John Weiland

Thank you for these responses....  Matt, I will look into the link you offered and will see if that expense is something my wife is comfortable with.  It's for keeping an eye on a fair number of rescue animals and it may be worth it for her.  (She is not incorporated as a non-profit, so there would be no way to buy this as a business expense.)  All the same, a good lead...Thanks!  

Cell phone/Android suggestion:  Well, I have an older iPhone 6s gathering dust.  If this was attached to its power/charging cord, would the app your are describing (or similar) allow for recording?  Does the Android app to which you are referring allow for auto-delete of past material so that it can continually record most recent video?  Not sure what the storage size in that generation iPhone was....32Gb?  I know the battery was dying, so I would need to keep it plugged in.

Dashcam:  Had not thought of that!.....Will look into these tonight.  I suspect I would need a 120V -> 12V power converter to run such a device, yes?  But if it works, that would be easily achieved.  Again, thanks for these great leads!

Resurrecting this thread to ask about very low-tech video surveillance camera(s).  In our case, these would be used inside of farm buildings although weather-tolerant would be a plus.  A wired camera system would be fine, but battery powered also acceptable.  Here's the more crucial details:  We are looking for a set up that can store ~24 hr of video/audio and auto-erase information recorded before that......We do not need to have recordings before that time period.  If it can record in the dark like many trail cameras, that too would be a plus.  Here's the hardest part to find it seems at this point in the technology:  the set-up should NOT require

--cell phone service

--Wireless service

--Bluetooth connection.

Our hope is that recorded information could be stored directly on camera-interfaced flash media or on a USB-connected solid-state drive.  In the event that we wish to review recorded information, we would  just take the storage media into the house for viewing on the home computer.  Please let me know if any readers here are familiar with such a system that I may look into.  Much thanks!

Eric,   Thank you for your references.  As I was poking through them this weekend, I went down additional rabbit holes trying first to see if there is anything in the DIY battery world that would even come close as well as investigating durable polymer cases that would fit the plans.  Just to recap, for the golf cart....short of selling my current one and buying another used one with greater battery compartment size flexibility.....I'm pretty limited to something 7" wide.  This is standard GC2 lead acid battery width and indeed some LiFePO4 manufacturers sell dedicated 36V or 48V single batteries to fit these compartments (single batteries still needing to be connected in parallel to 1, 2, or 3 additional identical batteries for any useful performance).  Although I will have to re-measure to be sure, I suspect one long ~30 inch container box that is 7" wide, if durable enough to withstand the weight,  could accomodate the requisite 16 prismatic cells in linear array and potentially still have room for the BMS.  If need be as well I could exercise the option that you mentioned....building them from scratch out of wood and applying the desired flame retardants for fire protection.  

Another option that I may resign myself to is to stay at 36V with the golf cart and build a separate set of boxes at 48V for our basement where the racked array would be poweirng, through a charger-inverter, a 220V deep well water pump, the propane furnace fan and associated electronics, and potentially some sump pumps....all for emergency back-up use only.  Yet even here it *may* be possible to build the long, linear array of cells for 48v, ..... just not as necessary since the space requirements are not so crucial.  Cells for the 36V build for the golf cart would fit in a shorter box as excpected.  I'm pasting below some containers I located online, although some like the TEMU vendor I've not dealth with and am wary of quality from here even if not based on experience.  Modifications would need to be made to the case(s) for preference and safey, but durability might be okay.  Cells (100 Ah) from either EVE or BYD would fit these with some room to spare.  I could even buy a bit on the long side for the case and cut it down to fit with a reconstruction of the cut end.  Along the way here I'm trying to gain knowledge about what makes one battery/cell type better for the amperage bursts of electric vehicles vs batteries considered adequate for home power systems...any insight here would be most welome.  By doing a DIY of the battery build and assuming good components and 'operator competency' ( here's hoping!), the savings seem pretty substantial and the knowledge gained quite gratifying.  Will try to continue with updates here as progress is made.  Thanks again for the comments and links, Eric!...

r ranson wrote:The things I learned in higher learning that I value most:

- How to use a library
- To see something new and ask questions
- how to evaluate and rank information sources
- How to ask the librarian for information even if you think they wouldn't know it, they probably do.  Librarians know a scary amount of stuff.
- how to RTFQ (read the fucken question)
- The Ability to Learn

I didn't need to go to school to learn these things and sadly, most of my fellow students didn't learn these things.  

The SKIP programme seems like a much more affordable place to learn these skills.

Same......  In retrospect, there could be a program designed that achieved the same in much less time and resources.  But that would rob most universities of their bread and butter, yes?  It seems strange on the face of it, that one needs to learn (a) "How to RTFQ", (b) "To see something new (i.e. take the time to *observe*) and ask questions", and (c) "How to use a library" and its twin flame of "how to evaluate and rank information sources".  I was fortunate after graduate school to have a mentor to really teach me better how to do (a).  In fact, his superiors hated him for it because they were always giving him orders when he already had the correct answer....from above *THEM*.  He knew very well how to go to the source and both ask and answer questions clearly and correctly and I benefited to the extent of my ability under his guidance.  Observation is something I really needed to coach new students on.  Invariably, they would perform an experiment and immediately ask me if it "worked".  My first question always was "what do you see happening?"  followed by "what question were we asking?", and "How did we set up the experiment in order to test the question?".  Absolutely, some people have this curiosity already, but a suprising number do not or have lost it for one reason or another.  As for (c), before Google there were the hard copies in the library of something called "Biological Abstracts" (the field I studied) which were produced on a schedule and documented in shorthand all of the published scientific literature in a given field for the past month or two.  At the end of each year, a master volume was published to replace the monthlies.  You got good at sifting through the abridged titles for keywords that were relevent to your topic of study, then needed to track down the full abstract of the article to see if you really wanted to bother tracking down the journal and visiting the Xerox machine.  If it was really important, you submitted paperwork (remember that stuff?! ;-)  )  through inter-library loan so that some other college or university could send you the Xeroxed copy from their library.  All of which led to the development of mental evaluation tools for deciding if the paper data was really 'robust' and worth incorporating into your research plans and models.

But I agree that all of this could be learned through a different venue of training and inquiry.  Certainly is sounds like Wheaton Labs does much of this already.   Might there be something like "accreditation" that arises for such curriculums for entities like Wheaton Labs that gives others confidence in the training received?  Isn't there some sort of licensing needed for homeschooling or am I not remembering that correctly?  At any rate, good comments r and I hope this may help in the discussion or vision for the topic.

Eric Hanson wrote:

I am still finishing my battery box build and recently I started to tinker with the BMS.  To my surprise, the BMS had a self-warming feature.  I turned it off, because I plan to keep the device inside, but I like that the BMS has this covered.

Eric,    I'm still in the researching phase though getting closer to some possible purchasing now.  One thing stumping me:  I would like to try to build a long, narrow 48V battery from 16 prismatic cells series-wired and arranged in a linear array on the flat side of the cell.  Thus, with each cell at ~1.5 inches thick, I would need a box at least 16 X 1.5 = 24" long, but only ~7" wide and 8 " tall for the cell array to fit.  Such an arrangement and build would slot perfectly into the trays of my golf cart.....at 48V/100 Ah, two of these battery packs would be more than enough for my needs.  But I can't at this point find an ABS plastic or metal box with these dimensions.  Finding the cells has not been an issue...it's the holding container for the cells that is befuddling me.  Is there a source out there for custom size boxes, preferably for electrical builds?  I would be sizing it to accomodate the BMS as well, unless this could be placed outside of the box.  Thanks!

We keep our house at 60F in winter and the upstairs bathroom is a bit warmer at ~65.  A four-bank light rack is in that room for late winter seed starting which uses seedling heating mats and previously fluorescent tubes (2 ft length).  I just finished installing LED tubes in one of the light fixtures and decided to torture myself with attempts at starting and growing sweet basil from seed (current outside temps near 0F and lower this weekend). ;-)     It was at least some satisfaction at seeing the thermometer under the lights register ~80F by day and above 70F at night (night: light off/heating mat on).   The heating mat draws 17W of power if that helps at all with the decision.  The LED lamps emit more heat than I would have expected, which is a plus for this purpose.  Since I had to rewire the fixture to by-pass the ballasts for the new bulbs, there is no extra heat come from the transformers/ballasts inside.  Since the color temperature of the bulb can be adjusted with a switch on the bulb, I hope to favor vegetative growth of the plant with a setting near 6000K.  Coming up on a week post planting and no emergence yet, but seed admittedly was a few years old.  Photos below of the new lamps and seed pot underneath as well as source for the heating mat.  If I had to go without the heating mat, would probably use a brick atop the woodstove heated in the evening and placed under the seedlings through the night and next morning, then just using lights as heat source for daytime.  Good luck!

I've always been a bit daunted by recipes where you have to handle filo dough or thin sheets of delicate pastry.   But this week dove into making egg rolls and am now worried about how easy they are! lol...

We lean vegan with recipes, but the following idea should work for non-vegan as well....also should work in a basket air fryer as well as the toaster-oven style that we have.

Essentially pork-sausage egg rolls:

1.  Fry in a skillet some pork sausage or substitute (I used a chub of Impossible 'Savory' style as the 'Spicy' style is Italian sausage flavored).

2.  Remove sausage from skillet and set aside, add a bit of vegetable oil if needed back to pan and saute some onion and thinly sliced cabbage and carrot.  As it sautes, add some shavings of fresh ginger root to taste.

3.  When the mix is just turning tender, add the sausage back and mix in.  Now add any extras if desired....red pepper flakes, favorite spicings or sauces, etc.

4.  I used Melissa's brand egg roll wrappers, but any other from your grocer should do.  Place one wrapper sheet on a plate or cutting board, add a few tablespoons of beaten egg* and spread over wrapper surface, and follow with a few tablespoons of sausage/veggie mix.  I have a plate with a shallow pool of preferred air-frying oil alongside for next step:  Roll up egg-roll as shown on package, then roll once across the oil plate....then directly to the air-fryer basket.

5. Amazing how quickly these cook:  I set ours for 10 min. at 350F, but usually do not need the entire set-time.  Air fry for 3-4 min., then check each minute after for wrapper browning.  Flip each once during the air frying session.

6.  Be careful to let cool sufficiently when done.....these seem to really hold the heat when finished.

*Single beaten egg is enough for 3-4 egg rolls.  For vegan version, mix a few tablespoons of mung bean flour with ~1/4 cup water to form thin paste.  The sprinkle in chia seed or chia protein powder and stir until you get a bit of thickening.  Finally stir in ~1/2 tsp Himalayan black salt (sulfery/eggy) and touch of onion powder.  Use this mixture instead of egg to coat the wrapper before adding the filling.

Now looking forward to trying this with many other filling combinations and dipping sauces....  Hope this works for others!

John F Dean wrote:.....  Well, unless she was robbing the cemetery again.  In which case I expect the neighbors to show up with torches and pitchforks.

A bit off tangent.....  My 92 year old mother passed away just before Thanksgiving.  A devout Catholic, she went with the whole embalming, casket, and full burial.  At the burial, mom was getting her last digs in by testing her offspring's ability to withstand blustery winds and light blizzard snow (southern Minnesota).....even the priest was rushing a bit with the final prayers.  But we made sure that, prior to final headstone being delivered, she had the small statue of St. Francis of Assisi--patron saint of animals--that she cherished placed by her gravesite.  She loved pets and viewing wild animals and birds in her backyard.  And she loved the basset hounds that she had over many decades.  One particular chair in the den of our childhood home was a basset favorite.  The dog would be fast asleep, all head and ears hanging over the arm.  That is, until the cat crawled under the chair upside-down, claws ready with anticipation.  A wild bout of cat scratching would commence sending the dog into a fit of barking over the edge of the chair, ..... and it seemed the cat would suddenly poke its head out from underneath, staring up at the dog as if to say "Is there a problem here?!.......".  From stolen Christmas trees to torn chair covers, we grant our pets much leeway...can't do otherwise with the joy they bring into our lives.

Riona Abhainn wrote:I just planted a clove in a pot, late yes, but we still haven't had a freeze yet this year, so I think it will somehow be okay.

Agreed, and with that being western Oregon, even a greater chance.  When we lived in Corvallis, it was noted that the large beet seed industry near there was due to the ability of beets to withstand the winter temperatures, which then helped to induce flowering of the beets in the spring.  After the rains recede near summer, the drier air that arrives is good for seed harvest on those plants.

If I'm making it from shelf components, then I use cashew-based yogurt blended with either expeller pressed canola oil or melted coconut oil which bumps the mix closer to sour cream.  For a bit more tanginess, I add either lemon juice or food grade lactic acid, the latter very sparingly.  Then onion powder and Worchestershire sauce (vegan preparation) and a bit more salt if need be.

If making from scratch, I use a cashew/almond-based cream in Vitamix as noted above, mixed with a bit of calcium chloride (from canning shelf...'pickle crisp') to promote thickening, then microwave on high stirring every 60 sec. as it naturally thickens.  Onions are carmelized in oil on stovetop (can quick-blend afterward if pieces to large), added to the warm cream mixture along with salt and Worchestershire sauce to taste, then allowed to chill before use.  Chilling improves thickening as well and initial warming helps blend flavors.  (Edited to add:  The tart acid additions are the same with the second approach as in the first paragraph.)