Borne on a pile of junk

My inner engineering department has been watching the development of high power LED lighting. This really is the lighting of the future and amidst the woes of consumerism and all the bad things about industrialisation this is a bright light (excuse pun) and a lot closer than the horizon. Its one of the really good things that has come out of one hell of a messy industrial consumer society. The cost is still prohibitive unless you take a really long term big picture. The benefit over more or less equally efficient fluorescent lights at this stage is they are environmentally less toxic, very robust and, of course, last a lot longer – oh, and leave your aura intact. At at least 6 times the price of equivalent fluorescent units its a tricky balance but in my view worth looking at and supporting as an early adopter. It will boost your technology karma. The cost WILL come down – low cost developments are already in the pipeline.

Here is an interesting little metaphor. The other day I bought a 3W LED light that replaces a 30W halogen light and will last over 10 years. Interestingly this was purchased with the money I received from turning in a car load of old, dead computer and electronic equipment for recycling. And that is a pretty good representation of the real cost of these little luminescent miracles. It took a carload of electronic junk to purchase a little light that you can hold in the palm of your hand. This time its going the right way though. The new for old exchange leads to something that has a much longer useful life and consumes a LOT less energy. Making marvellous things like this is only possible because of a complex global infrastructure of high tech, high cost, high volume semiconductor research and manufacturing which inevitably produces vast amounts of stuff that quickly becomes junk. Is it worth it? Perhaps in these terms the old paraffin lamp and candle are more efficient. But the industrial consumer world is not going to go away in a hurry. Rather it produce jewels like this than more stuff that is little more than junk even when its new.

Recent developments in reducing costs:
http://www.ccnmag.com/article/low-cost,_bright_led_lighting_closer_to_reality

Local company selling LED lighting:
http:// www.c2r.co.za

How now.

The admonishments of sensibility and reason
Will drink every last drop of my blood,
Dine out on the fruits of my madness.
And leave in its place mothers milk
Poisoned with sleep and sanity.

Flying Home

(Preemptive apologies to any group who may feel they are adversely prejudiced by this “reflection”. Lighten up…)

The extensions lady (hair) across the aisle from me is a bit pissed off because she did not get the window seat she asked for. I can see it in the angle of her blue toenails and the carefully chosen super round goggle shades she is wearing.

The Naidoos (quite a lot of them) have managed to stow their abundance of hand luggage and claim – oh no, sorry, one more bag, shuffle ooof. There we are – claim their rightful seats, windows and complimentary magazines. The seat next to me has a premium rate invisible passenger in it. Only these passengers can afford the high costs of these last minute seats and very little is known about them. Next to her is Derek. The dark glasses on his head would help me with my unruly grey mop. Perhaps I should acquire some like them for alice band purposes.

Little Phumzile diagonally behind me has settled down, much to everyone’s relief, into an exhausted sleep after a long, hot, loud frenzy of tears.

All settled, buckled and upright we amble slowly, as air and water creatures tend to do when on dry land. I’m still miffed with the orange and grey people for callously cracking my fine art drain pipes not to mention their brutal terms and conditions.

The shiny new 737-800 is mmmming and whooshing its way to cruising altitude and again my thoughts turn to the extensions lady with the cool shades. They are green.

Captain Kirk’s reassuringly western, educated voice beams little acoustic shafts of confidence to and fro amongst us, turning the treacherous and desolate crash sites below into pleasing scenery. Suitably reassured that all is well the sales department is now beamed out and Jake (or is it Jakes), up ahead tries to be sure not to miss any special offers offered through the mmms and whooshes.

I will have a beer, and, perhaps a sandwich purchased with money generously made available at competitive rates by Standard Bank who are inspired, motivated and involved.

Ah. The extensions lady has mobilized her diamond studded footwear and is off to avail herself of the well appointed and remarkably compact embarrassing body functions room. The Naidoos are all contentedly ingesting their complimentary in-flight literature and the 737-800 has leveled off and settled into a competent whoosh without the mmm.

I have just been nice to the refreshment person and am wondering if the in-flight roll I am eating is as immortal as those hamburgers McDonalds make that never go off, ever. What do all those cooperative little bacteria in my digestive system think? The two aft-most auxiliary Naidoos have engaged little Phumzile’s father in conversation. It seems that either this is correct in-flight protocol or that the complimentary prose has been unable to sustain its earlier intrigue.

I think the extensions lady might have a hangover . I’m sorry about that, I hope she feels better soon. She might just be bored. I know I am like that sometimes and people worry about me but really I’m just waiting and my head needs to held up.

Oh! An exciting development. Derek has plugged himself into an I-Pod. This is an unexpected turn of events. Perhaps his shoes are not really all there is to him after all. I see he has stashed his second whiskey, either keeping it for when the I-Pod runs out or for on the way home from the airport while Judith, his fiancé drives. Perhaps he is keeping it for Judith. She likes that sort of thing. It makes her feel like he thinks of her while he is away. I think she’s right. Judith is finishing off a difficult day at the office as we speak.

It has just come to my attention that Derek may be doing something more than musical with his I-Pod. I can’t be sure but the screen has a mysterious round thing on it that is taking a lot of his attention.

The one auxiliary Naidoo has excused herself from conversation with little Phumzile’s father and has her hand over her eyes. I don’t think she has a hangover. I think she is thinking about something that the principal Naidoos in front of her may not be entirely comfortable with. I think we should leave her to her concealed meditations.

Derek has now returned to a purely musical experience with his I-Pod. I can say this with confidence having used an I-Pod myself and recognizing the appearance of the screen when it is being purely musical.

Edith has just emerged from the embarrassing functions room. Oh! I forgot to mention that the extensions lady had water droplets on her (slightly) dark glasses on her return from the aforementioned room. One should call it a room and not a cubicle because it is anything but cubic in shape.. but I digress. Edith is happy to be with us. She is always happy. It is important for her to always be happy. She is a person of unexpected depth despite her happiness.

A man with wings on his left breast and gold bands on his shoulders has just emerged from the frontmost room. I think I can say with some certainty that they operate the 737-800 from in there. He looks happy. I think this is Captain Kirk. I can’t see where he has gone and can smell burnt toast. The 737-800 has changed the tone of its whoosh slightly and… should I be concerned? The refreshment person seems unconcerned although this may be the result of rigorous training. Why would Captain Kirk look so happy if there were cause for concern? The one principal Naidoo has closed her window slider and is coughing. I think this is normal.

Derek has started on his second whiskey. I hope Judith is ok with this. Its been a big day for her and the contract is not quite put to bed yet.

I am pleased to see that both the auxiliary Naidoos have returned to their complimentary in-flight prose and little Phumzile has woken up – quietly. This bodes well although things could change at any moment. The principal Naidoo nearest the (closed) window has very accomplished dark glasses. This means that she is accomplished herself and does not need to engage her neighbors in conversation like the auxiliary Naidoos behind her.

It has been brought to my attention that one should fasten one’s seat belt while seated. I think this is correct because I was unable to fasten my seat belt until I was in fact seated. I believe it is important to think carefully about in-flight instructions to be sure they are correct and that one understands their underlying logic.

Jake (or is it Jakes), just ahead of me has the most perfectly formed eyelashes. He is perfectly positioned for me to see this from my vantage point. While I don’t think I will say anything to him I do wish him well with them and… Oh goodness! Rashid has just climbed over Jake (or is it Jakes) and is making his way unhesitatingly to the embarrassing functions room. I hope everything is alright. I sense that Rashid can deal with almost anything that comes his way but nonetheless I do feel concerned.

The 737-800 has now gone from a whoosh to a frooar. I have learned from considerable experience that this signals our descent and eminent arrival. The extensions lady has noticed this too and is foraging in her handbag for dis-embarking applicants to prepare nose, lips and eyelids for ground duty. I can also report that my seatbelt has fastened without incident and I must now stow my reflections and make my own preparations.

Currentcy

Generally I retreat into technology when my more elusive creative and soul centred endeavours become too much like sweeping water uphill – against indifference, circumstances, collaborative vacuum etc. So on to the current or is it currency… or lack thereof.

Amidst all the wails and terribly material consequences of our lack of sufficient Eishkom branded current lies an excitement. No amount of activism, tree hugging and chaining of wives to nuclear rectors could possibly have got a whole nation to examine their energy use and alternative energy sources as Eishkom’s lack of foresight has. In the manner characteristic of invincible western deterministic thought many of us are applying really long range planning: buy a generator. Funny weather we’re having… want more? Buy a generator. Offended? Ag sorry man. I know the wheels have to keep turning..

To me its about meaning – what holds meaning for us; me and you. And I ‘pologise most profoundly if I sound preachy. So here are some “seems to me”s:

Autonomy:
We are in the grip of a very complex, huge web of intermediaries doing this, that, and even the other for us. We all do our bit and get along. The Eishkomish crash is exactly the kind of consequece of intermediaries becoming too big, too powerful, too top heavy, to immune to consequence until it explodes amongst us all. Buying a generator might help the weather to become even more funny than it is now but it also offers autonomy. Hell! How much money is spent on 4×4’s supporting the cause of autonomy and a pioneering spirit, long range tanks, all terrain: Self sufficiency big time!

Dr Peter Lindemann a well known free energy researcher asserts that energy is a form of currency. And to give people the capacity to generate their own is tantamount to allowing them to print their own money. Interesting idea in the light of which we should be celebrating Eishkom’s incapacity. But this is the stuff of conspiracy theorists who may have a point but… really, I don’t think the people “up there” much as they might like it are that smart. Ok, so the capacity to produce our own energy even with a smelly, noisy, polluting, earth destroying generator has an up-side in addition to allowing the show to go on. Networking all these small energy sources creates a very robust largely self-regulating system. The 220V equivalent of peer to peer information sharing on the iternet. A kind of open source electricity. This is a big idea but rapidly gaining ground in countries with progressive energy policies like Australia.

Well it does not always have to be generator does it – huh? The more we walk in to the local Mica domestic bliss emporium and say “generator? Can’t you do better? Where are the solar geysers, fuel cells, thin film photovoltaics, cold fusion reactors?” the more the opportunists who will seek out, anything there is a market for will push to get these things into everyday life. – don’t you think? Daniel Goleman, one of the gurus of emtional intelligence proposes that capacity for delayed gratification is a sure sign of high emotional inteligence. Well I’m not sure if I buy that completely but in this case YES! Putting up a solar geyser will take 3-5 years to pay for itself – a level of delayed gratification seemingly beyond the grasp of most of us urban ants. Somehow spending R20000 on something that makes hot water for free is far less interesting than R20000 (or more) of curtains, home theatre, extras on the new car, overseas trip, boob job, penis enlargement or a really discounted triple bypass. Well ok… but come on! Don’t tell me you can’t afford a solar geyser. It just does not mean enough. Be honest. Most of us could raise R20k if we really had to for something really important.

One step better that making a plan in the proudly South African way is make the plan according to a bigger cleverer plan: one that our kids can have fun with, still able to reproduce and all those quaint things.

Meaning:
Headspace management has a lot to do with our making of meaning. And it’s headspace management that is going to get us a life. So how about this? Throw out all the greenie arguments about sustanability and saving the planet. Its actually quite fun to make hot water from the sun. It’s all about headspace. When I am feeling crabby, discouraged and lonely I climb up on the roof and feel the hot pipes from my solar geyser, sitting in the lotus position. Then I love everbody again. Or I just take a lunctime bath and water the garden with the leftovers. Naah. Not really. Or perhaps I just won’t own up to it if I did but the point is… you get the point? This is a test of your emotional intelligence. If you don’t get it you are not spending enough time at business breakfasts. So the point is what holds meaning for you? Alarmingly… if what we spend monely on is an indication of what holds meaning for us Hooo! The point is that a solar geyser is a no brainer. The aliens looking down on earth roll their eyes to andromeda and howl in disbeleif at the sight of the human idiots digging stuff out of the ground, getting dirty, wheeling and dealing, oblivious of all the free stuff hurtling in from the sky. Who gets the Darwin award?

I merely use the solar geyser as an example of a mature, efficient technlogy under our noses that very few people seem to even give a second thought to – or not until our beloved Eishkom showed us the light. Of course you do all understand that all this verbiage is only to justify the small fortune I recently borrowed from the bank to install our very own solar geyser. Now I can’t afford a generator!

The bigger smarter plan:
Unless the conspiracy theorists’ wildest dreams come true some really interesting, viable ideas are just around the corner – a few years. The more we ask for it the quicker it will come. A facility to manufacture thin film photo voltaic (solar electric) cells is being set up in Cape Town. Based on a South African invention it will produce electricity far more efficiently and at a fraction of the cost of current silicon based solar cells. Some even claim they will charge your batteries in moonlight – a little more slowly but nevertheless… There are many exciting developments in battery technology the essential storage mechanism for any solar electric system. Much of this has been spurred on by mobile computers and phones’ growing need for more power in smaller, lighter packages. You see: a lot of people asked for it and what happened?

So here is my take: Get ready for this stuff. Ask for it. Its likely to come at an affordable price before Eishkom finish their new power stations. Unless of course some shadowy nobody shuts them down, shuts them up. If you need backup power – do your best to get an inverter solution which generates household electric power from batteries. This sets you up for solar electric power which will become more affordable along with smarter batteries Quiet, maintenance free, future friendly. Diesel and petrol generators: very temporary unsatisfactory solution. Unavoidable in some cases but for a domestic household you can do better. I would push for LP gas conversions on petrol generators. It’s clean, very viable and more cost effective. Ask and see what happens.

Moving into the lunatic fringe – or a fringe liberally populated with strange people that are very difficult to make sense of there are all manner of weird and wonderful contrivements, some of which are worth watching. Cold fusion and fuel cells being two such technologies that show promise. Ask for it. Go have a look at http://www.free-energy.ws/background.html

So in conclusion:

• There are viable, affordable alternative sources of energy under our noses that could make a significant difference to our current predicament and to a sustainable future.

• Aim to take advantage of emergent solar electric technology when investing in power backup solutions.

• The capital barrier that prevents the adoption of renewable energy is not insurmountable.

• Ask for it. The more interest shown in alternative, cleverer energy techology the more chance there is of current viable technology being integrated into society.

In the interests of brevity I might have ended up being confusing, fragmented and a little inconsistent. Sorry.

A Feast in the desert like no other.

Nic, my brother in law and fellow soul traveller invited me to join him on this adventure to Afrika Burns in the middle of nowhere.

The first thing I should say is the last thing. I returned home feeling better about myself, more complete and aware of having been celebrated. And.. full of wonder at all the people I met who are so worth celebrating. One can do a lot worse than that.

It was absolutely right to hold an event like this in the middle of nowhere. What a wonderful holding, welcoming and generous space full of beautiful people. While this euphoric level of community is unlikely to be sustainable it shows alternatives to the lives most of us lead very clearly; where celebration of one another as inherently good, divine creatures just goes without saying. This was starkly brought into relief when I returned to Johburg. Every lamp post shouted problems at me. Every intersection had somebody wanting me to know about their problem – and fix it. Traffic pushing and shoving, services we pay for that don’t get delivered and of course the barricades of privacy and security all around. Radical self sufficiency – once again I realized how much we are in the grip of intermediaries in our daily lives.

I scrambled down to Cape Town checking in with my baggage an empty 25l water container, symbolic of the empty largely unconsidered space within me that I was taking to this event.

While connections I made were fleeting they were rich and affirming and full of light. The collective connection was profound for me. To visit and be visited, welcomed and welcome. To just wander in and out of people’s spaces and have others do the same at our camp was worth the trek just on its own. To be recognized and acknowledged and reciprocate to others – a part of our natural inherent goodness that has to be locked up in our highly mediated, embattled, consumer lives.

I find myself falling over words and deleting and re-writing, trying to do justice to the space, the experience, the stimulation and variety. I feel more comfortable just reflecting my view through these pictures. Its going to take more more time than I have now to give an intelligent account. The others in this synchroblog have said much of it for me much better. And… resolved firmly to be there again for there must be a next one and bring you all with me to make more magic.

Afrika Burns Synchroblog participants:

• Photographs on Signs of Life : Rob Mills and Mike de Freitas
• John W Morehead on Moreheads Musings : Afrika Burns Synchroblog: Burning Man Regional Burn
• Tim Victor on Tim Victors Musings : Afrika Burns
• Ant Paton on CapeConversation : Wondering about the wilderness, by Ant Paton
• Rob Mills : Signs of Life
• Emerging Africa : Afterburn: A Karoo Flowering
• Mike de Freitas on CapeConversation: Afrika Burns, a Christian response, by Mike de Freitas
• Nic Paton : a baptism of joyful fire : Afrika Burns synchroblog
• RuZl on Liquid Light : a desert underground
• Roger Saner on Future Church : An oasis of silence

Other writings of note:

• From the mouth of the Man himself : What is Burning Man?
• BA Facebook site
• John W Morehead: Burn, Baby, Burn, Christendom Inferno: Burning Man and the Festive Immolation of Christendom Culture and Modernity
• John W Morehead: Apocalyptic Man Ablaze: The Hope of Burning Man’s Effigy Fulfilled in the Risen Holy Fool
• Overtone Music blog : Afrika Burns: Backwater Art Back In Fashion

Provisional

Armed

Needing Time

I left the window open.
And
The moment lost its moment.
Lost its point.

I let something else in.
Groping for what it is,
Who.
I lost the little dots that make now.

Second Life

There must be a huge body of comment and thought about this burgeoning virtual space but here goes anyway. Some drafty thoughts:

I signed up yesterday (http://secondlife.com) – over 3 million virtual citizens – avatars. I have not even passed through my orientation yet. I’m a newbie so can’t make any claims of expertise. There is so much that this concept encapsulates. Its amazing and somewhat scary at the same time. Its a bit like an open source Truman Show where everybody makes it happen. But.. but there is still the ghost in the machine handling (and collecting) the money, making the “laws of nature” defining the boundaries – the “super landlord”. One could check out of physical life quite substantially and live out an existence in this space. There is a stream of thought that criticises an obsessive absorption with virtual reality. How different is this to people seeking out a life of meditation? Some even bricking themselves into a wall in a church – moving as much as physically possible into an inner world of contemplation – is this reality not also virtual where you engage with “virtual” entities – spirits, visions, voices powers and principalities – to some end. The intention might be “higher”. I can hardly imagine that all the citizens of cyber space are fervently and consciously seeking enlightenment through their cyber lives – and yet in another sense we all are. So virtual reality is not new in my opinion. It reinforces the notion of meaning and attention creating reality which movies like “What the Bleep…” and “The Secret” have made popular. As soon as we attach meaning to something it establishes itself in reality whether it has physical substance or not.

One of many angles: Jungians encourage fantasy, particularly in relationships; the idea being that if one works out one’s longings and desires in an appropriately held fantasy space it facilitates the growth and integration that the soul needs/seeks without sustaining the damage that acting those things out in physical reality might bring about. I buy into this idea with a litle ambivalence. I can’t quite dispense with the element of psychic masturbation – a caricature / substitute that waters down the gritty nature of our incarnated existence. Virtual reality facilitates this notion in much more tangible and graphic terms. While most people play in these environments without being that conscious of their intentions beyond play, exploration, and exploitation it seems to me that one might work with this at quite a different level. Pippa: I think again about your project where you set out to kill a thousand people in a virtual world (what did you call it?). Your intent being beyond some gratuitous entertainment or mindless exploration. I hope I’m not misrepresenting you. I would love to know your thoughts on SecondLife.

So I throw this into the pool and hope some ripples will emanate from places other than where my stone plopped.

Portrait Series #8