i have been doing thought experiments preparing for the possibility of societal restructuring, resulting from a disruption of energy supplies. ---if anything my plan, as i age, is to become like Froley in the film children of men----self-sufficent,bizzare, surrounded by my book and music collection, powered by solar panels, recovering water,trying to be honest to my beliefs in spite of the changes around me----i do believe that we still have a chance as a society but i'm not hopeful that our ruling class will allow anything to be done---..... therefore i am attempting to balance and prepare my own personal world--- to do what i can do---alone...the evidence i have read and studied seems too overwhelming on destructive consumption,climate change, population growth demands and the termination of this cycle with peak oil.... the leadership we have currently is too inept,too corrupt..to create balance. they will, of course, take care of members of their personal and economic strata and leave the rest of us on our own...i cannot help but logically support the belief structure that sometime within the next 5 years the world is going to change...my thoughts are that over the time period when leadership pretends everything will be ok..will be the last of times to prepare --i am going to try and quietly prepare...determined to develop a more self-sufficent life as i create or replace lifestyle forms,objects, techniques and attitudes--at home,at work and in my belief structures as i can, when i can, with technology and with hope....this will result in the new blog element of "planning for children of men times"...if i'm wrong in my evaluation then all i have done is organized, refined and made self-sufficent my life style...and there is nothing at all wrong with that---if i am right, well...

i wish there was more time in life...it seems as if i just became smart enough to actually do something at age 50, previously i was either incredibly stupid or incredibly immature, probably both....and now there does not seem to be enough time to materialize all the things i am capable of thinking about, working on and developing to an end.....not that life crisis stuff---i've done all of that crap at an early age...i've traveled the world...had enough adventures that i don't want additional ones----it's just that i am thinking more clearly than ever before in my life and i seem only now to have the ability to bring my thoughts, my plans, my concepts into form and substance....i'm not speaking of massive theories for helping the world--just being able to actually affect my own life and surroundings for a change...and that's enough---there is so much more to learn and experiment with---so many books i want to read---so much about the computer that i want to learn and put into usage---

I am currently reading several books---- "The Code Book" by Simon Singh (which i just finished) and "Brasyl" by Ian Macdonald (which i just started).
"The Code Book" is an interesting little read. It gives a brief overview of message incription throughout time from middle ages written communications to the ultra machines of World War two finishing up with modern computer orientated crypto operations…including quantum computer incription. My intent was to study the original methods of writing in code from the middle ages for personal usage in my notebooks--to have a sort of a, cut-rate leonardo kinda thing going on----i'm not sure if i have the discipline to carry through with this concept....but at least ways i now know how to construct something...

I was fascinated and absorbed when i read Macdonalds previous book, "river of gods" set in the India of the future. it was one of those books that a reader just wanted to continue and continue---on and on forever---but..... I just received "Brasyl" which is MacDonald’s new book. "Brasyl" takes place in three separate time periods in the nation Brazil’s history-- past, present and future. I have high hopes for "Brasyl" since "river of gods" was almost the perfect post-cyberpunk novel.
i also just received "the renewable energy handbook" by kemp. I have not started into this yet...i've browsed it and it actually seems readable--which is unusual in a 'how-to' book...i am going to crunch my way through this slowly so that i completely understand the basic concepts of everything presented...because basic knowledge is what i need in this subject area to carry out my plans for self-reliance. i'll update on this book as time goes on...

—I am back at the daily commute and the Prius is performing at overall greater than expected levels---I was hoping to break the 50 m.p.g.average commute barrier this week but--- New Mexico is a state of being where one can have a headwind on both the outbound and inbound leg of a daily commute—--- my goal of breaking the 50mpg line was stymied on 47.0 mpg for an average over 320 miles because of head winds this week. I have not however given up on getting 50+mpg---just delayed-----the last two records I made indicate that I averaged 48 and 49 miles per gallon per weekly commute, respectively and therefore my average dropped this recording period…..but---my ongoing average at this point is approximately 48 mpg-

I have been using my libretto in the prius as a recording system for gasoline costs, total mileage, long term mileage-- etc…just random bookkeeping that the prius on board computer does not keep a record of….i Placed a strip of male Velcro across the bottom of the mini-laptop to keep it in place on the transmission tunnel and it is working beautifully for this particular function. The internal battery keeps a charge well enough to allow for the required length between gas entries, and i have a wireless card in it in case i wish to bring it into a coffee shop and work the net on impulse....I was desperately seeking a method of putting this excellent little laptop to work…i'm so happy to have found a special purpose for it!

something i thought of just noting in the chronograph catagory--when i was working oversea's one of the reasons to buy cheap rolex knock-offs and wear them was that in an emergency they might get you by as a bribe or a way out of a problem.....so--we'd buy-em--wear--em and allow them to be taken---strange eh? but............

i've broken down and started bidding on an omega speedmaster, chronograph on ebay---i'm probably too cheap for this item even used but---the hunt is fun!

and with this i publish