Project Logs

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• Funding(Most Likely) Secured

  Dustin • 03/22/2022 at 16:34 • 0 comments

  To date, this is the most important update to this project. I've recently accepted a position that pays well enough to to fund the entire project in a short few years. There are a few stipulations, but they're easy enough to handle. As long as I don't screw this job up(note likely), I will be able to start the search for land immediately and purchase 50 to 100 acres within a year or two. I have a few key projects to fund here in Ohio first, which will set this one back. I also can't start living like  rock star and still be able to afford to build The Village. It's either rock star lifestyle or Village. I choose Village. The Village is my retirement plan, so things need to be done carefully and protected against as many problems as possible. I already live a very simple, cheap, and reasonable life. I have a few life upgrades planned, but will largely keep my lifestyle the same.
  

  The first project to get funding is the restoration of my old pickup truck. As this truck can run indefinitely on fuel sources that I can produce myself, it is a powerful tool. A work truck, that has been paid off for decades, that can run on fuel made from human, animal, and food waste. When everything else fails in society, that truck could still function and do useful work. Right no it needs an engine, transmission, and rear end upgrade. After the truck is mechanically sound, I'll get the bodywork fully restored and protected from future rust attacks. After the full restoration is done and I am happy with its performance, I'll build a nice camper on it. The setup will sit unused much of the time, but it is a fall back plan in case I lose this job or things hit the fan. I'd be able to jump in, drive where I need to be, and start a new life. I am assuming that I could lose this income at any moment and plan accordingly.
  

  As for funding The Village itself, I am working with a few people to get the research going and make documentation. I've got a good friend who seems quite interested in some of my data organization projects, and actually works with the exact types of systems I need to utilize. He'd be the first person I hire to get the critical research done. The plan is to treat this project like a massive scale business and keep it as efficient and organized as possible. Aside from "The Data Guy" I've got a Founder in mind. I haven't heard back from him in a few days, but he often takes a while to get back to me. Hoping he is ok. I have another friend in mind as another Founder, but I haven't spoken to them in a few years. I will get in touch with them soon and see if they're still the same adventurous, ambitious genius I remember. If so, I'll see if they'd want to join the project. I am currently only offering spots in this project to those I personally know very well and show the type of ambition, drive, and interests as myself. I have been burned countless times by people who get excited at the idea of what I'm doing, only to lose interest when it comes time to actually put in the work. I may hire outside contractors at some point, but I will reserve the most involved positions for close friends.
  

  There's a part of me that didn't believe I could ever make this dream come true, but I refused to give up. There are times where my dreams where the only things keeping me going. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and a far shorter path to completing this project.
  

• Right Hand Man Chosen

  Dustin • 02/19/2022 at 05:16 • 0 comments

  For years I've been quietly working on this project alone. When I moved out to South Dakota I met a guy at the steakhouse where I got hired that shares my same passion for the type of life I want to live. He was as excited about this project as I am and still gets worked up with me over it. I just confirmed that he would be willing to do the land surveying and travelling as I work full time to find the project. As much as I want to go travel and see all the possible sites myself, it won't be possible for quite a while. I may end up with the money in the bank, no time to scope out land, and miss out on the perfect place to build. Instead if send Ben out with a credit card and a sense of adventure. He already knows exactly what I'm looking for and loves adventure. I know it's a lot of work to ask of someone, though it can definitely be fun. I'd happily pay him well and make sure he's got everything needed to find the best place to build. This is a huge development for me and this project as it means I will officially not be alone in this whole crazy adventure. I will likely be staying in Ohio for years at this point to rebuild my life and get things moving on various projects. Having a trusted friend do the exploring for me would be an excellent way to ensure things still get done, while helping a friend have the adventure of a life time. 

  The most likely scenario at this point is buying land in the high desert that no one wants, and bringing my own custom milled lumber out to the site to build the structures. I'd likely do earthbag structures with timber framing and wood accents and furniture. Buying anything that I want to furnish this Village will be far too 2xpensove so I plan to build it. I've already found a nice retired flatbed tow truck I could rebuild and use to haul limber and supplies to the site. I've got a friend with a dump truck for sale that I could buy and restore as well. Between those two trucks and my pickup, Ben would have everything needed to haul equipment, tools, people, and building materials to and around the build site. Restoring 30+ year old trucks for such work can be expensive and time consuming, but it aligns perfectly with the overarching philosophy of the project: long term  sustainability. New vehicles are far too complicated to maintain independent of modern shops and dealerships. I still drive a 1983 Chevy C20 pickup every day. The tow truck and dump truck I've found are both Chevy trucks from the same era. I already know them well and they've proven themselves for decades. I'd restore them both and deliver them to Ben out in South Dakota so he could use them as needed to gather materials. 

  With Ben out and about, I could focus on the details of the project, such as building codes, various systems like water collection and purification, and farming. The amount of documentation needed is staggering. Much of the research has been completed by others over the years, but does not seem to have been compiled in a manner or scale that I desire. If Ben can find the land, I'd check it out to make sure it will work, then buy it and have him move out there of he'd be willing. It may take me a while to get out there and start building, but he would at least have an incredible home out on a giant chunk of land and could work on stuff until I can get out there. My dream is to be able to retire early and start living on the land right away, but working longer would give The Village a far better chance of success. I'll work as long as I need to in order to secure its future. 

  I don't want to say too much or get my hopes up too early, but I may be switching to a career that pays far better than anything I've ever had. The work is far more serious, but I'll accept the responsibility and stay as long as I'm treated well and can be useful. I still plan to live very cheap and simple. Instead of buying a house and new car, I'm going to continue to rent from my friend, restore my old pickup, and build...

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• Choosing Hardship

  Dustin • 01/22/2022 at 03:32 • 0 comments

  I don't often talk about how I live, mostly out of past shame and embarrassment. I've never had a remotely "normal" life, as defined by the standard of living in The United States. All I'll say on this right now is that I come from a broken home and spent my childhood unsure of where I'd live or what I'd eat. I wouldn't normally wish it on anyone, but it has made me who I am. There are certain types of people who would benefit from certain types of hardship. 

  I've had a few chances in life to live a "good" life. Such as when I worked for a software company or the recent towing company I left. Plenty of money for which to spend on rent, bills, and treating depression and emptiness. I've tried that route and it drove me nearly to the edge. I've found that the will to live seems to be a mental resource that an be depleted, much like physical and mental energy. "Normal" life depletes my will to live quite rapidly, and it took me many years to realize and accept this fact. I've stayed with friends, had a few places of my own, and even in homeless shelters as a kid. My distinct lack of a steady "home" has caused me much stress and loneliness over the years. It's also taught me the immense power of simplicity and letting things go. In the past, as recent as a year or two ago, I held onto things very tightly. Physical items, people, beliefs, grudges, emotions. I currently live in a 16 foot by maybe 8 foot camper. I don't have room to be holding onto things. Everything here has to serve many purposes and be of high quality and reliability. That means that there is no physical room for duplicates, extras, or luxuries. 

  I recently had my first visitor to this camper recently. He's never known the lifestyle I have. I don't hold it against him at all. I envy him at times. When he saw the 1973 box I live in, he felt bad for me. I don't blame him, not do I actually feel bad for myself. I have everything I need here, just smaller. I have hot and cold water, shower, toilet, filtered drinking water, microwave, gas and induction stove tops, fridge and freezer, large kitchen sink, gas furnace, diesel heat, electric heat, a table, couch, bedroom, and storage space. I manage to have everything I need here because much care and thought has gone into designing the space. I don't want anyone to feel bad for me here. I chose this, and for good reason. 

  I feel bad for most people, actually. Not to be smug or arrogant. My total loving expenses, per month, are around $1,000. That's food, gasoline, rent, phone, and gym bill. I don't need much else. Rent is often near my entire expenditure for many people. I'm getting ready to return the gigantic service truck I'm borrowing when I get my truck on the road again. This will mean I'm eliminating my debt as my truck will be paid off in full very soon, gasoline costs will go down significantly, and the option to take road side service calls for extra income becomes available. I'll have to pay insurance, but that's easy enough to make up for. 

  The point of all of this rambling, which I'm quite good at these days, is that I chose this life in order to avoid making large commitments to anything. I need my freedom in order to build this gigantic dream of mine and enjoy life. I would never be happy with a big house and 30 year mortgage. Nor would I enjoy a high paying job that treats me like I'm disposable and uses me up. I belong out in the world, making videos, recording adventures, building, and trying new things. The only way I'll be able to do so is by living as simple and frugal as I can tolerate. So when I have to go buy diesel fuel for my furnace instead of just having it come from the wall, I remind myself that my diesel heater is mobile and paid off. It can go with me to the other side of the country. So can my fridge full of food, and even my bathroom. I could make a smoothie in the desert, or at the beach. If I needed to leave for months at a time to check out a piece of land, I could do so...

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• New Skill Acquired: Plasma Cutter

  Dustin • 01/21/2022 at 01:37 • 0 comments

  Earlier this week, I spent about 15 hours with the cutting torch. Just hacking apart a massive railroad dump truck I'm rebuilding. Hacking away at the truck, burning myself with slag and splatters, and leaving behind some truly hideous cuts as the torch got caught up and extinguished itself. Multiple tip cleanings later and I'd had the bulk of the cutting done. It was honestly pretty irritating. 

  Today's one key cut was a very important one. I had to take off the remaining parts of the main top bed rail. This is a square steel tube 4 inches wide on each side, with a triangle on top, like one very long house. The cut was about 113 inches long. Almost 10 feet. It needed to be as straight as possible to avoid me wasting an entire day grinding it down. For this task, the resident shop old timer(meant with all the respect in the world), brought in the plasma cutter. I told him I was hesitant to use the torch, as it's been unreliable and leaves a ton of clean up work. I'd considered using an angle grinder and cut off wheels, but it would likely take a few hours and destroy my upper body to do so. The metal cutting circular saw had crossed my mind, but he informed me that it doesn't do well cutting through welds, of which there were many. This is precisely why it's best to ask for advice in new and unknown situations. Something I used to be quite hesitant to do. After determining the proper tool to use, I had to figure out how to get a nice straight cut. Cutting free hand with a magic wand that blows through steel like scissors through paper is quite difficult. I thought the cutting torch was fast, but this thing is scary fast. The shower of sparks and fire that shoots from the end as it cuts is quite a spectacular sight to behold. Without the steadiest of hands, a straight line is an impossibility. I came up with the idea to take some L shaped steel strip I'd bent and use it as a guide for the plasma cutter tip. I used self drilling screws to secure it to the steel wall, a half inch below the line I'd drawn for the actual cut. To make that line, which resides on the inside of the bed, I used a drill to put a few holes just under the weld we needed to cut under, and then connected the dots on the inside with a straight edge. I set up the plasma cutter and did all of the prep work, then went off to do something else while I waited for the nice man to come hack off the giant piece of bed. I hadn't left the set up alone more than a few minutes before he'd made the vast majority of the cut. I couldn't believe how fast that went. The set up time was significant, but the end result was excellent. I've never seen such a clean cut in such thick steel before. I ended up finishing the rest of the cut after a bit more set up, and loved the machine. I'm quite confident that I'll be able to gain proficiency with a plasma cutter in the next few weeks. I have much more cutting to do on this truck, then a third truck like it up next. After that I have at least two huge crane trucks to rebuild. There will be plenty of steel to cut. 

  The main differences between the cutting torch and the plasma cutter are their fuel sources. Both excel at blasting through impossibly thick steel with ease, but there is one key difference that would make a plasma cutter a better choice for The Village in the long run: sustainability. While the torch requires high pressure tanks of explosive gasses, the plasma cutter requires only electricity and compressed air. Both of which are easily renewable. If the economy collapses, it's going to be far easier to make electricity than huge tanks of compressed oxygen. While the torch is far more portable, and will likely have a place in The Village at some point, the added expense of fueling it makes it a poor fit. If needed, a plasma cutter can be stuck in a truck bed with a generator and air compressor and carted around nearly as well as a large torch. 

  As for how I'd actually use such tools in a medieval style village,...

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• New Tool: Underwater Notebook

  Dustin • 01/09/2022 at 18:13 • 0 comments

  This isn't a typical tool, but an organizational tool. I spend significant amounts of time in the hot tub at the gym, where I just sit and do my thinking. I don't use my phone for free of water damage, and fear or making people uncomfortable by having a camera in a pool area with kids and strangers. I'm not interested in them, but you just don't want to take any chances of freaking people out. In the hot tub yesterday, I had some good ideas for my YouTube channel and a few projects. I thought on them for a while, but ended up forgetting them. I do this often, as busy as my mind is these days. I'd had it on my list to order a waterproof lab notebook for a while now, but ended up finding one locally. 

  I ran into a guy in the hot tub and we ended up talking about sustainable life and adventures. He told me he owns a store that sells survival gear, adventure gear, and custom kits of all sorts. I ended up going in after my thinking session and was blown away by how nice of a shop and how nice of people they were. Sadly, being broke right now, I couldn't just pick up all the very specialized and hard to find things I needed. I was able to chat for a few hours and start up a friendship. I ended up buying a small waterproof notebook as well. I was amazed to see one in a store. It was $11 with a special pen, and my favorite color: neon orange. Turns out the owner shares my favorite color as well. He also shares my love of kits and organization. I'll be resurrecting my leather working business to get him a few custom items he can't find anywhere, which is great for both of us. Part of me wishes I still had my towing job so I could afford to go on a shopping spree there, but I'd have never met him if I did have that job. 

  Anyways, the notebook. I finally have a way to record thoughts and work through ideas while in the hot tub. It doesn't work very well with my fountain pen, unfortunately, but pencils work fine. It fits nicely in my back pocket, and is one of the very few things to ever make it into my evey day carry. I'm very minimal at and picky about anything I bring into my life, so it's quite amazing to find something worthy of pocket space. I haven't used it yet, but I plan to after work tomorrow if I have the energy. I was supposed to sit down with my laptop and organize video ideas and start writing scripts, but I met this guy and went on an adventure. Such adventures are what create the best stories, so it's well worth it to skip work and go play when possible. I'll be taking my notebook with me and using it to help me keep things organized as I go. I normally use Google Keep, but it's not always possible to do so. I'll report back on my notebook experience later. 

• New Tool: Underwater Notebook

  Dustin • 01/09/2022 at 16:14 • 0 comments

  This isn't a typical tool, but an organizational tool. I spend significant amounts of time in the hot tub at the gym, where I just sit and do my thinking. I don't use my phone for free of water damage, and fear or making people uncomfortable by having a camera in a pool area with kids and strangers. I'm not interested in them, but you just don't want to take any chances of freaking people out. In the hot tub yesterday, I had some good ideas for my YouTube channel and a few projects. I thought on them for a while, but ended up forgetting them. I do this often, as busy as my mind is these days. I'd had it on my list to order a waterproof lab notebook for a while now, but ended up finding one locally. 

  I ran into a guy in the hot tub and we ended up talking about sustainable life and adventures. He told me he owns a store that sells survival gear, adventure gear, and custom kits of all sorts. I ended up going in after my thinking session and was blown away by how nice of a shop and how nice of people they were. Sadly, being broke right now, I couldn't just pick up all the very specialized and hard to find things I needed. I was able to chat for a few hours and start up a friendship. I ended up buying a small waterproof notebook as well. I was amazed to see one in a store. It was $11 with a special pen, and my favorite color: neon orange. Turns out the owner shares my favorite color as well. He also shares my love of kits and organization. I'll be resurrecting my leather working business to get him a few custom items he can't find anywhere, which is great for both of us. Part of me wishes I still had my towing job so I could afford to go on a shopping spree there, but I'd have never met him if I did have that job. 

  Anyways, the notebook. I finally have a way to record thoughts and work through ideas while in the hot tub. It doesn't work very well with my fountain pen, unfortunately, but pencils work fine. It fits nicely in my back pocket, and is one of the very few things to ever make it into my evey day carry. I'm very minimal at and picky about anything I bring into my life, so it's quite amazing to find something worthy of pocket space. I haven't used it yet, but I plan to after work tomorrow if I have the energy. I was supposed to sit down with my laptop and organize video ideas and start writing scripts, but I met this guy and went on an adventure. Such adventures are what create the best stories, so it's well worth it to skip work and go play when possible. I'll be taking my notebook with me and using it to help me keep things organized as I go. I normally use Google Keep, but it's not always possible to do so. I'll report back on my notebook experience later. 

• New Skill Acquired: Oxy-Acetylene Torch

  Dustin • 01/09/2022 at 16:01 • 0 comments

  I came into work 2 hours late Friday as the pain and tingling in my hands kept me up all night Thursday, which was scary. After multiple weeks of grinding steel, it's finally caught up to me. Thankfully the new guy took over the rest of the work on the old dump truck bed is started rebuilding and it looks great. Turns out we went to the same tiny college, at the same time,studying the same courses, and ended up working at the same place 11 years later. Amazing how small the world seems. He got his degree in industrial technology, but I dropped out. He seems like a good person, so I'm happy to work with him.

  I ended up moving to the main shop where the other guys and the Amish build new tow trucks. They'd brought in a collosal dump truck with train wheels on it for me to work on. Nothing major, just needs some new panels welded onto the sides of the bed and outside of the tailgate. In order to get the new panels in place, I had to cut away some 1/4 Inch thick steel flat bar from the sides, and the welded safety chains on the back. There were probably 20 cuts that needed to be made in very thick steel, which would have taken me a very long time, and destroyed my hands. Luckily I was given a cutting torch. I'd never used one before, but I had watch a video on it by The Essential Craftsman on YouTube, which gave me the confidence to try. One of the very nice Amish guys showed me how to use it as well.

  Within a few minutes of getting it going,I was able to make very clean cuts I very thick steel. I'll admit I burned myself a few times, but I've accepted that. It amazed me how quickly that torch cut through steel. A cut that would have taken multiple minutes and destroyed a cut off wheel took only a few seconds with the torch. I'm no expert, but I can confidently cut and heat with a torch now, which is another step towards building my dreams. 

  I'm not sure how I'll use this new skill in building The Village, but it can't hurt to have such a skill. I imagine this will come in handy when working with things like a tractor or building heavy braces for things. The torch can cut steel, but also gently heat it and make it easy to bend. If I ever needed to cut something like the bucket of a tractor, the torch is the fastest and easiest way to do so. Cutting metal can be a very difficult and expensive task. Having something that can blow straight through it like a torch can only make life easier. I also believe there is a way to weld with a torch, but need to research this further. I had an idea yesterday to make tools and blades from the leaf springs of my old pickup truck when I go to upgrade the rear suspension, and being able to cut such steel easily will be very helpful. I plan to build a forge at some point and make all my own blades and tools if possible. I've got some forging experience already, so it's quite possible. I may be able to use a cutting torch to forge in a pinch, but I expect that will be quite expensive. I know a biogas forge can be made, as I've seen it done. 

  So, with my new torch skills, I'm feeling just a little more confident in myself and this project. 

• Possible Location: New Mexico

  Dustin • 01/03/2022 at 00:15 • 0 comments

  As much as I enjoy the 4 seasons, I would like more sunny days and less irritating government interference in my life. New Mexico is looking very good for setting up an off grid life, even if only a small one for myself. The laws are favorable for energy production, sewage disposal, tiny homes, trash disposal, and even actively encourage and reward rain water harvesting. I'm not sure there would be enough rainwater to support a village, but the land is cheap, the government is friendly towards my goals, and there's plenty of sunlight. I also love the desert. Looking into land for sale, I've found 5 acres in Socorro NM for $6,500. I find this quite reasonable as I can save that up in a few months of regular work, living from my camper. The city looks quite nice and has everything I'd need. There's even a Tractor Supply Company there, where I like to get my clothes and various weird bits for projects. As much as I hate it, there is a Walmart there as well, in case I'd need it. I try not too. Looking at the map of the area, it seems a very livable area at a glance. The idea of moving out there to buy land is making me nervous though. I suspect it's the old "leaving everything you know behind" fear cropping up again. Still, I find the idea of being able to save up for a few months to buy land and go explore to be quite exciting. Maybe I'll go do this after I've got my truck ready and camper built. I'll need money saved and a remote income source of some sort though. 

  Choosing where to spend the rest of my life and invest the majority of my energy is the most difficult decision I can imagine making, aside from who to spend my life with. I've been in Ohio most of my life and know I don't really care for it. I spent a year in South Dakota and loved the people there, but got bored and came back to Ohio. I took a 3 week road trip to the west coast and loved it out there. I'm torn between making life as easy as possible with a lush and rainy area, or being out by the desert where it's always sunny and dry. The only way I think I'll be able to make such a decision is to explore the country. I might not even build my village on this continent, as there are many options. Australia comes to mind immediately. As do Greece and a little tropical island in the Bahamas. The best way to handle this is to just get mobile and start exploring. Narrow it down to a general climate type, start exploring the one I enjoy the most, and move there to see if it will work. New Mexico seems to be the most viable right now as it's so cheap and relaxed out there. Northern California also looks quite lovely. I've got a YouTube channel to build up, and I think visiting the various places I'm considering spending my life would make excellent additions. I've gotta go be dumb all over the place before I know where I want to be dumb for the rest of my life. 

• Possible Location: Georgia

  Dustin • 01/02/2022 at 18:40 • 0 comments

  I've been living in Ohio for all but 1 year of my 29 years of life so far. That other year was spent in South Dakota. I loved it out there. I hate Ohio though. Mostly the weather and people. There's not much to do here and the land can be quite expensive. 

  As much as I hate the climate on the eastern part of the US, I can't ignore the fact that the high moisture content is good for not dying of dehydration. A few years back I did some research into off grid friendly states and Georgia came up a few times for legal reasons. Reasons I've forgotten. I checked back in my notes on the matter and was able to remember why it made my final list as a possible location. Between the abundant life supporting moisture, useful tree species, and clay rich soil, it offers excellent resources to actually build things with. As much as I love the western United States, I'm starting to think it would be unwise not to consider the eastern portion. Especially the south eastern parts. As much as I hate humidity and mosquitoes, I'll take those over having no natural resources, and wild fires. Buying land in Georgia would also put me closer to an ocean than I am now, which would be great as I intend to take up sailing very soon. As in "this year" soon. It's been a dream of mine I can't ignore, so it's worth considering. I intend to sail the world and need to get an early start. I'll be buying a small sailboat very soon, getting my certifications, then teaching sailing to Buy Scouts in Ohio while I save up for land. I'll likely be stick in Ohio for a few years, but I have enough fulfilling things going on to make it worth dealing with the weather and people here. 

  As for the actual land in Georgia, I know very little about what's available or what it would cost. I do know that it's a very green state, so there are trees around. If I have to buy cheap and barren land, I will. I'd simply start a tree removal service a d use that to harvest the lumber needed to build. Earthbag construction would likely work well with clay rich soil, and there is stone, which is my ideal building material. Some quick searching on landwatch.com confirms that the climate should be less hostile than Ohio, though I don't know how I will do with the heat. The land prices are far more reasonable than Ohio from what I've seen, and wooded land isn't too far out of reach. Even if I don't buy the land for The Village there, I might actually move there on a small piece of land some day to build a small test house and business to get things started. I don't have many deep ties to Ohio and would like to get out of here for a while. Considering that I'm building a mobile lifestyle, It wouldn't be too hard for me to head out there and start working and exploring. 

  Just having a piece of land where I could harvest trees, water, and grow food would make me very happy. I'd finally be able to have my own home and live how I've always wanted. I'm actually more excited about moving to a place like Georgia than I am out to the west coast. The west coast is nice, and I've been there, but the idea of surviving out there with so little natural resources is scary. I've seen just how hard it is to live in the desert. The travel distances between anything of value and interest are huge. With lush, resource land of my own, it would be easy to just get started building my life at last. A few years back I almost bought a plane ticket and went to Savannah for Halloween, but let someone talk me out of it. I regret never going, so I may plan to go this year if all is going well. I'm quite excited to think about this again, as I've had nothing but doubts and stress for a very long time. 

  Georgia would also make it far easier for me to spend more time at the beach. Road trips to Florida would also be possible and I could work on boats, do some deep sea fishing, and enjoy some time not being cold all the time. I write this as I'm huddled in my sleeping bag, with the electric space heater sucking...

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• Food, Waste, and Fuel

  Dustin • 01/01/2022 at 02:05 • 1 comment

  A Quick Word About This Log

  With my new job comes tons of extra time to work on projects and the documentation of projects. One of the biggest ones on my list is a YouTube channel I'm working on, where these projects will be documented. It's quite barren now, but will start to fill up shortly. I'm making this channel to explore my deep passion for film making and silliness. It can be found Here. Opens in a new tab. The main reason I mention this is because I plan to use my logs here as base scripts for future videos, so they will be written with video production in mind from this point forward. I'll keep them free from production notes on here, but I want an easy way to get information for upcoming scripts. I'm still short on some basic equipment and workable scripts, but it's slowly coming along. This log is the very first video production minded log I'm writing as I just had the idea today. I'm hoping that doing this will force me to keep things more interesting and fun as I work on projects. I know many of my logs are very info dense, which makes for long reads, but great videos for the kinds of people I relate best to, which is my target audience. My main inspiration for doing this, and the voice in my head these days, is Robert Dunn over on Aging Wheels and Under Dunn, which are car and woodworking channels, respectively. Much thanks to him for sharing my own sense of humor, work ethic, and love of the ridiculous. I've been rather depressed up until recently when I decided to just start taking myself, my projects, and my video production seriously. That's the big change here, and for all future projects, and I hope you find them more enjoyable. I'm also trying to be less lazy and format these logs in a more useable and enjoyable manner. 

  And Onto The Actual Log

  If I could only study a single thing for the rest of my life, I think it would have to be energy. I could cheat and say "science", but that's not as fun or easy to talk about. With the end goal of a fully self sustaining village in mind, energy production and storage is vital. It is possible to live with very little modern systems, much like the Amish do around here, but I want to enjoy what I've built as fast and long as possible. This means modern tools, methods, and energy. There are many different options for both energy generation and storage, but not all will be viable. I've been exploring various options and have decided on a system that will produce energy, recycle organic waste, and create chemical energy in the way of food production for the various people and creatures. 
  

  The heart of this system is the simple biodigestor. It takes water and organic matter, breaks it down into a few useful things which can be made into various fuel sources. It can produce methane gas for burning, a disposal option for sewage and waste, very high quality liquid fertilizer, and money. The last one comes from burning methane to power a printing press that would print the money. Not really on the last one. That's just a lazy joke I threw in. The fertilizer can be sold for a profit, assuming it isn't needed to make food for the village. The food could also be sold. Heck, the methane could be sold if needed as well. I could even just sell the whole system and have all the money. Then I'd freeze and starve to death, so I might not go that route. Maybe I could sell extra systems and help other people not die when the power grid and such goes down for whatever reason. Many possibilities. 

  How It Works

  The biodigestor works by using bacteria, underwater, to eat up and fart out food and poop waste. Their farts can be burned right away to do stuff like heat your coffee or heat the water to scrub butts. It can also be compressed into standard propane tanks and you can take the concentrated farts with you as needed. When the waste breaks down under water, it does so in an anaerobic environment, meaning there is no oxygen. This is what causes methane...

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