Smallist

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Ok, I know you’re thinking, “duh.” Of course you can’t shrink yourself to the cellular level and go spelunking in some poor bastard’s pulmonary alveoli. But why? Well, these movies always present their own little technical challenges — in Fantastic Voyage, the patient must be completely immobilized, and any travel through the heart requires that it first be stopped, lest the pressure destroy the submarine. In Innerspace, the heart remains taboo, but motion seems fine. Stomach acid becomes a problem. But these are all sort of silly compared to some of the real issues that might arise: (more…)

I thought these things were extinct, based on the fact that I only saw them in cartoons from the forties and fifties. But manual lawnmowers (or “reel mowers“) are still around, and they’re a lot easier to use than you might think. Not only are they quieter and easier to maintain, they also cut the grass instead of pulling it, which leads to healthier grass in the long run. And best of all for smallists, they take up a lot less space. Like everything else on the internet, they have their own advocate, who offers a few pointers. Among them:

• Don’t let the grass get ahead of you. That’s when these things tend to jam up and become a pain. Don’t let it go farther than a week. If you must, have someone do it with a power-model after a vaction.
• Walk at a very steady, brisk pace. Since your forward motion is what cuts the grass, you need to keep moving quickly to keep the blades spinning at their optimum speed. Slow down too much, and the grass will win.
• Mow in the morning. It’s cooler out, and since there’s no engine noise, no one will mind.

Of course, there are ways to avoid mowing altogether. Lesslawn.com has the story.

Mill Ends Park’s designation as such is pretty dubious if you ask me. See, Portland, back east we’d call that a “planter.” At least Salem’s Waldo Park has a tree, and you can walk around in it. If it weren’t for the pachysandra.

On the other hand, Mill Ends does have a nice backstory involving leprechauns, and made the news a few days ago, when it was moved back to its original location. Here’s some pics of the occasion.

And it seems to be the Madonna of parks, changing its flora with the fashions. Sometimes it has a cactus, sometimes it’s a bit more bonsai-ish, sometimes it’s more like a failed Chia pet.

Boating is a great way to get in touch with nature in an insect-free environment. But powerboats are loud, obnoxious, and get mileage that’s measured in gallons per mile. (No, really — a 48 foot yacht will suck up about 2 gallons for every mile of cruising.) If you don’t have to get anywhere in a hurry, there’s nothing better than a sail. Once you’re out of the harbor, you can hoist the main and turn off the little motor, and the only sounds are the wind and the water and the gentle clinking of various little metal doodads.

But even sailboats can be cumbersome, and marinas charge by the foot. So here’s some of the smallest models — called “pocket cruisers” by those in the know — that won’t get your ass wet.

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If Tron had a vacuum, it might look something like this. The adorable and somewhat squashed-looking LG Kompressor will actually compress your dirt into little cubes for easy disposal, eliminating the need for bags. Translated into English here. Although bear in mind that the spanish word “bolsa” means purse, sack, pouch, or stock market, so Google Translation thinks the vacuum lacks a stock market.

On that note, I wonder if a good day on the Spanish markets is called a “bull sack.”

Vegetable gardening in containers. Keep it legal, kids.

Skystream energy is selling a small windmills for residential use. By small, they mean 34 feet minimum, but they have a few pictures of these babies in the suburbs, and it doesn’t look too crazy. When I go into my Uncle Owen (grouchy unkempt pioneer) phase of life, I definitely want one of these things. And maybe a rooster.

There’s some basic, no-nonsense diet advice that’s pretty much the undisputed consensus. Here’s the things everyone agrees on:

• Eat lots of small meals throughout the day.
• Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Avoid excessive, unrefined carbs.
• Eat fewer calories altogether.

These are all good tips, but there’s minor catch 22 due to a hidden variable: Preparation time. To eat fresh food and fewer carbs tends to increase preparation time, because vegetables have to be chopped, and ready-to-eat processed foods tend to be high-carb. Meanwhile, the economy of scale favors larger meals: if you’re going to chop broccoli, you may as well chop it all.

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Treehugger reports today that ZAP has doubled its available dealers. This is the first time I’ve heard of the company, and I have to say: these are some cute, small cars.

Their styling is a bit scattershot though. They really need to get their headlights in a row and get these things together into one look. The pickup’s front is gorgeous retro, while the Obvio’s face looks like Joan Rivers:

And another thing: 29 mpg? That’s kind of ho-hum for a vehicle with two seats, isn’t it?

Whatever, the 3 wheeled electrics are adorable.