If it works, I’ll share any designs and lessons learned here!

I was wondering if it was something like this, thanks! I’ll see if I can get enough of it off to see if the main sheet is a fresnel lens

I’m clear on the other side of the continent but I really appreciate it, thank you! I hope you can find someone who’ll use it! And I’ll definitely post my progress!

Thanks! I’m hoping to build a solar forge - I used to do some blacksmithing using coal, but some videos of these things show them burning through steel - if they can get that hot, I could even forge weld again. I’ve still got most of my tools, minus the forge.

Honestly a utility vehicle that isn’t a surveillance box is like all I want from an electric vehicle

Boss makes a dollar…

If the device doesn’t need to be portable removing the battery could improve safety a bit (and bypass some issues from the damaged USB port).

It looks like it’s possible to connect an external power source where the battery normally links up https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/18404z7/run_pixel_3_without_battery/

Not sure if that’s helpful but it might make turning the phone into a reliable embedded device easier?

Good to know! Mate is my preferred version but when I installed it I think it took like 12 or 14 gigs, enough that when I ran updates, the download got nail-bitingly close to filling the disk and failing - I’ll go back and look at the options I selected

Just wanted to say thank you very much for your work on this instance, both the community and technical side. I’m really glad you’re keeping the system current and figuring out new features. I don’t have any objections to the community gardening thoughts, and will review the draft code of conduct soon.

Movim sounds cool and I’m interested to try it out, I have a free WordPress site but wouldn’t mind moving to a federated alternative of some sort and I really like it here so that could be great.

It’s good to know there are others who feel this way. I’ve been feeling like I’m just not optimistic enough or don’t have enough solutions to offer to write solarpunk. My attempts at it often look more like rural cyberpunk with environmental rage or postapocalyptia with less rugged individualism than usual. I think I have an tenancy to bring a little too much mil-scifi to what’s supposed to be an upbeat genre. It’s hard to find markets for that.

Visual art is easier, I can show off concepts I want to be included in solarpunk without having to build a plot that fits them and the ethos of the genre.

Have you read The Postman? It’s not solarpunk but it has a surprising number of overlapping themes.

Lately I’ve been thinking about how a city would look if you could take up street and sidewalk, plant trees, and keep just a bike path through the middle. The logistics challenges (maintaining access to buried infrastructure/protecting them from roots, and making sure vehicle-based emergency services like firetrucks and ambulances can get everywhere, handicapped people have options/access everywhere) are keeping me busy but I have a couple ideas for photobashes of solarpunk streets to try out eventually.

I think it’d take more than a change in power sources to make the current cryptocurrency schemes fit solarpunk ideology. Proof of work systems essentially create currencies backed by waste, tremendous amounts of processor-intensive math done for no other reason than to generate the currency. Math/power/processor time that could be spent tracking weather patterns, identifying patterns in invasive species, climate change, or other potential public goods. I’m not against reconsidering the current billionaire-centric financial systems, but the current crop of cryptos look more like capitalist get rich quick schemes with a lot of hardware and power externalities to me.

If there’s a currency that mints coins when your rig discovers an exoplanet or something I’d personally aay there’s room for that

Edit: for what it’s worth, I’m not sure defederating is necessary yet, but I also wouldn’t object to it if that’s the way it goes

Somehow I can never seem to remember this. Fixed. Edit, then it didn’t work, so I’m not sure what I did wrong. changed it back.

Looks like https://mothmana.tumblr.com/post/191000484022/ubersreik-five-ranked-by-alcohol-tolerance-1/amp

If it was, I’d totally read it

You’re proposing a new (ish?) structure of human society, people are going to ask questions about how it will work. You have millions to billions of them to convince, and at this stage, you’re the only one doing the outreach. You may feel that their questions are obvious but you’ll still need a succinct answer and to get used to having the same conversation over and over again.

And when your system doesn’t have a solution yet, as it sounds like from the above conversation regarding knowledgeable bad actors from within the movement, I’d say the best (and most difficult) way is try to treat it like a chance for input and discussion. Like an opportunity for free feedback and review. There have been so many formats of human society, and so many utopian attempts, chances are no one person can build the entire solution on their own, right?

But mostly, don’t talk down to them, don’t assume bad faith, especially when they’re taking the time to carefully articulate their points and to read your ideas.

From where I’m reading, this didn’t look like a wilful misrepresentation, it looked like a sincere attempt at dialogue you slapped down.

I know this won’t convince you, but I’m a third party reader who skimmed your posts when they first came up and made a note to go back and read them carefully because they sounded like the Doctrow book Walkaway and I liked that one a lot. Reading these interactions has convinced me not to do so. I think you’re going to struggle with outreach if you can’t explain aspects of your system without assigning a reading list, and if you accuse everyone who has a concern of acting in bad faith. For what it’s worth, I do wish you luck with it.

Maybe I’m misunderstanding, but reading over this, it seems like they did offer a solution - using a proven wind power format nearby but not attached to the same building.

It works great but it lifts surface thoughts like a keylogger and sends them god-knows-where

I think these are solid - I might add a mention to the section on End-of-the-world pessimism that Solarpunk is built on both realism and hope. We need to see things how they are, but we also need to keep looking for ways to make things better. This is kind of the last place to encourage people to give up.

The gatekeeping one (the issue I was more involved in the discussions about) seems workable to me. There’ll be disagreements over what’s disrespectful vs realistic, but the emphasis on making it a welcoming space should be enough.

Thanks again for all your work on this space!