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Showing posts from August, 2018

Chernobyl: the nuclear Pleistocene revival theory Part 1 of 2

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On 26 April 1986, Reactor No. 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded after tests were done on the reactor improperly and the operators lost control. Chernobyl city was evacuated soon after the disaster. The base of operations for the administration and monitoring of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone was moved from Pripyat to Chernobyl. Chernobyl currently contains offices for the State Agency of Ukraine on the Exclusion Zone Management and accommodations for visitors. Apartment blocks have been repurposed as accommodations for employees of the State Agency. The length of time that workers may spend within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is restricted by regulations that have been implemented to limit exposure to radiation. The city has become overgrown and many types of animals live there. In fact, according to census information that was collected over an extended period of time, it is estimated that more mammals live there now than before the disaster. In 2003, the U

Climate Change : So where does the Philippines fall in all of this chaos ? part 2 of 2

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As it sits now : According to Philstar, Green Peace and a few other sources the Philippines is at current  the 3rd worst ocean polluter in the world behind Indonesia and China  which are adjacent which is not a good look for the surrounding water eco system. Air pollution does not seem to see the Philippines fare much better with 4,000 deaths annually  from air quality issues . Ermita is on par for the worst due to it's open dump sites. Now given that the Philippines is  considered by many global corporations such as Proctor and Gamble  as a consumer society the wanton usage of disposable plastic with flagrant disregard for the environment coupled with by many a complete lack of discipline for littering or willingness to segregate waste spells disaster . The Philippines historically throughout climate cataclysms : (Photo is map of pleistocene era Philippines.) The Philippines is a country of Southeast Asia, with its 7,107 islands strewn over the Western Paci

Climate Change : Where did we go wrong ? How did we get here ? Part 1 of 2

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To know where and what we are headed for first we must acknowledge the past. It really was not that long ago that we had eco systems that could support 20 meter long sharks (Megalodon) and 15 foot humanoid like apes that walked on two legs (Gigantopithecus Blacki it was real look it up.) We are not quite talking Jurassic Park level shit here but it is definitely not what you would see today. The Pleistocene (Ice Age)  was the geological epoch which lasted from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years ago, Spanning the world's most recent period of repeated glaciations. In layman's terms after the freeze the world had time to heal itself and begin anew and the ecosystem itself could support these gigantic animals. Fair enough because there were not humans as an invasive species then  shitting on the planet with flagrant disregard for all. To grasp an idea of the numbers and what really happened The Pleistocene saw the age of the mega fauna and a bio diversity the likes of no ot

Hobbit House : Return to Middle Earth How to build Part 4 of 4

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Finishing : Now we stand with a new home here is the issue at hand . The Earth mixture must settle and harden for a period of no less than two weeks this is absolutely necessary. Finishing is needed because if not then your bags will naturally decompose and you will be left with shambles. Stucco is acceptable but one must consider that concrete or lime for breathability and maintenance purposes is impractical. Earth based mixtures are recommended . Climate considerations : Wherever you are in the world the climate and of course composition of your earth will dictate what is the mixture and how you engage . We did not do the finishing on the original unit as we did not have two weeks to wait and peace and order issues were a problem due to the ongoing separatist war going in that particular area. (NOT MY PHOTO BELOW CREDITS TO OWNER.) Last Minute Tropical/Humid climate considerations and reminders : Use as much lightweight gravel as you can afford for cooler,

Hobbit House : Return to Middle Earth How to build (With videos) Part 3 of 4

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PART 3 : Building the structure. With the foundation laid out  proper and the drainage and support walls rising . As you can see the supports adjacent to the  door frame on each side have came up. This was merely to illustrate something we had gotten into in the last article, Let us not get too far ahead of ourselves. We are now laying the bags staggered in a brick like row  offset and with every other row barbed wire is ran in two linear circles  to maintain stability of the bags themselves. Also around this time you will want to be adding your pvc pipes in at the ground level to create ventilation or air intake. How and how many you do is up to you but it is advisable if that is within the design you are wanting to make. This is where the uniformity of the bags not only in size of the bag but the amount filled in each one comes into play. In our case it was not possible so that meant that we had to go with the nipa roof option versus a full on dome as the non uni

Hobbit House : Return to Middle Earth How to build (With videos) Part 2 of 4

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Part 2 : Digging a foundation The foundation is dug roughly a foot and a half in the ground keep your dig uniform and make sure that your trenches are solid so your floor does not give way.  Remember that pain in the ass math from earlier ? Well now that we are figuring diameter and circumference you will need that math and as you can see from the picture below that we used a wooden stick as a demarcation for the middle and a string to in essence draw out the circle and figure out the area and thus the number of bags we would need. Ensure your circle is plotted as best as possible. Try using a string to the wood in the middle of your area from the math you did earlier this should keep you on track and not fail you so long as you did your math and plotting right and also removed any obstacles and smoothed out your foundation. Make sure you plan areas for your support walls and your drainage this is something I alluded to earlier.  All of this will be imperative later o

Hobbit House : Return to Middle Earth How to build (With videos) Part 1 of 4

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Part 1 : Why Earthbag ? Well, It is considerably cheaper also bullet, flood and earthquake proof as well as it looks really awesome when finished. The environmental impact is far less than that of a conventional home and also maintenance over the years if handled properly it saves untold numbers. Site selection and considerations. We all love lord of the rings and all things medieval but before we get to kicking ass we have a few things to consider. The site itself : Location is everything in considering placement of your house, Obviously you would not want to be in a place where your house would end up under water or have any sort of natural hazard or impediment. The materials needed : (Quantity will depend on the size of your house and other factors I will expound on later. ) Sand (Coarse grain) For the integrity of the Earth mixture but hold that thought we will get to that later. Sacks (Try to get uniform sized sacks as much as you can as this w