Cheap Natural Gas Transportation Idea

March 31, 2012 · Posted in innovation · Comment 

Poor people in China transport natural gas in large plastic bags. If this could be made safe it’s a very low cost alternative to expensive pipelines. Natural gas could be quickly and cheaply distributed to places without infrastructure.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2108346/Chinese-villagers-carry-giant-balloons-stolen-natural-gas-heat-homes.html

Running underground pipes is a large investment. The small amount of natural gas these people would use doesn’t make that investment worth while.

The danger is if the gas is ignited. Three things are required to cause this danger, enough oxygen for ignition, natural gas mixed with oxygen, spark or flame.

A very simple solution is to put the natural gas bag inside another bag filled with carbon-dioxide. This would prevent ignition. CO2 could also be used to prevent an explosion while filling the bag with natural gas. First fill the bag with CO2 then use the natural gas to force out the CO2 into another empty bag of the same size. When the second bag is full you know the first bag is filled with natural gas. The process could then be repeated with the second bag.

Abundance Report: Solar 3D Printer Builds from Sand

July 13, 2011 · Posted in abundance, innovation · Comment 

Markus Kayser – Solar Sinter Project from Markus Kayser on Vimeo.

Markus Kayser has built a 3D printer that uses sun light to turn sand into 3D glass objects. Free energy making things from the free materials.

He calls the device a Solar Sinter. The process works by spreading thin layers of sand then focusing a beam of light with a magnifying lens on a point to melt the sand turning it into glass. The object is built up a layer at a time. The movement and focusing of the beam is powered with photovoltaic but the high energy melting is done with a magnifying lens. This allows the device to be very low cost and potentially long lasting

A rover equipped with a solar sinter could be placed in deserts on earth or another planet and let run making useful objects. Even though this device makes crude items similar 3D printing technology has been used to make high precision objects of many materials.

In addition to a 3D printer, which is an additive technique, he has made a solar cutter which is a subtractive technique.

Markus Kayser – Sun Cutter Project from Markus Kayser on Vimeo.

Solar Cutter

Rising Income Inequality & Shifting Identities – The Specialist & The Omnivore

May 14, 2011 · Posted in abundance, economics, prediction · Comment 

Rising Income Inequality & Shifting Identities – The Specialist & The Omnivore
An excellent explanation of the effects of the transitions from economy to abundance. As technology increases, ownership of things that make things (physical capital) will be more important and relationships will eventually become the only scarce good.

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