427 screencrap speed round 2

One more day of screencraps, and then I'm getting ready to share some big-ish news.

Above is, I think, the world's tallest wood building. All wood, right down to the framing. Why am I putting this here?

Because in most places, this building would be illegal. Why? Because of building codes.

Now, it might seem counterintuitive, but wood is actually a fairly renewable resource, and perhaps kinder on the environment than concrete. (It takes a lot of energy to heat lime for concrete.)

But, like I said, building codes.

And here's the issue. We came up with a way of doing things, oh, forty years ago, in the mid-70s, and we're stuck there. It's not the most efficient way of doing things, it's not the least expensive way of doing things, but it makes sure that the existing players don't have to think too hard, or face too much competition, and we all get to live in relatively safe-ish buildings so we don't really think about it much.

So we get more of the same, despite plenty of evidence that it's unsustainable.

Years ago, I interviewed a retired professor. He seemed more interested in day trading, but he did mention that one day he'd like to write his magnum opus. He'd call it, "Systems."

Systems.

Systems.

Systems.

Systems.

Systems.

Yesterday, I watched a guy build a 4500watt solar array for under a grand. $50 per 250 watt panel. 


(Ok, there was a $2000 charge controller and $10k in batteries, but still, this is happening, people.)

"A fundamentally different world!"

So here's a new electric car on the way. I'm not nuts about any cars, in theory, but in reality I love car design. And this one cracked me up. It's a Hyundai. Apparently that car on the left was their big model in the 80s, so they decided to redo it. And crazily, an updated 80s car actually looks hella cool, if not fundamentally different.

Of course, that might be because they work with Pininfarina now.

This is a barrel containing acid laced with DDT.

Apparently for a number of decades, there was a manufacturer in LA who dumped their waste here, off Catalina Island.

They're still down there. Leaking. What can we do about it? I don't know. But we can start by not fucking up another place.

Believe it or not, the US still has some undammed, all-natural rivers and riparian areas. They're in Alaska. This is one. 

And a tale of two boats. Above, one for the megarich. Below, the latest object of my lust.


The Scamp. I think it's 11 feet long. They're usually homemade, of plywood. It can carry 3-4 adults, but it's also a good camping dinghy for one or two. There's water ballast and a weighted centerboard, so it's kind of like a keel boat in terms of stability. Looks super fun!

Well, I didn't quite make it through all the screencraps I stored up while writing "Marijuana & Me," but I think tomorrow might be a good day to break some different kinda news anyway.

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