The solution seems to be a 4-1 mix of bee’s wax to modelling wax. It produces a wax that is not as brittle one set and can be removed from a mould without cracking or breaking. The wax ends up a nice fleshy pink colour due to the red modelling wax. It also has a nice modelling quality, being sturdy enough to maintain its shape though flexible enough to model with some great detail.  The awesome thing is it really seems to have the best of both of the waxes in the sense that the bee’s wax stands up better to ambient heat whilst the modelling wax is easy to manipulate.  I look forward to experimenting further with this combination.

I have also managed to salvage a mould that I had previously thought lost.  The M4470 compound I’m using seems rather brittle but sticks to itself really well.  This means that if you haven’t used enough mould release the mould tends to rip and crumble rather than come apart nicely.  This is fine for simple 2 sided tokens and stuff, but when moulding more complicated shapes it makes it difficult to remove the moulded material without damaging it or the mould itself (usually the latter).

I was just listing to your Friday show about the issues involved in the online piracy debate.  There are a few points that I feel weren’t brought up and I thought I would send you a message just in case you feel they could be important in the future.  Sorry I couldn’t call in during the show, I’m usually driving home and need to concentrate on the small country road.

Firstly I’m not much of a music buyer, in fact I listen to Triple J and that’s about all the music I need.  All of my media purchases are TV or Movies.

Whilst the iTunes price may be fair according to industry people, there are a large number of people out there that can’t afford or think that it’s too expensive.  I for one am not willing to pay that price for unknown content.  I have been burnt too many times with shows or movies that just aren’t worth the plastic they are printed on and in the age of the Internet a lot of us aren’t willing to take that risk at the prices they are charging.  Back to the people can’t afford it…  Is it not better to make it cheaper, and therefore more accessible to the greater population than put it in a price range that only allows it to be affordable to those who aren’t earning around the average wage?  Surely this would give more value to the product placement they seem to be placing into films these days.  If we all purchased the content we wanted to these days then there would be a lot of people missing out on things that they should be spending their money on.  Like food, rent and other necessities.

Another issue is that I’m not a Mac or Windows user, I use Linux on my computer.  Now whilst I am aware that I am part of a very small percentage of the potential market, there is no real alternative as iTunes does not have a Linux install.  I therefore must either choose to use a commercial OS, or make do with what is available to me.  The world is moving away from expensive products and embracing the free communities out there, it’s no longer easy for big business to make an easy buck, and it seems more and more like these big businesses just don’t know how to deal with that so they are throwing their tantrums and taking their bat and ball as well as the park.  The whole concept isn’t about not paying for stuff, but it’s about having more choice about what we want to pay for.

The content industries seem to have tunnel vision, they see that there’s big money to be made in content and the best way to make everyone pay to see that content.  They fail to see that by making it cheaper  and more accessible not only will they have more sales, but their carefully placed product placements that earn them money will in fact get more views.  There are loads of content creators out there offering cheap stuff and raising the money themselves without the help of big business.  I would much rather these people got my money than big business that tries to dictate terms.

Finally, what about the issue of borrowing content from friends?  We like to know what we are paying for before we purchase it.  Even if they did bring in laws that prevent online piracy, they couldn’t stop legitimate copies being loaned amongst friends.  They don’t seem to be putting GPS trackers in DVD’s these days to track who watches what.  The whole idea that something that is designed to be shown to the public is then regulated with huge legal consequences seems ridiculous when you think about the fact that these issues have been building since the invention of the portable cassette player.  Content is meant to be shared and watched, charging for the right to listen/watch it is not the best way to make money from it.  The content is a means to creating the branding, and it’s the branding that they should be making money from, not the content itself.  The idea that trying to view that content through online means should be illegal is in fact almost offensive to some when they are giving it away for the small price of having ads incorporated.  Most people will only buy DVD of TV shows because they have seen the shows on “Free to Air” TV.   If they provided free legitimate copies on a website, even with small incorporated banner ads, they would get more support.  All these law and lawsuits are doing is disenfranchising the viewing public from the production companies and Movie/TV Execs and giving the public more of a desire to “Steal” their product.  After all, “it’s only the big companies that can afford to loose stuff” isn’t it? ;)

I’m sure the issue arises because the Exec’s say that they are loosing sales because of Internet piracy.  The truth for me is that I will only buy stuff I really like, I won’t spend money on crap, and I won’t spend money on something I don’t think is worth the price they are asking.  A lot of the time that means I miss out on having a shiny well presented package.  It certainly doesn’t mean that I don’t buy things that I think are worth it.  TV and Movie Exec’s are greedy dicks, they prove that time and time again…  Just look at some of Joss Whedon’s work. ;)  I’ll happily spend money on good stuff, and I’ll happily collect DVD’s and Blueray.  But the idea that I’m stealing by downloading their stuff and watching it before I buy a collection I find offensive.  If they don’t want people to watch it, then find another means of making money.

Interesting side note…  Most of the stuff I buy is not the big budget stuff, it’s the small budget stuff where you can tell the people making the production are really into it and aren’t just there to make as much money as possible.  I find the Hollywood big budget films mostly crap and even try and avoid them at the movies, waiting until they are weekly hires at the video shop.

This is no small issue and I’m sure if you wanted to you could almost devote an entire week of shows to the various aspects of the discussion.

Yours in friendly free and open discussion,
Syridian.

The rule states that you give way to anyone already on the roundabout, that’s pretty much it. For anyone about to enter a roundabout they need to give way to any car on it, or any car that has the potential to be in the roundabout before they enter it. So for all you out there who don’t slow down because there is a car entering from your left beware! If that car is in the round about before you they have right of way and you could be potentially blamed for any collision. That said, if there is someone approaching the roundabout from your right but you are at the round about, you don’t have to wait for them! They have to give way to you unless you do wait for them and they get on the round about first.

Roundabouts are not 4 way giveaway sign intersections or stop sign intersections they are designed to allow traffic to keep flowing and if used properly they work very well, however if abused by both aggressive and passive drivers they become annoying intersections that can slow traffic to a stop.

Slow down when approaching a round about and be ready to give way to anyone on it, whether they enter from the left or the right. When you slow down you have a better chance of timing your entry to slot in and get through without stopping. This is what roundabouts are designed for and if people start learning to use them correctly then everyone benefits.

Membership:  The group will be established without a joining fee however members will be legally contracted for a period of 1, 2 or 5 years to contribute a nominated monthly fee.  This fee will become the basic income of the group, and monies generated will be spent in the purchase and development of the community living project.  Membership numbers will be allocated based on length of time as a continual member.  Each year membership numbers will be re-allocated based on who is still a member, shuffling down if members give up their memberships.  There will be no shares, and members will need to continue their payments or risk loosing their membership.  This plan allows for reward for loyal active members and ensures that those that are not loyal do not retain positions of privilege.

Once the accommodation block is built, membership will include a small hotel style room allocated to that member.   Members will be able to rent out their suite should they not need use of it themselves, this could subsidise their monthly payment.  Provision may be made fore some cases of financial hardship, however applications for such will need to be in writing with substantial evidence, backed by previously good payment history.

Members are encouraged to think of membership as a life goal, not just as a hobby.  The idea here is to develop a community of people willing to live together and contribute to a better living arrangement.  One goal is to have space for all members to live within about 3 years.

All benefits of membership will be allocated based on Membership number.

Board:  A Board will be created and will consist of member numbers 1 through to 7 or their appointed representatives.  The board will only have the power to manage memberships and assign appointed positions/jobs.  The board will need to approve new memberships complete with an interviewing process to establish whether the potential new member is of a similar mind to the rest of the membership.  The board will also have the ability to vote out any members that it deems to be detrimental to the community, terminating their contract.

The board will assign jobs/positions to individuals, preferably members.  These will include a complete job description of what is expected.  In most cases these positions will be paid part time positions based on a fixed number of hours or paid per specific task.  The first of these will be a Managing Director responsible for the day to day running of the entire community.  It will be this persons job to ensure that the plan outlined here gets turned into reality.  They will be responsible for setting up the rest of the positions and ensuring that the allocated tasks are being completed.  It is not the boards job to tell the MD how to do theirs, only to appoint or remove them

Finance:  The initial primary goal of the group will be to establish a sustainable income stream that will support the purchase of the property and the day to day expenses involved in running that property including machinery and accommodation expenses.  This will be mainly achieved through the monthly membership payments, however will also be supplemented via site hires and other community based business ventures.  The monthly membership at this current time is $300/Month for 1 year, $260/Month for 2 years and $200/month for 5 years and the group is looking to find at least 10 members, though 15-20 is the ultimate goal.

Once an income is established a business plan will be written which will take into account the income streams and a mortgage will be sought that include the costs involved in building a community living arrangement and farm machinery needed to maintain the property.

Accommodation Block:  The community living arrangement will be designed to accommodate the number of members at the time plus 20% for future expansion.  It will be Hotel type accommodation with each member being allocated their own small suite.  The accommodation building will also have a community kitchen and laundry facility.  The building will be designed to be modern with a medieval look to it.  Possibly rendered with exposed wood beam facades to look almost Tudor.  Plans are for it to have an internal courtyard with rooms all facing each other.  The location for it will be close to road access.  This will also form the main entrance to the property, providing a stepping stone from the almost medieval to the period perfect.

Members will have the ability to allocate their suite as hotel accommodation for hire to the general public or to live in them themselves.  This will be managed by an appointed on site manager and monies raised minus a booking/management fee will be returned to the member.

The accommodation block with be build within 2 years of the purchase of the property by an appointed developer/builder.  No aspect of the construction will be left for members to and it be be finished to the point of liveability.  Members will be able to use their rooms as they see fit without board interference.

After the Block:  The accommodation block will be the first step to becoming a fully sustainable medieval community.  The future of the property after the construction of the accommodation will be to consider the construction of a demonstration medieval village.  Plans will open to all members and this will start the phase of medieval sustainable living.  The preferred plan at the moment is to make a demonstration village close to the accommodation block and then consider small out laying medieval farms further back.  There is also the possibility of hiding a number of manor houses that may not be entirely period in the hard to get to places.  This will provide a reason for the general public to want to come and stay as well as give the group the ability to turn the demonstration village into another income stream.

The Guild Hall:  What is currently the guild hall will be finished and turned into a tavern.  The up-stairs will be left open to accommodate tables and chairs and a bar will be built downstairs.  This will form the start of the demonstration village and a gathering point for meetings and celebrations.  It will also provide a great hub for Medieval events, providing shelter for feasts and classes.  A toilet block will be constructed near the Tavern a separate kitchen will follow as the budget allows.

A Community Garden/Farm:  Establishment of a community farm will take place even before the construction of the Accommodation block.  This the produce of which will be distributed amongst those members who contribute to it’s maintenance.  Any excess will be offered to other members who have not contributed.

Summary:  This is hopefully a plan that with sufficient support by a small number of dedicated people will ensure the success of Crossroads in the future.  It will be set-up as a company, with an accountant and run with the interest of the membership in mind.  The reason for choosing an ongoing membership as opposed to a share based system is to ensure that there is an income that can then reward the membership that are loyal.  I acknowledge that there are things that need to be worked out fully and discussed with potential serious participants, this is only an outline at the moment, a direction to start moving that may lead to Crossroads continuing to be used for Medieval Sustainable living.

If you are interested in discussing this plan further, then please contact me.

Christmas just seems to be nothing more than an excuse make us feel guilty enough to spend far too much on plastic crap decorations and presents. It really seems to me that the commercial industry has taken Christmas as it’s means of screwing as much money as possible out of all of us. My memories of Christmas as a kid tend to back up that thought. All Christmas seemed to teach me was that on December 25th I would get stuff, and I learnt to expect that, to want that… It was a way of buying my loyalty to tradition. All of the Christmas traditions seem to teach kids who are innocent that they can get what they want at that time of the year, including lollies, toys and the attention of there parents who spend a good portion of the year trying to save enough to make up for it in December.  Christmas these days seems to me to be a persons way of justifying a year of not being around for family and treating those around you right for the last 11 months. Maybe I’m just too cynical about the whole thing, maybe I have lost my Christmas Spirit…

Those cynical thoughts are also mirrored by the fact that I do enjoy certain aspects of Christmas.. I like the joy it puts on peoples faces, I enjoy seeing other peoples Christmas lights displays and I enjoy all the Christmas folklore and stories.  Even whilst not being a religious person, I do enjoy seeing the whole Christian side of Christmas being displayed.

So, where does all of this but me in terms of participating in the festivities of this time of year?  I guess it puts me on the outside looking in and vicariously enjoying the celebrations of others whilst hypocritically shaking my head and scoffing at the hypocrisy of it all.  Hopefully the fact that I know here I stand will be enough to get me through the next 12 days.

Merry Christmas to All. ;)

Earlier on in the week I made some wax mock-ups for some parts of projects I have been meaning to do for years.  The future of Sveinn’s Pewter is still unclear, however the use of modern techniques in mould making have me intrigued, and whilst the process is a longer one, the results are more consistent which takes the painfully annoying part out of the period casting process.  have had a shipment of some previously untried silicon mould material and I shall be experimenting with that over the next few weeks whilst trying to complete some of the commissions that have been causing me issues.  I’m looking forward to getting back into casting and working with Sui and Owen again.

The act of stopping and starting a vehicle unnecessarily is the biggest drain on energy in the world today.  To go truly green we must not only acknowledge that, but strive to do something about it.  One of the biggest reasons for stopping and starting isn’t excessive traffic, but the inefficient control of that traffic and though I’m only guessing, I would say that traffic lights are at the top of the list of inefficient traffic control systems.  Not only do traffic lights consume power just in their general operation, but the act of stopping a vehicle robs masses of energy from the movement of that vehicle requiring driver to put in more energy getting the vehicle going again.  Maintaining a vehicles speed once it’s running consumes much less energy than the act of getting it up to speed.

Thinking of that concept on a mass transport scale it’s easy to see how inefficient traffic lights can be.  How many times have you been driving along a road with 10-15 other cars only to be stopped at lights to let 1 or 2 cars through?  If there was a roundabout there the majority of cars wouldn’t have had to stop, as the 1 or 2 cars would have crossed in when there was a small break in traffic. In fact if all drivers were to consider all the factors it’s easy to slow down or speed up slightly and merge at the roundabout without stopping a single car.  Roundabouts might not give someone that same feeling of getting somewhere fast if all the lights are their way, but they most certainly do help in averaging out the fluctuations in speed and reduce the chances that we will be brought to a complete stop.

I believe one of the major aversions to roundabouts is that not many people really know how to use them, thinking of them as a give-way sign rather than a roundabout.  The fact that a car at the roundabout has right of way over cars approaching the roundabout from that cars right completely escapes some people.  This is something that needs education rather than just avoidance.  Do you give way to cars at the roundabout if they were there first but are on your left?  Roundabout should work like merge lanes however people seem to either be too scared to use them correctly or abuse the fact that others might be.  The TAMS guide on the Internet gives one of the reasons for choosing traffic lights over roundabout is that roundabout favour the busiest direction of traffic sometimes blocking out the other.  This is only true if people don’t work together and allow roundabouts to work as they should.  The rule is “A driver entering a roundabout must give way to any vehicle in the roundabout.” not give way to the car entering the roundabout from the right.  Basically this means that if you get in the roundabout before a car entering the roundabout from the right, you have right of way.  Don’t be bullied, just be assertive.

Come on Canberrians, lets learn to merge and use roundabouts to help towards a better environment.

Other information on Roundabouts.

www.dot.state.wi.us/library/publications/docs/pim-4-roundabouts.pdf

http://drej2522.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-drive-a-roundabout

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/road-safety/2743688/Rip-them-out.html

Duty Cycle is usually used in digital electronics and defines the amount of ON time of a circuit with reference to the ON + OFF time.  If a circuit is on for 1second and off for 4 seconds it is said to have a Duty Cycle of 20%.  How does this relate to driving a car?  Well, to be honest it’s an over simplification of the amount of work your car is doing.  Though there is a hell of a lot of other factors to take into account to get an accurate figure, simplification can work in this example.  Driving a vehicle has many variables, but if we assume that what goes up, must come down, and that over an extended period of driving the route driven is averaged out, then we can eliminate a large number of factors such as the actual route driven, the weather conditions and even the health of the vehicle if the time used in the average is long enough.  What we are left with is one big variable and one constant*.  The variable is the driver (or how the driver drives), the constant is the fuel efficiency of the vehicle Though this does change from open road to city driving).  The “driver” variable can be thought of as a Duty cycle, and if we multiply that by the fuel efficiency of the vehicle they are driving we get a figure that represents the fuel usage of a particular driver.  The higher the number the more fuel used.

Now, is smaller better?  Smaller cars are thought to be better in city traffic due to the stop/start nature of the driving, however in my experience the stop/start driving a driver more aggressive thereby increasing the duty cycle of their driving.  It is also a fact that a smaller lighter car will slow down quicker due to wind resistance than a larger heavier one, this in turn increases the duty cycle just to maintain speed on the road.  Another factor is that a smaller car has to work so much harder for so much longer to get the vehicle up to speed than a larger car with much more power.  Typically small 4 cylinder cars work so much harder than 6 or 8 cylinder cars, to get similar results.  All of these factors increase the duty cycle of motor usage, which in turn increases the fuel usage.

Basically it comes down to the type of driver you are, and the uses you have for the vehicle.  Personally with the number of cars on the road these days, I think the average 6 cylinder car is a much better choice than any small or even medium 4 cylinder one.  A 6 cylinder car has the power to accelerate without needing to stress the motor, the Duty Cycle is going to be much lower for normal driving and when you need the power, it’s there without you having to stress the motor.

In conclusion, yes, it really depends on what type of driver you are.  I personally love the feel of driving a small car however having spent many years in numerous small cars, I will happily acknowledge that I certainly do not think of them as the best option for a greener future unless you are such a green driver that you forcibly impose your driving on the rest of the driving public (which meh…  may be a good thing for the environment, but is likely to cause other issues).

* Yes, it’s not really a constant, however with the averaging out I think we would find that it does not vary anywhere nearly enough to be too much of a concern and can be thought of in the context of this explanation as a constant.