Tag Archive for 'Steven Leckart'

Halligan Bars Go Viral!

jackson published on March 17, 2009 in technology and zeitgeist. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

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Yay SuperForest!

We’ve posted a few times about Halligan bars and their indestructable supremecy. Recently SuperForester Steven asked me to write a review of my H-bar for the blog he edits: Cool Tools. I was more than happy to oblige.

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Here’s the Cool Tools review.

Now, my post has been reposted on bookofjoe.com, and the ball continues rolling. Add this post about those posts and the earlier SF Halligan bar posts, and you’ve got some Halligan-mentum building. We shall follow the driftings and wanderings of these posts on the high seas of the internet.

Where will it end? Hopefully with everyone well equiped against zombie hordes.

A huge thanks to SuperForester Steven, Cool Tools, and bookofjoe.com

Love!

Jackson

Steven Leckart – Last Day Off Grid

jackson published on April 28, 2008 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Episode 5 – In which our hero wins his just desserts, and reflections on the week past.

Steven Leckart – Day 5

Here’s a nice quote:

“With enough money, you could do this, no question. Yet, with about $5,000 worth of gear, I wasn’t leading even a semblance of the life I’m used to. Beyond the massive cutback in the time I normally spend typing at my desk, here’s a short list of what unexpectedly fell off my radar while I tended to the solar garden: all news, the election, Flickr, Facebook, my iPod, instant messaging, most personal e-mail, shampooing, all household chores (again, just ask my wife), calling my parents, and taking time to respond to the comments left on my previous posts. Thank you for reading and for all the encouragement!

So would I try this again? Maybe. Under the same conditions, not a chance. I’d definitely want more gear (short list below!), and I’d have to see about tracking down a typewriter. All this long hand is killing my wrist.”

Doesn’t sound so bad. Sounds pretty great actually.

It has been wonderful to follow Steven’s progress.

Thank you, Steven, for the Earth Week inspiration!

Steven Leckart: 5 Days Off the Grid – Day 4

jackson published on April 25, 2008 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Episode Four: In which our hero tries to give energy away.

It has been so wonderful to follow Steve on his journey towards the off grid Mecca.

Read all about his fourth day right here: Steven Leckart Off the Grid Day 4

We’re going to try to coerce Steven into a little celebratory interview tomorrow, or considering that tomorrow’s Saturday, a little Monday interview.

Awesome.

Steven Leckart: 5 Days Off the Grid – Day 3

jackson published on April 24, 2008 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Episode 3: In which our hero’s legs play power generator.

Steve’s 3 days into his off the grid challenge, and what fun it’s been so far!

Day one: He charged!
Day two: He cooked! (Or tried to)
Day three: He high steps his way to autonomy!

Watch:

A fascinating journey, and one for the books. So far, it seems like one can live a semi-normal life, without surrendering too many creature comforts, and reduce one’s carbon impact significantly.

Great news.

Go Steve!

Read his progress over at dvice.com.

p.s. We don’t mean to eCrush on him or nothing, but someone as photogenic as Steve should do more visual content. You hear us, Steve? Let the world see more of that sustainable kisser!

You’re our off the grid hero, Yo!

Steven Leckart: 5 Days Off the Grid – Day 2

jackson published on April 23, 2008 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Episode 2: In which our hero harnesses the power of the sun to make things hotter.

Read all about it: Steven Leckart Off the Grid

“…I couldn’t wait to bust out Surfer Chef’s Solar Cooking System, a simple, $35 plastic box about the size of power-drill case. So yesterday, with intense caffeine withdrawal setting in, I attempted to fire it up…

Step One: Obtain water.
[two caveats, all you off-grid sticklers: 1) I’m still using plumbing, just no hot water — for the sanctity of my marriage, flushing the toilet is the least I can do; 2) I’m also using a liquid fuel camping stove to cook my meals]

Step Two: Place water in a microwaveable bag and then in special plastic cooking pouch.

Step Three: Position in sun.
[note: I used an additional reflector (not pictured) to concentrate the light into the cooker.]

Step four: Wait.”

More! More! We want to know more!
What no vlogging? Video log that sweet sweet sweetness!

Steven Leckart: Note To SuperForest

jackson published on April 22, 2008 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Morning All!

Here we are on day two of Steve Leckart’s off the grid challenge.
We wrote him yesterday inquiring as to the progress of his off-grid survival and he replied with a nice note for all the readers of SuperForest!

Here it is:

“Spirits are high! Main panel’s got another hour or so before the sun disappears, and the generator’s kicking away at about 1/2-3/4 full.

So far so golden! I spent the morning rather timid to stay plugged in and online, fearing that the warm solar teat of my main generator wouldn’t have stamina. Man was I wrong. The panel’s offsetting the drainage like a champ. Above and beyond expectations. I’m living in a major city. And for the past 16 hours I haven’t touched the grid once.

Still, I will say that as optimistic and awesome as this is, my carbon footprint is significantly heftier than I’d care to imagine. The packages of gear that have been arriving at my home for the past week come from California but as far as Florida (actually, the UK, if I remember correctly). This is, well, pretty sucky. About as sucky as the fact that virtually every handheld solar charger comes with a bag of phone charger tips. It’s cool you can adapt a variety of different phones (it’d be cooler if cell phone companies agreed on a standard universal plug!). But here’s the thing: I use a Nokia. What am I gonna do with all those other tips!? It bums me out to look at the little baggie of sad, unused tips. Poor, Samsung. Cheer up, Motorolla.

Thus, a SF project occurred to me today!!!
CHALLENGE: acquire a Solio or HYMini charger and spend a lunch hour parked in a crowded outside area (be sure to bring all the tips); now offer to charge every phone you see for 15 minutes each.
Powering up someone else is totally empowering. I may just give this one a go myself.”

-Steve Leckart

Amazing, Steve! That’s a great idea.
It is a bit crazy to think that every cell company has a different charging tip.
(Oh how we wish we could just pull a string to charge our devices!)

Steve will be living off-grid for the remainder of the week, check his posts over at dvice.com.

Steve Off the Grid @ dvice

And thanks for the note!

Love and best wishes,

Team SuperForest

Steven Leckart: 5 Days Off the Grid

jackson published on April 21, 2008 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Afternoon All,

Steven Leckart is trying to live “off the grid” for 5 days while simultaneously maintaining his full-time job as an internet columnist.

“It’s early here in San Francisco, but the sun’s shining and there’s not a cloud in the sky. Comforting, since the bulk of power for my laptop will come from the slick 56-inch, 110-watt solar panel pictured above. Sunday, as it turned out, was not a day of rest either for myself or my dog Gus (dude loves lounging in the sun, so I figure I might as well put him to work rocking Solio’s Hybrid 1000 — that’s that thing dangling from his collar — which I’ll be using to juice up my cellphone in a few hours). Sometime yesterday, though, it finally hit me: this experiment is crazy…”

Sounds like a good time.

Steven’s writing regular posts over at dvice.com
Check in with him on the dilly to see how it’s going!