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| author | lxf <sng@luxagraf.net> | 2024-09-15 14:09:19 -0500 |
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| committer | lxf <sng@luxagraf.net> | 2024-09-15 14:09:19 -0500 |
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diff --git a/pages.txt b/pages.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c41a985 --- /dev/null +++ b/pages.txt @@ -0,0 +1,2968 @@ +# Homepage + +<p>We’re a family of five who live full time in a vintage 1969 Dodge Travco RV. We’ve been at it for three years now. People want to know <a href="https://luxagraf.net/1969-dodge-travco-motorhome">what it’s like for five people to live in a 26ft RV</a> and <a href="https://luxagraf.net/essay/why-a-vintage-rv">why we live this way</a>.</p> +<p>The short answer is simple: because we like it and we can. If you want more than a soundbite, <a href="/jrnl/">read through the journal</a>. If you like it, sign up for <a href="/newsletter/">the email list</a>, or <a href="/jrnl/feed.xml">subscribe to the RSS feed</a>.</p> +<p>We love the way we live and wouldn’t want to live any other way. But we’re not you and this isn’t for everyone. It just works for us. If you’re interested there’s a guide section with some <a href="/guides/">advice, tips and tricks for those who’d aspire to live full time in a van or RV</a> and there’s more about me on the <a href="/about">about page</a></p> + +# Dear Internet Commenter + +url: /dear-internet-commenter +status: True + +We are fellow denizens of an especially lovely planet full of wonder and beauty. Okay, it's true. It's also full of ugliness and horror. But let's focus on the positive for a minute. + +That the good news. The bad news is that even in the best case scenarios we only get to ride this lovely planet around our sun some seventy-five or so times. That's assuming we're well fed, clothed, sheltered and in good health. Most people of the world are none of those things. Some of us are, which is incredibly fortunate for us. + +I say this mainly to offer some perspective on why I have elected not to engage in a conversation with you. It's nothing against you specifically, but here's the thing: most likely you disagreed with something I wrote and want to express that. I understand that desire. But remember, my thoughts and opinions don't have to match yours. Yours are equally valid. And not only do these topics not really matter in the grand scheme of things, I don't matter in the grand scheme of your existence and there's nothing to gain by pretending otherwise. + +This doesn't mean we shouldn't care about each others' opinions, it just means that, given the constraints of our existence here on earth (it's very time limited), we probably both have better things we could be doing -- walking in the sunshine, playing with our kids, watching the sunset from a mountain top, making coffee by a fire just before sunrise, eating tacos, or what have you. There are a lot of amazing things to do out there. Arguing on the internet is not one them. + +# README + +url: /readme +status: True + +##Overview + +Luxagraf.net is built using the [GeoDjango framework](http://geodjango.org/). I don't serve up the pages directly with django though, instead the Django app spits out static html page -- pretty much like Moveable Type did back in the day. + +The static pages are then served up by Nginx. There's a couple exceptions where Nginx hands things off to [uwsgi](https://uwsgi-docs.readthedocs.io/en/latest/). + +Everything is served over https for your browsing privacy. Haha, just kidding, it's served over HTTPS because Google rammed that shit sandwich down the internet's throat as a way to raise the barrier for entry and keep the riffraff out. Fuck you Google. + +I wrote most of the Django apps that I use, but I do use a few reusable apps written by others, namely: + +* [django-contrib-comments](https://github.com/django/django-contrib-comments) +* [django-extensions](https://github.com/django-extensions/django-extensions) +* [django-gravatar2](https://pypi.python.org/pypi/django-gravatar2/1.1.4) +* [django-taggit](https://pypi.python.org/pypi/django-taggit/0.12.2) +* [django-typogrify](https://pypi.python.org/pypi/django-typogrify/1.3.1) +* [django-bleach](https://pypi.python.org/pypi/django-bleach/0.3.0) + +I also rely on quite a few Python modules , some of which have their own dependencies (not listed): + +* [Markdown](https://pypi.python.org/pypi/Markdown/2.5.2) +* [Pillow](https://pypi.python.org/pypi/Pillow/2.7.0) +* [bleach](https://pypi.python.org/pypi/bleach/1.4.1) +* [html5lib](https://pypi.python.org/pypi/html5lib/1.0b3) +* [psycopg2](https://pypi.python.org/pypi/psycopg2/2.5.4) +* [python-dateutil](https://pypi.python.org/pypi/python-dateutil/2.4.0) +* [smartypants](https://pypi.python.org/pypi/smartypants/1.8.6) + +I'm also deeply indebted to a vast array of geodata that I've downloaded over the years, including the world borders data set, a U.S state borders dataset (whose origin I've now forgotten), U.S. national park borders (thanks to Obama adding several new parks, mine are now out of date, but the latest versions are now available from [data.gov](https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/national-park-boundariesf0a4c)). I'm also currently building some new apps with BLM GIS shapefiles, but so far that's not public yet. + +# Offline + +url: /offline +status: True + +Sorry. It looks like the network connection isn’t working right now. + +But you still have something to read: + +<div id="history"> +</div> + +Here’s <a href="/">a snapshot of the homepage</a>. + +<script> +const browsingHistory = []; +caches.open('pages') +.then( cache => { + cache.keys() + .then(keys => { + keys.forEach( request => { + let data = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem(request.url)); + if (data) { + data['url'] = request.url; + browsingHistory.push(data); + } + }); + browsingHistory.sort( (a,b) => { + return b.timestamp - a.timestamp; + }); + let markup = ''; + browsingHistory.forEach( data => { + markup += ` +<h2><a href="${ data.url }">${ data.title }</a></h2> +<p>${ data.description }</p> +<p class="meta">${ data.published }</p> +`; + }); + let container = document.getElementById('history'); + container.insertAdjacentHTML('beforeend', markup); + }) +}); +</script> + +# Technology + +url: /technology +status: True + +The less technology your life requires the better your life will be. + +That's not to say technology is bad, but I encourage you to spend some time considering the technologies you use and making sure you *choose* the things you use rather than accepting everything marketed at you. Also remember that every technology has trade offs and unintended consequences. There is no win-win, it's always a trade off at best. + +This is not my idea. I stole it from the Amish. The Amish have a reputation for being anti-technology, but they're not. Try searching for "Amish compressed air tool conversion" if you don't believe me. The Amish don't rush out and get the latest thing, that much is true. They take their time adopting any new technology. They step back, detach, and evaluate new technology -- *what benefits does it have? What drawbacks does it have?* They are actually more engaged with technology than you and I, and this allows them to make better-informed decisions about which technologies to use and which to avoid. + +That's what I try to do. I take my time. If a technology is good today, it'll be good five years from today. And I am always trying to get by with less, if for no other reason than this stuff costs money. Still, for better or worse. Here are the main tools I use in building this site and living on the road. + +## Writing + +### Notebook and Pen, Pencil and Paper + +My primary "device" is my notebook. I have two notebooks. One is called a Traveller's notebook. It's refillable. The other is smaller and it lives in my pocket at all times and is filled with illegible scribbles that I attempt to decipher later. This one I mainly write in pencil, and I stick post-it notes into the actual notebook so that I can then move the post-it notes to the larger notebook where I write them again. This larger notebook is a mix of notes and sketches, as well as a sort of captain's log, though I don't write in with the kind regularity real captains do. Or that I imagine captains do. + +I used to be picky about pens, I had a couple of fancy ones, but I lost them and learned my lesson. I sat down and forced myself to use basic cheap, black ink, Bic-style ballpoint pens until they no longer irritated me. And you know what? Now I love them, and that's all I use -- any ballpoint pen. Ballpoint because it runs less when it gets wet, which, given how I live, tends to happen. The truth though is that I usually write with a pencils because I like to erase things. I use a Pentel P209 with .9mm lead because the heavier lead doesn't break. These are easy to find at any office supply store. + +### Laptop + +I love Thinkpads and have used a few. Currently I have a Lenovo T14 gen 1, which I got off eBay for $455. It runs Linux because everything else sucks a lot more than Linux. Which isn't too say that I love Linux. It could use some work too. But it sucks a whole lot less than the rest. I run Arch Linux, which I have [written about elsewhere](/src/why-i-switched-arch-linux). I was also interviewed on the site [Linux Rig](https://linuxrig.com/2018/11/28/the-linux-setup-scott-gilbertson-writer/), which has some more details on how and why I use Linux. + +## Photos + +### Camera + +I use a Sony A7Rii. It's a full frame mirrorless camera. The main appeal for me was that you can adapt legacy lenses -- AKA, manual focus lenses from back in the day -- and use them at the their proper focal length. Without the old lenses I find the Sony's output to be a little digital for my tastes. If I wasn't using old lenses I'd get the Fujifilm X-Pro 2 and the first gen 23mm f/1.4 lens. + +I also have a Nikon FE2 film camera with either Tri-X or T-Max 3200 in it, and a Zeiss Ikon Nettar 518/16, a 6x6 medium format camera from the 1950s (also usually loaded with Tri-X). + +### Lenses + +All of my lenses are old and manual focus, which I prefer to autofocus lenses. I am not a sports or wildlife photographer so I have no real need for autofocus. Neither autofocus nor perfect edge to edge sharpness are things I want in a lens. I want a lens that reliable produces what I see in my mind. + +One fringe benefit of honing your manual focus skills[^1] is that you open a door to world filled with amazing cheap lenses. I have shot Canon, Minolta, Olympus, Nikon, Zeiss, Hexanon, Tokina, and several weird Russian Zeiss clones. + +These days I have whittled my collection down to these lenses: + +* Nikon 50mm f/1.4 +* Nikon 28mm f/2.8 +* Nikon 20mm f/4 + +I keep the 50mm on there about 80 percent of the time, with the 28mm for wide scenes, and the 20mm for inside [the bus](https://luxagraf.net/1969-dodge-travco-motorhome). I also have a Fujifilm X70 camera for times when the DSLR is too much. + +## Video + +In addition to the photo gear above, which I also use for video, I have GoPro Hero 12. I mostly use it while driving the bus to make movies like this: *[Notes From the Road](https://luxagraf.net/jrnl/2023/05/notes-from-the-road)*. + +## Audio + +I like to record ambient sound. I use an Olympus LS-10 recorder, which has the lowest noise floor I can afford (it was $100 on eBay). I use a couple of microphones I made myself and occasionally a wireless Rode mic. + +--- + +And there you have it. I am always looking for ways to get by with less, but after years of getting rid of stuff, I think I have reached something close to ideal. + +[^1]: If you've never shot without autofocus don't try it on a modern lens. Most modern focusing rings are garbage because they're not meant to be used. Some Fujifilm lenses are an exception to that rule, but by and large don't do it. Get an old lens, something under $50, and teach yourself [zone focusing](https://www.ilfordphoto.com/zone-focusing/), learn how to expose, and just practice, practice, practice. Practice relentlessly and eventually you'll get there. + +# About Luxagraf + +url: /about +status: True + +<img src="/media/img/bio.jpg" alt="Scott Gilbertson" class="circle-pic" /> + +*Être fort pour être utile* + +Luxagraf is [written and published](/technology) by Scott Nathan Gilbertson. + +I write about <a href="/jrnl/" title="the travel jrnl">our travels</a>, along with thoughts on <a href="https://luxagraf.net/range">life and how we live it</a>. + +Since 2017, my wife, our 3 children, and I +have lived mostly outdoors, in a 26-ft long [1969 Dodge Travco motorhome](https://luxagraf.net/1969-dodge-travco-motorhome). We call it <em>the big blue bus</em>, or home, for short.<br /> + +<hr /> + +<img src="images/2019/2017-06-16_094935_trinidad-and-around.jpg" id="image-1840" class="picfull" /> + +### Follow Along + +I have two newsletters: + +[***Friends of a Long Year***](https://luxagraf.net/friends/): travel // bird watching // slow life (biweekly)<br> +[***Range***](https://luxagraf.net/range/): tools // craft // spirit (weekly) + +There's also an [RSS feed](https://luxagraf.net/feed.xml) if you prefer. + +<hr /> + +### Particulars + +#### About The Big Blue Bus + +The big blue bus gets its [own about page](https://luxagraf.net/1969-dodge-travco-motorhome), but what a lot of people want to know is, what engine does it have? So I'll save you a click: it's a Chrysler 318 LA. Yes, it's a little slow on hills. + +#### About me. + +I'm a freelance writer. I like writing about life on the road, engines, cooking, birds, and my personal, somewhat eccentric, ideas about life and how to live it. Unfortunately I have thus far not figured out how to pay the bills writing about just those topics. + +To pay the bills I mostly end up writing about technology. Over the years I've written extensively for *Wired* (where I've even been on staff for some years), *Budget Travel*, *Consumer Digest*, *Ars Technica*, *GQ*, *Epicurious*, *Longshot Magazine*, and other magazines, newspapers, and websites. + +I used to have a section in here about editors because I would not be nearly as good a writer if it weren't for the editors I've worked with. To keep things shorter, I'm reducing it to just say thanks to my wife Corrinne, who gets first pass at everything I do (whether she wants it or not), William Brandon, Laura Solomon, Michael Calore, Jeffery Van Camp, Nathan Mattisse, Leander Kahney, Alexis Madrigal, Evan Hansen, Gavin Clarke, Ashley Vance, Jason Kehe, John Gravois. + +And extra special thanks to Maria Streshinsky, Executive Editor at Wired Magazine, and Adam Davies, my one and only formal writing teacher. + +#### About Stuff + +I get emails about stuff. What _____ do you use to ______. A lot of this is my fault, I have written a lot of product reviews for *Wired*. People believe I am a stuff expert. Here's a secret about product reviewers: we hate stuff. There's nothing we love more than sending stuff back to the people who made it. And thankfully everything I've ever tested went either to back to the company that made it or to Wired's end of the year charity auction. Still, because people email me to find out which stuff I actually buy, I wrote a [whole page about the stuff I use](/technology). + +The essential stuff I use every day to create luxagraf include, a mechanical pencil (a Pentel P209, .9mm lead), notebook, [Sony A7RII](https://electronics.sony.com/imaging/interchangeable-lens-cameras/full-frame/p/ilce7rm2-b) camera, andi a Nikon 50mm f/1.4 lens. I use [Darktable](http://www.darktable.org/) to [edit digital images](/essay/craft/darktable-getting-started) and [Vim](http://www.vim.org/) for writing. + +The Luxagraf website is created by hand, with a lot of tools loosely joined. Most of these tools are free software that you too can use and modify as you see fit. Without these amazing tools I wouldn't be able to do this -- many thanks to the people who created and maintain them. + +* [GeoDjango framework](http://docs.djangoproject.com/en/dev/ref/contrib/gis/) -- Behind the scenes this handles a few things, like geographic queries and putting everything on a map. If you have any interest in working with geographic data, this is by far the best tool I've used. +* [Python](https://www.python.org/) -- GeoDjango is written in Python (a full list of modules used is the [README](/readme), which I in turn run on a [Linux server](http://www.debian.org/). [Nginx](http://nginx.org/) serves the HTML files you're looking at here. +* [OpenStreetMap]( http://www.openstreetmap.org/) -- I use OpenStreetMap data for all the maps on this site. OpenStreetMap is like the Wikipedia of maps, except that it isn't wrong half the time. Whenever I feel skeptical about the so-called collective power of people on the internet, I remember OpenStreetMap and feel a little better. + +#### Design Principles + +Être fort pour être utile<br /> + +Beautiful is better than ugly.<br /> +Explicit is better than implicit.<br /> +Simple is better than complex<br /> +Complex is better than complicated<br /> + +Design with failure in mind<br /> +Avoid single points of failure<br /> +Fail gracefully when possible (e.g. broken escalator is still stairs)<br /> + +### Extended about (updated 2022) + +Lordy, you're still here? Okay, well, then you're either past the whole *why should I care who the fuck you are* thing or you're frothing at the mouth with hatred, but for some reason loving that hatred, which is odd. If that's you, here's a simple solution: [stop visiting](/dear-internet-commenter). You’ll feel better, and I won’t miss you because I never knew you existed. Good? Good. Let's get to the interesting things. Why write all this? I dunno, I guess it's the kind of stuff I enjoy reading about other people. I thought I'd return the favor for someone else. + +#### Purpose + +Why make this site? Why write things down at all? I think about this all the time and honestly, I'm not sure. It takes a tremendous amount of time to write, edit photos and think about what we've experienced and then put it up here -- I must get something out of it, I'm just not sure what. I think maybe I do it to find out what I think about things. I rarely know what I'm going to say about anything until I start look at photos and thinking about experiences, organizing them in my head into stories. I could do all that without posting it here I guess though, so I'm back at I don't know... the people I get to interact with? + +Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the web as we know it, once said, "for me the fundamental Web is the Web of people. It’s not the Web of machines talking to each other... [the] machines are talking on behalf of two people." + +Unless you're reading this from the same town I wrote it in, for most of history, up until the mid 20th century, it would have been impossible for you and I to connect in any way. Until the 21st century the best I could have hoped for was to reach you via a magazine, newspaper, etc, or you to reach me the same way, but there would be no way for us to reach each other in return (maybe via a letter to editor?). I suspect in the future this will be true again. But right now we have this moment, with these tools we can reach each other and I think that's pretty wonderful. How could you not want to participate in that? So I do. + +#### What to Write + +For the most part I write about what interests me, but I've noticed over the years that I am drawn to the people I meet, and the parts of a place that don't make sense at first or even repeated glances. The details that feel out of place are usually the interesting things. Why does this bird only come to *this* place? Why are there petroglyphs in this canyon and not this one? Why does this trail cross this ridge? What are those boulders doing up there? Why are there paintings of bunnies in a museum? Why does Wall Drug have 5 cent coffee? What is this island of rock and tree doing in a sea corn? + +Those are the more creative posts, but I aim for at least one post a week so sometimes I just write about whatever we've been doing. I think of those posts as posts for the grandparents and friends, but everyone gets to read them. + +#### How We Explore + +The word *travel* has a lot of baggage, I avoid it. I think of what we do as more like itinerant living. I suppose you could call it nomadic living, but nomadic people typically live within a fixed area and move around in it seasonally. We don't say in a fixed area. We do move seasonally though. + +Because so much of our lives are spent outdoors, we necessarily follow the seasons. To some degree anyway. As I write this we're sitting out an [ice storm in South Carolina](/jrnl/2022/02/ice-storm) so it's not like we avoid winter, but at the same time we head to [the UP in summer](/jrnl/2023/09/copper-harbor), not winter, and Florida or the deserts for winter, not summer. When you spend as much time off-grid as we do you have no climate control. That means you sweat (and shiver), but it also means you pay attention to the weather and try to find places where the weather suits your clothes. + +#### Home, Everywhere + +We've traveled several different ways and eventually settled on what I call the turtle method of travel: slow, and carrying our home with us. This way of living allows us to avoid hotels, AirBnBs, restaurants and other places that exist primarily to extract money from tourists. Not that there's anything wrong with tourists. We're tourists too. I try not to turn up my nose at tourists, but I don't want to spend all my time with fellow tourists and I don't want to participate in the tourist industry when there's real people out there I could be paying instead. + +Having our house parked nearby allows us to spend more time in places we wouldn't otherwise get to see, and in some cases to get closer to the local people. Not only does it keep you out of the tourist traps like hotels, it gives you a place to invite people into. You aren't just invading people's place in the world, you have a way to let them invade yours. It's been my experience that this creates an entirely different dynamic and relationship (not universally for the better, but often enough). + +Having your home with you gives other people a reason to approach you, which gets conversations started and has led up to many, many friendships along the way. + +# Contact Information + +url: /contact +status: True + +I'd love to hear what you think about luxagraf, traveling, life, whatever. You can email me at: <a href="mailto:sng@luxagraf.net">sng@luxagraf.net</a>. + +If you're looking to get in touch regarding something I do at WIRED, preface your email with "For Wired" or something of that nature. + +# Privacy + +url: /privacy +status: True + +The best thing I can say about your privacy in relation to luxagraf.net is that the site is completely self-contained. I load no code from outside services, use nothing to track you that I myself do not control. And since I don't have any desire to track you, I do not. + +That said, be aware that every server on the internet has certain information about you the minute you connect to it. Servers, being what they are, record that you were here and some basic info about you, the operating system you use, the web browser, screen size, geographic location and so on. Again every server on the internet records the same information. That's worth pondering, though there's nothing you or I can really do about it. + +####Tracking +I endeavor to use no cookies, though I think Django may set one if you comment or sign up for the newsletter. + +This site will never show ads. + +If you chose to sign up for the newsletter I do store your email address in my database. I do not share this address with anyone else under any circumstances. + +Part of the reason I wrote my own software to run the mailing list -- which was a huge pain the ass I might add -- was to make sure no one, including me, was tracking what happens after that email is sent. + +The links in my newsletter are just links, I don't track whether you click them. Perhaps you did not know this, but most links in email newsletters go first to whatever hosting service the person is using, where a unique identifier is used to record that you specifically (identifiable by id and email) have clicked that link. Then, and only then, are you redirected to the page you wanted to see. I think that's creepy. That's surveillance. It's become so common and so casual most of us don't even think about it anymore. + +I'm not sure, but I think that the authors of these newsletters do this to try to figure out what you like. + +Don't take this the wrong way, but what you like doesn't influence what I write. I write what *I* like. I don't want or need to spy on *you* to figure out what *I* want to say, I already know what I want to say. If you like it, presumably you stay subscribed. If you don't you unsubscribe and go on your merry way. But the whole track who reads what, which links they click and so on? I don't need to know that. And I can't sleep well at night knowing I'm letting someone else have that information about you (which I would be if I used one of the many services on the web). + +Even if you don't care about your privacy, I do. So I wrote my own software, which does not track you. I have no idea if you even open my newsletter, let alone what you do with it. I treat it as an email I send to you, as if we were friends, nothing more. + +####SSL +You may notice that luxagraf uses SSL through out the site. This is supposedly more secure, though I happen to think it's mostly theatre. There are some edge cases where SSL is genuinely helpful to people, but those are edge cases. For most of us it's pointless complexity. SSL took over the web because Google pushed it as a way to raise the barrier of entry and complexity of the web so that fewer people can create their own place on the web and seek instead a place Google or Facebook or whatever company has created for them. SSL is a tool designed (innocently I believe) to drive people to the corporate web. + +####Hosting Server +I've hosted this site on half a dozen servers, currently it's hosted on [BuyVM](https://buyvm.net) because I wanted to support small businesses on the web. I've been entirely satisfied with BuyVM. + +# An Approximate History of Discursive Meditation + +url: /discursive-meditation-history +status: True + +*This is a fairly deep dive into the history of discursive meditation. If you'd like to skip the history and get started, see the how-to page for complete instructions on the [posture and breathing of discursive meditation](/discursive-meditation-how-to) so you can get started in your own practice.* + +There's a common misconception in the United States these days that meditation is something from another culture, something *exotic*. The exact meaning of "exotic" depends on speaker and listener, but the images conjured usually include dark robes, incense, and possibly some secret knowledge. + +The premise is that meditation is something that arrived here recently, from non-Western cultures who had been doing it for centuries[^1]. This is patently false. And it's sad that we've completely lost our own wonderfully rich tradition of meditation to the point we think we never had it. + +From what I can tell, nearly every culture on earth has something akin to discursive meditation. + +There's a rich history of meditation running throughout western culture. It was once so common it was taught to school children, and clear up until WWI book stores would nearly always have meditation theme books available. These consisted of a quick intro to meditation and then some themes or topics to meditate on. They are the inspiration for this website. + +Much of the rich history of meditation in the west takes place within a religious context, particularly Christian contemplation, which was a very common practice from medieval Europe onward. Given that the word "meditation" comes from Latin it seems safe to assume the history stretches back further than that. The Greeks did it. And there are more than a few Egyptian statues that depict a pose identical to what has been commonly used in discursive meditation more or less throughout its recorded history. Did the Pharoahs practice discursive meditation? Possibly? Probably? + +I think part of the reason discursive meditation has been swept under the rug of history has to do with the religious context, which, as we pass through our culture's dogmatic materialist phase, is something that gets lumped under the heading "false ideas of the past." + +That's too bad because first of all religion is a thing of tremendous value to most people (whatever their religion may be), and because discursive meditation need not be religious if you don't want it to be, particularly it need not be Christian. + +Of course you needn't dive deep into the history of discursive meditation to practice it, but I think it's worth putting another definition of meditation out into the world. Not all meditation tries to empty the mind[^2]. + +The word meditation used to mean something roughly like "thinking deeply." In fact my favorite dictionary, the 1913 Webster's unabridged, almost defines the practice of discursive meditation in its definition of meditation: + +> Meditation \Med`i*ta"tion\, n. [OE. meditacioun, F. +> m['e]ditation, fr. L. meditatio.] + +> 1. The act of meditating; close or continued thought; the +> turning or revolving of a subject in the mind; serious +> contemplation; reflection; musing. + +> 2. Thought; -- without regard to kind. [Obs.] + + +This describes almost precisely what the practice of discursive meditation entails, though in the opposite order. First you have "thoughts without regard to kind" (drawn from a pre-selected theme), then when one of those thoughts grabs you, you start on the "close or contined thought", turning a subject in the mind, reflecting, musing, studying it. + +### Where Did It Go? + +If discursive meditation used to be such a common part of western culture, and a central practice in the spiritual and philosophical lives of all kinds of people until the early part of the 20th century, what happened to it? + +Well, on one hand, it is still around. I first came across it reading writer and Trappist Monk Thomas Merton. It's also a major part of several religions, as well as modern esotericism and occultism. + +That said, those little pamphlets full of discursive meditation topics and courses aren't in every bookstore any more. In my experience they aren't even in the very fringe religious bookstores most of the time. So what did happen? + +According to Druid and occultist John Michael Greer, most [Christian traditions abandoned their discursive meditation](https://ecosophia.dreamwidth.org/65232.html) "very early [in the] 20th century, when most denominations discarded their remaining methods of personal spiritual practice and embraced notions of spirituality that focused on collective salvation, either by sheer faith and nothing else (the fundamentalist approach) or by charitable works (the social gospel approach)." + +This strikes me as highly likely, since if you aren't interested in personal growth, spiritual or otherwise, there's no reason to practice discursive meditation. And if no one is passing the tradition down to the next generation, it dies. + +I also wonder how much the shift to consumptive entertainment was a factor here. While I can't really line up the history exactly, it strikes me as interesting at least that, as personal spiritual practice, and the notion of personal growth fade out of culture, it just so happens that entertainment explodes. Would we have had one without the other? It's impossible to say, but I would encourage you to meditate on it. + +### Bring Back Discursive Meditation + +I don't know if discursive meditation will catch on again, but I do know you can get all the benefits of it today whether anyone else does it or not. If you're curious, head on over the [discursive meditation instructions page](/discursive-meditation-how-to) and get started today. + +[^1]: Like all good myths this has a kernel of truth -- so-called *mindfulness* meditation did arrive relatively recently, having been purloined from cultures that have been doing it (and other forms of meditation) for centuries. +[^2]: I'm not trying to imply there's one right form of meditation. There's anything wrong with other forms of meditation. That said, I would be cautious taking religious and cultural practices and stripping them of their (potentially very important) cultural and religious context. Kundalini Yoga is a good cautionary tale in what happens to eager westerners who play with things they don't (and can't) fully understand. + +# Discursive Meditation is Simple + +url: /homepage +status: True + +All you need to do is sit down in a chair, legs parallel, knees bent at a right angle, hands on your thighs. Scoot forward a bit so your back is not touching the back of the chair. Remain upright, but not tense. + +Now breathe. + +Breath in for a count of four, hold for a count of four. + +Breath out for a count for four, hold for a count of four. + +Repeat this pattern, four in, hold for four, four out, hold for four. + +Don't force the breath, keep it gentle and find your own timing. There is no right or wrong, just what feels comfortable to you. + +Close your eyes and continue this breath for a couple of minutes. Bring your attention to your breath. Your mind will naturally wander. That's okay, just gently direct it back to your breath. You should gradually feel your body start to relax. You may also notice considerable tension in some places. + +Congratulations, you're meditating. + +Do this every day at the same time of day for the next week and you'll be well on your way to starting a habit. You'll also be ready to move on to the next stage of discursive meditation. + +# Discursive Meditation How To + +url: /discursive-meditation-how +status: True + +## Stage One - Learning to Sit Still + +Discursive meditation requires nothing special, save a chair. Just about any chair will work, I use a chair from the dining room table. I know people who use folding chairs. I have even used a turned over five gallon bucket when I was too lazy to drag a chair outside. + +So get your chair and put it somewhere reasonably quiet where you won't be disturbed for 5-10 minutes. Sit in the chair, but a little bit forward so you back is straight and not touching the back of the chair. Keep yourself sitting up straight, but don't force it. Keep your back straight, without being too rigid. The best word I have heard to describe this pose is poise, that is a kind of equilibrium. I imagine a thread at the base of my spine stretching up in to the heavens, gently keeping my upright. + +Keep your legs parallel, knees bent at 45 degree angles. Rest your hands on your thighs, wherever is comfortable, for me this is a little back from my knees. Now bend your head down at about a 45 degree angle and close your eyes. + +Pay attention to your breathing for a little while. If you're anything like me after about 15 seconds your body will start to pitch a fit. You will itch, strange micro sensations will assail you. You will want to fidget. Resist doing anything. Remain motionless and breath. + +Continue to do this for as long as you can, but no more than five minutes. + +If you can't manage five minutes at first, that's okay, work up to it. + +Do this for one week and then you'll be ready to move on to stage two. + + +## Stage Two - Learning to Breath + +# 1969 Dodge Travco Motorhome + +url: /1969-dodge-travco-motorhome +status: True + +We found this 1969 Dodge Travco Motorhome on Craigslist in June of 2015. We drove up to Asheville North Carolina, gave it a quick, in hindsight rather ignorant, once over, handed the owner some money, and promptly [drove it](https://luxagraf.net/jrnl/2015/06/big-blue-bus) 200 miles back to our then home in Athens GA. Two years later we hit the road and never looked back. + +<img src="images/2019/2017-06-16_094935_trinidad-and-around.jpg" id="image-1840" class="picwide" /> + +### What's it like to live in a 1969 Dodge Travco Motorhome? + +Lots of people ask some variation of this question -- they want to know what it's like for two adults and three kids to squeeze into 90 square feet for years on end. Some people seem predisposed to think it's all an endless epic adventure. Other people clearly have images of us living in the proverbial van down by the river. + +Neither of those are entirely accurate. If you really want to know what our life is like, [read the site](/jrnl/). Sign up for [the email list](/newsletter/) or [subscribe to the RSS feed](/jrnl/feed.xml) to get notified when I post something. What I try to record here is what our life is like. + +<img src="images/2018/2018-06-11_171018_garden-gods.jpg" id="image-1433" class="picwide" /> +<img src="images/2018/2018-06-03_153115_trail-of-tears-sp.jpg" id="image-1402" class="picwide" /> +<img src="images/2017/2017-08-01_152017_canyon-of-the-ancients.jpg" id="image-718" class="picwide" /> + +We love the way we live and wouldn't want to live any other way. But we're not you and this isn't for everyone. It just works for us. + +To answer a few random questions that pop up regularly in conversations with curious people: Yes it's crowded. No we don't mind that. Yes, we are close. No, our kids aren't perfect. Yes, there are days when I wish I lived some other way. Being sick in the bus is awful. + +Most of the time though, we're not in the bus. + +When you live in a small space you invert your spacial relationship with the world. You spend your time outside rather than in, and that was one of the main reasons we did this, to be outside more. To be part of the larger world. I wrote about this at some length for a travel magazine, in piece about [why we live in a vintage RV](/essay/why-a-vintage-rv). + +<img src="images/2018/2018-08-25_181026_pawnee-grassland.jpg" id="image-1668" class="picwide" /> +<img src="images/2017/2017-10-25_190827_trinity-alps.jpg" id="image-933" class="picwide" /> + +The best part of the way we live is waking up in the morning and stepping outside. I'm outside from the minute I wake up until I go to bed. We cook outside, we work outside, we eat outside, we learn outside, we play outside. Only the weather drives us inside. + +<img src="images/2018/2018-08-08_065835_snake-river-rec.jpg" id="image-1623" class="picwide" /> +<img src="images/2018/2018-08-18_173401_badlands.jpg" id="image-1653" class="picwide" /> +<img src="images/2018/2018-08-26_190122_pawnee-grassland.jpg" id="image-1673" class="picwide" /> +<img src="images/2017/2017-05-12_200059_new-orleans.jpg" id="image-454" class="picwide caption" /> + +I think it's worth pointing out that everything is not always sunsets and adventures. We struggle the same as anyone living in a house. Our challenges and struggles are just different. For example, when we owned a house I had to mow the lawn and clean the gutters. Now I have to change the oil and maintain an engine, not nearly as much work as it is to maintain a house, but still something I have to regularly attend to. + +For me, maintaining the Travco is more challenging, and therefore more fun and rewarding, than mowing the lawn. I'm not an engine expert. I can't listen to a knock or ping and figure out what's going on right away. I have to spend more time thinking it through, asking people more knowledgeable than me. But I'm learning, and that's what I enjoy in life, being challenged, learning, solving problems, getting outside my comfort zone so I can expand it. + +Still, the bus is our home and when it breaks down, well, sometimes we camp on a mechanic's driveway. + +<img src="images/2018/2018-02-21_062821-1_new-orleans.jpg" id="image-1192" class="picwide" /> + +Or I spend hours at the side of the road listening to the radiator boil over or getting covered in power steering fluid, transmission fluid, brake fluid. To live this way you have to be able to let go of the idea that there is anywhere else you need to be, anywhere else you *can* be. More than anything else, a vintage vehicle will teach you patience. Or you will lose your mind and sell it. + +<img src="images/2017/20170928_121417.jpg" id="image-894" class="picwide caption" /> +<img src="images/2018/2018-05-29_113845_mousetail-landing.jpg" id="image-1381" class="picwide caption" /> + +### You don't have to be rich. + +The other question everyone asks is *how can you travel all the time*? What am I some kind of rich asshole? Trust fund kid? Thankfully I'm neither. Most of the trust fund kids I've known have been pretty screwed up people. We're not rich, we're comfortably lower-middle class I guess. But as noted rock climber Eric Beck once quipped, "there's a leisure class at both ends of the economic spectrum." + +Which is to say that if you discard the value system of upper middle class America, you can find an amazing amount of time and money that you can use to do more interesting things than buying stuff. Yes, you need some money to live the way we do, but not much really. We live on about $36k a year. That's not much within the spectrum of US earning possibilities. + +I do recognize that the ability to make that kind of money while traveling is not available to everyone. There are more opportunities to do it today than at any point in human history, but that doesn't mean it's possible for everyone. I happen to be a writer and computer programmer, both which can be done from just about anywhere, so that's how I do it. And no, we don't have much in the way of insurance. We have some money set aside to cover the basics, but if something catastrophic happened, we, like many of you I'm sure, would be in trouble. These days I'm not sure that would be any different even if I had an office job. Either way, like I said earlier, living this way is not for everyone. + +For most people the difficult part of living this way is letting go of that value system that says you need to own a house, have amazing health insurance, a nice car, a bunch of stuff, and a huge savings for some perfect future when you can stop working. For me that ideology never really took hold for whatever reason, so I never had to escape it, but I watched others escape it and it did not look easy or fun. + +I've spent a good bit of time trying to figure out why I never cared about that stuff. Maybe I read Thoreau too young. Maybe I listed to too much punk rock. Maybe it was that I took those people at their word, that I accepted their values at face value: that complaining does no good, you do what you need to do, and you do it yourself. You do it yourself so you can do it exactly the way you want, the way that works best for you, not the way someone else thinks you should do it, and in the end it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks so long as you're able to look yourself in the eye at three AM and know that all is well. + +It's hard to write about these things without coming off like a jerk to some people, but I suppose that's okay. You can't please everyone. I'll assume since you've made it this far that you're good with it. + +The problem is a lot of people see other values as a comment on their own. Like I am somehow sneering down at people from the top of the #vanlife heights here. Again maybe this doesn't come off right, but really: I don't care how you live. If you love living in a house, that's awesome. I am glad you have found what makes you happy. If you hate living in a house and want to escape it, well, I guess to some extent I'm here to say it can be done. Maybe. + +### Why live this way? Because the worst part is going home. + +The why part two: I wanted to give my kids something close to the childhood I wish I'd had. + +Which is not to imply I didn't have a good childhood. I've had an incredible life. I have to pinch myself sometimes to make sure this isn't a dream (which now maybe you're thinking oh god, what an asshole. And I know, I know it sounds cliche, but really I have nothing to complain about. My life has been grand. If I die tomorrow, I will miss my family, but I would at least feel like I had lived deliciously well). + +I grew up traveling a lot, something I'm very grateful to have experienced because those were always my favorite moments. Mostly I remember camping and hiking. The mountains, the beaches, the deserts. I remember being outside, the smell of pine needles, the dust in your nose as you step out of the tent to see what was for breakfast. I remember living outside for a week, sometimes two, and then going home. It was always such a drag to go home. + +I wanted my own kids to have that life. I wanted them to live outside, but I didn't want them to have to go home. I wanted to spare them the pain of watching the real world fade in the rear windows as they headed back to suburbia. I wanted to go out into the wilds and never come home. I wanted that to *be* home. + +The Travco was a way to give my kids that. + +### The 1969 Dodge Travco Motorhome + +Really, do you care that much about me? Probably not. + +Let's talk about the bus. It's way cooler than I am. Let's face it, we live this way because of the bus. + +<img src="images/2017/2017-09-22_082038_valley-of-fire.jpg" id="image-839" class="picwide" /> +<img src="images/2017/2017-06-27_140005_chaco-canyon.jpg" id="image-648" class="picwide" /> +<img src="images/2017/2017-06-17_122600_trinidad-and-around.jpg" id="image-592" class="picwide" /> +<img src="images/2017/2017-05-23_125431-1_buscher-state-park.jpg" id="image-530" class="picwide" /> + +They do not make vehicles like this anymore. I never even liked motorhomes until I saw a Dodge Travco. The sweeping curves, the 1960s electric blue, no other vehicle ever made was quite like this. Even the Travco is really only the Travco from 1966 to 1970. I'm not sure how it happened, but somehow this thing got made and a few survived. + +I spend just about two years gutting and refinishing ours. You can can checkout an older post on [how it looked when we got it](https://luxagraf.net/jrnl/2016/12/1969-dodge-travco) (complete with Velvet Elvis). In the end we had something vintage on the outside and livable on the inside. All the wood paneling inside and vinyl seats coverings are new, but the layout, shape, design and cabinets are original. + +<img src="images/2017/2017-10-23_165008_shasta-forest.jpg" id="image-931" class="picwide" /> +<img src="images/2017/2017-10-25_122148-1_shasta-forest.jpg" id="image-920" class="picwide" /> +<img src="images/2019/2017-04-01_163448_raysville.jpg" id="image-2032" class="picwide" /> +<img src="images/2019/2017-04-01_163510_raysville.jpg" id="image-2033" class="picwide" /> +<img src="images/2019/2017-04-23_071030_st-george-island.jpg" id="image-2034" class="picwide" /> +<img src="images/2019/2017-04-23_071407_st-george-island.jpg" id="image-2035" class="picwide" /> + +To say the Big Blue Bus, as our children named it, stands out is an understatement. There is nothing else on the road that even remotely compares. + +Ours is not pristine. I hit a tree stump in northern California and did some damage to the fiberglass on one side. Fortunately it's low enough that you don't notice it unless you're really looking. The paint is faded in places, but it has that nice, vintage patina that things get after 50 years in the sun. We've talked about repainting it, but so far that's not made it to the top of our list. + +As cool as the outside is, the inside is my favorite part. The way the sunlight streams in the windows in the mornings, there's a warmth to the wood and the curve of the window and the pine trees on the other side of the window, it gives you a kind of joy I've never had from any other home I've lived in. We live in a magical blue and white tube basically. I mean, who doesn't want that? + +#### The 318 LA Engine + +I would call the Chrysler 318 the best engine ever made. But then, I'm biased. Still, almost every person who asks, the conversation goes like this: + +*What's that got in it? 440?* + +*Nope, 318.* + +*318?! Damn. That's a great engine. Bet it's slow up hills though...* + +*It is.* + +And it is, but it's a nearly bullet proof engine. I've dragged its 50-year-old self over 16,000 miles across the United States and all the way to 10,000 feet. We did blow a head gasket once, which destroyed a cylinder and required quite a bit of work. Otherwise though we've replaced the things you'd expect to replace driving an older engine around for years. + +One of my favorite parts about the 318 is that you can walk into just about any auto parts shop in the western hemisphere and find nearly every part you're going to need. The only thing I've ever had the hunt down in a wrecking yard was an exhaust manifold. + +### Conclusion + +I'd be lying if I said I loved every day in the bus. I love almost every day though, and as long as the view from the front door looks like this: + +<img src="images/2018/2018-02-03_111150_rutherford-beach.jpg" id="image-1120" class="picwide" /> + +Or this: + +<img src="images/2017/2017-06-27_140005_chaco-canyon.jpg" id="image-648" class="picwide" /> + +And as long as my kids continue to love calling it home, home it will be. + +[^1]: For the record, [this](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uZPXfg8VAxM/TgVMHIlVNKI/AAAAAAAAAok/rvpcY_OCqzA/s1600/caravan%2Bside%2Bdoors.jpg) is the first image I ever saw of Travco. Yes, I remember it. + +# Currently Working On + +url: /now +status: True + +<time class="dt-published published dt-updated post--date" datetime="2024-04-29T09:12:48" itemprop="datePublished">April <span>29, 2024</span></time> + +We are currently in the northwoods of Wisconsin on the shores of Lake Superior. Working on cooking over an open fire, jui jitsu, building out a school bus as a home, and hiking around the woods. + +This page is inspired by Derek Siver’s [now page](http://sivers.org/nowff) idea. + +# Le Blog Roll + +url: /blogroll +status: True + +Remember when everyone had a 'blogroll' and that was how your discovered other cool sites? It's a shame that got lost somewhere along the way. I think it's still an awesome way to discover cool sites and meet new people. + +Maybe it's the nature of today's internet. Time was people wrote about how they looked at life. I liked that time. Now it's all about how your life looks, and I'll be honest, I don't give a shit what your life looks like. Luckily there are still some wonderful people out there recording their journeys and sharing how they see them in creative ways. Here's my reading/watching list: + +--- + +* [Bumfuzzle](http://www.bumfuzzle.com/) -- Discovered this by chance when researching Travcos and it's become my favorite travel blog -- sailing, racing, driving, you name it, they've done it. + +* [Vagabond Journey](http://www.vagabondjourney.com/) -- I first started [following Wade Shepard's site](http://www.vagablogging.net/the-future-of-vagabonding-and-long-term-travel.html) back when I was [editing Rolf Potts' Vagablogging.net](http://www.vagablogging.net/vagablogging-alumni.html). If my math is right, Wade has been traveling continuously for over 15 years now. There is not much about travel that he has not figured out. + +* [Inhab.it](http://inhab.it/) -- I can't remember how I found inhab.it (I think we have a mutual friend maybe?) but I'm glad I did. Click this one too. + +* [PMags](https://pmags.com) -- I believe Paul Magnanti is a kind of thru-hiking folk hero, but I just like hearing about his weekend trips around the southwest. + +* [Erik Normark](https://www.youtube.com/@erik_normark/videos) -- Erik Normark makes the best hiking/outdoor videos I've ever seen. Better than the "professionals" in my opinion. All my videos owe a heavy debt to him. + +* [Sam Holmes Sailing](https://www.youtube.com/@samholmessailing/videos) -- Most of YouTube irritates me, but Sam Holmes somehow manages to be endearing. Probably helps that he's a great sailor. + +* [Holly Martin (WindHippy Sailing](https://www.youtube.com/@WindHippieSailing/videos) -- Like Sam Holmes, Holly Martin is one of those rare people who is able to tell their story in video without being annoying. + +* [Sailorama](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCirYAT7CafNatSyJH3-O4pQ) -- if you like repair and boats, this is a good channel to follow. It's always entertaining. + +* [Beau Miles](https://beaumiles.com) -- Beau Miles makes these gorgeous films about his adventures in [getting to work](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysgH_rkfGSE), [sleeping in trees](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysgH_rkfGSE), and [eating beans](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYsTlfhDSDY). I know that *sounds* boring, but trust me. + +* [Shifter, Dan Milner](http://shifter.media) -- I discovered Dan Milner from Charlene Winfred's site (which is no longer here because she doesn't use it anymore). There's a lot here to love, even if you aren't a photographer. + +* [Alex Soth](https://www.alecsoth.com/photography/) -- If you want to learn more about photography, especially photography of America, Alex Soth is one of the best resources out there. + +* [Early Retirement Extreme](http://earlyretirementextreme.com/) -- Jacob Fisker stopped blogging a while ago, but everything he wrote remains good advice for anyone looking to extract themselves from the consumer mindset. + +* [Expeditionary Art](http://expeditionaryart.com/) -- I love this site and am wildly jealous of the amazing artistic talent on display here. + +* [Low Tech Magazine](https://www.lowtechmagazine.com) -- Kris de Decker's solar powered website on forgotten and overlooked tech. I mean, look at the name, of course I read this. + +* [Ben Falk](https://www.youtube.com/@wholesystems) -- If we ever end up on a piece of property it will because I finally watched too many of Ben Falk's videos and went out and bought my own land. + +* [Slowdown Farmstead](https://www.slowdownfarmstead.com) -- Another farmer whose writing I enjoy. + +# Buying Used + +url: /buying-used +status: True + +I very rarely buy new electronics. I can't recall the last time I bought something new. We almost always buy electronics used, mostly off eBay. We also rarely buy new books. We generally pick up books at used bookstores around the country, but when we can't find what we want we use Thriftbooks. + +Buying used has several advantages over buying new. The obvious one is that it's almost always cheaper. But beyond that there are other appealing aspects. Buying used means you're not contributing as much to the waste stream of modern economies, and you're (potentially) removing things from that waste stream by finding a use for them. Used items, especially electronics, tend to be functionally superior to new ones[^1] both because they are farther back on the curve of [diminishing returns](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/law%20of%20diminishing%20returns) and because they have stood the test of time. There are exceptions of course, but buy and large last year's model is as good, and sometimes better, than this year's model. + +Buying used also enables you to take advantage of little curiosities of time. For example all the really good low-noise sound recording devices seem to have been made between 2007-2016. Why? No idea. But everyone who needs low noise recording seems to agree, and high end recorders from that era sell for more than they did when they were new. Which is to say that buying used isn't always cheaper, but when it's not it generally means you're getting something superior. And not something that the manufacturer thinks is superior, but something the people using it the most think is superior. + +This is why the only affiliate links on luxagraf.net lead to either eBay or Thriftbooks, my two preferred marketplaces for buying used stuff. + +Anyone using affiliate links is trying to sell you something -- that includes me -- and you should always be suspicious about that. I know my motives are simple, to make some money to pay for this website and maybe some tea for myself, but you have every right to skeptical. Really though, I don't want you to buy anything you don't need. But if you do need something, please buy it used. And if you're going to buy something I've recommended based on my experiences with it, then the affiliate links will help support this website. + +[^1]: The odd mixture of capitalism and our culture's worship of "progress" means that new things must constantly be released, but the law of diminishing returns suggests that newer/bigger/better/faster eventually fails to deliver any meaningfully improvement. This is most obvious in software, where the most feared phrase in any software user's heart is "please restart to update", but this lack of improvement over previous versions is increasingly painfully obvious in hardware as well. + +# Code + +url: /code +status: True + +Driving gives you plenty of time to think. Somewhere in that thinking I decided I needed to clarify my basic approach to life. To know what I was doing and why. I hesitate to call these rules because it's not like I know what I'm doing and I modify these all the time as I learn and adapt. Anyway, this is mostly for me, but I mentioned them in a post once and someone asked me to write them down. So here they are. + +###1. Everything is a Practice + +There is no finish line. There's no winning, no losing. Not in human terms anyway. Individual projects may come to an end, but the practices that made them possible do not. Most things worth doing do not have a stopping point. There is no point where you've written enough, you've worked out enough. Everything is a practice. Embrace it. The practice is never done, which means you get to keep improving. [Full essay, *Everything is a Practice*](https://luxagraf.net/essay/everything-is-a-practice) + +###2. Safety Third + +We saw sticker on the sign to the Henry Miller library that said, "Safety Third". This became our antidote to the endless rules of public spaces. It was a good family joke. Whenever we do something other people might frown on, one of us will invariably shout, "safety third!" before plunging ahead. But safetyism is a real problem that we all struggle with. I think you beat the safety game by playing a different one. You play the personal responsibility and risk management game. You go slow, you learn your limits, but then you keep playing. You push your limits. You do things that scare you because they also call to you. You keep expanding and growing. You can read more in the essay [*Safety Third*](https://luxagraf.net/essay/safety-third). + +###3. Do It Yourself + +It's probably cheaper and easier to buy most things, but when I can I'd rather make things myself. What else are you going to do with your life if you aren't making stuff? Watch TV? Stop buying stuff and hiring people for everything. Give yourself a chance to solve the problem first. Contrary to what it says on the label, professionals and experts aren't necessary. They'll do it faster and better than you will, but you'll learn and improve every time you do it yourself. + +###4. Adapt to Your Surroundings + +No matter where you go you will not fit in when you get there. The climate will be different, the people will be different, the food will be different. Don't expect the place to adapt to you and don't get bent out of shape when it doesn't. + +One great way to do this is to simplify your life. Depending on a lot of stuff makes it hard to adapt. My favorite practical example is air conditioning. If you depend on air conditioning you aren't able to adapt to climate changes as well as someone who doesn't. As Jakob Lund Fisker [succinctly puts it](https://earlyretirementextreme.com/manifesto.html) "Comfort is having the sweat glands and metabolic tolerance to deal with heat and cold. It is not central heating or air conditioning which may fail or be unavailable." + +###5. Make Something You Like Everyday + +In the world as it once was I think this need to create was fulfilled by hunting and to some extent farming. With those gone we're left with kind of a void[^1]. I have found that filling that void with creative endeavors is very satisfying. Other people find that studying something in detail fills that void. For me it's making stuff. + +Digital stuff (like this site) is okay, but I prefer to make tangible stuff most of the time. Could be a delicious meal, could be some little thing around the bus, could be a paper airplane for the kids. *What* doesn't matter so much as the practice of making things. See also, rule 1. + +###6. Retain Agency + +Retaining agency means rejecting the passive. In some ways this is what you get when you practice rules 2, 3, and 4. You are the driving force behind your thoughts and actions, do not outsource them to others without carefully considering what you're giving up. + +Agency is not control though, it is not bending the world to your will (see rule 3), it is merely ensuring that one's ideas and tools are one's own[^2]. + +###7. Avoid Waste + +The only thing in short supply on this planet is time, do not waste it. Fuck entertainment, it is a waste of time. You are not on earth to be entertained. + +Similarly, fuck stuff. Make good financial decisions and get by with as little stuff as you can because money takes time to earn, and that is time you will never get back. + +Waste is not natural (read up on ecology if this idea is new to you), avoid it in all things. + + +###8. Prefer the Analog + +I find that the digital world isn't very satisfying. I have a rather outlandish theory about why. I think it lacks the rhythm of the natural world. I believe your body and spirit know the difference between the rhythms of the world they evolved in and the more recent additions. Don't get me wrong, I love the rhythm of a piston-driven engine, but I also think that the truly great engines are the ones that manage to mimic natural rhythms. + +###9. Don't Report Stories, Live Them + +I have no training as a journalist. I studied religion, photography, and literature, but somehow I ended up writing for journalism outlets. I have no real problem with journalists -- the few left who actually do journalism, almost none of whom are published by major publishers -- but I also have no desire to be one. + +The stories I tell are ultimately about me because that is what I know. The idea that you can tell other people's stories seems fundamentally wrong to me. They are not your stories, let other people tell their own stories. + +###10. Novelty Wears Off, Routines Carry You Through + +The novelty of new places, new people, new food, new whatever doesn't last long and ultimately isn't that exciting. It has an addictive nature too. If you always need the new something has gone astray I think. I think the novelty of travel lasts about two years, and then you look around and start thinking, well, now what? + +My experience has been that the answer to *now what* means reaching back to your old life and finding the things that made you happiest there and bringing them on the road with you. Doing your thing becomes your routine that you bring to a new place, and now you have something to offer that place: you. You're no longer just traveling to see the sights, you become, in a small way, for a short time, a part of that place. + +###11. Live Small, Venture Wide + +I stole this line from Pat Schulte of [Bumfuzzle](https://www.bumfuzzle.com/). The basic idea is that I am happiest owning very little and living in small spaces, which makes it easier to move through the world. + + +###12. Try Everything Twice.### {: #twice } + +As the Aussies would say, "have a crack at it." There are two parts here though. The first is a call to experience. Try it. But recognize that some things suck the first time you try them, so you might want to have a second crack at it. + +[^1]: To borrow some ideas from Jacques Ellul et al, humans need goals, they need to put forth some effort in pursuit of those goals and they need to at least occasionally attain them. Ellul, and later Ted Kaczynski, have fun splitting hairs about what should fulfill these needs. I don't see much point in that, but I am going off personal experience here and, again, you might find otherwise. + +[^2]: Matthew Crawford's *[Shop Class as Soul Craft](https://bookshop.org/books/shop-class-as-soulcraft-an-inquiry-into-the-value-of-work/9780143117469)* very much influenced my thinking on this subject. Crawford digs into why people like to repair things and concludes that this need to be capable of repair is part of a desire to escape the feeling of dependence, to reassert their agency over their stuff. He calls the individual who prizes his own agency the Spirited Man. This becomes a kind of archetype of the antidote to passive consumption. Passive consumption displaces agency, argues Crawford. One is no longer master of one's stuff because one does not truly understand how stuff works. "Spiritedness, then," writes Crawford, "may be allied with a spirit of inquiry, through a desire to be master of one’s own stuff. It is the prideful basis of self-reliance." Exactly. + +# Get a Postcard From Us + +url: /cards +status: True + +It's true, we'll send you a postcard. How many? How often? I don't actually know. This is just something I thought sounded fun so one night I built a little form to hold addresses and here we are. If you're interested, write your name and street address in the box below, press send, and wait. And wait. And probably keep waiting, But we'll send you something eventually.* + +[**Update 12/2023**: this has proved more popular than I ever imagined, which makes me very happy, but has put me bit behind. Also, quite a few international requests, which is fine, just make sure you put the full address as your postal service uses it.] + +# Easy35 Film Scanner Reference Images + +url: /easy-35-film-scanner-test +status: True + +Example files related to a review of Valoi's Easy35 film "scanner". You can [read the review](https://www.wired.com/review/valoi-easy35-film-scanning-kit) on Wired. + +Image was shot on Tri-X 400. A stormy early morning in the Outer Banks, NC (that's the moon in the clouds). + +<img src="images/2024/Richards-photo-lab-pro_JiVcleC.jpg" id="image-3940" class="picwide caption" /> + +<img src="images/2024/Easy35-scan-nikon-60mm.jpg" id="image-3941" class="picwide caption" /> + +[Download the RAW file (43MB)](https://luxagraf.net/images/samples/Easy35-scan-nikon-60mm.ARW)/[Download XMP](https://luxagraf.net/images/samples/Easy35-scan-nikon-60mm.ARW.xmp) + +<img src="images/2024/Easy35-scan-sigma-70mm.jpg" id="image-3942" class="picwide caption" /> + +[Download the RAW file (43MB)](https://luxagraf.net/images/samples/Easy35-scan-sigma-70mm.ARW)/[Download XMP](https://luxagraf.net/images/samples/Easy35-scan-sigma-70mm.ARW.xmp) + +Both Easy35 images were shot at the same light temp and brightness, with just about the same settings applied in Darktable. I did have to up the contrast a bit on the image from the Nikon compared to the Sigma (not surprising, the Sigma is a sharper lens), but overall I don't see much difference between the end results. The Sigma just makes the whole process easier and faster, with less work in your RAW editor. + +--- + +# 1989 Jeep Grand Wagoneer + +url: /1989-jeep-grand-wagoneer +status: True + +The Jeep is not a showroom piece. It's a daily driver type of car, not a perfect time capsule from its birth. That's what we wanted, but it's not what everyone wants so know that up front. The wood paneling is long gone, someone repainted it white and didn't do a great job, but I thought/think it looks great, much older than it is since the previous owner put on the "rhino chaser" front end. The original front end and square headlights are in the back of the Jeep as well if you prefer the 1989 look. + +It has a brand-new-to-it transmission that had 50k miles on it. We pulled it from a pick a part, had it rebuilt and installed in late summer of 2023. I put new brakes on the front (disk) in spring of 2023 and changed the oil every 3,000 miles. + +The engine needs a rebuild. I haven't spoke to the mechanic yet to get the details, but definitely a new cam (flat tappet or convert to the rolling), probably a new oil pump. The valves seemed in good shape. New pistons wouldn't hurt. The water pump, power steering pump and alternator are all new within the past two years and could be re-used. Or you could swap something else in. People do diesel conversions, I've heard of people putting in hemis and all sorts of things. + +These are the only photos I have, though I am working on getting some more. + +<img src="images/2023/IMG_20230129_144610_9FvxkJL.jpg" id="image-3877" class="picwide" /> +<img src="images/2023/IMG_20230129_153023.jpg" id="image-3878" class="picwide" /> +<img src="images/2023/IMG_20230129_153103.jpg" id="image-3879" class="picwide" /> +<img src="images/2023/2023-03-12_100452_fort-pickens_xdLg6xT.jpg" id="image-3876" class="picwide" /> +<img src="images/2023/2023-02-17_133153_fort-pickens.jpg" id="image-3873" class="picwide" /> +<img src="images/2023/2023-02-17_133235_fort-pickens_eLgm85N.jpg" id="image-3874" class="picfull" /> +<img src="images/2023/jeep.jpg" id="image-3871" class="picwide" /> + +She's an incredibly fun car to drive. The best I've ever driven. I love almost everything about it, but it just isn't the right thing for life on the road. + +# Financial Self-Dependence for Travel + +url: /travel-through-financial-self-dependence +status: False + +Once people get over the big blue bus, two questions inevitably follow. + +The first is, *so, what do you do,?* This is the polite American way of saying, *how the hell do you afford to do this?* + +The second thing people ask is what the kids do for school. That requires a much more complex answer. Let's stick to money. Money is simple. Well, compared to education. + +### Set a Goal + +Before you figure out how you can afford to travel you need a goal. What is your goal? Is it to travel somewhere specific? Some specific means of traveling (e.g. RV, boat, AirBnB, etc)?Is it some specific amount of time (e.g. a few months between jobs, during a summer break, etc)? + +It's important to have a concrete goal in mind before you start trying to arrange your life in a way that carries you to that goal. I hate to sound like a life coach, but if you don't have a goal you'll never find your path. Without a clear path you won't go anywhere. + +For example, the first time I went on a long term trip I had general destination in mind (India and Southeast Asia). That allowed me to research to costs of getting to those places, the likely costs of life there, and then I could work backwards to figure out how much I need to save. I had a concrete number in mind ($10k, which I expected to last me 6 months), and I started saving until I had enough and I then I left. When it ran out I came home. I was young enough then that I just crashed on friends couches until I landed a new job, if that's not an option be sure to set aside a fund to re-enter normal life. + +This isn't the only way to do it though. I met several people on that trip who went the opposite direction, they saved up a chunk of money and then figured out where they could make it last the longest. That's another way to do it. + +And finally there is what I do now, which is working on the road. I only recommend this if your goal is to travel indefinitely. And for the record, neither I nor anyone I've ever met traveling left home planning to travel indefinitely. That tends to be something you decide when it comes time to end a long trip. You start thinking, *I want to keep doing this forever*, and that sudden pressure (the thought of going back) tends to lead to the creative thinking you need to develop if you do indeed want to live on the road. + +### Get Rid of Everything + +The first step to affording to travel is to get rid of everything you don't absolutely need. I actually think it would be easier to get rid of literally everything, head out the door and just buy things as you need them, but no one has ever taken this suggestion seriously so the best I can say is: if everything you doesn't fit in two bags, you're going to run into problems. + +Get down to two bags. If you need to add things down the road, that's fine. For example, if you end up traveling with your home, like a van, RV, boat, or whatever, you're going to need tools, you can add those in later. But for the most part get rid of everything. + +This is important literally, as an act, but also as a process. It will teach you things. It will teach you how remote your wants are from your needs. Get rid of your wants along with all the debris those wants have brought into your life. Focus on what you absolutely need. If you want nothing you will not need as much money. Needs turn out to be pretty cheaply met. Find a dumpster and throw your TV in it. That alone will do more to get you on your way to having enough money to travel than anything else on this page. + +Don't worry if this is really hard or insanely time consuming. It's that way for everyone. I've written about this elsewhere, but it is astronomically easier to let stuff into your life than it is to get it out. + +Stuff costs money and takes up space, neither of which you have future traveler. Life on the road is one of necessities (food and shelter) and great views, not endless wants fulfilled and Amazon deliveries. The less you want the better off you will be financially. Yes, you can take this too far, but very few people do so don't worry about that. + +One trap to beware of, having less doesn't mean you have to have the best. I see things on the internet from people who profess to be minimalists because they have only one fork, spoon, and knife, but those utensils are $40. That's not what you're after. Let go of the need to impress if you can, it will save you a ton of money. And none of us out here traveling will be impressed anyway. + +### Become Financially Self-Dependant + +I stole the phrase Financially Self-Dependant from the good people at Wanderer Financial because it captures something key that no other way of putting it does: you're in control. There are myriad ways this can be achieved depending on your skill set, but one thing I can absolutely promise you is that it won't mean having a traditional job. Can you travel with a full time job? Sure. I have several times. It sucks. It doesn't suck because you have set hours, though that's part of it, but mostly it sucks because you are not in direct control of your income. Worse, you only have one source of income. + +Lose your job at home and it's a big deal. + +I hate to tell you this, but the truth is we saved up for a long time before we went traveling so that we would have a good cushion of money should anything go wrong. + +Speaking of which, if you're like me you got no financial education. You're going to need to fix + +# Resume + +url: /work/resume +status: False + +content is in template file cv.html + +# 1969 Yellowstone Trailer + +url: /1969-yellowstone-trailer +status: False + +Travel trailer fans, "glampers" and classic rv lovers, this is the deal you've been waiting for. + +We're selling our vintage 1969 Yellowstone Trailer. It's a one of a kind sure to turn heads in the campground, though it does need a full restoration. + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/yellowstone/1969-yellowstone-01.jpg" alt="For Sale: Vintage 1969 Travel Trailer" class="picwide" /> + +I've done quite a bit of research on the web and I've never seen another Yellowstone in this configuration with the bump up front, which makes it possible for a nice bunk bed on the inside (see pics below) and the rear door. So far as I can tell from using <a href="searchtempest.com">Search Tempest</a>, there has not been another one like this for sale in the U.S. in over a year (probably a lot longer than that actually). + +####The Good + +Seriously, look at that thing. It's amazing. + +It'll sleep six if you put in a folding couch across from the kitchen. + +The frame is solid, the axels are good. I recently towed it 30 miles without a problem though one of the tires has some dryrot and should be replaced (I replaced one already, but I could not get the other one off without an impact wrench. Buy it and plan on towing it to a tire shop post haste). + +Everything on the outside is sealed and there are no leaks that I know of. + +####The Bad + +There's a good bit of water damage in the interior panels, though in the six months I've had it it hasn't leaked so while there is damage, things aren't getting any worse. The exterior is in good shape, but the interior needs some love. + +My plan was to strip it back to the frame, repair things a bit, then redo the insulattion, plumbing and wiring and then put some nice 1/8 wood paneling back on. + +#### The Sale +So why am I selling it? We decided to get a vintage RV instead. + +Our loss is your gain. + +We're pricing it to move quickly because we need the driveway space so it's yours for <strike>$2700</strike>$1600 + +Here's some pictures to get your restoration imagination flowing: + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/yellowstone/1969-yellowstone-01.jpg" alt="For Sale: Vintage 1969 Travel Trailer" class="picwide" /> + +It came off the line Dec 18 1969: + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/yellowstone/1969-yellowstone-02.jpg" alt="For Sale: Vintage 1969 Travel Trailer" class="picwide" /> + +View from just inside the door (the curtains are included :-) ) + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/yellowstone/1969-yellowstone-03.jpg" alt="For Sale: Vintage 1969 Travel Trailer" class="picwide" /> + +The bunk area folds up into those gold l-brackets on the right side of the wall above it: + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/yellowstone/1969-yellowstone-04.jpg" alt="For Sale: Vintage 1969 Travel Trailer" class="picwide" /> + +Some of the water damage around the kitchen window. Note vintage light fixtures and large, single bowl sink: + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/yellowstone/1969-yellowstone-05.jpg" alt="For Sale: Vintage 1969 Travel Trailer" class="picwide" /> +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/yellowstone/1969-yellowstone-05a.jpg" alt="For Sale: Vintage 1969 Travel Trailer" class="picwide" /> + +Light fixture in the corner below the bunk to light the table/bed area + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/yellowstone/1969-yellowstone-06.jpg" alt="For Sale: Vintage 1969 Travel Trailer" class="" /> + +The water tank is under the bed/table area: + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/yellowstone/1969-yellowstone-07.jpg" alt="For Sale: Vintage 1969 Travel Trailer" class="picwide" /> + +Bathroom area includes sink, toilet and shower: + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/yellowstone/1969-yellowstone-08.jpg" alt="For Sale: Vintage 1969 Travel Trailer" class="picwide" /> + +Sink detail: + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/yellowstone/1969-yellowstone-09.jpg" alt="For Sale: Vintage 1969 Travel Trailer" class="" /> + +Shower: + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/yellowstone/1969-yellowstone-10.jpg" alt="For Sale: Vintage 1969 Travel Trailer" class="" /> + +It could just be me, but I love all the little details in this thing, like these old butane lamps. Spent many a night reading by one of these in a 1969 travel queen camper. Anyway, cool details: + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/yellowstone/1969-yellowstone-11.jpg" alt="For Sale: Vintage 1969 Travel Trailer" class="picwide" /> + +Okay, one last exterior shot: + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/yellowstone/1969-yellowstone-12.jpg" alt="For Sale: Vintage 1969 Travel Trailer" class="picwide" /> + +# For Sale: 412 Holman Ave, Athens, GA + +url: /for-sale-412-holman-ave +status: False + +Welcome. Take a tour of your new home. + +412 Holman is 1434 sq ft of bright and cheery Normaltown charm. The house is move in ready with the option to convey washer, dryer and refrigerator. List price: $232,000. + +Shown by appointment only, please contact Scott: <a style="" href="mailto:sng@luxagraf.net">sng@luxagraf.net</a> or call <b>(706) 438-4297</b> + +##There will be an open house Sunday 11-20-2016. + +<div class="image-cluster"> +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-20_175109_412-Holman-Ave.jpg" id="image-178" class="picwide" /> + +<div class="map" style="overflow:hidden;"> + <div id="gmap_canvas"> + </div> +</div> +<div class="row-right"> + +<img src="images/2016/__2016-03-19_094406_01.jpg" id="image-185" class="cluster pic25" /> +<img src="images/2016/DJI_0013.jpg" id="image-187" class="cluster pic5" /> +</div></div> + + +<ul class="flist"> +<li><span class="outer"><span class="inner"></span></span><h3>Normaltown Style</h3>Nestled in the heart of Normaltown, 412 Holman puts you within easy walking distance of all that the neighborhood has to offer -- coffee shops, bakeries, restaurants, groceries, pubs, pizza, and more. You're also only three blocks from the UGA bus line and four from the city bus.</li> +<li><span class="outer"><span class="inner"></span></span><h3>Chase St School</h3>412 Holman Ave is zoned for Chase St. Elementary school, one of the best in the district, Clarke Middle school, and Clarke Central High School.</li> +<li><span class="outer"><span class="inner"></span></span><h3>Bishop Park</h3>Just two blocks down the street is Bishop Park with everything from a pool to soccer fields to tennis courts to gymnastics classes for kids. There's also a nice track for running and every Saturday it hosts the largest Farmers Market in Athens.</li> +</ul> + +<div class="image-cluster"> +<div> +<img src="images/2016/P1010005.jpg" id="image-184" class="cluster pic5" /> +<img src="images/2016/P1010002.jpg" id="image-183" class="cluster pic5" /> +</div> +</div> + +<div class="fsubhed"> +<h2>Video Tour</h2> +<p>Please enjoy this short video tour of the house. For more details, there are additional images below (click or tap for larger images).</p> +<div class='embed-container' style="clear: both;"><iframe src='https://player.vimeo.com/video/191278657' frameborder='0' webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div> +</div> + + +<div class="fsubhed one"> +<h2>Front Living Room</h2> +<p>The front door opens into the front living room, a bright spacious area perfect for relaxing or entertaining. There's wonderful natural light here throughout the day.</p> +</div> + +<div class="image-cluster"> +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-19_140326_412-Holman-Ave.jpg" id="image-148" class="cluster picwide" /> +<div class="row-2"> +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-19_140224_412-Holman-Ave.jpg" id="image-147" class="cluster pic5" /> +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-19_135944_412-Holman-Ave_ylB8blc.jpg" id="image-146" class="cluster pic5" /> +</div> +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-19_135813_412-Holman-Ave_lG1uNIs.jpg" id="image-145" class="picwide" /></div> + +<div class="fsubhed two"> +<h2>Kitchen/Dining Nook</h2> +<p>The kitchen features all electric appliances, ample cabinet space and a central counter area that's perfect for bar stools and conversation.</p> +</div> + +<div class="image-cluster"> +<div class="row-3"> +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-19_151027_412-Holman-Ave.jpg" id="image-159" class="cluster pic33" /> +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-19_151228_412-Holman-Ave.jpg" id="image-160" class="cluster pic33" /> +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-19_152516_412-Holman-Ave.jpg" id="image-162" class="cluster pic33" /> +</div> +<div class="row-2"> +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-19_152907_412-Holman-Ave.jpg" id="image-164" class="cluster pic5" /> +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-19_151909_412-Holman-Ave.jpg" id="image-161" class="cluster pic5" /> +</div> +</div> + +<div class="fsubhed three"> +<h2>Back Living Room</h2> +<p>The back living area has large french doors and numerous windows looking out over the deck and back yard. It's a versatile space that can be used as a second sitting room, dining area, playroom , and more. There's also a large closet for additional storage or keeping a media entertainment center out of the way when you aren't using it.</p> +</div> + +<div class="image-cluster"> +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-19_160304_412-Holman-Ave.jpg" id="image-165" class="cluster picwide" /> +<div class="row-3"> +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-19_160625_412-Holman-Ave.jpg" id="image-167" class="cluster pic33" /> +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-19_161139_412-Holman-Ave.jpg" id="image-168" class="cluster pic33" /> + +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-19_160415_412-Holman-Ave.jpg" id="image-166" class="cluster pic33" /> +</div> +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-19_161326_412-Holman-Ave.jpg" id="image-169" class="picwide" /> +</div> + + +<div class="fsubhed four"> +<h2>Bedrooms</h2> +<p>Both bedrooms are large enough to comfortably fit a king size bed (for size reference, the large mattress in the images below is a king) and both have ample closet space. </p> +</div> + +<div class="image-cluster"> +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-19_140555_412-Holman-Ave.jpg" id="image-150" class="picwide" /> +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-19_140909_412-Holman-Ave.jpg" id="image-151" class="picwide" /> +<div class="row-2"> +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-19_162723_412-Holman-Ave.jpg" id="image-170" class="cluster pic5" /> +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-19_162945_412-Holman-Ave.jpg" id="image-173" class="cluster pic5" /> +</div> +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-19_162841_412-Holman-Ave.jpg" id="image-171" class="picwide" /> +</div> + +<div class="fsubhed five"> +<h2>Office/3rd Bedroom</h2> +<p>The office sits on the east side of the house and is nearly as large as the bedrooms. It could in fact easily become a third bedroom with the addition of some closet space.</p> +</div> + +<div class="image-cluster"> +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-21_122613_412-Holman-Ave.jpg" id="image-180" class="picwide" /> +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-21_122721_412-Holman-Ave.jpg" id="image-182" class="picwide" /> +</div> + +<div class="fsubhed six"> +<h2>Laundry/Craft Room</h2> +<p>The laundry room has washer and dryer hooks ups (the current washer and dryer can convey if you'd like them) and still has plenty of space for folding laundry or creating a sewing/craft workspace.</p> +</div> + +<div class="image-cluster"> +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-20_163911_412-Holman-Ave.jpg" id="image-175" class="picwide" /> +<div class="row-3"> +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-20_163832_412-Holman-Ave.jpg" id="image-174" class="cluster pic33" /> +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-20_163929_412-Holman-Ave.jpg" id="image-176" class="cluster pic33" /> +<img src="images/2016/2016-10-20_163942_412-Holman-Ave.jpg" id="image-177" class="cluster pic33" /> +</div> +</div> + +<div class="fsubhed seven"> +<h2>Storage/Other</h2> +<p>There's a basement with 6ft of clearance that offers plenty of storage space (there's also probably enough room to move the washer and dryer down there). Access is via stairway that opens into the central hall across from the kitchen. </p> +<p>There's also a large attic storage space above the office area, as well as three extra closets in the main living area, one between the bedrooms, one in the front living room and a very large one in the back living room.</p> +</div> + +<div class="fsubhed eight"> +<h2>Yard</h2> +<p>Sitting on a fully fenced .26 acre lot, 412 Holman features large front and back yards, with ample shade provided by pine and oak trees. The back deck adds about 240 sq ft of outdoor living space and built in benches around the whole thing make it perfect for entertaining a crowd. It's our favorite place to watch the sunrise.</p> + +<p>There's also a garden on the south (sunny) side of the house that has rough 250 sq ft of developed beds. We've grown everything from heirloom tomatoes to okra using the permaculture gardening method known as <a href="https://richsoil.com/hugelkultur/">hugelkultur</a> (a way to garden without watering, see link for more info). The garden also has two mature blueberry bushes and countless red and golden raspberry canes</p> +</div> + +<div class="image-cluster"> +<div> +<img src="images/2016/DJI_0017.jpg" id="image-177" class="cluster pic5" /> +<img src="images/2016/DJI_0013.jpg" id="image-187" class="cluster pic5" /> +</div> +<div> +<img src="images/2016/sunrise_2015-02-21_070431.jpg" id="image-186" class="cluster pic5" /> +<img src="images/2016/bees-garden_2015-04-01_140147.jpg" id="image-188" class="cluster pic5" /> +</div> +</div> + +# Videos of Lilah and Olivia + +url: /babyvideos +status: False + +<div class="vidwrap"><video controls> + <source src="http://images.luxagraf.net/videos/oliviawalking.mp4" type='video/mp4; codecs="avc1.42E01E, mp4a.40.2"'> + <source src="http://images.luxagraf.net/videos/oliviawalking.webm" type='video/webm; codecs="vp8, vorbis"' /> +</video></div> + +<div class="vidwrap"><video controls> + <source src="http://images.luxagraf.net/videos/lilah1.mp4" type='video/mp4; codecs="avc1.42E01E, mp4a.40.2"'> + <source src="http://images.luxagraf.net/videos/lilah1.webm" type='video/webm; codecs="vp8, vorbis"' /> +</video></div> + +<div class="vidwrap"><video controls> + <source src="http://images.luxagraf.net/videos/oliviaplayinginsand.mp4" type='video/mp4; codecs="avc1.42E01E, mp4a.40.2"'> + <source src="http://images.luxagraf.net/videos/oliviaplayinginsand.webm" type='video/webm; codecs="vp8, vorbis"' /> +</video></div> + +<div class="vidwrap"><video controls> + <source src="http://images.luxagraf.net/videos/lilahtastingsand.mp4" type='video/mp4; codecs="avc1.42E01E, mp4a.40.2"'> + <source src="http://images.luxagraf.net/videos/lilahtastingsand.webm" type='video/webm; codecs="vp8, vorbis"' /> +</video></div> + +# Work Profile + +url: /work/profile +status: False + +Hello. + +This is the website of Scott Gilbertson. I am a freelance writer, editor, and publisher, currently living in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. + +I write about travel, adventure, getting off the beaten path, ecology, and, occasionally, what's like to traveling with family in a 1969 RV. My writing has appeared in magazines like Wired, Budget Travel and Consumer Digest, and I have been a guest on [National Public Radio](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=13966270) a few times. + +I also write about technology, primarily Linux, free software, the open web, and related topics for publications like [Wired](http://www.wired.com/reviews/author/scott-gilbertson/) ([more](http://www.wired.com/author/luxagraf/)), [Ars Technica](http://arstechnica.com/), [The Register](http://theregister.co.uk/Author/1785) and elsewhere. + +I maintain an easy to browse list of my most [recent publications](/work/pubs/). + +In the past I worked full time for Wired.com, where I wrote for and later edited/produced [Webmonkey](http://www.webmonkey.com/) among other contributions. I also served as managing editor of Rolf Potts' award-winning travel blog, [Vagablogging.net](http://www.vagablogging.net/) for a couple of years. + +I have a [more traditional resume](/work/resume) available if you'd like to learn more. + +If you'd like me to write or edit something for, please contact me at sng @ luxagraf.net. + +Thank you for visiting luxagraf.net. + +# 1969 Ford F250 + +url: /1969-ford-f250 +status: False + +Classic truck collectors, this is the once in a lifetime deal you've been waiting for. + +I have a 1969 Ford F250 Truck. It's a V8 (obviously) automatic transmission with the 392 engine (I think, it's the middle size from that era) with less than 192,000 miles on it (the odometer has turned over once, currently shows 91,668). And I know this because my father bought this truck in 1969 and it has not been out of my sight since I was born in '74. Okay, that's a slight exaggeration, but it's pretty close. Single family owner you might say. + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/truck/1969-ford_01.jpg" alt="For Sale: 1969 Ford F250" class="picwide" /> + +It's been meticulously cared for, regularly serviced and recently had the points reset and a new compressor installed so it's purring like a kitten right now. + +I also just put two brand new tires on the back. + +Almost everything in it is original as far as I remember. At some point in the '90s the stock carburator was replaced. I then had that one completely rebuilt in 2011. + +There's very little body rust, but there is some (see pics). Nothing that can't be filed/sanded out and filled with bondo. The power steering gearbox leaks a bit. It can be rebuilt by a handful of places in the U.S., the closest of which is in Michigan. I've never bothered. I just dump one, maybe two bottle of power steering fluid in it a month and live with it. If you'd like to fix it the fine folks at Whelchel Alignment & Brakes here in Athens are familiar with the problem and the solution, you can take it down to them, they do great work. + +It has dual tanks for a total of 45 gallons (it gets about 9-16 mpg, depending on the circumstances) but the auxillary tank isn't working at the moment. Pretty sure you just need to replace the switch and it'll be fine. + +This thing is one of kind and it's in phenomenal shape for its age. I've been driving it for 25 years now and it's never left me stranded anywhere, ever. My family is too big for it though so it's time to say goodbye. + +Here's a few images: + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/truck/1969-ford_01.jpg" alt="For Sale: 1969 Ford F250" class="picwide" /> + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/truck/1969-ford_02.jpg" alt="For Sale: 1969 Ford F250" class="picwide" /> + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/truck/1969-ford_03.jpg" alt="For Sale: 1969 Ford F250" class="picwide" /> + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/truck/1969-ford_04.jpg" alt="For Sale: 1969 Ford F250" class="picwide" /> + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/truck/1969-ford_05.jpg" alt="For Sale: 1969 Ford F250" class="picwide" /> + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/truck/1969-ford_06.jpg" alt="For Sale: 1969 Ford F250" class="picwide" /> + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/truck/1969-ford_07.jpg" alt="For Sale: 1969 Ford F250" class="picwide" /> + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/truck/1969-ford_08.jpg" alt="For Sale: 1969 Ford F250" class="picwide" /> + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/truck/1969-ford_09.jpg" alt="For Sale: 1969 Ford F250" class="picwide" /> + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/truck/1969-ford_10.jpg" alt="For Sale: 1969 Ford F250" class="picwide" /> + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/truck/1969-ford_11.jpg" alt="For Sale: 1969 Ford F250" class="picwide" /> + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/truck/1969-ford_12.jpg" alt="For Sale: 1969 Ford F250" class="picwide" /> + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/truck/1969-ford_13.jpg" alt="For Sale: 1969 Ford F250" class="picwide" /> + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/truck/1969-ford_14.jpg" alt="For Sale: 1969 Ford F250" class="picwide" /> + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/truck/1969-ford_15.jpg" alt="For Sale: 1969 Ford F250" class="picwide" /> + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/truck/1969-ford_16.jpg" alt="For Sale: 1969 Ford F250" class="picwide" /> + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/truck/1969-ford_17.jpg" alt="For Sale: 1969 Ford F250" class="picwide" /> + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/truck/1969-ford_18.jpg" alt="For Sale: 1969 Ford F250" class="picwide" /> + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/truck/1969-ford_19.jpg" alt="For Sale: 1969 Ford F250" class="picwide" /> + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/truck/1969-ford_20.jpg" alt="For Sale: 1969 Ford F250" class="picwide" /> + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/truck/1969-ford_21.jpg" alt="For Sale: 1969 Ford F250" class="picwide" /> + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/truck/1969-ford_22.jpg" alt="For Sale: 1969 Ford F250" class="picwide" /> + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/truck/1969-ford_23.jpg" alt="For Sale: 1969 Ford F250" class="picwide" /> + +<img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/truck/1969-ford_24.jpg" alt="For Sale: 1969 Ford F250" class="picwide" /> + +# Exposure + +url: /exposure +status: False + +<table> +<tbody> + <tr> + <td> + Exposure Value + </td> + <td> + Lighting + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + -6 + </td> + <td> + Night, away from city lights, subject under starlight only. + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + -5 + </td> + <td> + Night, away from city lights, subject under crescent moon. + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + -4 + </td> + <td> + Night, away from city lights, subject under half moon. Meteors (during showers, with time exposure). + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + -3 + </td> + <td> + Night, away from city lights, subject under full moon. + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + -2 + </td> + <td> + Night, away from city lights, snowscape under full moon. + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + -1 + </td> + <td> + Subjects lit by dim ambient artificial light. + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + 0 + </td> + <td> + Subjects lit by dim ambient artificial light. + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + 1 + </td> + <td> + Distant view of lighted skyline. + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + 2 + </td> + <td> + Lightning (with time exposure). Total eclipse of moon. + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + 3 + </td> + <td> + Fireworks (with time exposure). + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + 4 + </td> + <td> + Candle lit close-ups. Christmas lights, floodlit buildings, fountains, and monuments. Subjects under bright street lamps. + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + 5 + </td> + <td> + Night home interiors, average light. School or church auditoriums. Subjects lit by campfires or bonfires. + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + 6 + </td> + <td> + Brightly lit home interiors at night. Fairs, amusement parks. + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + 7 + </td> + <td> + Bottom of rainforest canopy. Brightly lighted nighttime streets. Indoor sports. Stage shows, circuses. + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + 8 + </td> + <td> + Las Vegas or Times Square at night. Store windows. Campfires, bonfires, burning buildings. Ice shows, football, baseball etc. at night. Interiors with bright florescent lights. + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + 9 + </td> + <td> + Landscapes, city skylines 10 minutes after sunset. Neon lights, spotlighted subjects. + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + 10 + </td> + <td> + Landscapes and skylines immediately after sunset. Crescent moon (long lens). + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + 11 + </td> + <td> + Sunsets. Subjects in deep shade. + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + 12 + </td> + <td> + Half moon (long lens). Subject in open shade or heavy overcast. + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + 13 + </td> + <td> + Gibbous moon (long lens). Subjects in cloudy-bright light (no shadows). + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + 14 + </td> + <td> + Full moon (long lens). Subjects in weak, hazy sun. + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + 15 + </td> + <td> + Subjects in bright or hazy sun (Sunny f/16 rule). + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + 16 + </td> + <td> + Subjects in bright daylight on sand or snow. + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + 17 + </td> + <td> + Rarely encountered in nature. Some man made lighting. + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + etc + </td> + <td> + Goes up to 23 but you'll hardly ever encounter that in the real world. + </td> +</tr> +</tbody></table> + +<table> +<tbody> +<tr> + <td> + + </td> + <td> + + </td> + <td> + + </td> + <td> + + </td> + <td> + FILM SPEED (ISO/ASA NUMBER) + </td> + <td> + + </td> + <td> + + </td> + <td> + + </td> + <td> + + </td> + <td> + + </td> + <td> + APERTURE OF LENS (f/STOP) + </td> + <td> + + </td> + <td> + + </td> + <td> + + </td> + <td> + + </td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td> + + </td> + <td> + ISO 25 + </td> + <td> + ISO 50 + </td> + <td> + ISO 100 + </td> + <td> + ISO 200 + </td> + <td> + ISO 400 + </td> + <td> + ISO 800 + </td> + <td> + ISO 1600 + </td> + <td> + ISO 3200 + </td> + <td> + + </td> + <td> + f/1.4 + </td> + <td> + f/2.0 + </td> + <td> + f/2.8 + </td> + <td> + f/4 + </td> + <td> + f/5.6 + </td> + <td> + f/8 + </td> + <td> + f/11 + </td> + <td> + f/16 + </td> + <td> + f/22 + </td> + <td> + f/32 + </td> + <td> + + </td> +</tr> +<tr><td> + </td> +<td> + +1 </td> +<td> + +0 </td> +<td> + +-1 </td> +<td> + +-2 </td> +<td> + +-3 </td> +<td> + +-4 </td> +<td> + +-5 </td> +<td> + +-6 </td> +<td> + </td> +<td width="6%" valign="MIDDLE"> + +4 sec </td> +<td> + +8 sec </td> +<td> + +15 sec </td> +<td> + +30 sec </td> +<td> + +1 min </td> +<td> + +2 min </td> +<td> + +4 min </td> +<td> + +<font size="1">8 min </td> +<td> + +16 min </td> +<td> + +32 min </td> +<td> + </td> +</tr> +<tr><td> + </td> +<td> + +2 </td> +<td> + +1 </td> +<td> + +0 </td> +<td> + +-1 </td> +<td> + +-2 </td> +<td> + +-3 </td> +<td> + +-4 </td> +<td> + +-5 </td> +<td> + </td> +<td width="6%" valign="MIDDLE"> + +2 sec </td> +<td> + +4 sec </td> +<td> + +8 sec </td> +<td> + +15 sec </td> +<td> + +30 sec </td> +<td> + +1 min </td> +<td> + +2 min </td> +<td> + +4 min </td> +<td> + +8 min </td> +<td> + +16 min </td> +<td> + </td> +</tr> +<tr><td> + </td> +<td> + +3 </td> +<td> + +2 </td> +<td> + +1 </td> +<td> + +0 </td> +<td> + +-1 </td> 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</td> +<td> + +1/15000 sec </td> +<td> + +1/8000 sec </td> +<td> + +1/4000 sec </td> +<td> + +1/2000 sec </td> +<td> + +1/1000 sec </td> +<td> + +1/500 sec </td> +<td> + </td> +</tr> +<tr><td> + </td> +<td> + +22 </td> +<td> + +21 </td> +<td> + +20 </td> +<td> + +19 </td> +<td> + +18 </td> +<td> + +17 </td> +<td> + +16 </td> +<td> + +15 </td> +<td> + </td> +<td width="6%" valign="MIDDLE"> + +1/500000 sec </td> +<td> + +1/250000 sec </td> +<td> + +1/125000 sec </td> +<td> + +1/60000 sec </td> +<td> + +1/30000 sec </td> +<td> + +1/15000 sec </td> +<td> + +1/8000 sec </td> +<td> + +1/4000 sec </td> +<td> + +1/2000 sec </td> +<td> + +1/1000 sec </td> +<td> + </td> +</tr> +<tr><td> + </td> +<td> + +23 </td> +<td> + +22 </td> +<td> + +21 </td> +<td> + +20 </td> +<td> + +19 </td> +<td> + +18 </td> +<td> + +17 </td> +<td> + +16 </td> +<td> + </td> +<td width="6%" valign="MIDDLE"> + +1/1000000 sec </td> +<td> + +1/500000 sec </td> +<td> + +1/250000 sec </td> +<td> + +1/125000 sec </td> +<td> + +1/60000 sec </td> +<td> + +1/30000 sec </td> +<td> + +1/15000sec </td> +<td> + +1/8000 sec </td> +<td> + +1/4000 sec </td> +<td> + +1/2000 sec </td> +<td> + </td> +</tr> +</tbody></table> + +# Long Live Castagraf Magazine + +url: /castagraf +status: True + +Castagraf was an online poetry magazine published by me, Scott Gilbertson, and Laura Solomon, who was its editor and all around brilliant leader. I just wrote the code. + +Castagraf put out six issues (maybe seven?) between roughly 2000-2002. At some point between then and 2009 I forgot to renew the domain name and some domain squatter swiped it. I managed to get .net back and continued to host the old issues there for a while longer. + +Unfortunately Castagraf was published using Flash, which no longer works in any web browser. + +Castagraf took shape back in the days when CSS was just getting off the ground. Web browser support for CSS was hit or miss. I was a perfectionist about layout and typography so I used Flash for pixel-perfect results. It's easy to see how that was a bad decision now, but at the time it made sense. + +Castagraf magazine, like Flash itself, is lost to time at this point. Still it deserves some placeholder for its existence. Life moves on, this page is all that remains. + +Laura Solomon is now co-executive director of Wisconsin's [Woodland Pattern](https://www.woodlandpattern.org/). I currently (2020) write for Wired Magazine and my own website, the one you're on right now. + +# map-better + +url: /map-better +status: False + +<div><div id="mapper"><div></div></div></div> +<style> +#mapper { + width: 100%; + height: 1000px; + margin: 0 auto; +} +</style> +<script src="/media/js/leaflet-master/leaflet-mod.js"></script> +<script src="/media/js/detail.min.js"></script> +<script type="text/javascript"> +window.onload = function() { + var article = document.getElementById("mapper"); + var parentDiv = article.parentNode; + + //create three nested divs map, which contains detail-map-canvas which contains detail-map-inner-canvas + var map = document.createElement("div"); + map.className += "map"; + var detail_map_canvas = document.createElement("div"); + detail_map_canvas.id = "detail-map-canvas"; + var detail_map_inner_canvas = document.createElement("div"); + detail_map_canvas.style.height = "1000px"; + detail_map_inner_canvas.id = "detail-map-inner-canvas"; + detail_map_inner_canvas.style.width = "100%"; + detail_map_inner_canvas.style.height = "100%"; + detail_map_inner_canvas.style.border = "none !important"; + detail_map_canvas.appendChild(detail_map_inner_canvas); + map.appendChild(detail_map_canvas); + + //load all that into the dom + article.parentNode.insertBefore(map, article); + var map = document.getElementById("detail-map-canvas"); + var centerCoord = new L.LatLng(36.973295,-99.667969); + var zoom = 8; + var themap = L.map('detail-map-inner-canvas', { scrollWheelZoom: "onFocus" }).setView(centerCoord, zoom); + L.tileLayer.provider('Esri.WorldTopoMap', {maxZoom: 18,attribution: 'Map data © <a href="http://openstreetmap.org">OpenStreetMap</a>'}).addTo(themap); + +} +</script> + |