KW-08 We are definitely living in a simulation

We're not. And clickbait is pointless. You all signed up to this yourselves!

Around three years ago, maybe four, I started playing with an amusing little idea that the changes that humans have wrought upon the Earth’s climate might not end civilisation in all its recognisable forms. I think someone challenged me with the desperately hopeful “but you might be wrong” . Sure, I cheerfully replied, we might wipe ourselves out with nuclear war first.

I like this line of beech. I planted it for it to be a visual barrier between public space at the front of the barracks, up to the loft, and private space behind it. In another four to ten years, it will look perfect. I gave it its first pruning this week. And only took a “before” photo, so you’re going to have to trust me

Or we might be vapourised in a galactic conflict, though goodness knows what invading aliens would want here. Or a passing black hole, ejected from some supernova event a billion years ago, a billion light years distant sucks us into its insatiable gravity well. Or the Yellowstone Supervolcano goes kaboom. Do we need to even mention unaligned AI at this point?

I rattled off a list which later turned into a card game called We’re All Going To Die. I’ve been developing this card game ever since. And I just can’t quite get it to work. The problem is, all possible existential threats (the list is now well over 100) all seem just about equally likely and all equally, well, existential.

The conclusion that I am finding wrong, but inescapable, is that we really must be living in a simulation¹. How can everything possible all be going wrong at the same time. Are we really so unlucky to be living in that timeline? I’ve joked about this a number of times to unwilling audiences around the campfire, and my big punchline has always been “I guess we’ll know for sure, when NASA announce they have found an asteroid on a collision course with the Earth”.

And before you write to me saying that multiple scientists with very large telescopes and omnipowerful supercomputers have said that Asteroid 2024 YR4 is a fraction of the size of the one that got the dinosaurs, I don’t mean that one. I mean the one that’s hiding behind it!

That’s no moon, it’s a space station. oh no. It’s the moon.

The Chapter About Compost

Part 1 (of maybe 6)
Not Compost

Compost is any sort of dead plant material that has been been broken down by bacteria and or fungi that is used to improve the growing conditions of still alive plant material. So, if we’re going with this definition, then things that are not compost include:

Potting compost - a mixture of compost and other stuff. Usually a bit of sand, and something to help retain water. In commercial stuff, this might be vermiculite or perlite. Two minerals which are only ever found in potting compost and are really good at retaining water. When I make it, I use moss.

Green manure - crops grown specifically to be ploughed directly back into the ground, generally to improve soil condition.

Farmyard manure - might just mean animal poo. “Stable manure” is better because this is mixed with lots of bedding material which is probably straw, and pee, which helps break everything down faster

Vermicompost - plant material that has been passed through the guts of a worm. It’s very rich stuff indeed and generally goes under either the hungriest plants - pumpkins, or the ones which can deal with the richest soil - potatoes.

Mulch - grass clippings, leaves, organic stuff that goes directly on the ground, around growing plants to keep the baking sun from boiling all the water out of the ground and burning the roots of the plants. Two things. Both bad.

Leaf mould - a big pile of leaves which is broken down by the action of fungusses. Actually, leaf mould is compost, on account of it being plant material, and it has been broken down by fungi.

We try to use all of these at the barracks because if growing plants is about anything, it’s about improving the quality of the soil we are doing it in

We’re going to hold 4 seasonal workshops on Growing for Self Sufficiency this year. In the spring session (April 25th - 27th), we’ll learn how to make our own potting compost.

This week at the Barracks

The temperatures went crazy. By which I mean cold. And whilst it is still mighty chilly in here before the fire really takes, it seems that I have been at least partially successful with my blocking draughts improvements that I have quietly been making recently, and I have been able to do some yoga before feeding the pigs. It’s not the temperature of the air that has been stopping me, it’s been the floor level draughts. They were not the sort of things you wanted to put your hands or feet into.

I did almost nothing outside this week, other than chopping wood and bringing it in, and walking around in the snow marvelling at the icy beauty. The end of the week is looking a lot more tempting for some (still very early) sowings

The next step of the tomato house requires some accuracy in sawing. And honestly, I’m not going to even try that in subzero temperatures. It doesn’t work. Believe me, I have tried.

So mostly I stayed inside, and worked on a presentation on Vegan Self Sufficiency that I hope to be giving in the next little while - I shall tell you if it comes off - and working on the website. The mobile version was looking quite a lot shonky, so I spent a very enjoyable session or two tweaking that, persuading it into place, pixel by pixel.

I think it looks a lot better now.

And just like that, an hour passed and it is time to go and feed the piggies. I had better rush, or they will be cross with me. Which reminds me, I meant to tell you that Tony has been in a very peculiar mood lately. It’s kinda fun. I might expand a bit in the comments if anyone is interested, but for now I really must dash.

I’ll see you next time, and until then, take care of each other

Your loving Pirate Ben

xoxo

1. To reiterate. I do no believe that we are living in a simulation.