Glimpse

We are in the future. I have not aged, but I am different. I am all sinew and bone, no fat, no softness, tough and wiry and tough and tough again. I am dark, almost black. A shadow. I carry an M4 and ammo packs and other strange weapons. I am walking down a dirt road, alone.

I am married, but I have not seen my wife in some time. I have young children, but I have not seen them in some time. I do not know my wife anymore, and she does not know me. Same with the children. But this is all OK, because the world has changed and it, too, is different. So we are all OK with our changed selves and the changed world. Maybe we sense this new world is better than the old. Maybe it is more vital and alive, and thus more real.

I have killed many men, but I am not troubled by this, not at all. The men I have killed were bad men - thugs, mercenaries, killers and fools. I'm not sure how I was able to kill all of them (there were so many), but somehow I move in circles not so different than their own. In fighting them I have become like them, and learned their skills, but I am not one of them. Nor will I ever be.

Food, or rather starvation, is not an issue for me. Strangely, I am well-fed, even alone on this dirt road. I carry a small flask -- a hi-tech machine -- on my person, and by filling it with dirt I am able to survive. This machine creates a highly nutritious substance that I eat. There are other, even more miraculous machines woven into my clothing and body, machines that perform tiny tasks which I can scarcely conceive of. But combined, these tiny motors and computers and monitors keep me energized and aware.

Gunshots and explosions and shouts. Smoke, thru the trees. I am running forward, M4 raised, wargoggles activated, charging toward the green tracers ahead.

The Trailcart

Wild! A human-powered dune buggy (something I've been dreaming of for some time). All it needs is a small power-assist motor, LED lights, and a storage rack behind the seat, and it's good to go! Allow the power-assist to charge via a small solar panel, and on downhills, as well as by cord, and it would be all the better. I think this machine has all-wheel drive. It's made in Germany and only 2 have been built, but I already want one. Wonder how much it weighs...

LittleFoot in Late July

LittleFoot was hot this past weekend - like, 98º-in-the-shade hot. And, at 3,700 feet, direct sunlight was unforgiving. Luckily, it is a deeply forested mountain range. We had fun. Found a swimming hole about 40 minutes away and spent Saturday drinking beer and swimming in cold mountain water. What I really liked was knowing how deep in the mountains we were -- how very far from the nearest town or city. That is a good feeling. The mosquitoes were heavy at the homestead, and my guests got buggered bad. I hadn't realized how bug-resistant I am. My first guests at the homestead - success.

I am eating organic quinoa, goats milk yogurt and toasted sunflower seeds. Damn, it is good. Guess I AM a hippie.

Strange VODKA Factoids

Word is that the quality of vodka has to do with how many times it's filtered. You can save money by buying cheap vodka and filtering it yourself thru coffee filters.

Am told that vodka is the purest of liquors. This is called Vodka Theory.

I once spent an evening in Las Vegas testing Vodka Theory by drinking only vodka drinks all evening. I drank a glass of water between each drink. Memory fades with time, but it seems that Vodka Theory proved itself true.

I like vodka & soda.

I want to go to Russia and drink vodka.

Stuff

I tested the Whammer Jammer. Gotta say I like it. It's a compact little bastard, even if it is too wide to be concealable. OK, so I made a mistake or two, and learned a lesson. First thing I did was fire my two bolts at a redwood round. At fifteen feet they penetrated 2 inches. And there they remain. One day I'll get around to digging them out, I suppose. Lesson: Don't fire arrows into solid wood; fire them into hay bales. I also fired two .38 rounds, and at 15 feet they stuck into solid redwood. They pried out no problem, and they tumbled in flight so that they impacted at odd angles, but I was still impressed. The bottom line is this: Crossbows are silent, powerful and way, way fun. And they look bad-ass.

Made plum jam the other night with two hotty femaliens. We picked roughly a full brown grocery bag of wild yellow/green plums, then proceeded to can 27 jars of jam. Quite satisfying, and good stuff.

Am contemplating starting up an East Bay Kitchen Garden Survivalist Tribe. The Peak Oil group I am part of is not floating my boat. I'm at the end of my tenure there. Uninspired on all fronts. Gotta do something more hands-on.

Hang tight, Hippie Survivalists! We will get our shit together and make this PowerDown happen the right way. Peace, love and bullets.

The Future Frontier Vehicle (FFV)

Ideas for the FFV:

The FFV is the 21st Century version of the Land Rover, designed to function on all terrains (from mud roads to crumbling superhighways), while sipping fuel.

It is hyperlightweight, built from some combination of aluminum, titanium, molecularly-fabricated stainless steel, polymer, ceramic and carbon fiber. Total weight not to exceed 500 lbs (If you're going to dream, dream BIG :-) ).

It is more of a powerplant platform, than a vehicle as we currently understand vehicles.

It is NOT built for speed, and it functions as a tractor.

It has the simplest possible design.

It functions as a wagon when/if necessary. It is so lightweight that it can be pushed by people, or pulled by horses, dogs, goats, etc. If fuel runs out, the powertrain can be removed to further lighten the vehicle.

There are several very simple powertrain options for this vehicle. Each can be installed or removed by someone with a minimum of mechanical knowledge, in a short amount of time. The basic powertrain consists of a generater, a battery pack, and one or more electric motors. One electric motor can be installed to power either the front or rear wheels, or two motors can be installed, for 4-wheel drive. Another option is to have the electric motors installed in the wheel hubs themselves. This way 1-to-4 motors can be in use at any time, depending on the energy and terrain requirements. If weight is a huge factor, some of the motors can be removed. A photovoltaic ragtop, and portable wind turbines, can be used to charge the battery pack. The battery pack can be expanded or decreased as needed.

Cruising speed for the FFV is significantly slower than we are used to, because optimal fuel efficiency is found at roughly 40 mph.

The FFV is an ongoing thought project. More to come later.

The Whammer Jammer

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/whammer-jammer-crossbow.aspx?a=545280

Just unique enough to be my kind of weapon. A 150 lb-draw crossbow that functions as both a bolt chucker AND a sling that lobs .38 slugs. The slugs fit in storage holes in the frame (48-round capacity). This silent hi/low tek gizmo will compliment my atlatl and my Howdah Hunter, rounding out my Hippie Survivalist weapon collection.