Wild Woila

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Thursday, January 28, 2010

A few months' worth of reading

I had planned to write a review of each book as I read it. Alas, I've been reading too much, and internet access has been too little. I have, however, been rating what I've been reading, so here is a list covering September 2009 - January 2010:

5 stars
"In Defense of Food" Michael Pollan
"This Accursed Land" by Lennard Bickel
"The Black Swan" Nassim Nicholas Taleb

4.5 stars
"Cooper's Creek" Alan Moorehead
"The Explorers" Tim Flannery
"Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" Barbara Kingsolver
"Fooled by Randomness" Nassim Nicholas Taleb

4 stars
"South" Ernest Shackleton
"True Grit" Charles Portis
"Papillon" Henri Charriere
"Real Dirt: How I Beat My Grid-Life Crisis" James Woodford
"Oryx and Crake" Margaret Atwood
"Going Solo" Roald Dahl
"The Mud House" Richard Glover
"Two Weeks with the Queen" Morris Gleitzmen
"Van Diemen's Land" James Boyce
"A Terrible Beauty" Richard Flanagan

3.5 stars
"Life is so Good" George Dawson
"Frog Call" Greg French
"The Last Grain Race" Eric Newby
"The Wee Free Men" Terry Pratchett
"The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents" Terry Pratchett
"Hat Full of Sky" Terry Pratchett
"The Secret Life of Wombats" James Woodford
"Eiger Dreams" Jon Krakeuer
"Handmaid's Tale" Margaret Atwood

3 stars
"Desert Solitaire" Edward Abbey
"Banco" Henri Charriere
"The Element" Ken Robinson
"Masquerade" Terry Pratchett
"Jaguars Ripped My Flesh" Tim Cahill
"Death of a River Guide" Richard Flanagan

2.5 stars
"Deep Survival" Laurence Gonzales
"My Uncle Oswald" Roald Dahl
"A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush" Eric Newby

2 stars
"Walden" Henry Thoreau

Interesting how the distribution is very Gaussian ...

The best shelf builder in the universe!

These have been three months in the making, and at last, they are done!

Since moving to Hobart, our bedroom has been full of piles of assorted stuff. Finally we have a place to organise it all.

The shelves are made from all-recycled timber - the uprights and joists bought from the local tip shop, the shelving I scavenged on hard waste day. The thing about cheap recycled wood is that it's rarely straight, which makes it hard to get things neat. But it's good enough, and pretty solid. It's not very easy to dismantle, though, so hopefully we don't need to move anywhere in a hurry ...

In all I reckon I spent $30 ($15 for timber, $15 for screws), and it took me 15 hours. By comparison I could have bought equivalent shelving from IKEA for say $150. But the over-blown sense satisfaction just wouldn't be there!

Next big project is perhaps a bed - I want a high-rise double bed with lots of space under it for a desk and hanging space.

Summer garden

Here is a photo of our garden down here in Tasmania. It's going great! (Click for a bigger version.)

The chickens are up in the back left. We have seven of them. Three are young chicks that hatched a couple of months ago. We still don't know if they are hens or roosters yet. If they are boys, then we'll be having a roast dinner! Our original chickens were all bantams, but the chicks came from non-bantam stock (I think) so they are rapidly out-growing the old guard. So many chickens makes for a fun feeding time.

The corn is in old chicken soil, so it is growing like crazy - pushing seven feet tall! Hopefully we'll get a good crop in another few weeks. We've a few pumpkins, one of which has its roots in under the chicken coop, and so is gradually taking over the yard. I've trained a couple of others up on the fence, and have some nice young pumpkins hanging there, rapidly expanding in size. Will be great to get a bunch of pumpkins and store them away for the winter.

We've about 30 tomato plants, most of them along the right hand fence. They haven't ripened yet, and some of them haven't even set fruit. So not sure what sort of a harvest we'll get. We're banking on a big one so we can do lots of preserving.

Down the front left are some Scarlet Runner beans, climbing up the fence. These are lush, but I suspect a possum has been getting at the beans, because there haven't been too many for us! Our bush butter beans have been more successful, and are wonderfully juicy. Also down the front is our small strawberry patch, which produces the occasional gem of a strawberry. Nothing like home-grown berries!

A bunch of things have gone to seed, so it's about time we pulled them out and thought about getting our autumn/winter crop in.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Tents

In the market for a new tent, and thought I'd record my research.

Requirements

Two person
Up to the challenge of Tasmanian (and NZ) weather: rain, mud, occasional snow (would be nice to use it for snow camping, too). Fine weather use isn't much of a concern - that's what tarps are for.
Would probably also get used as a car camping tent, although perhaps a dedicated cheap & heavy tent should be bought for that ..
Preferably two doors and vestibules (makes for comfortable use while travelling)
Closer to 2kg than 3kg
Good ventilation (decent amount of mesh in inner, ventilation in fly)
Bucket floor
Preferably integral pitch (i.e. fly first)

After a bit of looking around and asking knowledgeable gear junkies, I came up with the following shortlists. This thread on the Bushwalking Tasmania forums was particularly useful. And Bogong Equipment has got a brilliant overview of bushwalking tents.

I have both 3-season and 4-season shortlists. This is because I initially thought a solid 3-season tent would be sufficient. However, Tassie weather can get pretty bad, and it would be great to use it as a snow tent in the future, so I am starting to think a 4-season tent would be a better investment.

3-Season Shortlist

Macpac Macrolight
This tent is coming out in October, and will be on sale (30% off) for the first week. 2 entry/vestibule, 2 pole dome design. Looks to be a two-person, two-pole version of the Macpac Microlight. The Microlight is reputed to stand up very well to bad Tasmanian weather. Hard to say if the Macrolight would be the same. It has a wide-ish ridge that might hold snow. Will have to check out the real thing in a few weeks!
Fabric: 30D (3500mm) fly, Torrentwear Light (5000mm) floor, 9.0mm poles
Weight: 2.0kg (min) / 2.2kg (packed)
Area: 2.8m^2 (internal), 2 x 0.71m^2 (vestibule)
Price: $650 (RRP), $455 (sale)

Mont Moondance II
3 season, 2 entry/vestibule, 2 pole dome design with short top pole
Fabric: 40D
Weight: 1.86kg (min) / 1.98kg (packed)
Area: 2.66m^2 (internal)
Price: $470

Note: this is not the Mont Krypton, which has a built-in footprint, which has been known to collect water and act like a bath!

MSR Hubba Hubba HP
The HP is warmer than the original Hubba Hubba, but lighter. 3 season, 2 entry/vestibule, unusual wishbone design (although essentially a dome tent). I had a look at this in Paddy Pallins. It is cleverly designed, and quite spacious. However, the single pole design means it suffers from twisting problems in high wind. Also, the floor is *very* thin - you would want to use the footprint with it.
Fabric: 20D (1000mm) fly, 40D (10000mm) floor
Weight: 1.7kg (min) / 1.93kg (packed)
Area: 2.7m^2 (internal), 2 x 0.8m^2 (vestibule)
Price: US$400 (AU$460)

Wilderness Equipment Dart 2
Free-standing, 3-4 season, 2 person, 3 pole dome-style. I had a look at this in MDs. It is a great tent. The third pole makes the vestibules very big and useful. Internally, it is very long and spacious. A notable minus is that the 3-pole design creates a large flat area on top. This might be prone to pooling water, or loading up with snow. Also, it is quite heavy. The inner is mostly mesh, so could get a bit breezy in there.
Fabric: 30D (1500mm) fly, 75D (8000mm) floor
Weight: 2.62kg (min) / 2.89kg (packed)
Area: ?
Price: $580 (RRP), $406 (on sale from MDs)

Also available in a cheaper but heavier 75D version, and a "winter" version (same design, less mesh). These add an extra 250g, and cost $500 (RRP). I would call this a 3+ season tent.

4-Season Shortlist

Terra Nova Superlite Quasar
We used the Terra Nova Hyperspace in base camp on my expedition to Glacier Benito in Patagonia. They were heavy, but bombproof. A friend tells me the Superlite Quasar performs similarly well, but is much lighter. 4 season, 2 entry, 4 pole dome design.
Fabric: 4000mm (fly), 7000mm (floor), 8.55mm poles
Dimensions: 1.05m (h) x 1.36m (w) x 2.17m (l)
Weight: 2.2kg (min) / 2.5kg (packed)
Area: 2.88 m^2 (internal), 2 x 0.74 m^2 (vestibules)
Price: $990 (RRP), $690 (shipped from US)
Pretty impressive weight for a four-pole tent!

Macpac Minaret
A 2-pole, single-entry, 4-season tent. I had a look at this one in-store. It looks like a pretty good design. Roomy enough inside for two people to sit comfortably, but certainly not spacious. Funny shape means it's best suited to one tall-ish person and one short. Vestibule is not big but is functional. Needs to be guyed out well to be any good in the wind or snow.
Fabric: 30D (3500mm) fly, Torrentwear XP (10000mm) floor, 9.6mm poles
Dimensions: 1.00m (h) x 1.15m (w) x 2.00-2.50m (l)
Weight: 2.1kg (min) / 2.4kg (packed)
Area: 2.35m^2 (internal), 0.9m^2 (vestibule)
Price: $750 (RRP), $525 (sale)

Hilleberg Nallo 3
Hilleberg do some great tents. I remember walking with a guy around Torres del Paine who raved about his very nice 1 person one. The Nallo is only single entry, but there is a version (the Nallo GT) with super-big vestibule. 4 season, 2 pole sloping tunnel design. There is a Nallo 2 but from all accounts is sounds a bit small for two, so the Nallo 3 would probably be better.
Fabric: Kerlon 1200, 9mm poles
Weight: 2.1kg (min) / 2.4kg (packed)
Dimensions: 1.05m (h) x 1.60m (w) x 2.20m(l)
Area: 3.4m^2 (internal), 1.4m^2 (vestibule)
Price: US$595 (RRP) = AU$770 (with shipping)

Hilleberg Kaitum 2
Two entry tunnel tent, with 3 poles. Looks similar to Macpac Olympus.
Fabric: Kerlon 1200, 9mm poles
Weight: 2.5kg (min) / 2.8kg (packed)
Dimensions: 1.00m (h) x 1.40m (w) x 2.20m (l)
Area: 2.9m^2 (internal), 2 x 1.2m^2 (vestibule)
Price: US$715 (RRP) = AU$910 (with shipping)

Mountain Hardwear Spire 2.1
Four-season, double-entry, 2.5-pole dome design.
Fabric: 40D (1500mm) fly, 70D (3000mm) floor
Weight: 2.13kg (min) / 2.31kg (packed) + 310g for footprint
Area: 2.61m^2 (internal), 2 x 1.0m^2 (vestibule)
Price: US$425 (RRP), ~AU$580 (with shipping), US$36 for footprint

Mountain Hardware also have the Skyledge 2.1, a similarly-design 3-season tent.

Mont Bell Stellar Ridge
4-season, double-door/vestibule 2-pole dome design. Doesn't look solid enough to be a mountain tent ... looks a bit like a Macpac Apollo.
Fabric: "Ballistic" lightweight materials: 1500mm fly, 2000mm floor, 10000mm footprint
Weight: 1.81kg (min) / 2.06kg (packed) + 295g footprint
Area: 2.7m^2 (internal), 2 x 0.52m^2 (vestibule)
Price: $650 + $50 (footprint)

Mont Bell also has the Chronos Dome which is a heavier and cheaper 3-season tent of similar design.

Exped Sirius Extreme II
4-season, single-door/vestibule tunnel tent. Looks pretty good. Better than WE Second Arrow. Similar to Hilleberg Nammatj 2 but cheaper?
Fabric: 10000mm floor
Dimensions: 1.00m (h) x 1.30m (w) x 2.25m (l)
Weight: 2.65kg (min) / 3.1kg (packed)
Area: 2.92m^2 (internal), 1.43m^2 (vestibule)
Price: US$360 (~AU$500), or $530

Honourable Mentions
There are a few other tents that I considered, but didn't make the cut for whatever reason.

Hilleberg Nammatj 2
Similar to the Nallo, but doesn't slope down towards the end. 4 season, 2 pole tunnel design.
Fabric: ?
Weight: 2.4kg (min) / 2.8kg (packed)
Area: 2.8m^2 (internal), 1.2m^2 (vestibule)
Price: US$575 (RRP), US$675 (for GT)

Wilderness Equipment Second Arrow
5 season, 2 person, tapered tunnel design (single entry/vestibule). Looks good in print, but in reality this tent is very small. It has a very low roof which makes the inside feel quite cramped. It is also quite short - I only just fit in. The single vestibule is not very big, but could be opened out in goodweather. Probably the First Arrow is a better option as a snow tent.
Fabric: 30D (1500mm) fly, 75D (8000mm) floor
Dimensions: ?m (h) x 1.30m (w) x 2.03m(l)
Weight: 2.28kg (min) / 2.57kg (packed)
Area: ?
Price: $600 (RRP), $420 (on sale from MDs)

Also available in a cheaper but heavier 75D version.

Mountain Designs Positron
Single entry, two-pole dome design.
Fabric: 40D siliconised fly
Weight: 1.74kg (min)
Area: 2.7m^2 (internal)
Price: $540 (RRP), $380 (sale)

One Planet Gunyah 2v
This thing is super-light! Probably too light for serious rain, but worth considering for the mainland ... Single-pole dome design, two entries, but only one vestibule.
Fabric: 15D fly, 20D floor
Weight: 1.35kg (packed), 1.66kg (with footprint)
Area: ?
Price: ~$540

Exped Vela II
3-season, two-door, two-vestibule tunnel tent.
Fabric: 10000mm floor
Weight: 2.65kg (min) / 3.05kg (packed)
Area: 3.2m^2 (internal), 2 x 1.25m^2 (vestibule)
Price: $600

Tarptent Scarp 2
Using just one pole, a light 3-season tent. Add another two poles for 4-season use. Don't like the look of the way the extra poles are added. Probably not that great in the wind.
Fabric:
Weight: 1.53kg (3-season), 2.01kg (4-season)
Area: 2.2m^2 (internal), 2 x 0.58m^2 (vestibule)
Price: US$325

Also want to know about some Salewa tents: Sierra Ultra, Sparrow II, Bergen II $230, Sierra Leone. But no info online!

I am waiting on more info on the Macpac Macrolight. If that looks good, then I think I will go for that. Have been very happy with Frightfully Delightful's Macpac Apollo, although it was a tad on the heavy side.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Amygdala re-training

I have recently started a CFS treatment programme that is based on a hypothesis that CFS is of neurological origin. Gupta Amygdala Retraining has been developed by a guy from London called Ashok Gupta. He is only young, and is not a medical doctor. He got CFS about 10 years ago. In the process of researching the condition, he struck on something that worked and got himself better. He then went on to open a clinic and has successfully treated a number of patients. His treatment programme is now available to buy as a set of DVDs.

When I first came across Gupta, I was fairly suspicious, because there are always cure merchants out there. But I encountered a few people who were trying it, and there seemed to be a fairly positive vibe coming from people in forums. He was also at the most recent International Association for CFS/ME conference in Reno, where he presented a poster, and has been seeking support to do a more comprehensive trial of his treatment. So I think he is kosher, and I have bought his DVD treatment programme.

He has done a clinical study of 33 patients. After one year, 92% improved, and 67% made a full (or very nearly full) recovery. Those are pretty encouraging numbers!

So what is Gupta's hypothesis? At the root of it is a part of the brain called the amygdala. As he explains it, the amygdala is responsible for generating emotional responses due to sensory stimuli. An example might be if you are in the bush and think you see a snake. The sensory input from your eyes enters the amygdala from the thalamus. The amygdala recognises the stimuli as looking like a snake. It then activates the sympathetic nervous system (i.e the stress response) via the hypothalamus, and makes you feel scared and anxious. All this happens before your conscious mind has had a chance to even form the thought "snake!"

The amygdala is capable of learning. So if there is indeed a snake, then your conscious recognition of that fact reinforces the response of the amygdala. If there wasn't a snake, then your amygdala would learn to not overreact to sticks on the ground.

How does this relate to CFS? Gupta proposes that the amygdala is highly sensitised in CFS sufferers. This results in a nasty vicious cycle:

Sensory stimuli relating to CFS symptons (tiredness, pain, etc.) arrive at the amygdala.
The amygdala, because it is over-sensitised, recognises these stimuli as bad.
It kicks off the stress response, which, because of this cycle, is chronic.
It also generates fear/anxiety in the concious mind.
The conscious mind recognises the symptoms, and agrees with the amygdala: "Yeah, that sucks, I really am tired!"
The amygdala learns that it has done the right thing, and becomes even more sensitised to the symptoms.
The chronic stress response actually is the cause of the CFS symptoms, and so we are back at the start of the cycle, and it continues onwards.

So it's all in the head? Well, not quite. The symptoms are real. But they continue because of the over-sensitised amygdala. Additionally, this is not a conscious process. Rather it is sub-conscious. So it is not a psychological problem, but rather a neurological one.

How does someone get stuck in this feedback loop to start with? Gupta contends that it is a combination of stress and infection. Someone might be in a particularly stressful period of their lives. They get an infection or virus. They get over the initial symptoms in a week or two, but then they never seem to quite get completely better. They have post-viral fatigue. As this drags on, they become increasingly aware of their symptoms, and angry and frustrated by them. This, then, trains the amygdala to treat the symptoms as a threat, and to trigger the stress response. And so the cycle begins.

This hypothesis has been published in the journal Medical Hypotheses, and is available online. Gupta has also made available some of his DVD sessions. Those where he explains the hypothesis begin here. He gives an overview of the treatment programme beginning here. And there are some testimonials starting here (the one with Rebecca is the best). Note that all up he has put about 3 hours worth of video up on youtube. On the plus side, he is really quite good at presenting it.

How does Gupta treat this? Well, I would be breaking his intellectual property to tell you, but it boils down to this. The only part in the cycle we can control is the part where the conscious mind reaffirms the actions of the amygdala. The key is to break the cycle there, and then gradually the amygdala will desensitise, the chronic stress response will diminish, and the body return to normal.

As I watched his DVDs, everything he said made sense, and I could relate to intimately. It really struck a chord with me, and I could look into the past and see how events and my behaviour had triggered various episodes. But more than anything, he knew exactly what was going on in my head, and why that was keeping me sick.

I've been applying Gupta's technique for nearly two weeks now. Is it helping? I think, yes. The last two weeks have been my best since about November. I have been more able, more energetic and more enthusiastic about life. Will it last? Only time will tell, but I feel positive that it will. I feel like I have the tools to deal with any dips, and the knowledge to recognise undesirable behaviour.

Is it hard to do? Yes and no. Persistence and awareness would be better descriptions of what is required. When I first understood the full consequences of the technique, and what it would demand of me, I had a "Holy Shit!" moment. He was asking me to completely turn around the way my brain had been operating! But after a few days of absorbing the concept, I found that my thinking had already started to adapt, and that I was naturally shying away from my old unhealthy thinking. It's like this understanding he has given me has flicked a switch in my head, and my brain has seen the light and is getting to work in this new direction.

Having said that, it's possible that I'm not really doing it properly, and that I need to be more diligent to get the long-term improvements.

One unanswered question I have, is that if the symptoms are due to a chronic stress response, shouldn't that be detectable in the levels of hormones etc. in the blood?

I should outline the other factors that may have led to my recent improvements in health. I was already on an up before starting Gupta, but I am quite confident that Gupta has enabled me to at least maintain that improvement, if not better it. Other things that have changed recently is that I have shifted towards a low-carb, paleo-diet, and that I am taking a bunch of supplements. I think they are both important contributing factors. In combination, I am hopeful that they will be enough to get me better again.

Fingers crossed!

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Eco-tarian meat eating

I've started eating more meat lately, and have been juggling the environment consequences of that.

To begin with, I bought some sausages from the local butcher. I did this because I can walk there and it's convenient. By contrast, to get kangaroo sausages, I need to drive to the markets. So, I wondered, is driving 14km to get a dozen roo sausages worse than walking to get a dozen beef sausages?

According to the Garnaut Report, emissions for production of meat are as follows (expressed in kg CO2-e/kg meat):

Beef: 24.0
Lamb: 16.8
Pork: 4.1
Poultry: 0.8
Kangaroo: let's assume 0.

Let's say a dozen sausages weighs a kilo. Then the beef sausages emit 24kg of CO2. To drive 14km, even in my old Magna, would produce only 4.1kg of CO2. That means I could drive about 80km to get my roo meat, and come out even. Wow!

At Coles the other day I noticed that they now have a "game meat" section. Not only was there kangaroo, but also wild goat sausages, vension steaks, and a bunch of other things. All of these animals are hunted in the wild, and are feral pest species. This is fantastic! So by eating this meat, I can help reduce the number of ferals animals causing all sorts of environmental degradation, and reduce greenhouse emissions. With kangaroos, I only avoid emissions. Who'd have thought you could do better than roo?

My housemate tells me that they are hunting feral camels for meat in NT and WA. Camels produce a lot of methane, and there is something like a million of them out there. The camel hunters are hoping to get emission credits for the emissions the camels would have produced if allowed to live!