(Nancy) First item, approve last minutes.
(Brent) Any discussion of the minutes of last meeting?
(Mary) No comments on the last minutes
(Jurian) no comments here
(Nancy) None.
(Gerard) none here
(Brent) OK, Item 2...Welcome back to all Board members,and to our new member Stan!
(Roger) nope (whoops!)
(Brent) Hopefull, Stan will be able to join us soon.
(Jurian) quick question, does stan know how to get in here? :)
(Gerard) He was informed, but he has ISP problems
(Roger) Yea, he knows. He wasn't able to connect this morning.
(Roger) Something about his ISP.
(Brent) OK, Item 3 UNIX Servers, and possible new donation of a Sun Server!
(Roger) Everything was working fine yesterday (except the password, of course)
(Jurian) There's not much to report on the current servers, except that we now have a special FTP account for stuff like telescope images, login/pass being upload/upload
(Jurian) Anyone can upload stuff there, but not delete it or anything
(Jurian) So even IF they're told to remove it, they cannot
(Brent) OK, but YOU could, Jurian?
(Jurian) Obviously :-)
(Jurian) Just not via ftp
(Nancy) Question, will this be a published location, or will we give it out judiciously?
(Jurian) Cause that's completely locked out for that account
(Brent) Hehehe...of course!
(Jurian) Nancy: I think we should only give it out to people who have something like those images, to upload
(Jurian) And need a place for them
(Brent) Good idea...
(Nancy) I agree, and glad that's your plan :-)
(Gerard) Yes, good suggestion
(Nancy) Jurian and Brent have agreed to let the Haute-Provence Observatory .fits files, raw images which are big, to be housed there.
(Nancy) There will be more imaging of the inbound PX as this year passes, and we need a place to store them, not lose them.
(Mary) What is a .fits file?
(Jurian) Some image format no doubt :)
(Gerard) Format of CCD cameras
(Nancy) Raw image from telescope. Can detect if it is doctored or not, etc.
(Jurian) Never heard of it, but then again, I'm not into graphical stuff :)
(Mary) Ok, thanks
(Nancy) Kahuna on sci.astro has challenged any debunkers who might try to provide doctored images that he will examine them.
(Nancy) Keeps down the nonsense, big time, I think.
(Jurian) Yeah
(Brent) I wonder if I can open .fits in Photoshop for viewing?
(Jan) Sorry all - Time zone confusion :-(
(Nancy) By the way, I'm updating the troubled times.com and .org pages only every 2 weeks or so, as I must rename to lower case and all.
(Jurian) Brent: probably can, if Photoshop doesn't open it, I don't know what will :)
(Nancy) So, my alpha site is MOST current, but the UNIX servers catch up, etc.
(Jurian) Nancy: if you'd use bullet proof ftp as ftp client, it'd do the renaming for you
(Nancy) Brent, if your computer has the memory, I suspect that's the issue.
(Brent) I'll try it Jurian... :)
(Jurian) Ok :)
(Gerard) Jurian: Photoshop can't there are special viewers, that can be downloaded for it
(Brent) Hmmm.... how big are they?
(Jurian) Ah, ok Gerard :-)
(Nancy) Jurian, I may look into that, but this is really not the time constraint. I'm pressed all over!
(Gerard) Brent: there is a plugin ... as I see
(Jurian) They haven't been uploaded yet, so I don't know how big they are :/
(Nancy) WAY too much to do, and getting worse.
(Jurian) Nancy: I know, don't worry about it, I think I might think of some way to automate the whole think, so you only upload to one place, and that distributes to all servers :)
(Brent) OK Jurian, Gerard: Thanks, if I need I'll get the plug-in
(Jurian) Which brings us to the new donation.. if I can get that here at home, I can configure it really securely, and see about getting that auto-syning working right
(Nancy) Jurian, perfect :-)
(Nancy) Kiko constantly worries about losing our mirror site in Slovenia.
(Jurian) Yeah, and seeing as the amsterdam internet exchange is one of the biggest in Europe, it'd be a marvellous location :)
(Nancy) And if FreeFind or Yahoogroups poops out, then we'll need our OWN services.
(Jurian) Yeah
(Jurian) I can setup a search engine on it as well :)
(Nancy) We hit the big time :-)
(Jan) Sorry for not having been part of the initial discussion - are we talking about a new server/mirror location in Europe?
(Jurian) Jan: yes, someone's offering to donate a sun server :-)
(Jurian) http://store.sun.com/catalog/doc/BrowsePage.jhtml?cid=38938&parentId=26878
(Jurian) The medium one
(Jan) That's great!
(Jurian) Yeah, very very cool
(Jan) But will you be able to host it if you are moving … this summer?
(Jurian) I think we should just leave it here in …, seeing as it'd be in a colocation facility
(Jurian) Can't get a much better place than that
(Jurian) And as long as the monthly fee is paid, no need to go touch the machine
(Jurian) It'd just sit there and do its work
(Jan) No need for remote admin?
(Jurian) Remote, sure, but not local
(Jan) What about Nancy's monthly updates etc. - Will she do that herself, or will you need facilities for connecting in?
(Jurian) Probably going to automate that
(Jurian) Otherwise, just FTP
(Jurian) And ssh2 for remote management
(Nancy) Jan, ftp works well for monthly updating, etc.
(Jurian) The only reason we'd need to touch the machine is to do a hardware reboot, but the hosting provider offers a managed power socket, so just click a button, and its forced to reboot
(Nancy) Anyway, temporarily, the co-locating works well. This will be a year of change in any case.
(Jurian) So having it sitting in a colocation facility will work just fine :)
(Jurian) Best place to house a server :-)
(Jurian) Yeah, it shouldn't be a problem :-)
(Nancy) Jurian knows his stuff :-)
(Jurian) After the initial setup, 99.999% of all management tasks can be done over the internet
(Brent) OK, are we done with this Item?
(Nancy) Yes.
(Jurian) I think so, just need to get shipping arranged, sooner the better, moving to … in about 3 months :)
(Nancy) Do we need to approve anything like shipping cost or co-locating, a vote, as we're going to accept?
(Nancy) Accept the gift.
(Brent) OK, Shirley and I are working out the details of contacting the doner....
(Jurian) We'll probably need to open an account for the colocating fees here
(Nancy) Jurian and Gerard determined that this would cost $136 UDS/mo.
(Nancy) Very reasonable.
(Jurian) That's 25 GigaByte per month :)
(Jan) I think we should officially vote to accept the gift, and on any costs related to the re-location, hosting etc. just for the record.
(Brent) Yes, we should vote....do I have a motion?
(Gerard) 50g is $200, right?
(Nancy) Agreed, jan
(Jurian) Gerard: yes
(Jurian) We should go for the 25GB first, if we at some point need more, we'll just have them upgrade the account
(Nancy) I move we accept the gift of the Sun Server, and shipping and co-locating costs in …, estimated at $136/mo.
(Mary) I second it.
(Jan) Jurian, if this is shipped to your location, how will it be with VAT? If you ship it here, they will charge you 25% VAT on import, regardless of any VAT already paid in another country.
(Brent) We have a motion and a Second....all in favor vote yes, opposed, no
(Roger) yes
(Jurian) I vote YES
(Jan) Yes
(Gerard) yes
(Brent) yes Shirley:yes
(Mary) yes
(Nancy) yes
(Jurian) Jan: not sure, if they do charge VAT, it will be 19%
(Brent) Motion carries! we will get right on contacting the doner!
(Jan) Jurian, should be investigated further. Board, we need to make sure we can take the VAT if applied in customs.
(Jurian) Yeah
(Mary) VAT? What is that a tax?
(Brent) Does a VAT apply to nonprofit donations?
(Nancy) Brent's on top of it :-)
(Jurian) Mary: yeah, Value Added Taxes
(Jurian) I'm not sure who I'd need to contact to find out if they'll charge VAT tho
(Jan) Brent, at least here, VAT applies to everything and everybody, irrespective of any non-profit status
(Nancy) We're an official nonprofit, Delaware registration recognized in the Europe, as I recall.
(Nancy) Gerard looked into this at one time.
(Nancy) As I recall, a Delaware nonprofit could function in Europe, no problem.
(Jurian) Good
(Gerard) For what I recall, yes ..
(Brent) So, it seems, we shouldn't be charged the tax...
(Jan) Again, I don't know, but in general, the European VATs are much more strict than US sales tax, and applies to the goods, not the organization buying or importing.
(Nancy) But nonprofits get off from all manner of this type of tax. What are the rules for nonprofits?
(Nancy) We don't pay income tax, for instance, on our donations. Income tax is the BIGGIE for the IRS here in the states.
(Jurian) Gerard: do you have any idea who we'd need to contact to figure this out?
(Jan) I run a non-profit organization here. In fact, I even own a non-profit. Tax exempts only apply to services, not goods.
(Mary) Assuming the Value was $5,000 U.S., at 19% that would be $950 US.
(Gerard) Jurian: chamber of commerce I think, there is also a Chamber of Commerce for USA companies in other European countries.
(Jurian) Hmm, could you contact them? I'd have to do it from work, dont think my boss will appreciate that :)
(Nancy) I think we need to quantify the costs, but they still look reasonable.
(Gerard) Jurian: I will make a phonecall
(Nancy) We may end up spending $2,000 to get the server shipped and installed, etc.
(Mary) If we're meant to get it to Jurian, it will happen ! (;
(Brent) Nancy: yes, and considering the importance of the donation, we'll do what it takes to get the server to Jurian.
(Jan) Brent, I agree. It is however important that we do know the potential cost related to it.
(Nancy) Yes, eyes wide open, as they say.
(Brent) Jan: yes indeed, no question there.
(Jan) If however the organization is registered locally, that VAT will be refunded later.
(Nancy) Humm, good point. Does registering the server at the co-locating place, as a "place of business" come cheap? Maybe this is the way to go!
(Jan) I have just registered a branch of a UK company here. Took 3 months to get the paperwork right :-(
(Brent) Oh my god!
(Jan) Plus lawyer & auditor charges. Will cost more than VAT.
(Brent) Could we do a nonprofit DOB at the colocator site?
(Jan) What's DOB?
(Jurian) I could of course open a bank account here, and have the billing sent to me, shouldn't be a problem
(Brent) "doing business as"
(Roger) Ah, dob=dba
(Brent) Essentially a second nonprofit site.....
(Nancy) God I'm glad I'm not President anymore ...
(Brent) Opps...thanks Roger! :)
(Brent) Hehehehehehe
(Brent) Maybe we should be moving along here....
(Roger) Clearly more information is needed. Should we table this and wait until next meeting?
(Jan) I have never thought this through, but in fact I do have a slumbering non-profit here, related to some future plans. If will investigate if I can wake this to life and change its scope. Maybe this could be an alternative?
(Jurian) Jan: well, are there any colocation facilities you know of that have reasonable billing? :)
(Jan) Was originally set up by the local municipality when they organized the sewer from the area.
(Nancy) Your location is more stable, will be above water consistently. Jurian's could get swamped in a storm!
(Jan) Jurian, I have never looked into this. I need to do some investigation. Maybe you could check via the net as well?
(Brent) Roger:, we could just do an update next meeting, but persue the donation, shipping, etc, during the month. We should keep this ball rolling! :-)
(Jurian) Will do :)
(Nancy) Brent, I agree, contact, accept, then delay ...
(Jurian) If possible, get the server to me, if we decide to colocate in Jan's location, no problem, as I'm moving there anyway, and could simply bring the machine along :-)
(Jan) I'll see what I can find out. Anyhow, we should move forward on the server.
(Roger) As far as I know, we've already approved the gift and the costs to ship it, etc. We only need to know how much, etc.
(Jurian) Yeah
(Roger) Can we set a reasonable limit and have an alternate shipping destination in case the shipping costs, VAT, etc. are too high?
(Nancy) Correct, Roger, and we'll have options on all of that to chose from at the next meeting, I presume.
Nancy) Roger, I took the votecall to be an approval IN SPIRIT of the acceptance of the gift, details to be worked out later.
(Brent) Very good...moving along to item 4: Booklet production. Mary?
(Mary) Yes, just let me copy and paste.
(Mary) Total booklets to date: 58.....
(Mary) 17 Orders since Jan 1st. ; 8 US @ 1.34 postage... 3 Canada @2.10 postage... 2 Australia @6.20 postage... 4 Europe @6.40 postage (all in the last 2 weeks, Sweden, Denmark, Latvia, Turkey)
(Mary) Cost of making booklets, excluding the cost of start up equipment (copier, etc.) is $5.79
(Brent) OK :)
(Mary) Boy, that was easy! (;
(Mary) I am almost out of postage money, so Nancy is going to send me more.
(Nancy) I mailed an extra $200 to Mary, Friday, $150 for postage, $50 for supplies, per the accounts.
(Brent) Very good..
(Nancy) This is a definite success :-)
(Jan) Excellent!
(Brent) Absolutely!
(Nancy) Not sure of the draw on the PDF's but this has to be greater than the requests.
(Mary) I would like to see a "button" on the Inc. site. For both the PDF and the hard cover copy.
(Mary) Had a request for the pdf site as the person couldn't find it.
(Jan) Do we have any possibility of making a download count for the pdfs? Just to keep statistics?
(Nancy) Mary, do you mean botton as counter? This would not reflect real demand, due to mirror sites.
(Mary) No. Don't we have to go to "projects" and then to "booklet" to access the requests and the pdf?
(Brent) I think Mary means a button for a easy quick link to the pdf's
(Nancy) Oh, you mean an MENU item at left. Can do!
(Brent) Great!
(Mary) Oh, yea that's what I mean.
(Brent) Jan: yes it would be nice to be able to get a count on the downloads.
(Nancy) Mary, I agree, going into Operations and drilling down is no good for this. It's our biggie, I think, our main offering!
(Mary) It may mean more requests but that would be great too.
(Mary) This is so important that I want everyone possible to get the book.
(Mary) Questions?
(Mary) OK, end of report.
(Jurian) Nope
(Jan) I guess ZT and TT are to split up now web-hosting wise? If so, isn't it more important that TT has a prominent link to the booklet from the front page? ZT already has a link to TT as such
(Nancy) No questions. Good show!
(Nancy) Jan, the booklet IS a TT/Inc thing.
(Nancy) The Safe Locations PDF is a ZT thing, however, if that's what you're thinking.
(Brent) No questions here, thanks Mary, and good show!
(Jan) Yes, but TT is now to move to troubles-times.org/com and no longer be a part of ZetaTalk, right? Since ZetaTalk already does point to Troubled Times (but currently at the Zetatalk address), isn't it more important to get a button or link for the booklet on the TT page?
(Nancy) Jan, no, the ZT alpha site in PA Online is still hosting tt.com and .org, just the piggy images moved exclusively to the UNIX server.
(Brent) Item 5: Short wave radio project update. Has everyone read Shirley's report? Questions?
(Nancy) This just means that someone typing in troubled-times.com or troubled-times.org will GET the home page, not have to type in zetatalk.com/ etc. first.
(Mary) Shirley, do you still want the funding?
(Nancy) We have more mirror site, in essence, and the UNIX server offers things the other hosting cannot, like big .fits files, and the Awakening hosting, etc.
(Nancy) And potentially a search engine, and discussion groups, and database collection of information, etc.
(Nancy) Having your own servers opens so many doors to function!
(Jan) I thought the intention was to split the servers and addresses? Anyhow, the booklet needs a more prominent place on the TT page.
(Nancy) Yes, I move we fund her amplifier, without delay.
(Jurian) I agree, the booklet should be more visible on the TT page
(Nancy) My feeling is that Shirley will be a BIG personality on short wave re the coming changes.
(Nancy) We should get her connected without delay.
(Jan) As to Radio: Shirley & I have had a discussion re amplifier. Her last e-mail says she will rather consider moving & get funding for a tower instead of an amp
(Jurian) A tower does more good than an amp ever will
(Brent) One moment.... Shirley sent out an emial this morning withdrawing her request for funding.at this time.
(Nancy) Jan, I'm going to put the Booklet as a menu item on the Inc home page, and will also put a button or link from the TT main hub too!
(Mary) Yes, that is what I thought, but I wasn't sure everyone read it.
(Roger) I seem to remember that as well.
(Jan) Nancy, that's great!
(Nancy) I'll also add a link from the ZT home page :-)
(Nancy) Mary, take your vitamins.
(Jurian) Sweet :-)
(Brent) Any questions for Shirley?
(Nancy) Brent, is Shirley being shy?
(Jan) My main point to Shirley was that an amp only boots your output, but does not help any on reception.
(Gerard) Would be a good thing to do yes :)
(Mary) Nancy, O BOY! I may have to enlist my hubby to help!!
(Gerard) About the booklet
(Nancy) Oh, so Shirley wants to think this through a bit!
(Nancy) Maybe someone will donate an antenna and amp :-)
(Jurian) Heh, I only have an amp for my CD radio, wont work on HAM equipment :)
(Jan) In her last email, she indicated that her husband may be willing to move. My thinking is that a real tower with multi-band antennas will do much more than an amp
(Brent) Nancy: no, She's thinking "tower" not "amp", because although an amp would be nice to have it would only be usefull sometimes. More...
(Brent) Shirley: my mentor suggests that that if we find an amp for 4-5oo Dolors Canadian,
(Brent) Shirley: it would be worth investing. Any higher price would be a waste of money at this point.
(Jan) We should however be aware that if nobody donates a tower and antennas, it may cost anyware from 6K upwards. Will maybe require some additional donations?
(Nancy) Yes, this may be a surprisingly well funded year. No telling, but this is a reasonable expectation given the imaging going on.
(Brent) Shirley: there is a radio swap shop on 80 meters. Unfortunately we are not on 80 mtrs, more
(Jan) If Shirley is able to find an amp for the indicated amount, I think we should do it, but be aware that this may not be a post-PS solution due to power requirements and maintenance needs (i.e. replacement tubes), Transistor equipment will not go for such amounts, I believe...
(Brent) but at least I can listen to see if anyone has a cheap amp for sale. If one is found, at the right price, I will ask for funding then since a tower if "iffy"at this point.
(Nancy) Yes, lets all keep our personal antennas out :-) This will come together.
(Nancy) Ron felt he needed a $7,000 antenna, and the cost kept going up the more he pondered it.
(Nancy) These things aren't cheap.
(Brent) True, Shirley will keep her ears open! :)
(Brent) Shirley: to Jan - wouldn't an amp be useful post PS to facilitate moon bounce? More...
(Jan) I think realisticaly, a fully equipped tower for Shirley may be 10K.
(Brent) Shirley: providing the power was available?
(Brent) Jan? back to Shirley?
(Jan) To Shirley: I think moon bounce is a dead duck post-PS due to the antenna requirements etc..
(Brent) Shirley: Jan- yes, we'll just keep our options open!
(Jan) But Shirley doesn't even have the rig for moon bounce. MB happens mostly on 2m and 70cm (VHF and UHF), needs big antennas different from HF etc. I think we should prepare for HF primarily - personally, I will probably not get into MB
(Nancy) Moon bounce is still a good goal, my thinking, and an option we should keep OPEN for those who can.
(Jurian) Post shift, very very few can
(Brent) Shirley: Jan, I do have a 2M/450 VHUF rig.
(Jan) Anyhow, to get back on track: I think Shirely could get a used amp if she finds one reasonabley priced, but prime focus should be a tower if she moves
(Brent) Any more questions for Shirley?
(Jurian) None here :-)
(Nancy) None here.
(Mary) Nope
(Jan) To Shirley: OK, I thought you only got an HF (I only have a handheld VHF/UHF). Sorry about that. Still, I maintain that MB is a more "exotic" option
(Brent) OK, Item 7 Seed team hub Status report Roger?
(Roger) Not much to say. Barry unsubscribed from the tt-inc mailing list when he wasn't re-elected. He misunderstood that his subscription was as a member of the non-profit, not exclusively as a board member. He still intends to be the hub, for now.
(Brent) Shirley: to Jan- she will write you an email about it. :)
(Nancy) Roger, good news :-)
(Brent) Roger, is the Hub status secure in your opinion?
(Roger) I sent him an email to help clear up his misunderstanding, but I've yet to hear back from him. He may have been a bit surprised that he wasn't re-nominated.
(Nancy) Basically the hub collects e-mail from interested growers, holds a stock of seed, distributes, etc.
(Brent) Well, there is always mid-year elections! :)
(Nancy) Per Toni, he was a regular grower and had an instinct for this, reliable.
(Jan) I'm sorry I never did catch that he wan't re-nominated. Was there any specific reason for this?
(Roger) I think it's secure, but we may want to solicit others for the region, in case he doesn't have the time, etc.
(Roger) Personally, I have updated my seed inventory and am in the process of entering the data into a spreadsheet. I will be forwarding it to Nancy soon to be shifted and placed on the web seed list.
(Mary) Roger, are there any "holes" in the inventory?
(Nancy) Roger, yes, I so need to give some time to that. So over loaded here, and likely to get worse!
(Nancy) Roger, I would also, when we get a combined inventory, like your input on what I should be growing this next year.
(Nancy) I was thinking buckwheat and beans, maybe spinach, as they are "easy"
(Nancy) Will be collecting, I hope, asparagus seed at last from my own garden.
(Nancy) Roger, good show on your part!
(Roger) At the moment, I'm not able to determine any holes in the inventory.
(Brent) Yes, Roger, good follow through!
(Nancy) Then I'll do as planned.
(Roger) I intend to grow the easy stuff, beans, and corn, in the big garden this year, simply because we will be fighting a lot of weeds, etc.
(Brent) Shirley: At the last meeting, I promised to find out weather the hybrid/nonhybrid seed situation is the same in Canada as in the States. More...
(Nancy) I think we are light on beans, and they are a staple. So this will be my biggie.
(Brent) Shirley: as far as I can determine, it IS.
(Roger) I tried a few of the herbs last year and got mixed results. I won't grow any this year, as there won't be time to cultivate them. Keep the herb garden going, Nancy!
(Nancy) Yes, the ones I have a very husky. Once it establishes, you can't get RID of it!
(Roger) I also will keep my potato (both sweet and regular) stock going in the big garden, but this isn't necessarily a TT thing. I anticipate some extras, but we should be able to order tubers even at the last (next Feb.).
(Nancy) I tried to get potato seed, from planting tubers, and there were a few flowers but NO seed.
(Nancy) At the very least, we showed by being role models WHAT TO DO, re short wave and seed saving, etc.
(Nancy) Worm beds also, by example.
(Roger) Oh, I wanted to ask for a re-allocation of the $200 I am holding. Stan and I have pretty much decided we should be able to work the dirt (when it thaws sufficiently) with the big tiller. A higher priority should be mulching material. I am inclined to use plastic or fabric. I have some estimates...
(Nancy) Perhaps that is as much a contribution as anything.
(Nancy) My feeling is that you should be in charge of the money, as any large project has a DISCRETIONARY account, per a prior board meeting. So you don't need to ask, etc., if within limits.
(Brent) Sounds good, Roger.
(Nancy) I think the seed thing is $700 for the year or some such, and you're the big operation this coming year, Rog.
(Brent) Yes, you should be able to use this at your discretion.
(Nancy) We can put this on the agenda for next meeting and I'll come better prepared!
(Roger) Cool. The fabric I am looking at is $90 for a 4'X300' roll. The plastic is $109 for 4'X4000'. The plastic is clearly the better deal, but the fabric will let moisture through.
(Roger) I would need at least two rolls of the fabric, and cash for alfalfa hay, etc.
(Brent) Nancy, OK, agenda item next meeting for the seed/$700 ?
(Nancy) Brent, I will revisit all discretionary accounts, for projects, and we can look them over, etc.
(Roger) I place a personal order of about $200 for odds and ends, like Stevia, for instance.
(Roger) I will include most of these on my inventory report (donation).
(Brent) Nancy: OK
(Brent) OK, Roger, next meeting?
(Roger) End of report, I suspect.
(Roger) Sure.
(Brent) OK
(Mary) You and Stan have a busy spring and summer ahead. Be sure to stock up some ben-gay!
(Roger) Hehe
(Roger) I'm thinking of setting up regular appointments with a massage therapist!
(Mary) Ooh, the happy fingers clinic!
(Roger) Yep!
(Brent) Hehehe...OK, Item 8: Hydroponics Report...Nancy? :)
(Nancy) The current hydroponics cycle is going to seed (if polinators were available) - buckwheat, squash, beans, rocket, lettuce ...
(Roger) Shake the buckwheat, beans and lettuce.
(Nancy) This has been since Oct 1 or so, running on worm bed nutrient collected then, balanced by ash water.
(Roger) The squash will need an insect or finger substitute.
(Nancy) I saved off 10 gallons of worm nutrient and added this recently to refresh, as my understanding is that there is NO loss of nutrient if kept covered, in the dark
(Nancy) It remained dark tea colored, and the plants seem fine.
(Nancy) This demonstrates that worm nutrient can be collected, and LASTS.
(Nancy) The gypsy onions are doing well, hydroponically, and likely to bud at the ends soon.
(Nancy) I had collected the babies, and this equates to the growth cycle in the garden, as I recall.
(Nancy) The lettuce, surprisingly, is going to see LIKE CRAZY, a HUGE plant, at least 3 times the size of those in the garden last summer from which I collected the seed.
(Nancy) It certainly likes hydroponics! Of course, no bees, but it's trying.
(Roger) Plenty of nitro there, I guess.
(Nancy) I'm going to be looking for a carbon arc lamp to run next, at least by the Fall, finger's crossed.
(Nancy) End of report.
(Nancy) Roger, I tried shaking the buckwheat and the stems broke.
(Roger) Ah, too fragile.
(Nancy) Is lettuce self polinating?
(Roger) How about a fan pointed at them?
(Roger) Well, the blooms are small enough (on lettuce) to "self" pollinate, if there's movement.
(Nancy) I must include in the next cycle aggressive polinating methods, as I've been busy and just neglected, etc.
(Roger) Try setting up a fan to oscillate near them. You don't need much, just some slight movement and that will strengthen the stems.
(Nancy) So other than running long and balancing pH, nothing much accomplished here.
(Nancy) Tried a few plants not normally grown in hydroponics - buckwheat and squash and gypsy onions, etc. And they ALL are happy.
(Roger) Then you should be able to bumb the hydro-apparatus a bit each day to get the pollen to fall.
(Nancy) It's on my agenda to address next cycle, yes.
(Roger) Perhaps related to this is my peppers in containers!
(Nancy) I think a big contribution is that in my interviews (doing a 3 hour web cast this coming Saturday) I will be able to speak well to this issues of gardens and chickens in the basement, etc.
(Roger) I transplanted four plants last fall into two 18 gallon containers and have them growing in a south window.
(Nancy) Yes, my peppers are coming along but no flowers yet! They like the heat, perhaps.
(Brent) 3 hour webcast? great!
(Roger) No supplemental light, just the window. There are thriving and have doubled there folliage. I have bloom set and though most fall off, I do have some that set to peppers!
(Nancy) It is certainly possible to have worm beds, hydroponics, chickens, fish, etc. in one's house and live happily!
(Nancy) In fact, makes it lively.
(Roger) Hehe, I bet!
(Jan) And a fierce dog to keep unwanted visitors out...
(Nancy) Dog poop into the worm beds (one can substitute human poop in future) and if the chicks eat BUGS, the bugs can polinate, and it would be better, later, when buggie, I imagine.
(Nancy) LORD he's fierce.
(Brent) Jan: AH! I see you've met Max Also! :)
(Nancy) Nipped Brent in the butt.
(Nancy) Thought Brent was stalking me :-)
(Jan) Yes, Brent, twice.
(Brent) Yes, but proves to be wonderful protection for Nancy!
(Jan) Definitely!
(Nancy) I figured that Jan's wife would sue if Max shredded him, and he wouldn't hestiate, I suspect.
(Nancy) Are we wrapped up, folks) Been 2.5 hours.
(Jan) Shirley, do you also fix up people's typos?
(Brent) Hehehehe! True, good you didn't try and get too friendly this time Jan! :)
(Roger) I move that we adjourn
(Mary) I second it.
(Jan) All: I think we should have an AOB (Any Other Business) at the end of all meeting, just to be able to catch up in case there is anything cooking that didn't make the agenda. I've got one item, at least
(Nancy) Yes, adjourn.
(Brent) I have a motion and 2nd to adjurn the meeting. We are adjurned!