41–50 of 84 posts
This isn't an alternative to the light bulb. This is an alternative to the window for people living in slums that can't afford glass.
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Probably you've never seen a slum, so let me explain: - Houses are juxtaposed to each other, there's no room for windows - Roofs are corrugated, so you can't easily fit a top glass panel even if you have the money for one. - There are transparent, fiber glass roofs, and some people use those, but often they don't get to choose the materials used to build the house, just use what is available. So this is a quite nice…
All those sound plausible (having never been to a favela), and if true I agree with you on almost all counts. But it's still not a substitute for a light bulb unless it works in the dark.
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All I can think of is that a black cap won't degrade as quickly because of ultraviolet exposure. Most plastics (long polymers) have chemical bonds that can be broken by the energy level provided by ultraviolet photons, so over time they turn from polymers into quasicrystals and lose their strength -- disintegrate. But a black plastic, by excluding the ultraviolet light, protects itself and lasts much longer. So a bot…
I thought black objects absorb all wavelengths, and white objects reflect them all away.
Black plastic lasts longer because 1) the UV is absorbed by the pigment, not the polymer and 2) the pigment limits UV penetration to the surface.
Here is a good doc on UV weathering of plastics and materials (such as carbon black) to absorb UV. http://www.cabot-corp.com/wcm/download/en-us/sb/UV%20WEATHER...
Hmm. This would also be really useful in doing underground greenhouses. A tin sheet is cheap. You dig a hole, however long, wide, and deep. Then, you can get in the hole and plant whatever in there. Once done, you can cover it up with the sheet (or wood or whatever) and put the bottle-lights inside. That way, you keep the pests out of your new garden.
Very few economically important plants will thrive in anything less than full sunlight. This makes sense because most plants become economically important because they are productive (good at turning sunlight into something we want like calories or wood).
The exceptions are plants that are grown for some valuable quality which is only needed in scarce quantities, like some spices or flowers.
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I can understand being proud of a beneficial invention and offering something to people without taking money for it. He's done an amazing good deed and hopefully will be remembered for this. But I don't understand the title of the article because I think taking pride in poverty is a weird position to be taking. The headline might just be catchy click bait.
Proud to be poor? Not paying taxes into NSA surveillance/military state or any whatever exploitive capitalism as other collared proles. Some people are far too busy than to concern themselves with financial vanity and the distractions that follow it. Teeming masses of slum youth with linux netbooks must be high on the list of Fort Meade's threat matrix.
Hmm. This would also be really useful in doing underground greenhouses. A tin sheet is cheap. You dig a hole, however long, wide, and deep. Then, you can get in the hole and plant whatever in there. Once done, you can cover it up with the sheet (or wood or whatever) and put the bottle-lights inside. That way, you keep the pests out of your new garden.
I live off-grid, and have done so for nearly 20 years, and I never needed indoor lighting during daylight hours. I also dislike the idea of poking holes in my roof, for any reason. I'm much more intersted in the gravity light which was featured here a few months ago. http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gravitylight-lighting-for-... Although the initial cost may be prohibitive for the poverty stricken, it may be well wi…
Would you share a bit more about your off-grid setup? (Power, water, sanitation etc...) Or do you have any pictures you've shared or would like to share publicly?
For sewage most use cesspools dug a minimum of 12 feet deep by 6 feet wide capped with concrete & steel, although those with small lots are required to use septic tank systems.
For hot water I have a solar collector thermosiphon setup augmented by a propane tankless (on demand) water heater.
For electricity I use PV panels (8 Kyocera 135 W panels) going through an Outback charge controller and a Solar brand voltage inverter, with 6 Interstate 6 volt deep cycle batteries for storage. This is enough to run all of my light electronics, as well as a refrigerator/freezer and more.
For heavy electrical loads I have a backup gasoline generator, which I rarely use anymore.
Since my area has one of the highest electricity rates in the USA my system began paying for itself after less than three years.
My home has a lot of windows, which helps to provide airflow as well as making air conditioning unnecessary, thus I have no need for lighting during the day.
(I had some pictures on one of my phones, but am unable to locate them now...)
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Would you share a bit more about your off-grid setup? (Power, water, sanitation etc...) Or do you have any pictures you've shared or would like to share publicly?
My neighborhood is under served by municipal utilities (No telephone, no electricity, no water, no sewage, no cable, no pavement,) so for water most here use rainwater catchment systems using above ground cisterns or pools for storage, and various treatment methods such as UV, RO, and charcoal filtration. (Many haul drinking water from county provided spigots) For sewage most use cesspools dug a minimum of 12 feet de…
I've been interested in going off-grid for a while, but never could find the appropriate time (or the location, since land here is pricey as well). If you do find those pictures, I'd love to see how you've setup everything. There's a big demand these days for off-grid and sustainable living so if you happen to document your experiences, a la blog or similar, that could be invaluable for a lot of folks. Nothing really beats getting the details from someone who actually walks the walk.
How do you like living off-grid? I imagine you've had more than your fair share of hiccups on the way.
Down below, a deck prism illumination is astonishing. Drilling a round hole in the cabin sole is way easier, and a discarded plastic bottle is far less expensive than a vintage Criitenden & Willcox prism. Separate the bleach if you get real thirsty? Watch your head(pun?).
The main difference here is that deck prisms are flat on top, which limits the amount of light entering the prism. The water in the bottles is filled to the top, creating a dome shaped concentrator. Since water has a refractive index close to glass (~1.3 vs ~1.5) the bottom of the bottle has a similar effect to the deck prism, except with slightly more light.