Friday, December 09, 2005

40' container to (Iraqi) freedom

Interconnection.org, almost a year ago, succeeded in shipping a container of computers to Iraq - supplementing a group already established in the Northern region where the Kurds live. It will be interesting to see where our efforts may land. The right stuff is sure to emerge in time. Inveneo.org has created a really cool all-purpose completely wilderness ready solar /pedal powered system with a satellite com-link and we'll see what that baby runs. Looking forward to it. According to Charles Brennick - the tireless captain of Interconnection.org the shipping costs should not run about $8,000 or so from the United States through Turkey and onland through to Iraq. To the South where the Ma'dan live - p'raps another couple grand.

Update - Lisa @ Trans Global Moving has a quote @ $6,900 to Kuwait = very cool. She says an armed Mad Max style escort into Iraq is necessary for anything beyond the border. Armed escorts in the region run $8,000 to $12,000. 3fty.Us is now up and running - a defaul Joomla package with some nice components running.

Clock is a tick tockin'

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Kudzu aka Pueraria Lobata aka Ohwi Form and Function Review

My kitchen now has two buckets with root in various stages of production, a third vessel carries the root in chunks, and another bucket contains the remnants of first round blending and grinding. Having weakened hands from weekend warrioring for the last several moons my grip on the machette has provided blisters well along my palms. The claims of kudzu as a hand cream and soap must be true - -- my silky-smooth blistery hands... oooh ahhhh.

Form - lifted off the of HPLC land - 14 isoflavones of varying funkytions -
Puerarin, Diadzin, Diadzein, etc..
So here's the short list on kudzu functions -

One vat in the corner is murky and smells like glue - it's about three days through its seven day adventure into becoming the goo for myself and my boozing friends. The gray starchy sediment along the bottom is congealing a bit, and we're about to test the Bonaroo Method of hurrying things up a bit.

NB: The Bonaroo Method should be fine given a 36 hour delay - necessary for the starchy sediment - otherwise don't waste your time straining.


and the oven has now reduced a few gallons of guck into several ounces of starchy, grayish glue. Having given this glue to several of my heavier drinking friends and declared its flavor to be like that of yams, heating the stuff destroys all of the meds inside.


Anyhow - HPLC for Kudzu can be done for a cost...