Random Thought Thread

Nathan the Machinist said:
My random thought for the day:

Recycling is not working and it is making the world worse.

...
Click to expand...

Pretty sure recycling aluminum cans makes sense. Steel... Probably. Recycling lead acid batteries to make lead acid batteries makes sense, as long as that's what's in use. Wood based fiber including paper and cardboard, as well as plastic, has carbon locked up in it and should just be buried as deep as energetically convenient. At least that's my theory.
 
fnordmorph said:
Pretty sure recycling aluminum cans makes sense. Steel... Probably. Recycling lead acid batteries to make lead acid batteries makes sense, as long as that's what's in use. Wood based fiber including paper and cardboard, as well as plastic, has carbon locked up in it and should just be buried as deep as energetically convenient. At least that's my theory.
Click to expand...


Oh yeah, no doubt, recycling metal is a no-brainer.

And this is an example of capitalism working. You don't have to recycle metal, you get to. They pay you. It has scrap value.

There is a lot of electricity tied up in turning aluminum oxide into aluminum.

Aluminum is one of the most plentiful elements on the earth, but it is electrically energy intensive to refine it. Recycling aluminum cans is a no-brainer.

Steel is made from dirt. Iron ore actually. Steel feed stock is infinitely recyclable.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
I have a theory and you're not going to like it.

The barren trees might be sick. You might have Dutch elms disease.

I have a big beautiful ash behind my house that is sick and it is doing the same thing, not holding on to its leaves very well. Different illness, but the same symptom perhaps.
Click to expand...

I really hope that it's not Dutch Elm disease....


We had that tear through out town 4 or 5 years ago...it got pretty much every Elm tree in town. I live on in town and it took out 4 total trees. Took our well shaded neighborhood to looking like a new development. Hell, I'm still trying to grow a tree off of the boulevard!! Every tree was at least 60 years old, maybe 75 or 80. Amazing how fast and effective it is..... had strong, old trees diminished to skeletons in 18 months.

And yes, agree with Nathan. Starts by not holding leaves. Just looks sick and not right....

Hopefully, you have a different outcome, TRfromMT TRfromMT ! Best of luck!! 🙂
 
TRfromMT said:
Leaves and yard cleanup here today. I am curious why the elm trees in front are completely barren of leaves now, and the elm trees in back are still almost completely green. I get that to look forward to in about 4 weeks.

View attachment 2701440
View attachment 2701441

Like, seriously. What gives?

And 100% can confirm leaves and dog$#!t is a high risk situation.
Click to expand...

Could be American vs Chinese Elms (different tree shapes - Vase vs Oval)? I believe Chinese elms are winter hard (and resistant to Durch elm disease, BTW).
 
My wife’s parents property is pretty cool. They have carved out where they have built, and the rest of it is pretty much impossible to get to, (real steep and dangerous country). The back part you can’t get to is a very old growth forest, you would not believe the size of some of these cedars and Doug firs. The state did a program a while ago where they literally paid them to promise/legally never cut down any more trees on there property. I think it was like $250 or $300K.

Anyways they can’t ever cut a tree down on the back part of there property, ever.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
...

And this is an example of capitalism working. You don't have to recycle metal, you get to. They pay you. It has scrap value.

...
Click to expand...

Interesting that you put it that way... almost like you believe that a free market will find the right price for a commodity (like used beer cans, or knives of superior quality). If something is overpriced, it will not be purchased, if something is underpriced, the market will find a way to bring the price up its true value. If, for instance, someone makes a product and sells it for less than what the market perceives to be its true value, demand will vastly outstrip supply. Third parties will step in and attempt to purchase as much of the product as possible, in order to obtain a profit by reselling it at closer to its true market value, which has the undesirable effect of compensating the producer of these goods less than they should receive, and disincentivizing said producer from optimizing their output of a superior product... I'm not sure I fully grok all this, perhaps I should seek tutelage from Matthew Gregory Matthew Gregory ... :D
 
Murphjd25 said:
My wife’s parents property is pretty cool. They have carved out where they have built, and the rest of it is pretty much impossible to get to, (real steep and dangerous country). The back part you can’t get to is a very old growth forest, you would not believe the size of some of these cedars and Doug firs. The state did a program a while ago where they literally paid them to promise/legally never cut down any more trees on there property. I think it was like $250 or $300K.

Anyways they can’t ever cut a tree down on the back part of there property, ever.
Click to expand...

Brings up the argument between the merits of managed forestry vs. leaving wild places alone. I love old growth forests but living almost all my life in New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming I have a hard time loving forest fires.
 
TRfromMT said:
Leaves and yard cleanup here today. I am curious why the elm trees in front are completely barren of leaves now, and the elm trees in back are still almost completely green. I get that to look forward to in about 4 weeks.

View attachment 2701440
View attachment 2701441

Like, seriously. What gives?
That does se
And 100% can confirm leaves and dog$#!t is a high risk situation.
Click to expand...
That does seem peculiar. Is it due to the amount of sunlight vs shade ?
 
fnordmorph said:
... I'm not sure I fully grok all this, perhaps I should seek tutelage from Matthew Gregory Matthew Gregory ... :D
Click to expand...


I received my advanced education in economics through a fantastic documentary/educational video when I was young. One of the most profound statements from it regarding pure capitalism, which I’ve held onto to this day, is this:





There’s another great documentary that summarizes my thoughts on how to handle recycling that was based on a textbook by an author named Harry Harrison called “Make Room! Make Room!. Might want to check that out, too.


soylent-green-movie.png
 
EMCEE said:
That does seem peculiar. Is it due to the amount of sunlight vs shade ?
Click to expand...
All of em have pretty good sun, I was just facing two different directions taking the photos. The green one the sun was behind me, the bare one the sun was behind the tree. I am now starting to wonder, based on other comments if the front trees are Ash and the back ones Elm.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top