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April 20? STOP1- This workstation is surrounded by wild ducks in the aquamarine water below Barton Springs. Its as beautiful an April as ever seen. On this second mission the experimental question is put to rest- we are free to abandon the cubicle and reclaim paradise. STOP2- Cambell's Hole;
Note: From here entries go forward in time then back.
Nature persists in the bleakest urban center. The cart allows one to search out the idyllic corners in any neighborhood. Nature, of course, is the antidote to the grimy sickness of cities.
A recurring issue with the cart is the apparent affront to the notion that nature is only properly approached naked of technology. While the cart says nothing about technolessness or technopollution, it does refute the idea that technology is necessarily intrusive.
There is a useful distinction to be made between true nomadism and pastoralism as these concepts apply to mobile technoculture. Pastoralism refers to daytrips and short overnights within a home area. Many of the same tools apply to nomadics, some operational factors differ.
A pastoral platform carries less camping gear, less range of clothing and shelter, less food and water, and more spontaneous payloads. I have already carted brushes and paint to retouch a street mural of mine, and plan on taking a hammer and chisel to work on a commissioned sculpture in the park.
The technopastoral lifestyle may be the most effective balance between nature and civilization, within reach to all.
Current cart work revolves around the 2.4 Ghz wireless video link, and an improved camera mount. I'm assembling navigation/surveying tools for aiming the antennas at both ends of the link. Initial link will be from my roof to Town Lake in a clear line of sight, some 350 meters or so. If this works the next test will be along same line, but across the lake. There are wires and poles near the radio path, but should just refract signals a bit and not add noise. I may use the audio channel as a low baud text data link as well as for voice. The whole idea is to skirt around cellular high costs and poor bandwidth, connecting to residential LAN computers and its outside data land lines.
Today is an effort to cover 15 miles of run/walk with the cart. I've discovered a special set of cramps associated with pushing a cart, which as my body adapts, should abate. The cart has gained weight; all the video gear is aboard, adding 5 lbs..
During the last mile of the last mission the left tire went flat and had to be repaired, a bit of excitement. that last mile was a little tough as the cart was dragging to the left some, but, in general, one can count on getting home with flat tires.
Now that the novelty of this new lifestyle is waning its time to turn attention from the technology to nature, but in a cohesive way. The idea is to use the carts resources to deepen one's perception of nature.
As I was trekking up and down Barton Creek this winter I noticed that the roar of the flooded stream, as the rains abated, dwindled into a series of delicate musical voices, each little trill and roil of water responding to sculpted stone and gravity. It was truly music emerging from white noise. In the early eighties I used to mic these little soloists and marvel at how one could move the microphone around and "compose" music.
The water and the breeze kiss and the ripples are lovemaking, the waves of water and the troughs of air mate perfectly. It will be wonderful to someday scan this magic surface and mill it into architecture. If one were to cast concrete from these forms and make walls of these forms , the world would be astonished. One might approximate such beauty by hand, yet I am unable to recall such work in stone, bronze, or clay. It was the young Turner who first turned his attention to capturing the forms of waves in light.
The purple Bat Sculpture at the South end of Congress Bridge was dedicated with due fanfare. The artist, Dale Whistler, is something of an old friend. This was my first stop of the morning and I took some video at the moment of unveiling to put on the net.
Its now several hours later and I have completed another grand tour of the East Side and set up on my favorite Town Lake dock, where water and breeze best combine.
My last post mentioned that I had a funny cramp that seemed related to cart pushing. Shortly after that my whole body started to cramp every time I moved. It was very difficult to finish the last two miles home.
I got on the net to research the problem and instantly discovered that cramps were associated with every hopeless illness known. Then I found that in heat after about three hours exertion cramps are common and seem to be caused by various biochemical shortfalls- ATP/electrolyte/mineral depletion and subsequent neurotransmission glitches apparently cause the painful condition, which despite a lifetime of running I had never experienced until I tried to run a cart 15 miles thru Texas heat and sun. Surely being 40 has nothing to do with the condition. Two hours and quarts of lemonade later I was much recovered. My feeling is that this was a sort of training milestone and fluke (I drank large quantities of diet soda at about the ten mile point), that I will now be in better shape for longer cart runs, plus attempting to ingest some carbos during the session.
There seems to be certain behavioral effects that might be encouraged by the solar cart lifestyle. So much physicality seems to fend off depression and promote feelings of well being. On the other hand, the exercise may, by affecting hormonal levels, cause more aggressive behavior in certain contexts; less reluctance to let things be, less fear of bodily harm, greater mental impatience. These traits can threaten distance one from the rest of humanity, but they are not unpleasant compared to the opposite traits; feelings of helplessness, hypochondria, and low energy.
If I were to carry a fishing pole while working in the park, I would be murdered in envy.
Just finished a meeting at City Hall, but chose to leave the cart in the entrance vestibule, so as not to distract government. Met for coffee afterwards at a Thai restaurant, whose staff momentarily paniced as the cart jumped the threshold. There is no predicting the mischief the tech cart will get into. There was an incident where I tried to buy a soda from an inner city convenience store and was refused for lack of shirt. The cashier saw the cart outside and smelled trouble. When I complained that there was no sign regarding a shirt requirement., the police were called. Fortunately the cashier reported that I was "pushing a cart", and it was immediately clear that the police were not going to respond like lightning. So I confidently stood my ground and finally the cashier surrendered a soda. In defense, I had covered seven hot fast miles and was ready for refreshment.
Yesterday, in record 108 degree heat, I ran the cart across downtown with a visitor from an Israeli University physics (solar energy and other alternative power technologies) program. We were responding to an invitation to watch the basketball championship at the "Tavern". It was standing room only inside so I configured the cart on the lawn with the game on TV and radio. This attracted a nice little overflow crowd, while I was able to go inside and find a seat and pint.
Despite a low charge, the batteries held up well with lights, computer, and the game on TV/radio. It was a yet another novel experience running home after dark with the xenon strobe, LED tail light, and the main florescent light, which cast a large glow.
The cashier at the pool gave just a slight start when he saw the solar cart, but otherwise played it cool. I've been thinking of the Japanese robotics guru who believes that machines contain Buddha nature and break down when mistreated. Since most of my machines are old and working far beyond the makers' intention, this theory has a special appeal. I have become hyperaware of the language of a suffering machine, little sounds and signs that warn of trouble long before it happens. Often one is able to change usage slightly and relieve the hurt.
This view of machines came to mind at the copy center a couple of weeks ago. A customer was frustrated by the complexity of the copier and responded by swearing, jerking, and banging around in anger. The machine refused to operate properly so the user moved to the second copier. Soon that machine refused to work. The attendant had to reboot both machines, something quite rare. There was no single action by the unhappy user that seemed to have caused the machines to crash, just a general flustered interaction. The user must have had expectations met regarding the unfriendliness of modern machines, and the machines certainly acted as if they were "consciously" avoiding cooperation with an unsympathetic human.
Empathy with machines easily borders on superstition, but the stakes are high. I could at any time be "shut down" by a spate of breakdowns, and essentially have to spend the rest of my days maintaining rather than building systems. But somehow machine nature has smiled on my efforts, preferring more machine life, instead of pampering existing hardware.
A search and rescue worker has shown strong interest in the solar cart, so the following notes explore that application.
Search and rescue is often characterized by extended stays and traversal of difficult terrain. Solar and/or wind power are a definite plus to keep every manner of gadget charged, to provide a base station for communications, mapping, UAVs, and even some of the comforts of home to reduce burn out.
Desirable characteristics toward the perfect rescue cart include- Weatherproof- Most components water resistant and a full rain jacket around core components; Rugged- the current cart is fine for road and most trails, but an off-road model needs much better wheels; Rough Portage- Handles and runners should be provided so that cart can be handled much as a small ski patrol stretcher, lifting hook for helicopter work; Fordable- a boat bottom and positive flotation suitable to cross calm waters;
Solar power is consistent with the long days and dry conditions associated with fires, while wind power matches with high winter winds and short days. It is important to be able to place the power generator in a good spot, so detachable components and long extension cables are needed.
Yet another strange sensation is to station the cart at a seat of power such as at present- the capitol building of The State of Texas. One feels vaguely subversive in appearance if not intent. The reaction of security is so uncertain that the cart passes with little challenge anywhere. The ante is raised when one stops and deploys the umbrella and chair and boots the computer.
This sets the comic stage- some protective official struggling to make sense of the event in terms of known threats, with the supposed villain more resembling a clown than criminal.
At the moment I am rather well insulated by 100 degree heat and sun in the breezeless open space SW of the dome and no one has dared or bothered to approach. Its like being overshadowed by a huge postcard. The heat is like a hot bath. I have turned on the fan in earnest for the first time, and it seems effective. Now a breeze......
New application of microblimps- Arms verification; overcast weather defeats satellites, and many UAVs lack economical audio visual stealth. Humans are often at risk and unable to inspect closely or beyond obstacles. Microblimps could provide unique information otherwise unavailable. Clear envelopes with anti reflective coatings would be stealthiest.
Anti Terrorist Measures- "gillnets", lidar, machine vision, shotgun ordinance,
Prohibited Uses- Weapons platform, criminal activities, human rights abuses, unethical uses,
Its addicting to roam with the solar cart. Everything is working splendidly, with no equipment failures, plenty of power, and increasing functionality, day by day. I did blow the fuse for the computer a couple of weeks ago, but that was fixed by uprating.
Today's experiment was to visit several Park's staffers with whom I have ongoing business. They were generally stunned by the surprise invasion, and little business got done this first time, but I have high hopes for future productivity at meetings and job sites. One can envision a near future where everyone in a public place seems zoned out because they are wired to family and friends. The symptoms include talking to oneself, staring into space, odd facial expressions, and other signs of madness. Because the new headsets and other components are so discreet one is hard pressed to distinguish the sane from the nuts. The mentally ill, in fact, are as likely to wire themselves up as anyone, further complicating field classification.
Most of the cart functions are already available as wearable products, but at much higher prices. Despite this trend there will long be a place for the cart platform, for example the ergometrics of a comfortable chair, parasol, mounted computer, etc., are hard to 'wear'.
The next phase of development will see improvements- larger balloon tires (wheel barrow) for primitive trails, a castor style front wheel, an extended push bar, a small screened tent awning for cool overnighting, large Nicad battery pack to replace lead acid battery (saving weight added by new components). Of course the rag tag electronics could be vastly improved with a real budget.
Nice Breeze, 98 degrees, new 4.5 watt fan not needed at moment. The indoors is quite overrated, and can't compare with the Great Outdoors.
Today's task is to document a new miniproject, the .... Aerospace Sombero.
The concept arose on the trail with the solar cart. Trying to run/walk with a regular straw cowboy hat was rather hotter and sweatier than what seemed possible. The great wisdom and utility of the huge Mexican sombero began to appear to me as brilliant mobile folk architecture. What if this evolved form were updated in every way, structurally, aerodynamically, thermodynamically, and augmented with such as heads up display, hands free telephony, stereo, etc.? Weight saved by updating structural design would offset the new features. Lowering drag would enable a larger shade potentially protecting the entire body which could then go comfortably bare. Channeling air around the entire head promised major improvement. Adding a reflective radiant barrier over a foam core was also seen as a major improvement over tradition. I'm looking for aluminum leaf, but will settle for gold if that is more available. Common foil would be heavier and conform less well to curved surfaces.
Many old ideas are being revisited, for example, the fringe found on many tropical sun hats clearly enhances shade while reducing windage in gusts.
The deterioration of the ozone layer and migration of pale folks into tropical latitudes adds to the case for advanced hats. Perhaps tropical yuppies would pay anything for such a cap.
I've made a page of sketches and cut and begun to carve the foam cores. The overall look is a futuristic triple decked space ship with the classic lines of the Mexican sombero. The brim is a streamlined version of the sombrero below a disc ring, with a flattened teardrop on top. While breezes can flow freely thru the hat, the overhangs of the three levels block even low sun rays.
The aerospace tag is not just for cachet. The hat will be light enough and streamlined enough to fly either as an electric airplane, by adding gearmotor, batteries, etc., or, in the near term, can be bridled and flown as a kite.
Trekking across large park spaces, cresting small hills, cars can be seen moving in the distance, trapped in gray ruts while I am free to roam anywhere, following shorter yet curvier courses, free of traffic law. From on foot, the people in those cars are invisible abstractions, a bubble folk, ...human oysters, compared to the sense of unbounded space that surrounds pedestrians. There is an instant grinning kinship when I meet homeless folk pushing their carts along. We seem to exist in a more real parallel world, that of nature and tangible noble savagery, compared to encapsulated world of the car people.
Having crossed the Congress Bridge the cart is deployed on the dock at the Four Seasons hotel. The breeze is wafting over Townlake, keeping me cool as the temperature approaches 100 degrees. This ability to precisely choose one's location according to novelty, view, breeze, or any other cue, is another gift of the solar platform. I'm testing the new umbrella in a temporary mount, only three bucks at Walmart, and its conquered the frying effect which my straw cowboy hat scarcely moderated. Just got to meet Chipp Walters, one of Austin's elite digerati & founder of Human Code, and by request showed off the features of the solar cart. He and a friend named Floyd had crossed the Four Seasons lawn thinking the cart was some high tech water tester and were apparently delighted with the rig. Time to roll onward...
The solar cart is at one of Austin's most magical spots, Neff Point, confluence of cherished Barton Creek and Colorado River, near downtown. I've finished the morning's computer chores early, with no sense of toil, the music low and sweet, the waterfowl dense and at ease on three sides, the watery plane and massed greenery caressed by opalescent breezes.
Just changed the CD from Young's Unplugged to Essential Hendrix. The old hippies within earshot perked up, even the ducks seem cranked. I shy away from rocking too hard in pastoral settings, but the music is too compelling just now. Great Music is supposed by some to promote human mental development and even plant growth, but could it somehow promote ecological healing? The idea is plausible at this moment.
The mission began with a discharged battery, to see if mere hazy sunshine can sustain charging while running the computer and stereo. Everything is running well, but charging is a bit slow.
Public reaction to the solar cart is following a pattern. In busy places the vehicle is mobbed, but in quieter areas one is mostly left alone, except for the odd delighted smile. The cart has been around enough that some public habituation is underway. There is a curious invisible effect whereby some folks studiously ignore the cart, out of dense politeness or fear of the crazy, one can't tell which.
As a male geek, the cart has improved my social prospects. Getting outdoors, away from the office network, and pounding out the miles, I am slimmer and tanner. Many women seem attracted to a bachelor pushing a tricked out baby cart.
It may be that much male hacking is courtship display to impress females, partly explaining disparate male to female engineering numbers. A related effect works in reverse; male geeks can be abjectly worshipful of comely female geeks. Pattie Maes and Esther Dyson come to mind. Classic geek couples include the Lindberghs as they scouted Pacific airline routes, the Goodalls with their chimp fieldwork, and the Curies, in nuclear physics. The sad disproportion in numbers means that most male geeks never find technoid soul-mates, although the situation is improving. End of digression.
Rolling onward....
