, injuries healed, thank the lord, or rather, body1 It's a half-mile downhill narrow road, v. little traffic, going out to the Pt. Arena lighthouse. I bomb a stretch of it, what a thrill. I shot movies of the rides with my GoPro Helmet Hero HD video camera, will get into YouTube when I can. (Looks like I'm going faster than I am.)

I went down a little canyon path a few hours ago to shoot the above pic of the driftwood beach, and on the way back up, spotted this skunk skin, or rather,skunk fur. I probed around with a stick, but there were no bones, just this image of a skunk draped on the pine needles.

I've heard of Taoist masters who have died and supposedly left no physical traces. When monks opened the master's room, there was nothing but the master's clothing and hair. The body had dissolved into thin air.

Day 3-A on the road

This is my 3rd day on the road. Louie is my only friend that is older than me, but he's still a boy. He rides a 500' cable across a churning river to get to his house. Yesterday I turned around on the beach to catch him trying to lasso me with a piece of kelp.

Yesterday we played in his shop. I had cut some slabs out of an oak log with my chainsaw, the same log that rolled down a hill and fractured my rib a few months ago. I figured I'd make a litttle box out of the wood.

Louie ran it through his big powerful wooden-wheel shipbuilders' band saw, then milled it down on his Makita planer, and I ended up with 2 beautiful pieces of oak.

Room attached to Louie's shop where I sleep and fiddle on my Mac.

Driftwood architecture

This morning, Louie, his friend Suzanne, and I walked down to the Gualala beach after breajfast. Huge crashing waves, tons of driftwood, and this perfect little driftwood tipi.

America in Color from 1939-1943

These images, by photographers of the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information, are some of the only color photographs taken of the effects of the Depression on America’s rural and small town populations.
The photographs are the property of the Library of Congress and were included in a 2006 exhibit Bound for Glory: America in Color.
http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/color_photos.html
From Lew Lewandowski

The role of blogging in my life right now

I've had the urge to communicate since my high school journalism class. Every day I run across wonderful stuff and I want to tell people about it. To the point of being a blabbermouth. Hey, check out this barn/motorcycle/red-shouldered hawk/beach…blah-blah-blah. To the point, where while I'm discovering something, I'm already thinking about communicating it.
Blogging is kinda perfect, a lot quicker than getting something into print. Right now I get something up at least once a day, it's a necessary part of my day.
The biggest thing going on now, though, is my tiny homes book. I've been working 12-hour days maybe 3 times a week. Getting up early. I'm into it! I love the process, and the way this book is unfolding. New things are coming in almost daily. It's wild. I'm putting it together 2 pages at a time, the parts are assembling and I've got over half the pages done and I'll keep at it until we have a 224-page book.
It's "organic" in the sense that it's growing on its own. It fees like the same thing that was going on during production of Shelter in 1973. There's a vortex , a cultural movement, in this case, of providing a roof overhead simply and cheaply, staying away from banks, using one's own hands, simplifying life, at least for a while. Seeking independence. This morning, Louie, looking through the miniature printouts I brought along, said, "It's gonna be like Shelter." It's going to resonate with a lot of people, especially women.
Only problem is it's taking a long time. Communicating with all these homeowners and builders and getting pics that are hi-res enough. We're aiming to have it out in winter 2011. It's great for me to take a few days' break and have fun with Louie.

Day 2 on road trip

Healdsburg, northern California yesterday afternoon. Check scroll work at gable.

Barn on road from Healdsburg to Forestville.

The Hop Kiln Winery. Louie says they probably dried apples and other fruits, as well as hops. Look at this stonework.

Got over to the coast around 8PM, went to the recently refurbished Timber Cove Inn to get a couple of draft Boont ales and great hamburger with as-good-as-they-get fries. I knew the architect, Dick Clements, back in the early '60s.; I cut shakes from a deadfall tree on his land.
Back then I didn't realize what a great building this is. The place fell into disrepair over the years and was recently bought by people who obviously love it, and they invested a lot to resuscitate it. It'd be a great place to hole up for a weekend away from the city. Right on the ocean, fires burning in bar and restaurant. Good food.
The storm was just blowing in as I got there. Exciting!
After beer and burger, I drove north along the coast as wind-whipped rain pelted the truck.
Sending this out on 2nd day of trip from the Arena Market and Cafe in Pt. Arena. On the way into town this morning was Shake, Rattle and Roll by Big Joe Turner. What a great song! One of my favorite songs when I was 18.
…get in that kitchen, make some noise with the pots 'n pans.
So gender-incorrect in these times…

Microscopic images

No, this is not a van Gogh painting, it's the… "Foreleg of a male diving beetle, by SPIKE WALKER.
Polarised photomicrograph showing the rows of suckers on the foreleg of a male Dytiscus marginalis. Commonly known as the great diving beetle, these are largest freshwater beetles in the UK. They have a large streamlined body that is dark brown in colour, with a yellow abdomen and yellow legs. This image was produced by passing light through coloured filters, a technique known as Rheinberg illumination."

21 microscopic images are shown here. "The 11th Wellcome Image Awards were announced on 23 February 2011, recognising the creators of the most informative, striking and technically excellent images among recent acquisitions to Wellcome Images, as chosen by a panel of judges."
http://www.wellcomeimageawards.org/#
Sent us by Norbert and Sarah Schnadt

Off on short trip today

Red sky in morning, sailor's warning…
Took off at 6 AM for Berkeley today, meeting Kevin for breakfast at 9:30; I always come early to the Fertile Grounds coffee shop on Shattuck, with good latte and wi-fi. Catch up on news (read real hold-in-hand NYTimes).
Then this afternoon I'm shooting photos of a young woman who built her own $3000 tiny house in a friend's backyard. Turns out there are a lot of women builders in our forthcoming tiny houses book.
Tonight I'm heading over the hills to the coast, to hang out with my friend Louie for a few days. I've got "my" little circular room in Louie's shop, with wood stove and desk for writing. It looks out on grape vines and apple trees, with redwoods in the background. Gonna skate; there's a half-mile downhill with v. few cars. I've recovered from operation and injury, good to be rolling again.
Stay tuned…

Grupo Danza Xunutzi Video

This from Bill and Athena Steens' blog:

"The one thing we have been lacking in our writings about this lovely group is video footage other than a few short clips that we posted sometime back. Mostly it's been still images. Through the group's teacher Nicolas Lizarraga I got hold of a video of the group performing at the national competition this last year where they won third place overall. So with it in my hands I posted it to YouTube for you to see. Be patient, the first couple of minutes there is no dancing, the announcer is explaining to the audience the costumes from the Sate of Sonora and in turn they are being modeled.
http://www.caneloproject.blogspot.com/

French photographers document Detroit ruins

"Up and down Detroit’s streets, buildings stand abandoned and in ruin. French photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre set out to document the decline of an American city. Their book 'The Ruins of Detroit,'“ a document of decaying buildings frozen in time, was published in December 2010." 

Jeez, this building tugs on my heartstrings. Something about it…

http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2011/02/07/captured-the-ruins-of-detroit/2672/

Check out the photographers website: http://www.marchandmeffre.com/detroit/index.html

Sunrise 20 minutes ago

Collage of arroyo and beach yesterday

The essence of seeing with the heart

"On ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux."

("One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye.")

 -The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Octagonal framing, old redwood water tank

Discovered this abandoned redwood water tank while exploring on my bike earlier today. It's hidden from the road. Some pieces missing. Didn't have wide angle lens, so top photo is a collage of 3 pics, looks way larger than it is. Tank is about 12' diameter. Beautiful, simple roof framing; key is 8-sided newel post, so all that's required with each rafter is a simple, not mitered, angle cut.

Film this Saturday in San Francisco: Back to the Garden: Flower Power Comes Full Circle

Sun, 27 Feb 2011

Lloyd,

I found your newest book at a small bookstore up on Denman Island, B.C. last weekend.

It was the last one left. (Builders of the Pacific Coast!) so inspiring since I love Home Work!

I've been collecting your books and telling others about them too on our film's Facebook page.

I'm a Seattle filmmaker of a new, award-winning documentary called "back to the garden, flower power comes full circle" which is coming to San Francisco and featured at the San Francisco Green Film Festival.
Our film screens one time only on Saturday, March 5th. (8:15pm) Embarcadero Cinemas.
I Would love it if you could come to our screening and to let your friends know about our film which movingly illustrates how the values of the 60's counterculture are inspiring a whole new generation...

blessings,
kevin
Kevin Tomlinson
Heaven Scent Films

Fireplace in the pub

It was cold and dark Tuesday night and us runners gathered in front of the unique fireplace at the Pelican Inn. Roger, who's a builder, remarked on the chimney not smoking at all. Like the fireplaces designed by Count Rumford in the 1700s, the flue here draws perfectly. Being on the floor level, it's like sitting in front of a camp fire.