Nigel Bridgman-Elliot

> The only way to really get to a new level in broadband is to run > fibre to every home How about a wireless network ? You might some awfully tall mounting points, how about a handy wind turbine tower I'm on 24mbit ADSL here in London.

On the issues of overhead power lines, how much more would it cost to put them all underground ? And, how much more would it cost to import building materials rather than digging them out locally ? Maybe rather then digging big wide holes everywhere to get material, they could dig a single really deep shaft..

Why wouldn't you just repair and replace if necessary the bits N pieces when they wear out ? After all, the concrete parts, they have been designed to last hundreds of years haven't they.. ? If you stop using them for wind power, perhaps they would be useful for some other purpose, maybe a moring spot for future airships.

I also came across some figures here for those interested: http://geothermal.inel.gov/publications/drillingrptfinal_ext-05-00660_9-1-05.pdf And another link about a specific manufactor of drilling equipment, perhaps someone in the oil industry can comment on this and how suitable say the Terra Invader 350 rig might be: http://www.vertical-herrenknecht.de/index.php?lang=en When I have the funds, I'd be more than happy to finance finding out the hard way the actual costs and see what can be produced heat and electric wise, as that will also allow a benchmark to be established to help better figure out if this approach could be used countrywide.

I don't believe the answer I got there! not until I've had a few other opinions with some figures thrown around to compare with, or someone who can check their figures to see if they are true or not! Being that I found a company that apparently already has been using the technology for 20+ years, dug hundreds of wells/boreholes, it makes me think that there is something in it, and its not just very well known. Its not uncommon to come across the odd green here or there who isn't really out there to help, but hinder economic development at any cost, so the answer is always no, no matter how wonderful the solution.. I reckon its quite possible to have our cake and eat it, by all means do things green, but don't foget you need to feed people and put a roof over their heads.

I would change but I like to play games too If I had more room, I might have two keyboards to solve the issue. But then, I might consider getting something like a Dvorak one as well. I wonder how long we have to wait until a mind controlled keyboard comes out.. after all, you can get a mouse like that http://news.softpedia.com/news/OCZ-to-Demonstrate-Mind-Controlled-Gamer-Mouse-76611.shtml

Following on from the subject cropping up in this thread, and with a mods suggestion to make a seperate topic about it; http://www.shetlink.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=173&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=1375 Anyone with more knowledge than I able to comment on how realistic and practical geothermal and GEOHIL based approach is in particular for providing large scale electricity generation, as an alternative say to a large wind farm.. I had previously asked in other forums but the responses was limited, perhaps there might be more people with experience of hole drilling/etc. around these parts. Nearest I've come yet to any answers: http://www.foe.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=4304.new;topicseen#new Thoughts and comments anyone ?

Surely its down to how far you dig/bore, eventually its going to get really hot! (Eg. after several km/miles.)

Apparently with the GEOHIL technology you don't need hotspots like Iceland, it works anywhere. With several hundred plants apparently in use for over 20 years, it sounds like it works.. I was thinking the borehole ground source heat pumps might work well for say, district heating purposes, rather than everyone have their own. You'd need to drill far less holes then, especially if you make them deeper, so as to keep the surface damage aspect to a low level. Even so, looking at various footage of boreholes being drilled, filled and used for heat pumps, the ground disturbance didn't strike me as massive, especially compared with the footprint of housing. (I saw on Grand Designs for example one guy who had his holes drilled under his house and part of the foundations.) But if you could build a dozen or so really deep ones to supply juice for everyone, plus a little extra to sell on, and plenty enough of heating for everyone and industry, it strikes me as less of a blot on the landscape than wind, and more dependable 24/7.

That looks nice (And spec wise too, real switches!), is the top cover removable for when you want to remove all the crud/crumbs that hide under the keys ?

It would be interesting to see some back of the envelope calculations.

As a touch typist of nearly 30 years now, I find the split ones a pain if you play games at all, as you cannot reach the keys easily. I'm also not a fan of ones with the windows key either, I find that gets in the way! I'd recommend a nice old fashioned clunky IBM keyboard built to last, a bit loud to type on, but a good feel to them. I'm constantly disapointed with many of the modern membrane keyboards, give me one with old fashioned switches! Also, I hear constant issues with anything wireless (Or USB come to that..), so you might want to think of something wired. And finally, if you cannot touch type, I'd really recommend learning, it saves lots of time. (Says he 70wpm)

I'd be interested if anyones looked up the GEOHIL geothermal link/URL I posted a little earlier and with more knowledge than I, and comment on the viability of it. Not wishing to repeat myself but my understanding is it would work even at sea, and last practically indefinently, and doesn't require much in the way of a special spot. (Though you might want to avoid hitting oil!) You could at least use ground source heat pumps to supply heating. How about solar panels ? With improvements lately you got the likes of Nanosolar selling panels 1/3 the price of what they normally sell at. (Though they are all sold out for the next 2 or 3 years..) But with other thin film producers on the horizon, and plenty of room to blanket the countryside with them, I would have thought they might be a good choice too ? I wonder how many acres we'd need..

I'd be happy with some solar panels and maybe a nice geothermal plant.

> Go Nuclear! How about that little island of Mr Hills.. Assuming that its not a nuclear free zone as well.

We plan to do all the building work ourselves, including mixing the concrete on site to be assured of quality control. (And yes I realise we'll need at least 500 tons of concrete even for the small house design.) It would be nice to find a suitable dippy hole that doesn't require too much expanding to reduce the amount of grunt work to do. Maybe if anyones at a loose end, you can pop over and I'll hand out a pick and shovel (I once landscaped my own garden, digging out and moving 200 tons of spoil by bucket and spade, perhaps this time we can afford a JCB off Ebay.) I'm very much a fan of old building designs, not keen on a lot of this fancy stuff we've been putting up this last century. I want something that is going to last generations, be low maintence, doesn't scar the landscape and big enough to swing a cat! I've always had an interest in architecture and spent a lifetime fixing other peoples bodged houses, seeing endless poor designs and general hodge podge of chipboard this and laminated that, I reckon I've got a good picture now of what works and what doesn't. Whilst I love wood, I'm not keen to build a home out of it, I want something very fire proof, and not prone to insect damage, dry rot/etc. Instead of foam, I've been looking at a layer of perlite or similar and concrete, something that doesn't get eaten away by rats or mice. You can get log cabins quite cheaply now, I think Argos do them from around £13k: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-563994/What-housing-crisis-Argos-launches-flatpack-log-cabin--just-13-099.html I'm also going for something akin to a bungalow design in having everything important on a single floor, and ramps rather than stairs, so if I need to retire with a wheelchair, everythings accessable.

One reason I'm keen on an earth sheltered concrete dome home, don't want it to blow away in the wind. Building it though could be fun.. I'm not sure my lightweight car wont blow away in the wind though, perhaps a good idea to get a nice old fashioned landrover instead. I was around during this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Storm_of_1987 http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ciBox3QHYq4 Our old brick built house didn't fair so well, the roof blew off, all the windows blew out, and the internal floors also vanished in the gale, along with all the concrete fencing, lucky it had a cellar! I remember another time before then when the front wall blew down, and I had to crawl along on the ground holding onto the grass to reach it and move it in off the road. Since then, I like to over-engineer solutions, I've since found out that railway sleeper sized fence posts really do hold up well to high winds. I'm a practical person, rather than someone afraid to get their fingers dirty with a bit of hard work, and at the age of 42 experienced enough to know that things aren't easy no matter where you go. But trading a bit of bad weather for low crime, a bargain if you ask me!

I do miss a good bit of snow, I remember the fuss my parents made when I waded through several miles of it waist deep snow across the fields one winter to get home as the bus refused to go down the road. I used to live in Manston in Kent, it was pretty windy there a lot of the time, I can still remember crawling along on my cycle trying to stay upright, bits of the roof blowing off in the wind. (An amusing tale when I was working with my dad on a customers car, it was windy and after a loud thud the customer came out to wonder what had happened, and there was this huge dent in the top of their car! they asked my dad what had happened, and they thought he said a 'A cow just fell off your roof onto your car' so looked rather bemused at him, then he pointed to the cowl lying by the side of car.. http://www.pilotweb.aero/content/airfields/airfield.aspx?af_id=79 > One reason for the breezy environment is that Manston is 178 feet > above sea level. It also has the sea on three sides, just over two miles > away at its closest point. "It's like a big aircraft carrier," says James. I appreciate that the weather will be not ideal, and whilst I like a good walk, I'm also happy indoors tinkering with things. (Though I imagine somehow I'm going to be outdoors for years building homes!) But I am looking forward to some clean air, the stuff down here is really awful, and the waters none too good either! If its cheaper to come in the winter, then we might well do that

I'm curious to understand the reasoning behind having the smaller islands empty of population, is it just on financial grounds ? Eg. If they brought in more from tax and contributions to local industry, rather than a drain on resources, would thus a population on them be more welcomed ?

Whatever happened to Prof Salter's "nodding duck" ? I am quite a fan of wave energy, there is after all, plenty of space to hide the stuff in!

We haven't visited yet, but plan to next year. I've not lived in London all my life, having lived in Kent with 10ft+ snow drifts, Cumbria, Devon, town and country alike, its nice not to have to go out and chop firewood anymore for an open fire with the joys of central heating, but its so hot here, its never on and instead we have to pay for air conditioning! We'd rather do self build than buy someplace, that way we'll end up with a property just as we like it.

Would be great on a car for parking! I wonder what high speed travel is like and road grip ? I guess cost is quite high though compared with than a single tyre..

We too are looking at moving to the place as well, got to sort out some teleworking jobs first so we can bring our jobs with us! Also looking to self build, so won't be outbidding anyone for a home We rarely go to the cinema these days, even though we are in London, its so expensive, full of less than pleasent people, nowhere to park nearby, the sound is always too loud, the picture sometimes out of focus. Far better to lay in bed and watch it on a widescreen TV with pause for toilet time! I rarely go into bookshops nowdays, they never have what I want and I end up ordering it via the web, which pretty much goes for anything these days. There was a time when living in the city meant you could just pop around the corner to any shop you wanted. But now, we don't make anything here anymore! want a nut & bolt, if B&Q doesn't have the size you want, you may as well Ebay it from China.. So we stay for our jobs, for our tiny home (All 116 square feet of it for the two of us..) that costs us a fortune each month, and with never a hope of having enough to afford to buy a house. (There was a nice 3 bedroom home down the road the other week like what I used to live in as a kid, only £2.5 million..) And with crime levels so high you don't know if your going to be robbed at gunpoint again, have to step over another dead body on your way to the supermarket, or sweep the spent AK47 bullet cases from the pavement outside your house.. I've lived in very windy spots before, I remember one place was so windy that bits of the fire escape blew away one night! And so cold, you'd wake up in the morning with your bedside cup frozen over..

Philip Jose Farmer and the riverworld series I really enjoyed, pity the TV film wasn't so good. I liked the way it looked at human behaviour if we suffered from immortality and how cooperative behaviour eventually triumphed over exploitativeness.

Are we allowed to name and shame bad dentists here ? Or only recommend the good ones ? I must put on my todo list for the future, hire a decent dentist! How many patients can one dentist usually cover ?