Browsing all posts in Polymath.
Matter of Perspective
I bought new camera. Or rather, I bought an old camera. In camera years it’s probably about 200 years old, but in actual fact was made in 2005. 5 years is a old for digital camera. The hype around the latest-greatest is not always hype, but it does tend to bury many of the realities [...]
Matrix 360
Matrix 360 is a circuit training workout I created that’s awesome for hotels and on-the-go because it requires no weights. It consists of 6 circuits (or sets) of 6 exercises for a total of 36 exercises covering all major muscle groups. Done over 10 weeks you have 360 total exercises; hence Matrix “360″. For those [...]
Passage of a Whistle
“The Butterfly” played by Barak Bruerd on an Overton Low D As an Irish musician (a very flexible term when applied to myself), I have a certain affinity for flutes and whistles. So it’s no small thing for me to have sold my Copeland Low D whistle on ebay. Copeland whistles are the Cadillac of [...]
Alcohol Stove
The alcohol stove, largely unknown in our modern REI world of high-tech camping, dates back more than a hundred years and was the standard cooking device for explorers, adventurers and hobos. Designs vary from an open pool of burning alcohol to double-wall designs that self-pressurizes and a good design will boil water every bit as [...]
Native American Flute
A number of years ago I found myself inexorably drawn into the realm of woodwind crafting. A tangent of one of my lesser known, and much neglected skills – flute playing. I started off with classical flute in the 6th grade. No, scratch that… I started off with recorder when I was 7 years old. [...]
A Recipe for Sunday Traditions
Growing up in my house, we had very few traditions; we were a transient family with few roots and somehow traditions seem to require roots before sprouting leaves and maturing into anything permanent and steadfast. However, in the hazy recollection of my childhood memories, there stands the petrified remains of a few bygone traditions which [...]
Clay Pot Irrigation
Written about in Chinese texts 2000 years ago, utilized by the Romans, and now employed across Latin America, Africa, and Asia, clay pitcher irrigation is a low-tech solution that is helping thousands of communities in arid regions of the world cultivate farmland during dry seasons of the year. These buried, unglazed pots allow water to [...]
The Briquette Press
Aside from water supply and potability, sustainable fuel sources for household cleaning and cooking are one of the largest issues facing the third world. Fuels are typically derived from wood, contributing significantly to global deforestation, erosion, and desertification. Smoke inhalation from wood and fuel sources such as yak dung contribute significantly to respiratory illnesses, especially [...]
Chitosan
What Is It? Chitin (kai-tin), one of the three must abundant organic compounds in nature (along with cellulose and starch), is the structural material found in the shells of crustaceans such as shrimp and crabs, and also in insect shells and fungi cell walls. From chitin we derive chitosan (kai-toe-zan). Chitosan is a natural wonder. [...]
