Tag: Eternal Road – The final stop

Friday JohnKu – AKA -TGIF – Fri-Yay/Good News

~ John W. Howell ~ 64 Comments
Co-inventor Jon Bessette sits atop a trailer housing the electrodialysis desalination system – credit Shane Pratt, via MIT Press

 

Today’s good news story comes from the Good News Network.

Hyper Efficient Solar-Powered Desalination System Requires No Extra Batteries to Purify Groundwater

By Andy Corbley–

An engineering team from MIT has designed a solar-powered groundwater desalination device that could supply over 1,000 gallons per day and doesn’t require batteries.

Envisioned as a way to provide water to communities whose groundwater is too brackish to drink, the device’s real trick is adjusting its desalination activity in response to the amount of solar power it produces.

Multiple times every second, the central control module takes readings of the strength of the sunlight and pumps correspondingly more or less water through the electrodialysis membrane stack. This innovation allows the whole package to skip the necessity for battery storage for times when the panels are producing more energy than the system is using.

No batteries means much lower costs and shipping weight, making it ideal for rural communities in arid parts of the Global South or southern United States with ample yearly sunshine and brackish groundwater.

Electrodialysis is one of two methods for desalinating water, with the other being reverse osmosis. Both have drawbacks at both the micro and macro scale, and in the case of electrodialysis, it requires electricity, which is typically produced by fossil fuels. Renewables have replaced them before, but challenges persist.

“The majority of the population actually lives far enough from the coast that seawater desalination could never reach them. They consequently rely heavily on groundwater, especially in remote, low-income regions,” says Jonathan Bessette, MIT PhD student in mechanical engineering and co-author on the project.

“[U]nfortunately, this groundwater is becoming more and more saline due to climate change. This technology could bring sustainable, affordable clean water to under-reached places around the world.”

For Bessette and the team behind the invention, their biggest challenge was establishing feedback mechanisms in the system that were sharp enough to detect minute changes in sunlight, for example, if a whisp of cloud passes by.

Over months of testing and improvements, their “flow command-current control” module gradually reached the point at which 94% of the solar power generated by the panels was utilized immediately to pump water through the desalination system without any lag and any transfer of power to a battery.

During a 6-month field trial at the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility in Alamogordo, New Mexico, the system produced 5,000 liters of water per day despite large swings in weather and available sunlight.

“Conventional desalination technologies require steady power and need battery storage to smooth out a variable power source like solar,” explains Amos Winter, a decorated professor of mechanical engineering at MIT. “Being able to make drinking water with renewables, without requiring battery storage, is a massive grand challenge. And we’ve done it.”

Amos and Bessette are now looking to form a company to develop the technology into a product to help water-stressed communities worldwide.

The good news about this story is that fresh water can be made without using fossil fuels. Today’s JohnKu talks about chipping away at innovation. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Perseverance by John W. Howell © 2025

Big problems exist,

Continued working on them . . .

produces results.

Thursday – A Little Personal – Twiggy and Tempeste on a Walk

~ John W. Howell ~ 103 Comments

Tempeste. Look out the window, there is a lot to see.”

“I like to keep things under control by looking down.”

“This is a great park. Let’s go to the chess players.”

“What are chess players?”

“It’s a sculpture of two beings involved in a chess game.”

A game of chest. That sounds odd.”

“It is an ancient game of strategy. And it’s chess, not chest.

“Looks pretty boring if you ask me.”

These elk sculptures look life-like, don’t they?”

“That is a serious set of antlers.”

Tempeste. Quit that.”

“I just want to see if it is anyone I know.”

Let’s head over to the heron.

“We should be quiet and not scare him.”

“He’s made of bronze and not going anywhere.”

“That is good to know. I like him.”

“How about that old log over there?”

“There could be some interesting creatures in it.”

“Well, that was a bust. Not even a spider.”

“You would at least expect some hapless ant.”

“I want to show you the bridge and creek.”

“This has been a great walk so far.”

“Some of the creek flows through the culvert.”

“Yeah, I see that.”

“Some also flows under the bridge.”

“This looks new.”

“It is. You can see the old foot path crossing.”

“I want to go down there.”

“Be careful. You don’t want to slip off the footpath.”

“This is much more interesting than the bridge.”

“Yes, it is, and more dangerous. Let’s go to the greenbelt entrance.”

“Okay. Hey wait. I see something in the water.”

“What did you see?”

“A black dog looking back at me.”

You are kidding me, right?”

“Yes, I am. This is beautiful.”

“A favorite place.”

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Finger Point Prompt – “Laundering.”

~ John W. Howell ~ 64 Comments

Today, I randomly opened Circumstances of Childhood to page 159, pointed to the page with my eyes closed, and my finger fell on the word “laundering.” This will be the prompt today.

Laundering by John W. Howell © 2025

“What are you doing?”

“The laundry. What does it look like?”

“I’m not really sure. I thought laundering was done in a machine.”

“Yeah, well, this is the best we’ve got. Rocks and the river bank.”

“That looks like a hard way to go.”

“If you have a better idea, I’d like to hear it.”

“No offense, but I can’t see how you do the laundry.”

“See this rock?”

“Yes.”

“I take this crawfish here and hit it on the rock.”

“So you are having lunch. Why did you say laundry?”

“Any fool could see I was eating. Asking what I was doing begged for a smart-assed answer.”

“I suppose.”

“Besides, I didn’t want to ask you to share my lunch.”

“Yeah, I really get that. I can get my own lunch.”

“Don’t be touching these crawfish. They’re mine.”

“Don’t worry. I’m going to hit that new restaurant.”

“The one with the spicy food?”

“Yeah.”

“How can you stand that heat?”

“I avoid it.”

“How?”

“I look for French fries and salad when I enter the dumpster. I leave the hot stuff to the rats.”

“Well, it seems that no self-respecting raccoon needs to dumpster dive. You can always fish.”

“With you guarding the river?”

“Okay, you got me there. Here, have a few mussels.”

“Oh, I’m allergic.”

“Then it’s the dumpster.”

“How about a crawfish?”

“I caught these myself. Why don’t you catch your own?”

“And get wet?”

“You sure you are a raccoon like me? You sound more like a pussy cat.”

“Hey, I got the mask.”

“You do. I think you are hiding behind it.”

“Okay, step aside, I’m going into the river for crawfish.”

“Atta boy.”

 

 

 

Views of the Neighborhood – Lake Travis High School Student Art Exhibition – Lakeway City Hall

~ John W. Howell ~ 78 Comments
Today, we are visiting the Lakeway City Hall to view the high school students’ art exhibition. We are catered by the Cypress Grill in Austin. Our entertainment is Alice Cooper.
Menu
Creole Eggs Benedict – English muffin, poached eggs, Cajun tasso ham, Creole hollandaise, served with one side (also available with classic hollandaise sauce)
Eggs Napoleon– English muffin, poached eggs topped with crawfish etouffee and cheddar-jack cheese, served with choice of one side
Loaded Biscuit – Buttermilk biscuit open-faced, topped with Cajun tasso ham, andouille sausage gravy, and two eggs your way
Shrimp & Grits – Gulf shrimp, andouille sausage, and red peppers in a traditional low country gravy, atop our creamy garlic cheese grits with crumbled bacon
Spanky Special – Sandwich with fried egg, American cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and mayo on toasted whole wheat
Jambalaya -Country-style – Jambalaya with chicken and andouille sausage. Add two eggs any way you like them to make the Jambalaya Breakfast Bowl, add $2.50
Trout Meuniere – Fresh rainbow trout, dusted in seasoned flour, pan-sauteed, topped with lemon-parsley-butter sauce, served over white rice with choice of one side and garlic bread
Picture of an old time school bus
Let’s go
Here we are at the full exhibition. We need to look closer at each. A word about the photos. The lighting in the city hall is conducive to art photos, especially if the pieces are under glass. Also, the art is hung at different heights, so it is challenging to get a straight-on shot. (Crawling on the floor is not in my toolkit.) So I have cropped the pieces as best I can to eliminate glare while trying not to eliminate large portions of the art. I mentioned to The Producer that this may be my last art feature from City Hall.
Split Identity by Sunetra Rho
The Peacock by Vaishnavi Senthil
The Magpie by Joy Zhou
Self Reflections by Carolyn Hall
Parade of Onion by Harper Garrison
A Sweet Mess by Carolyn Hall
Late Night Ride by Vincent Sullivan
Unholy War, Holy Light by Daryna Singh
The Apple of His Eye – Charlotte Ahrendt
Fractured Intentions by Harper Garrison
Mother’s Love by Caitlyn VanderMeer
Ofa by Sunetra Rao
Illuminated by Pretty Green Lights – Sunetra Rao
  Perfectionist by Caitlyn VanderMeer – No description of materials
Becoming Still by Harper Garrison
Nyxaros by Ayushi Sampath
Our Heroic Journey by Ayushi Sampath
I hope you enjoyed the art and are impressed with these high school students’ work. It is time now ro relax and have some food and listen to the music.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – “That Time”

~ John W. Howell ~ 46 Comments

A picture of a string with drops of water- the logo for SoCS

 

A ton of rain last night. The lightning was spectacular, with what could be called friendly thunder. It more or less rolled like some songwriters describe. It brought to mind that time when a heavy downpour and wind took out the tent in the backyard. A quick check confirmed that the tent was still there. The coffee machine rewarded that result with a piping hot, creamy, big cup of cappuccino. The first sip brought the head-cracking sound of the Westminster chimes resulting from some idiot pushing the doorbell with a sign over it not to do that.” Twiggy and Tempest put several scratches in the ceiling as they defy gravity to ward off the intruder that death is imminent. A knuckle bone tossed into the soundproof room saves the crystal from turning to dust. Slamming the door while making a mental note that a skull and crossbones must also be put out by the doorbell.

A glance at the camera playback shows a sign that says, “Special Delivery from Linda Hill.” Screaming through the intercom to just leave it, it is responded to by two words. “Must sign.” Cursing quietly, the security shut-down process begins. The SWAT team needs to be put on standby. A quick text to the leader confirms that status. Also, the flight of A-10 Warthogs must be diverted. Another call to the commander puts that worry to rest. The control panel makes the shutdown of the security system process simpler. The boiling oil vats are put on standby, the Trebuchet on safety, the concertina wire rolled, the Claymore mines reset, the tower Gattling guns disengaged, the moat net dropped, the alligators fed, the IEDs and shoulder-held rockets put away. The locks on the door are thrown.

Standing before me with the sign is the stinkiest delivery person on the planet. This person appears to look and smell very much like Pepe Le Peu. Under his arm is a cat blinking help me in Morse code with her eyelids. Pepe hands me the envelope and a clipboard. Once signed, he and the cat disappear down the road. The envelope is opened and the message is clear Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “that time.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

To see what others have done with the prompt, visit Linda’s post. Here is the link: https://lindaghill.com/2025/05/23/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-may-24-2025/

That Time by John W. Howell © 2025

“Remember that time when we had a ride in the back of an Uber truck.”

“There have been so many inconveniences to remember, I can’t recall.”

“There were cows in there and we had to share space with the,”

“I really don’t recall. Are you making that up?”

“No. I just want you to know things could be worse.”

“Worse than what?”

“Today’s Uber.”

“Oh no. You did another deal.”

“Yup. They are going to pay us for riding.”

“Oh, oh. When that happens, it means work.”

“Not this time. Look over there.”

photo by Dan Antion

“Nope, sorry. Not doing it this time.”

“There’s room in the front for three.”

“So why are they paying us?”

“They need new business, and they figure you and I are great influencers.”

“Where did they get that idea?”

“I told them about your two million subscribers.”

“You what?”

“Yeah. They were impressed. I also told them how you put VooDoo Ranger on the map.”

“You call them back and tell them you made a mistake.”

“How about I call them from the pub after our VooDoos?”

“That sounds fine, but we will pay the guy.”

“I’m broke.”

“What’s new. Fine, I’ll pay the guy.”

“You are a mensch, you know?”

“Another word for sucker. Let’s go.”

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – Fri-Yay/Good News

~ John W. Howell ~ 58 Comments
Sneaker Impact’s Miami location with shoes piled up – credit Sneaker Impact

 

Today’s good news comes from the Good News Network.

Unique Miami Recycling Company Gives Discarded Shoes New Traction

By Andy Corbley –

In Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood, a local business sorts through thousands of donated sneakers to decide the best way to keep them out of landfills.

Whether pristine or worn out, each pair will have a future either as recycled material or with a new owner who will appreciate and continue to use them.

Sneaker Impact was founded by a man seeking a more environmentally friendly way to do business, and second-hand shoes is a good gig—the only competition is the landfill. Americans will own an average of 250 pairs of shoes in a lifetime, and that is unfortunately where many will end up.

“It’s all about accountability, sending the right product to the right market,” Sneaker Impact founder and CEO Moe Hachem told CBS News. “Sneakers are a necessity in the developing world. They are a form of transportation.”

Sneaker Impact receives around 1 million pairs of shoes annually through volunteer partners like running clubs, meaning that the cost to secure raw materials is virtually reduced to the labor of retrieving and sorting them.

Once in the Little Haiti facility, they are grouped together according to various criteria and stuffed into bags in orders of 200 to be sent around the world for resale.

“You’re not only reducing waste here at home, you are creating microbusiness opportunities in a developing country,” Hachem said.

Those that are condemned are shredded and sorted into foam and fabric, which are then sold as raw materials where they could be used to make carpet mats, floor mats, etc.

Sneaker Impact sells a gym sandal that’s made of 85% sneaker foam, a durable, flexible, and weather-resistant material that seems fragile because of the intense job it’s asked to do: namely, pound the pavement for hours at a time every week.

Watch the story here.

The good news is that waste is turned into useful products for those less fortunate. Today’s JohnKu talks about recycling. I hope you have a grand weekend.

Need by John W. Howell © 2025

Matching need with waste,

Is a form of useful grace. . .

Bless those who do it.

Thursday – A little Personal – Twiggy and Tempeste and a Mystery

~ John W. Howell ~ 121 Comments

“Twiggy. Wake up. I hear something.”

“Mmffmm.”

“I’m serious. There is something out there.”

“Ummmf. Huh?”

“We have to get up and find out what it is.”

“My goodness I just dozed off.”

“There it is again. You hears that?”

“I sure do. Funny I didn’t hear the FedEx truck either.”

“That’s what I mean. It is some kind of weird sound.”

“I guess it is up to me to figure it out.”

“There it is again. I would swear it is at the front door.”

“I don’t smell the Amazon or UPS driver either.”

“You see anything?”

“Nope and I haven’t heard that noise again.”

“It is scary that we can’t identify the source.”

“Just wait. If it’s still there it will make more noise.”

“There it is at the front door.”

“Hold your bark till we are sure it is something that we can send to St. Louis.”

“Hey you guys. I know you’re in there. Where’s my carrots?”

“Oh, brother.”

 

 

“You going to attack or shall I?”

“Let’s go back to our nap. Mom will get the carrots for those moochers.”

Tuesday Anything Possible – Finger Point Prompt – Wipes

~ John W. Howell ~ 60 Comments

Today, I randomly opened the second book in the Eternal Road series to page 175. With my eyes closed, I pointed to the page, and my finger fell on the word “wipes.” This is our prompt today.

The following story manifests my feelings when I visit a store and the item I need is not there. I found it satisfying to write. Perhaps by reading it, you can also find a degree of satisfaction in the fact that Mrs. Delancy speaks for all of us.

Wipes by John W. Howell © 2025

“We are out of wipes again, Jerry.”

“We are always out of wipes. We can’t keep them in stock.”

“Is there a run on those things or what?”

“I think there might be some kind of manufacturing problem.”

“You would think if we could get a bunch of celebrities into space, we could get enough wipes.”

“So what are we going to do, boss?”

“Put a sign on the shelf and let everyone know we are out.”

“They can see that for themselves.”

“Okay, then make the sign read that the warehouse is out of wipes.”

“I guess that will keep people from complaining to us.”

“Excuse me.”

“Yes, Mrs. Delancy. What can we do for you?”

“You are out of wipes.”

“Yes, we know.”

“This is the third week. Normally, I wouldn’t say anything, but it’s been three weeks.”

“Well, we did have them in on Monday.”

“I wasn’t here Monday. I shop on Thursday.”

“I know Mrs. Delancy, I just wanted you to know it hasn’t been three weeks.”

“It has been three weeks for me. Three Thursdays in a row- no wipes.”

“We are sorry. The warehouse is out of wipes.”

“The warehouse?”

“Yes, they are out of wipes.”

“And that makes it okay, how?”

“What do you mean?”

“I need my wipes. Little FiFi makes messes, and I need the wipes.”

“How about paper towels?”

“You getting smart with me?”

“No, I just was presenting an alternative.”

“Do paper towels have a lovely lavender scent?”

“No, I—”

“You’re damn right they don’t.”

“No use getting upset, Mrs Delancy. I’m just trying to help.”

“If you want to help, you would get some wipes.”

“If the warehouse is out of them, what would you have me do?”

“Call the head of your company and get him on the phone with the head of the wipe company and let them know I need my wipes of else.”

“Or else? Wait, what is that?”

“It is the actuator to the bomb I have planted in the wipes section. If you don’t do as I say, you can kiss your store goodbye.”

“You are joking, right?”

“A wipes consumer scorned never jokes. Now let’s go to the office and make the call.”

“Easy now. Don’t make a mistake.”

“We are way past that. The mistake was being out of wipes. Get moving. And you, Jerry. Don’t make any funny moves either.”

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Delancy. I’ll stay right here while you and the boss take care of the problem.”

“You are a good boy, Jerry. I would stay out of the wipes aisle if I were you.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

 

 

Top Ten Things not to do When Trying to Lose Weight

~ John W. Howell ~ 107 Comments
Photo by Elena Leya on Unsplash

 

Here is the fourth post on the original Top Ten Things Not to Do written by Marie Ann Bailey and me. It was posted in July 2013. I think it might still be helpful.

Top Ten Things not to do When Trying to Lose Weight

10  When trying to lose weight, do not go on a 24-hour fast because it is the “in” diet and then break it with a Chinese buffet binge just because fasting and the sign at the buffet reads, “All you Can Eat Low Cal.”  The rapid transition from empty stomach to a stomach brimming with hot and sour soup, General Tso’s Chicken, spring rolls, crab rangoon, snow peas in garlic sauce, fried rice, and chocolate pudding can be hazardous and explosive.

9  When trying to lose weight, do not mistake the South Beach diet for endless daiquiris and tapas in Florida. If you do, you’ll never get into that sleek little bathing suit and could jeopardize getting into the big ole one-piece as well.

8  When trying to lose weight, do not sign up for your very first triathlon if your only familiarity with exercise is being able to juggle multiple remotes for your TV, DVD player, and sound system.  You want to lose weight, not your life, which you will likely forfeit in the first five minutes of the competition.

7  When trying to lose weight, by all means, purchase a scale for weighing your food so you can be sure of the size of your portions.  Just don’t bring it with you to restaurants; weigh the food served to you.  If you do, at best, your friends will find the activity of watching you trying to weigh a dollop of mashed potatoes rather boring.  At worst, your food will be unappetizing after the weighing.

6  When trying to lose weight, do not buy spandex for casual wear EVER!  No explanation is necessary.

5  When trying to lose weight, do not try to curb your appetite with bottomless cups of coffee, bottles of diet pills, or any other substance.  These have less to do with suppressing appetite and much more to do with making you so hyper that you never sleep, ironically giving you more hours to eat.

4  When trying to lose weight, do not take diet pills that promise to block your absorption of fat (e.g., Alli).  Yes, they do work, but they work at all the wrong moments–in the middle of a business meeting, during a long commute, or while sitting in the window seat of an airplane with Chris Christie next to you.

3  When trying to lose weight, do not hire a trainer who looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger’s poor cousin, whose sales pitch is “I want to pump you up!”  What you might get “pumped up” with may not be legal.

2  When trying to lose weight, do not take up colon cleansing.  As with most of the items on this list, the result of too much of a good thing can result in frequent and expensive calls to your plumber.

1  Finally, when trying to lose weight, take a good, long look in the mirror and ask yourself which is more important:  fitting into those skinny jeans you wore in high school or feeling strong, healthy, and happy, even if you are a little soft around the edges.