Perhaps some human-powered tools
In an illustration of the “work for your supper” meme, someone on TV is grinding the flour, to make the bread. Using a mill driven by a bicycle-based belt drive. Food for thought. What if? Buy some junker bikes, and a small welding system. Read up on the mechanics. And then, in a burst of cardio training, convert my ecosystem. Charge batteries. Pump water. Tow a lawn mower. And grind stuff. Not likely to happen, but the idea has merit.
Read a report on the potential for battery powered transport. I know, someone already thought of it, and you can buy one. Here’s the glitch. One large firm, named after a pioneer in the study of lots of stuff, appears to have cornered the market for Li-On batteries, and by 2015 there won’t be any for “the rest of us”. And if the supply chain breaks down (it can happen; son #1 is educated in the field, and he knows this stuff), nobody would be going anywhere. I know, there’s still the fossil fuel possibility, but that’s so “pre-apocalypse”. Again, food for thought.
Today was the return to class for far too many people, and the transportation system went into gridlock. When my bus arrived on campus, around 16h00, the traffic was bumper to bumper. I watched the lack of movement, for three or four traffic light cycles, and then hopped down and walked across campus to the next bus transfer point. I made it, with seconds to spare. The original bus never came into view. Here’s hoping that hibernation (for a lot of motorists) starts early this year.
