Search found 1450 matches

by white belt
Mon Mar 25, 2024 4:29 pm
Forum: Technical Skills & Tools Questions
Topic: Hunting for Food: A Primer
Replies: 46
Views: 11691

Re: Hunting for Food: A Primer

I just discovered that Steven Rinella (of Meateater) wrote a two volume series directly in line with the theme of this thread. Thanks for posting this resource. Although I did purchase a crossbow, I didn't have time this past year to go hunting. However, with my semi-retirement in the next few mont...
by white belt
Mon Mar 25, 2024 4:23 pm
Forum: ERE Journals
Topic: bostonimproper's journal
Replies: 425
Views: 119499

Re: bostonimproper's journal

Perhaps people are looking for title or status but sometimes we are looking for greater responsibility. I know that my job satisfaction grows with increased responsibility, as long as I am given the authority to execute the changes I desire. It is also eye opening to see things from different level...
by white belt
Mon Mar 18, 2024 10:19 am
Forum: Housing and Transportation Questions
Topic: Buying a home without a job after retirement
Replies: 7
Views: 602

Re: Buying a home without a job after retirement

If you're looking to finance it may be easier and cheaper to get a margin loan than a traditional mortgage, or pull assets from IRAs, which can't be put up as collateral. Can you elaborate on this? 30 year mortgage rates are between 6-7%, while Fidelity margin loan rates are 9.5% for assets from 25...
by white belt
Thu Mar 14, 2024 4:54 pm
Forum: Housing and Transportation Questions
Topic: ERE City (US)
Replies: 470
Views: 158844

Re: ERE City (US)

Grist, not an argument: Simon Sarris on culture/movements/scenes being created in small spaces and then assembled in larger ones . Interesting article. I'm not super well-read in Silicon Valley history, but I know it's something that has been covered extensively. Everyone is always trying to create...
by white belt
Thu Mar 07, 2024 7:01 pm
Forum: Emergent Renaissance Ecology
Topic: 4th, 5th, 6th Person Perspective
Replies: 157
Views: 48453

Re: 4th, 5th, 6th Person Perspective

Whereas I look at abundant, cheap, DIY friendly energy collection and storage, and think “Why would I limit my energy use? Why not size up the system, and see how the world changes with unlimited heat and hot water? Why wouldn't an ecovillage be built around the efficient collection/distribution/st...
by white belt
Wed Mar 06, 2024 4:20 pm
Forum: Inspiration
Topic: Heat your House with a Mechanical Windmill
Replies: 10
Views: 2264

Re: Heat your House with a Mechanical Windmill

I think hooking the windmill up to an air compressor is more interesting. https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2023/07/human-powered-air-compressor-and-energy-storage-system/ Thanks to the Amish, conversion kits, albeit expensive, are available to turn common electric tools like table saws and routers...
by white belt
Tue Mar 05, 2024 4:33 pm
Forum: Miscellaneous
Topic: Insane Propane vs. Microwave Mania
Replies: 13
Views: 1047

Re: Insane Propane vs. Microwave Mania

A pressure cooker combined with a hay box probably is the most efficient way. Bring the pressure cooker up to pressure for n minutes less than it takes to get the food ready. Switch off the heat. Put the pressure cooker in the hay box for n minutes. I think the most "efficient" method usi...
by white belt
Tue Mar 05, 2024 11:03 am
Forum: Miscellaneous
Topic: Insane Propane vs. Microwave Mania
Replies: 13
Views: 1047

Re: Insane Propane vs. Microwave Mania

The microwave is almost always going to be more efficient for heating/cooking small amounts of food. However, if you really want to reduce your energy consumption when cooking something that requires long and slow heat (like beans), I recommend looking into thermal cooking strategies. The basic idea...
by white belt
Sat Feb 17, 2024 10:58 pm
Forum: Emergent Renaissance Ecology
Topic: How is the FIRE movement doing?
Replies: 337
Views: 128885

Re: How is the FIRE movement doing?

Substitute triggering/outrageous for interesting or entertaining. The algorithm would count it as attention all the same. If you find inter-tribal collaboration engaging, then the algorithm will show you more of that. It is hard to completely avoid low-information density outrage, but I learn a lit...
by white belt
Sat Feb 17, 2024 10:20 pm
Forum: Emergent Renaissance Ecology
Topic: How is the FIRE movement doing?
Replies: 337
Views: 128885

Re: How is the FIRE movement doing?

However, I would agree that the trend towards work-from-home has somewhat obliterated the largest carrot offered by FI. In my social circle of millenial/gen z mostly yuppie peers, this is the biggest factor that stops them from having any interest in FIRE. I'd imagine if MMM lived his younger worki...
by white belt
Mon Feb 05, 2024 2:27 pm
Forum: Miscellaneous
Topic: Buying a New Computer + A Sad Story
Replies: 62
Views: 11808

Re: Buying a New Computer + A Sad Story

Another concern was the tremendous power consumption of modern computers. Summer room temperature gets above 85F+ here and I wanted to avoid adding a 700W space heater on top of the afternoon sun. Also, the GPU could have been cheaper (EVGA 1060 for around $75 used + the power draw of that is low e...
by white belt
Sat Jan 20, 2024 5:25 pm
Forum: ERE Journals
Topic: Chenda's sober ramblings.
Replies: 88
Views: 7437

Re: Chenda's sober ramblings.

This is a very interesting thread for me to read through. It seems alcohol serves a different function for different people. I still drink, however for me alcohol is and has always been a "social drug". I never get an urge to drink when I'm by myself and can go weeks without drinking if I ...
by white belt
Sat Jan 20, 2024 5:04 pm
Forum: ERE Journals
Topic: 7Wannabe5-Take9-One Ordinary Day, With Peanuts
Replies: 123
Views: 14092

Re: 7Wannabe5-Take9-One Ordinary Day, With Peanuts

Anyways, I agree with your observation about mind-body relationship, and it is my intention to focus on increasing my fun with "movement" while not focusing on my weight or similar movement-metrics. I think Slevin wrote on some thread here that body-building/weight-training is the male eq...
by white belt
Sun Jan 07, 2024 2:04 pm
Forum: Philosophy and Lifestyle Questions
Topic: How to be a Cheap Date: Ideas For Free, Creative and Frugal Dates
Replies: 37
Views: 3305

Re: How to be a Cheap Date: Ideas For Free, Creative and Frugal Dates

True enough. The cold weather hypothesis is interesting. I just picked up a copy of "A Really Big Lunch: The Roving Gourmand on Food and Life" by the great writer, Jim Harrison. He also hails from Michigan, was quite attractive although heavy-set, and I was recalling his take on how you n...
by white belt
Sun Jan 07, 2024 1:53 pm
Forum: Philosophy and Lifestyle Questions
Topic: How to be a Cheap Date: Ideas For Free, Creative and Frugal Dates
Replies: 37
Views: 3305

Re: How to be a Cheap Date: Ideas For Free, Creative and Frugal Dates

@7, given your recent studies and your big interest in dating dynamics, you should be a data scientist for a dating app. Although they'd probably prefer a guy, since it's guys who have it hard there, to the extend of paying to get preferrential treatments (IOW, men are customers, while women are pr...
by white belt
Fri Jan 05, 2024 5:19 pm
Forum: Philosophy and Lifestyle Questions
Topic: How to be a Cheap Date: Ideas For Free, Creative and Frugal Dates
Replies: 37
Views: 3305

Re: How to be a Cheap Date: Ideas For Free, Creative and Frugal Dates

Basically you need to starve yourself in a very specific (and relatively expensive) way, and only weight / resistance train in an incredibly specific way. Pretty much this. The most impactful thing that the average guy can do to improve date prospects related to health is likely just to lose some w...
by white belt
Fri Jan 05, 2024 4:29 pm
Forum: Philosophy and Lifestyle Questions
Topic: Less is more
Replies: 18
Views: 2197

Re: Less is more

Fewer belongings make moving / travelling easier. If you can pack everything into a few suitcases, or even one bag, imagine how simple moving house is. Also travel is more comfortable because you can take most of what you own with you, so you don't feel like you're missing anything. Smaller dwellin...
by white belt
Fri Jan 05, 2024 3:58 pm
Forum: ERE Journals
Topic: What I Spend
Replies: 903
Views: 196111

Re: What I Spend

There's a lot of additional detail I was missing. I've chilled out on trying to live purposefully, and it's a good time. Especially when I'm supposed to be rest. I'd guess in the next 1-3 years, I go for a 4k setup with PS5 or some other hotness. Since my screen tethered career ended, the video gam...
by white belt
Thu Dec 21, 2023 2:40 pm
Forum: Technical Skills & Tools Questions
Topic: Sedentary indoor cold wear
Replies: 114
Views: 75244

Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

I’m looking for recommendations for sedentary indoor cold wear for women. Although in theory Refeigiwear coveralls should be unisex, in practice they were not at all and we had to return DW’s pair because the proportions were all wonky. Refrigiwear makes women-specific overalls, our unfortunately no...
by white belt
Wed Dec 20, 2023 8:56 pm
Forum: Friends, Family, Relationships, and Community Questions
Topic: Tips for toddlers?
Replies: 20
Views: 1926

Re: Tips for toddlers?

Instead of getting your toddler one of the typical trikes/tricycles, get them a balance bike. Then, when your toddler is ready you can get them a regular bicycle and skip the training wheels all together. There are videos of 2 and 3 year olds riding bicycles with no training wheels, so it’s very ach...