I would love to hear from any slashdotters who have been thinking about homesteading. I have been obsessing about getting out of the city and being independent, leaving some of the consumer world behind. My wife thinks I am nuts, and I don't think that we will actually move to some backwoods any time soon. Anyone else sharing my obesession?

The Industrial Method has allowed us to cheat as it were, nature. We have created drugs, central heating, leisure time that allows our bodies to rest. This in turn has extended our lifetime and set the expectation that we will live relatively long lives and someone dying before they are at least sixty is considered premature.

Capitalism, Communism, Socialism, all names for social utopian movements that use the Industrial Method of extracting maximum return from material transformations. I think for some, it is a kind of alchemy. The Industrial Method creates indenture slaves that must be convinced to work through direct physical intimidation, but more practically through various methods of coersion such as company stores sixty years ago and consumerism today.

So how much pollution is too much for a single person to create?

Being born just before the 70's I have been brought up being educated in the ways of energy conservation. Turn off light when not in use, don't flush the toilet too ofen, turn the thermostat down to something that would freeze the turnups off a brass monkey. So, I have spent most of my adult life trying to assess alternatives in energy prosuction and alternative choices of transportation, creating heat etc. In most cases I have never seen a system that could be a substitute for oil. How could th

Thought of the day: You can't give freedom to one group of people at the expense of another. At least not without a penalty. As I follow this thought through, the idea of giving someone freedom is silly. You can't give someone something they already have. You might be able to remove the bonds of slavery (Americas) or facism (WWII) but you are not freeing people. They aready are free.

Any friend of emacs is a friend of mine.

'Ever noticed that people make the assumption thier evolution is the most successful?. As if the evolution track thier genes and DNA are a part of is obviously the winner. Have you ever considered that the evolutionary track you are on might end with you?!

Kudos to the mad poster for getting me to write more about freedom and it means to me. Now if I would only get off my behind and do something about it.

NE North America Blackout Links:
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0826-12.htm http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0826-12.htm

Having an occupation that forces me to deal with technology at a very low level, I think I have some insight into how things work. Specifically, I have been building international networks and large scale systems for over 12 years. I think I am beginning to have a unique understanding of how things work. Living through the dot.com era has certainly added to my point of view, especially since I made no-money. Many of my peers made or had significant amounts of money real and virtual. I am not

It obvious fake society like slashsdot is going to be full of idealogues who have no idea about the workings of the real world. Rants about communist thievery and how the world should work. No wonder my Karma is bad!

RANT I am sick and tired of beating my head against the wall and trying to understand why people expect other people to fix thier problems and give them money. On the radio this morning, the Provincial government is talking about raising taxes just after they lowered taxes because they cannot balance the books. I am starting to become very conservative in my view point and less and less tolerant of capable people with thier hand outstreached waiting for a handout (which the go