Power is Knowledge

I just finished rebuilding the battery compartment on the habitat. The original installation was an aging chunk of particleboard that drooped in the center and was rotted away by years of battery damage. The replacement is half inch plywood with a rubber mat cover. I installed distribution strips on each side of the battery bay, positive to the right and negative to the left. Next is to mount some solar panels and cut the old 110v charger out of the loop. The plan is to completely isolate the two systems, 110 and 12 volt, and make the 12 volt the primary power bus. The 110 will be retained for the time being simply to drive power tools until I can address that particular problem. I also pop riveted a screen over the louvered vents to insure the habitat does not become a habitat for paper wasps.

Battery compartment closed.

Battery compartment open and stage extended.

The Generalist

Colonial Pioneers have a challenge before them that has not been faced since the dawn of the industrial age. The frontiersmen in the American West needed to be skilled in many arts simply to survive. He had to posess animal husbandry skills as well as hunting skills. He had to understand food preservation as well as the arts of the tanner in order to provide himself and his family with food and clothing. He had to be a carpenter and mason in order to provide shelter. He had to be a wagon repairman and a horse doctor. He had to be a good businessman in order to insure his families survival.

The colonial pioneer will need the same sort of broad ranged skill base, but with an entirely different skill set. The colonial pioneer will need to know horticulture in order to provide atmospheric control and food production. He will need to have electronic skills in order to maintain his environmental controls and communications network. He will need mechanical skills and knowledge in order to maintain his habitats condition. All of this over and above some specialized skills in order to provide value and service to the colonial outpost he inhabits. And he will have to be a good businessman in order to insure his families survival.

What will be needed, ultimately, is a new generalist, the return of the Renaissance Man. The purpose of Jefferson Colony is to develop that kind of focus, to begin building the appropriate skill sets. It is something anyone can join in on. It will take more than one person to build a community of starfarers. The concept is simple. Build your habitat. It must be portable, and it must be self sufficient. It must be simple enough for one man, woman, or a small family to maintain. Keep a log and exchange ideas among others. That is the purpose of this blog. I'm starting a conversation, backing it with the action of constructing my own habitat. Even if you do not take up my challenge, I hope you enjoy the show!

Jefferson Colony

The best place to learn to live the life of a colonist is right here on the planets surface where we can afford to make a few mistakes and they won't necessarily kill us. To that end I have decided to create a colony of one person to experiment with the ultimate in self sufficient living. I've obtained a 27' RV trailer to form a habitat for my colony. To this, I plan to add a small utility trailer or two for power generation modules and storage. My first goal is to make these units supply as many of my needs as possible, and realize a habitation that can move from place to place without leaving a path of destruction in it's wake.

If this sounds a little weird, I say "Hey! Some people build miniature railroads, some folk bury treasures and search for them. I'm building my own space colony. My hobby may be no weirder than yours!

The Heart Of A Colonist

My greatest conflict, here at this 150 year old piece of history farm,
is that most are here to burrow into the past. I am here to learn how
to leap into the future. We are within 50 to 75 years of beginning a
new period of discovery and settlement that will never end because of
running out of room. Here, in this place, we have that memory of the
last great migration of our species and it is only 75 years in the
past, more or less. But it is difficult to reveal to most folk that I am here
because I want to learn how to be a successful colonist. It is beyond
their grasp of the possible. So I smile, I doff my stetson, and I
watch the moon rise over our covered wagons with a terrible longing.