I received a thermal cooker for Christmas and was eager to give it a test drive. The concept is simple. The inner stainless steel pot is placed on the stove and is used in the traditional way. When the contents is fully heated the pot is removed from the stove and sealed up inside a … Continue reading Thermal Cooker
We currently have vastly more access to substantially better stuff at radically lower prices than ever before in history. But the underlying collection of distant attenuated supply chains and finance mechanisms are spectacularly fragile and vulnerable to disruption. As an antidote I intentionally re-skill when and where possible, starting with the necessities at the bottom … Continue reading Skilling Up: Cooking From Scratch
I was at a friend’s house when she got a delivery of groceries. The boxes arrived at her door from one of the many new services that allow customers to shop online. Fresh fruit, veggies, meat, wine, eggs, cheese, milk, Christmas wreathes, and fresh cut flowers. She just pushed a few buttons and voila! I … Continue reading The New Retail: Gird Your Loins
I’m a prepper. The term is loaded with all manner of connotations that point directly to a lone wolf hunkered down in a bunker with firearms and cans of tuna waiting to ride out the Zombie Apocalypse. Me? Not so much. Instead, I’m simply prepared for the entirely predictable everyday difficulties that unfold. Here’s an … Continue reading Strong Households: Prepper Plumbing
I recently published an article that explored some of the ways regulations make it difficult for small businesses to get off the ground and function. Among the examples I used from around the country was Bank Suey in Hamtramck, Michigan. My story was subsequently reposted on various other sites which the owner, Alissa Shelton, read … Continue reading Hamtramck: Scale and Institutional Frameworks
Each year an old university room mate comes to stay with me in San Francisco while he attends the Internet of Things (IoT) Convention in Silicon Valley. I like to tag along to see what the technoscenti are up to. Every year amid all the usual engineers and computer people looking to promote their products … Continue reading Blockchain
Granola Shotgun 