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Re: Re:Pc Accredited Technology was various



On Thu, 26 Aug 1999 20:26:38 +0100, in alt.permaculture "mud"
<mlomas@tinet.ie> wrote:

>
>
>
>Holly wrote in message <7q20fb$m15$1@fraggle.esatclear.ie>...
>>
>>mud wrote in message
>>>
>>>What's Paradise if it's full of children ? Feed that snake :-)  (That
>>>was for Holly :-))
>>
>>That was very well hidden in your interesting epic post! :-)
>
>One has to make sure that the rowdy crowd at the back of the room are still
>listening :-)
>
>>
>>Good idea for a thread this Mark, well done.
>
>Thank you. My ego needs all the feeding it can get ATM.
>I've been thinking about this today while I was working. We picked up a
>leaflet at the Earth Centre of various bicycles, trikes, trailers etc.
>Here's a few URL's if anyone's interested :
>
>http://www.pashley.co.uk
>
>http://www.workbike.org/zero
>
>www.zapbikes.com
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>www.bikefix.co.uk/humanpower
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>www.rolandplastics.co.uk/plastics/strida/htm
>
>www.r-m.de
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>www.alexmoulton.co.uk
>
>We got a friend to weld up a small bike trailer from angle iron, with 2 BMX
>wheels. Another friend brought us back a bike-sized ball hitch from Germany.
>Haven't used it for ages, but it (and I) handled around 50kg of bagged
>animal feeds over the hilly 5 miles from the village nearby.
>Generally, though, I think bikes are actually more suited to the town/city
>than the country. The UK seems to be doing quite well for cycle lanes now,
>and the National Cycle Route, which largely follows redundant rail lines
>(all less than 1:12 slope) is a great idea.
>
>Any hand tools associated with traditional/woodland crafts would fit the
>category - I love my drawknife, froe, adzes etc more than any of my many
>power tools.
>
>And horse-drawn implements and harness. There's something magical about the
>art of wheelwrighting, but also some of the modern stuff is a step in the
>right direction. We have a tubular steel pony trap with motorbike wheels,
>and a couple of flat farm carts with car axles and rubber tyres.  I believe
>that modern-style horse-drawn farm implements are still made in Eastern
>Europe, and have seen a couple of mowers which use a smallish horse for
>traction, but have a petrol-engine to drive the cutter (the old mowers
>needed a pair of quite big horses).
>
>One of my dreams (or at least one not involving Uma Thurman) is to have
>enough acreage to farm using horses, but going forward with the technology,
>not back to the past.
>
>Other technology we should support is sail-power. The thought that, with
>basic tools, some good timber and technology which has been around for
>thousands of years, I could build a means of travel which would allow me to
>visit you lot down under - who cares if the oil runs out :-)
>
>But, while we're talking technology, I'd have to give a mention to
>blacksmithing. With a hammer and an anvil, the blacksmith was/is the one
>craftsman who could make the tools to build ANYTHING, and I mean anything,
>that is really needed for sustainable, yet comfortable, living.
>
>I think I must have landed in the wrong century :-)
>
>
>Mark
>
>