Notices by Adam (inkslinger@mastodon.club), page 8

Solarpunk, but mildly dystopian: in the future, all recorded music is second-hand vinyl records played on antique, hand-cranked phonographs. No new records are produced, so recorded music is "carbon neutral," but the old records are starting to wear out and a lot of old music is disappearing as a result. The old classics are kept alive through live performances, as always, but archivists are worried that much of humanity's musical history is being lost.

#writingprompt #solarpunk

@allan But, to be honest, we were mostly just too lazy to set up the shade tent because we were only camping for one night. But it would have made the experience better had we done so, but we had to depart early the next day and didn't want to deal with packing it up wet.

@allan I have inquired with said electrician and identified the likely problem...but fixing it might be a pain in the ass. Still doable, though.

I do have a shade structure, actually, which doubles as a bug screen and is, therefore, probably better than an awning, but it's a pain in the ass to take down in the rain (whereas the awning would likely just be a tarp and some poles, which is easier to just shove into a bag when it comes time to tear down).

@Greg I'm less concerned about the interior lights, since I have a solar lantern from my pre-trailer days that works well enough in the trailer's small space (though, again, being able to run lights off the battery would be nice because, otherwise, why even have a battery?).

@Greg I have a solar panel that I eventually plan on using, but it's an A-frame thing that I can just hook up and move around the campsite. Alas, because I bought it second hand, it's missing the right connectors.

Still, I can pretty easily get by without power. It'd be nice to have for the fridge, but that's small enough that I'll always need a cooler, anyway, so the fridge can act as pantry space instead (or as an icebox, if I'm careful about capturing the melt water).

Things I learned on our first trailer camping trip:

1. I still suck at backing it up.
2. We need a proper awning.
3. There is a major issue with the 12-volt system and I know shit all about electrical stuff so it's probably gonna cost money to fix.

Overall, though, pretty good and generally more comfortable than tenting. Plus, it's way easier to pick up and go, since I can keep most of our stuff in the trailer at all times and have much less to pack as a result.

@sikkdays Yeah, it was nice to finally use it for more than a backyard campout. We've got at least two more trips planned with it this summer, plus a possible "boys' trip" with my dad and brothers.

I'm thinking we'll try to plan at least one more weekend trip, in addition to those, just to feel like we've really made good use of it this summer.

Next year, I think we're going to try a longer road-trip with it, maybe into the mountains and over to BC.

@Greg Thanks! We like it. It's only 13ft, but it's perfect for our needs and we can tow it with our relatively small SUV (Ford Escape).

We took the trailer out for our first camping trip of the year (and first ever in the trailer). It was great! The rig is so light you mostly don't notice it, except on steeper hills and bumpy roads that bounce it all to hell.

And, no @June, I didn't jack knife it (because I let my wife do the backing up, lol; she's much better at it than I am, but I need to practice because I may be taking it on a trip without her at the end of August).

@allan I'm mostly just stunned that the shop owner didn't foresee this. I mean, a cynical person might assume this was the plan all along (free advertising *plus* a new product to sell), but that couldn't possibly be the case... 🤔

Hey, look, that thing I predicted came true!

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/a-grocery-stores-plan-to-discourage-shoppers-from-using-plastic-bags-completely-backfired

Chuckwagon racing is exciting. It's "part of the culture" of Stampede/rodeo. But it's also maaaaaybe time we should put an end to it. It's basically an extreme sport, except with animals that can't decide to opt-out or retire. The horses don't get to weigh the risks and then decide that, yes, they'll risk their lives for the thrill(?) of the race.

https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/chuckwagon-rig-goes-down-on-last-night-at-the-races/

@porsupah That looks good. I don't know a lot of "world music" artists by name, but the ones I recognize there are good and I bet I'd enjoy a lot of the rest.

@allan It really is. I was thinking about also doing the Pigeon Lake Music Festival, but the dates overlap. The lineup this year looks really good, too. Maybe next year.

@gaditb Yikes. They make it sound as if Twitter (and Facebook) has actually meaningfully cracked down on far right content and, therefore, they're somehow handling it better than "Mastodon" (which they keep treating as a singular, unified entity).

I'm very likely going to this bluegrass festival in a few weeks. Fun music and an excuse to pull out the trailer (plus, it's really close to home if we need to abort for any reason).

http://www.rvwest.com/article/edmonton/blueberry_bluegrass_festival_is_august_long_weekend

I wish I had any kind of talent with a guitar to join in the jam sessions. That sounds like the best part!