The Human-Powered Home: Choosing Muscles Over Motors

June 16, 2009

Bikes

...of our favorite appliances take a hell of a lot more energy than pedal power can provide), but you will be able to grind grain, press apples, operate a sewing machine, and shell nuts. Dean’s book tells you how to harness human power in clear step-by-step instructions. Read our complete review here. Read excerpts from the book on Dean’s website....

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Hamlet’s BlackBerry: Dealing With the Crisis of Overconnection

Mr. Homegrown

February 19, 2013

Reviews, Thoughtstylings

1 Comment

...nversations with friends and relatives fill me in on what’s going on. Read books made out of paper! Even e-book technology can encourage mindless surfing. Reading an old fashioned book can help develop powers of concentration and focus. Use old tools: Powers gives the example of note taking with paper and pen. Sometimes older tools can help reduce distractions–your paper notebook, after all, is not going to chime in with an incoming email. Rituals...

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Author William Powers to Speak in Los Angeles

Mr. Homegrown

September 18, 2015

Events

...out his book 12 by 12 a few years ago. He’s returning to Los Angeles for a book talk and signing at Skylight Books on Saturday October 3rd at 5 pm. Powers is a very thoughtful, honest and engaging speaker. Living simply in the big city is, obviously, a subject close to our hearts. From the book description: New Slow City Living Simply in the World’s Fastest City Burned-out after years of doing development and conservation work around the world, Wi...

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063 New Slow City with William Powers

Mr. Homegrown

September 30, 2015

Podcasts

...ld Policy Institute and is on the adjunct faculty of New York University. In addition to his books he writes for the Washington Post and the Atlantic. During the podcast we discuss: micro-apartment living living in Liberia and Bolivia Josef Pieper book Leisure the Basis of Culture 350 Vicki Robin’s book Your Money or Your Life David Abram’s book The Spell of the Sensuous John De Graaf If you want to leave a question for the Root Simple Podcast ple...

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094 The American Woman’s Home

Mr. Homegrown

October 26, 2016

Domesticus, Podcasts

6 Comments

...atherine Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe, The American Woman’s Home. The book was written mostly by Catherine, with some contributions from Harriet (author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin). It’s likely that Catherine realized that attaching her famous sister’s name would sell more copies. Published in 1869, The American Woman’s Home covers a great deal of territory, everything from indoor air quality to houseplants, to childcare to housing the homeless. Th...

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