November/December 1975
By the Mother Earth News editors
"PARKINSON'S PRINCIPLE OF PYRAMIDING PRIDE" (see MOTHER NO. 35) is hard at work and reaching new heights as American engineers and scientists proudly proclaim elaborate schemes for harnessing solar energy. The latest: A proposed plan to mine the moon for building materials in order to construct a space colony of 10,000 people . . . who, in turn, would build "power satellites" capable of "intercepting" and beaming solar energy to Earth. Approximate cost: a mere $100 billion . . . not to mention the price of upsetting our planet's thermal balance.
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A COMPLETE STOVEPIPE WATER HEATER KIT for folks with wood-burning whatevers and no hot water is now available from Blazing Showers, P.O. Box 327, Point Arena, Calif. 95468. Installed in conjunction with any old hot water tank, the $49.00 kit which includes a main heating unit of copper pipe coiled within a stovepipe, a storage tank adapter, all necessary fittings, and a detailed instruction manual-is said to produce and store twenty gallons of fiery fluid per hour. A free info sheet is available on request:
WILLIAM A. SHURCLIFF IS NOW ALL THE WAY UP TO the 10th edition of his unique and valuable publication, Solar Heated Buildings: A Brief Survey. This newest directory-like its predecessors, but now with a whopping 163 entries-lists and describes (and analyzes the efficiency of) virtually every existing or planned sun-warmed or -cooled structure in North America. The price is $7.00 postpaid or $8.00 via first class mail (add $1.00 more if you order after December 9, 1975). Address your orders to W.A. Shurcliff, 19 Appleton St., Cambridge, Mass. 02138.
FOLKS USING WOOD-BURNING HEAT SOURCES for the first time this winter-and "veterans", too-would do well to get hold of two helpful government publications: [ 1 ] "Firewood For Your Fireplace" (USDA Forest Service Leaflet No. 559, 254), which tells how to find, buy, and use the right kinds of wood and [2] "Fireplaces and Chimneys" (USDA Farmer's Bulletin No. 1889, l5¢) which discusses the proper construction and care of . . . well, just what its title suggests. Ask for them at your local library or USDA Extension Office, or send a request to the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.
IF YOU'RE AN INVENTOR TINKERING WITH ENERGY-RELATED IDEAS, you'll be glad to know that the U.S. Government Patent Office will give your application "top priority" status. Isaac Fleischmann, Director of Information for the Office, says that-while the normal processing time for patent reviews is 21 months-the waiting period for "inventions in all aspects of the energy field" has been slashed to 6 months. If you'd like more information, write the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks, Office of Information Services, Washington, D.C. 20231.
