(Changes all the time, could be anything, really...)
Mesh communication - September 2025
When back in the year twothousandsomething we had developed the first Meet je Stad (Measure your city) stations, we immediately tried to see if they could communicate with each other without the intervention of a central gateway. Each station sends a message directly to the receiver, with no one in between. We sent text messages to the other side of the table. Not very useful, but cool that it's possible.
A couple of years later we ran into the Disaster Radio project (site contains trackers.) A mesh communication network for emergency communication that does exactly what we could already do with the Meet je Stad stations, but hopefully on a larger scale. I often made plans to get started on this, for example by adapting the Meet je Stad stations for this purpose, but it never happened.
Nowadays, I find myself occasionally worrying about the future and how self-sufficient I really am. I also try to assess which scenarios I need to take into account. Just climate disasters? Collapsing infrastructure, meaning that basic necessities are no longer available? Or even fascism and violence?
In any case, I think it's worth thinking about what kind of people, knowledge, skills or personalities you want to have around you when all hell breaks loose. And because I refuse to admit that I'm a pessimist and I see almost every problem as a fun challenge, I'm going to start building that network now.
One of the things I think we will need is a way to reach each other. Do we currently have robust systems for this? I don't think so. Everything we do is via the internet or mobile phones. If someone decides to shut that down, we are done with communication and information. So a mesh communication system comes in handy again. With stations that are not dependent on the internet and can run on a small solar panel. That calls for LoRa!
Disaster Radio hasn't been developed for a few years, but now there is Meshtastic and MeshCore (site contains trackers.) Two projects that do roughly the same thing, but with slight differences. Both have some problems. Some are practical and some are ethical.
I've been running a Meshtastic node for six months now, and a community is starting to form around it. Still, I'm leaning more towards MeshCore because they have a better system for sending messages to specific recipients. Six months ago, MeshCore was not yet usable enough, but now it is being developed at a rapid pace. Not all firmware for devices is open source, but the basis is. This means that you can choose a device for which open source firmware is available, or you can write that firmware yourself and add it to the public domain. In terms of hardware, it is hardly worth developing anything yourself, because for 20 euros you can get a complete set that you can turn into a mesh communication node.
I am planning to organise a craft and sorting afternoon on Saturday 8 November (2025) from 1 p.m. onwards, where we will start building a physical network. We may continue into the evening. If you would like to join us, please send me a message at Element or per mail. Or just drop by with your knowledge or your toys.
Tempeh maker - August 2025
Tempeh is is nice, but if you ask me you shouldn't make it with soy. I don't like that specific sour aftertaste. Fortunately, you can make it from all kinds of beans. Tempeh is made by allowing a fungus (Rhyzopus) to grow on the beans. This fungus produces enzymes that partially break down the proteins and fibres. This makes the beans easier to digest and very tasty. The fungus grows in and between the beans, turning them into a sliceable slab that you can fry. Tempeh has a very pleasant texture and smells fresh. You don't need any special equipment to make tempeh, but you do need a place with a little ventilation and a temperature of around 30 degrees. And you need to order some mould spores.
The beans that have worked well for me so far are soybeans (a lot of hassle because the skins have to be removed after cooking), red or yellow lentils, split peas and chickpeas (a bit of a hassle because they are too big and you have to cut them in half).
Required:
- 500 grams of beans, cooked until almost done, cooled and reasonably dry
- 1 teaspoon of tempeh starter (I buy it at topcultures.com)
- 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar or wine vinegar
- a zip-lock bag, or perhaps two
- a small rack to allow it to continue growing
- a warm spot
Do:- Mix the almost cooked beans at 30 degrees centigrade or less with the vinegar and the starter
- Spoon into bags, pressing lightly until it becomes a cake about 2 cm thick
- Stab holes in the bag every 2 cm with a needle, place the bag flat on the rack in a warm place
- Smell every day; if it smells rotten, ditch it
- Eat or freeze after 3 days
You don't have to be extremely hygienic, but a little cleanliness increases your chances of success. I often add a few extra spores to be on the safe side, because the mould competes with other moulds. So it's better if the good mould dominates. The vinegar ensures that many bacteria don't stand a chance, except for lactic acid bacteria. The latter can withstand acidity well but are not harmful. You can tell by the smell whether the tempeh has been successful. If it smells musty, don't eat it. If it smells like mushrooms, it's fine. Trust me, my stomach is used to a lot; you really should NOT eat bad tempeh. It won't make you sick immediately, but worse, it will release toxins that affect your liver.
Tempeh maker
In the summer of 2025 we built a tempeh maker at Koppelting. It is inspired by the design of Domingoclub in Barcelona. They sell kits or complete machines. I made some different choices, but I am not planning on selling stuff, so if you want (to build) one, check out their website. But a small grill behind your fridge or on top of your boiler will also work just fine.
Sokck knitting machine - December 2024
I will get into that one when I get cold feet.
Drumming - 2023 to ∞!
Drumming is addictive!
You can take lessons here: https://muzieklesinamersfoort.nl/ (oops, website contains trackers!)