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writing:high_context_living [2026/08/15 01:31] – [Cooking] JacobCoffinWriteswriting:high_context_living [2026/08/16 22:51] (current) – JacobCoffinWrites
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 And that's probably not a bad thing. And that's probably not a bad thing.
  
-There are some important benefits to the systems that allow for low-context living. The standardization of parts and design, the safety and quality standards, the accessability benefits from their ease of use, the efficiencies of centralized infrastructure, and the emphasis on expert-run operations are all good, admirable things which would likely be prioritized //more// by a solarpunk society than our current one. Regulations are written in blood and most of this complexity came about for good reasons. +There are some important benefits to the systems that allow for low-context living. The standardization of parts and design, the safety and quality standards, the accessibility benefits from their ease of use, the efficiencies of centralized infrastructure, and the emphasis on expert-run operations are all good, admirable things which would likely be prioritized //more// by a solarpunk society than our current one. Regulations are written in blood and most of this complexity came about for good reasons.
- +
-At the same time, high-context systems operated without a reduction of consumption can actually be worse ecologically. +
  
 It's just also worth recognizing that the places where low context living is the default also tend to consume far more resources per person, possibly (partly) because these systems are easy to use, seemingly without limit, and because they abstract away the complexities of operation and the sourcing of resources.  It's just also worth recognizing that the places where low context living is the default also tend to consume far more resources per person, possibly (partly) because these systems are easy to use, seemingly without limit, and because they abstract away the complexities of operation and the sourcing of resources. 
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 =====Examples of High Context Living===== =====Examples of High Context Living=====
  
-The following sections will attempt to gather good IRL examples of the sort of systems people build when they're living off grid or trying to reduce their consumption.+The following sections will attempt to gather good IRL examples of the sort of systems people build when they're living off grid or trying to reduce their consumption. With any luck, they will provide inspiration and useful details for describing similar systems in fiction. 
  
 Some of the following links are to blog posts, others are excerpts from permaculture or off-grid forums. Some of the following links are to blog posts, others are excerpts from permaculture or off-grid forums.
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   * Solar Hot Air systems can be useful for winter heating, food dehydration, or any other daytime space-heating goal. These [[https://stonehavenlife.com/comparing-solar-air-heater-designs-performance/|can be DIY]] or [[https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0549/4905/2463/files/4000_Series_Heater_Manual_V2c.pdf?v=1651793890|factory made]]. Typically they are set up with an electric thermostat (or two, one to check that the interior of the heat panel is hot enough to warm the designated space, and the other to check that the designated space is cool enough to need it, the second is optional). But there is still some complexity in adding these systems, closing the vents and covering the glass in the summer.   * Solar Hot Air systems can be useful for winter heating, food dehydration, or any other daytime space-heating goal. These [[https://stonehavenlife.com/comparing-solar-air-heater-designs-performance/|can be DIY]] or [[https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0549/4905/2463/files/4000_Series_Heater_Manual_V2c.pdf?v=1651793890|factory made]]. Typically they are set up with an electric thermostat (or two, one to check that the interior of the heat panel is hot enough to warm the designated space, and the other to check that the designated space is cool enough to need it, the second is optional). But there is still some complexity in adding these systems, closing the vents and covering the glass in the summer.
  
 +  * Solar Hot water can be as simple as a length of hose coiled in the sunlight or as elaborate as vacuum-lined rooftop tube systems carrying antifreeze-based heat transfer fluids through a heat exchanger to provide warm water even in winter. Some of these systems can be seasonal, and must be disconnected before temperatures drop below freezing. Either way, the water only heats to a comfortable temperature at a certain time of day so you have to plan around that.
 ====Cooking==== ====Cooking====