I was watching FutureCar on the Discover Channel the other night and they showed a race car that averaged 155MPH and 113MPG in an endurance race. I figured there must be real-world production cars somewhere in the world that the average American didn’t know about. So I hit Google (… what else is new).
…There is [...]

Source: The Daily Times - www.delmarvanow.com - Salisbury, Md.
Biodiesel is a non-toxic, biodegradable fuel made from vegetable or animal oils, producing 43 percent less carbon monoxide and 56 percent fewer hydrocarbons than petroleum diesel fuel.
The machinery used in the process should be built in about six months, meaning the operation could begin before the end [...]

I find it interesting, all the debate about “how green is recycling”. some say recycling saves the environment while others say recycling has an overall greater negative impact on the environment (when collection, transportation, cleaning, and processing are considered into the equation).
Today, I headed off to Staples to get some paper - needed to print [...]

In 2006, the North East corner of the United States saw rain, rain, and more rain. More than 28 inches of rain was recorded in 28 days. This year is not that bad. There are reports of up to 5 inches of rain since last night. Wind is the concern today - with gusts above [...]

The source for my post’s title is a book by Sarah Susanka. I am in the midst of designing a new home. At the same time, I am watching all of these “dream homes”, “home improvements”, “this old house”, “rezoned”, etc. shows of TV. The TV shows keep showing bigger and bigger homes - [...]

I should be moving soon so I am enjoying what will likely be some of my last walks in the woods near my home. I usually take my lunch break, a few days a week, to walk Zen on some wooded paths. It helps clear my head and keep work in perspective.
Today I notices some wildflowers [...]

Zen and I took a road trip to Maine to visit some friends of mine who own a small farm. They have an annual weekend get together for family and friends and this year they wanted to add a little something different - an authentic tipi (and for the record, this one is *not* made [...]

I’ve been looking for ideas to shrink the spaces I “think” I must have in my next house. Sarah Susanka is the famed author of “The Not So Big House” and its companion publications. To be honest, I wasn’t able to get much useful content out of her book. It has only served as a [...]

Where I now live, there are two kinds of people. Odds are good, where you live the same can be said. However, here, it is not what I expected. I expected “local” and “outsiders”. This implies there are those who “uphold the local beliefs and values” and those who “wish to impose an alternate [...]

The “one laptop per child” program has a laudable goal - to educate children - all children - everywhere. Think about that for a moment. What would this world be like if we have twice as many environmental scientists, teachers, geneticists, engineers, researchers, etc. ? Education is one of the keys to unlocking this potential. [...]

theSalmonFarm.org has blatantly ripped off an idea from Google - “switching the lights off”. When I launched Google search this morning, I was greeted to a predominantly black screen. I had to know why so I read the little disclaimer. They were promoting “Earth Hour“. Good thing they did as I nearly forgot about [...]

Mornings are busier than usual these days. The farmhouse construction is generating the usual regulatory paperwork. Fortunately, the contractor responsible for the well and septic system clued me in. He said, “inspectors usually head out into the field by 9:30am. You need to catch them when their office first opens - usually 8:15am.” That [...]

I have been doing a lot of reading about lighting for the farmhouse project. I assumed (i.e. believed) all that I’ve read about LED lights and their efficiency. Based on the general messages you hear on the news and read in articles, an LED light is much better than CFL (compact florescent) which is much [...]

The mechanical systems for the farmhouse construction project have turned into a bit of a nightmare. I have want to use a ground water closed loop geothermal system for heating and air conditioning. I also want to have radiant floor heating - to be more accurate, I feel I *need* radiant floor heating since I [...]

This post is really just a test of sorts for "blog by mail" with a different email client. the subject line is a reference that having fun outdoors with your pets during summer heat needs to bve something you do with a good deal of attention.
Today Zen and I went down to the farmhouse [...]

If I stumbled across pictures of trees that look like the one here, on any of my usual blog surfing excursions, I would have assumed it was a really twisted Photoshop job. But, the Dark Roasted Blend website is all about “weird and wonder things” - some real some just really good. In this [...]

In the fullness of time, the farmhouse will have nearly 13 tons of HVAC system running. There is a 5 ton “heat-only” water-to-water exchanger to feed the radiant floor head in the house. Another 5 tons for heating the shop, and then a 3 tone water-to-air unit for cooling the house. For safety [...]