Thursday, 6 April 2023

And then there was none

 


When he was asked what ultimately brought him into the realms of science, Dr. Möbius answered without any hesitation:

”The will to reduce the suffering in the universe!”.


To describe Dr. Möbius from an outside perspective was hard. Despite being a decent conversational partner, everything in regards to him was shrouded in mystery. With every interview, more questions arose than answered, perfectly in sync to the art of science itself.


So it came that little was known about him, despite being regarded as one of the most important scientists of all times.

Much like Grigori Perelman, he preferred solitude for most of the time.

In stark contrast to him however, he never seemed to shy away from the public in any way. Being far from arrogant and witty in humor, he fit into almost every group easily and never ever was regarded as a Fremdkörper by anyone.

During his post-doc he even married his now-wife Sarah and although they never had kids of their own, they adopted two orphans.

His coworkers were glad to work with such a brilliant mind and great ambassador for the scientific community and so his rare outbreaks of gnarliness and cynicism were tolerated without anyone bearing grudges.


Despite being a physicist, he was able to solve one of the most difficult “New Millennium Fields” questions in mathematics. This led many to declare him as the new Einstein, a notion he deeply refused. For him it was merely a necessity to find the missing puzzle piece to continue his work. 

As a result he didn’t even pay attention to the direct implications his findings had to the scientific community.


The public interest surrounding the award ceremony of the “New Millennium Fields” committee managed to awaken a deep disappointment in him.

In his words, those prices put too much focus on well established scientists and draw too much money and attention to the older generation, when the younger generations would profit much more from these resources.


It was this dissatisfaction that was assumed to be the reason why he did not bother to explain his results in more detail to his colleagues around the world.

As one of the scientist noted in a pop-science paper:

“The more basic concepts of his ideas seem to be bulletproof and at least a few people understand what is going on in his work but where it gets complicated, it feels like a mind from another dimension trying to present its latest results. Dr. Möbius' refusal to explain his paper makes it almost impossible to put it into actual use.”.


Nevertheless he was granted more than enough money from eccentric entrepreneurs, when he announced that theoretically his findings should allow for a device to be built that could change the world.


Or as he put it:

“Nothing less than the most drastic reduction of suffering in the Universe!”.


Now, 42 months later, he was able to present his machine to the public.


Not much was known on the exact purpose of his invention but it was speculated that he was able to harness energy off quantum mechanical effects.

At least, this seemed the most realistic scenario according to the leading scientists.


After thanking his funders, his family and the attendees in a short but enjoyable talk, Dr. Möbius was about to show his device to the audience.


A small table on rolls covered in white sheets was brought onto the stage. On it, a black button mounted to a yellow cubic casing of 4 inch in length and width.


Skeptic whispering escaped the audience after realizing the measurements of his “world-changing” invention, as was proclaimed.

Pinheadsilence filled the room along with doubt, doubt whether the well renowned scientist had suddenly lost his mind.


With a loud and prosperous voice, Dr. Möbius cut through the crowd:

“What you witness here, is the usage of the most important machine ever created!

Not only to sentient life, but the Universe itself!

By pressing this little button, I will be able to solve all problems existing today and every problem that could arise in the future!”

Raising his index finger to the sky and letting it dive down like a missile finding its target, he pushed the button.

And then there was n-



Wednesday, 5 April 2023

The quest for an ultra cheap camping setup

Camping can be expensive. When it comes to price, there is no limit. Here I present to you a camping setup so cheap you could potentially buy it with the cash in your wallet. This attempt for an ultra cheap camping setup suffices for most applications during the warmer periods of the year.

While it will not be the most elegant nor comfortable of setups it costs around 60 to 70€ AND even falls into the Ultralight category. The prices are rough estimates on current store prices and on amazon at the time of April 2023.

So let's get started:

First item on the list is an IKEA plastic bag. This mass manufactured piece of plastic is as ugly as it gets but it fits in a lot of stuff, is relatively light weight and can be found for as cheap as roughly 5€. It can be carried around like every other bag but also be strapped on one's shoulder easily.

 


Of course it is not really super comfortable, rainproof and not quite a sight to be seen but it is cheaper than almost anything. The wonders of mass production so to speak.

Most people have at least one bag pack already at home, which of course can be used as well.

Next up is the most basic yet effective tarp one can get: the 3m x 3m plastic tarpaulin. This serves as our shelter. There are numerous setups you can create with just a a bit of rope, a tarp and some tent pegs. Those setups can be rainproof and still have a floor. Many people even prefer tarp setups over tents as they offer good ventilation and come in very lightweight. While the regular tarpaulin is quite heavy for what it is, it is also very cheap at roughly 12€.


 

Here is an example of a how to setup a tarp like an almost tent like structure:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qj1SnGPx4s&ab_channel=Richans

Setting it up like this requires a stick, that can be found in a park, or in a nearby forest. Alternatively hiking sticks can be used as well (potentially self made ones out of wood).

Building a tarp shelter is easy and only requires minimal effort. After a bit of practice it should be as easy as folding your socks!

Only downside is, that it might be a good idea to make use of insect repellent since tarp setups do not protect against mosquitos and their unfriendly friends.

Since this tarp is one of the cheapest available it creates a bit more sound when exposed to wind and is not as pleasing to the eye as other models but it can last for several years of camping with ease.

Of course having a floor made out of tarp is nice but it does not make for a good insulation nor a good sleep. Therefore a basic foam pad is a good starting point. For summer weather it should be fine and due its construction it feels nice to lay on. It is not only super lightweight at under 400 grams, it is also very cheap at around 20€. Air filled pads usually offer better insulation and potentially more comfort but are also more prone to damage. While there are better sleeping pads available, models such as this remain to be used quite frequently even by people who camp rather often.


 

Since there is no pillow included in this kind of sleeping pad, it is necessary to use a piece of clothing for that.

The next item on the list is a regular camping bed sheet out of fleece. While it is not as good as a sleeping bag it still keeps one warm and especially for summers it should do the job for most people, additionally it is lightweight, cheap at 16€ and it can be applied at home as well.

Tent Pegs are relatively cheap at around 7€. Usually people have some strings at home but buying them is also not exactly expensive at around 8€.

And that is more or less all one has to buy. The rest are household items usually everybody has:

-Toothbrush

-Toothpaste

-Towel

-Small universal knife

-Insect repellent

-Water bottle

-Shampoo

-Lighter

-Small package of paper tissues

-Something to eat (cereal bars, sandwiches, meal replacement powder etc.)

-Small first aid kit

-Zip Bags or simply plastic bags to pack Toothpaste and alike together

This setup should easily get one through one or two nights without much of a hassle.

Also it makes use of the fact, that many things can be kept when further upgrades are applied. The basic tarp mentioned here, is also a great ground sheet. The camping bed sheet can also be used in sleeping bags as an addition for colder nights.

Same applies to the foam pad, which can be combined with another insulation to protect for example an air mattress, while also increasing the insulation value by a great extend.

Of course the tent pegs and strings can be used for a variety of things and in all kinds of setups.

At last there is a list of all items with their respective price tag and rough weight:

No.ItemWeight (g)Base weight (g)Price
1IKEA Bag1001005,00 €
2Basic Tarp 3*3m1500150012,00 €
3Tent Pegs2002007,00 €
4Sleeping Pad32032020,00 €
5Bed Sheet60060016,00 €
6String50508,00 €
7Food500

8Paper towels5050
9Toothbrush5050
10Toothpaste100100
11Trash bag55
12Lighter5050
13First Aid Kit250250
14Water bottle2000

15Insect repellent300300
16Knife120120
17Towel300300

Overall:6495399568,00 €