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@ Jacob Goff
2025-04-14 13:33:09This is how we should build and tinker. One square meter at a time.
I have been trying to subtly preach square foot gardening to my wife over the winter. While we were planting yesterday, I noticed she had placed the cabbage just a couple inches away from each other, because based on the size they are now, it seems right. I said, you think those are far enough apart? And she quickly divided them up each into their own square foot, which is the recommended distance to maximize their growth. Considerations about future growth engaged her intuition, and giving them each a square foot made sense.
One cannot get more hyper-local than the square meter that they currently occupy. After we had finished planting, we sat on lawn chairs in the grass while our daughter chased bubbles from the battery-powered bubble machine that the neighbor had given us. My wife and I started talking about how many blades of grass were in our entire backyard. Our whole piece of property is not quite three quarters of an acre, and the backyard is about a third of it. The way to figure that out, though, is to figure out how many blades of grass there are in a square foot. After a bit of back and forth, le chat (the mistral AI) finally told me that in a more dense square foot of grass, you might have over 7,000 blades of grass and in a less dense square foot around 3,000. We didn't do the math on our whole yard, but we at least know the formula if we ever care to.
Thinking by the square foot is truly how empires fall. Realizing that the world is divisible not just by state, but also by square foot, is a critical step towards manifesting sovereignty. The world is not just cities, counties, nations, continents -- the network that we impact is not defined by armies, politicians, or CEOs unless we let it be.
As we think about the expansion of our hyper-local spaces, the permaculture design principles about controlling edges seemed relevant to me. This is from mistral:
In permaculture, the principle of "using edges and valuing the marginal" is one of the key design principles. This principle emphasizes the importance of the edges or boundaries in a system, where different environments or ecosystems meet. These edges are often the most diverse and productive areas because they allow for interactions between different elements.
Here are some key aspects of this principle:
Increased Productivity: Edges are often more productive because they receive inputs from multiple environments. For example, the edge of a forest and a meadow might receive sunlight from the meadow side and nutrients from the forest side.
Diversity: Edges support a greater diversity of species because they provide a variety of microclimates and resources. This diversity can lead to more resilient ecosystems.
Innovation: Edges are places of interaction and exchange, which can lead to new ideas and innovations. In a permaculture design, this might mean placing elements that benefit from interaction at the edges of different zones.
Valuing the Marginal: This principle also encourages valuing and utilizing marginal spaces and resources that might otherwise be overlooked. By doing so, permaculture aims to make the most efficient use of all available resources.
In practical terms, this principle might be applied by designing gardens or farms to maximize edge environments, such as by using keyhole beds or creating winding paths that increase the amount of edge in the landscape. It's about recognizing the potential in transitional spaces and leveraging it for greater productivity and resilience.
In permaculture, the principle of "using edges and valuing the marginal" is one of the key design principles. This principle emphasizes the importance of the edges or boundaries in a system, where different environments or ecosystems meet. These edges are often the most diverse and productive areas because they allow for interactions between different elements.
Here are some key aspects of this principle:
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Increased Productivity: Edges are often more productive because they receive inputs from multiple environments. For example, the edge of a forest and a meadow might receive sunlight from the meadow side and nutrients from the forest side.
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Diversity: Edges support a greater diversity of species because they provide a variety of microclimates and resources. This diversity can lead to more resilient ecosystems.
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Innovation: Edges are places of interaction and exchange, which can lead to new ideas and innovations. In a permaculture design, this might mean placing elements that benefit from interaction at the edges of different zones.
-
Valuing the Marginal: This principle also encourages valuing and utilizing marginal spaces and resources that might otherwise be overlooked. By doing so, permaculture aims to make the most efficient use of all available resources.
In practical terms, this principle might be applied by designing gardens or farms to maximize edge environments, such as by using keyhole beds or creating winding paths that increase the amount of edge in the landscape. It's about recognizing the potential in transitional spaces and leveraging it for greater productivity and resilience.
The revolution will begin in your square meter, and it will grow when you use edges and value the marginal.
We are all on the edge over here in the Nostr-ecosystem. And bitcoin allows you to store your value in your square meter without interference from those who currently control many square meters.
Stay sovereign.
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