If you’re not yet familiar with Paul Wheaton / permies forums, I highly recommend this site. It is a vast universe with many little winding intricate pockets, but there is a search feature to help you navigate.
Topics: 1) low-tech; 2) deep sharing! (“public house” concept)
The low-tech section of permies dot com forums is a wealth of info! See screenshots for sample – it goes on and on like this.
“A new combine harvester that costs eighty percent less to build and can harvest wheat, rice and other grains could change the economics of grain farming on a global scale. The new “Simple Harvester” was built at an off-grid, renewable energy development center in Virginia called Living Energy Farm. It promises to make grain farming economical for small farmers who cannot afford large-scale, industrial harvesting equipment.
People everywhere rely on grain for food. Modern grain harvesting equipment is expensive and complex. Grain harvesting technology has evolved from one machine to the next. The term “combine” is derived
from the fact that modern machines ‘combine’ many machines that were historically separate. Each new innovation was added to old technologies, and combine harvesters grew very complex with dozens of moving parts. The Simple Harvester overcomes that legacy and harvests grain effectively with only a few moving parts. As the name implies, the Simple Harvester is dramatically simpler than any other combine harvester ever manufactured. The Simple Harvester is much cheaper to build, easier to maintain, easier to operate, and can harvest a wide variety of grains under a wide variety of conditions”
OH!! And see the last three screenshots, I found a real gem for anyone interested in making their home a bit of a public or community space. Honestly this is the aspect of Permaculture that really lights me up. Community, urban, neighborhood https://permies.com/t/263752/Accountability-thread-public-house-project#2619529 A homeowner in urban Montreal seeking to make part of their house available in a public or semi-public way.
And – Use this link to see the entire list of all of the forums at permies.com, it’s a vast universe in there! https://permies.com/forums