Simon
@simonlneil.bsky.social
Writing about tinkering with chemistry, building tangible things, raising two wild boys, and building a life one coffee at a time. Love a good problem, dread a bad solution.
Happy summer solstice for those who observe
December 22, 2025 at 6:39 AM
Happy summer solstice for those who observe
There's actually a lot of work going into agrivoltaics right now. This is from University of Melbourne
December 22, 2025 at 5:32 AM
There's actually a lot of work going into agrivoltaics right now. This is from University of Melbourne
After playing around with a few personal projects with it, I think I have officially hit my tolerance of #Suno. Not fun anymore, and I've developed an ear for the audio version of the em-dash.
Back to listening to game sound tracks as I work (bless Amos Roddy)
Back to listening to game sound tracks as I work (bless Amos Roddy)
December 22, 2025 at 4:29 AM
After playing around with a few personal projects with it, I think I have officially hit my tolerance of #Suno. Not fun anymore, and I've developed an ear for the audio version of the em-dash.
Back to listening to game sound tracks as I work (bless Amos Roddy)
Back to listening to game sound tracks as I work (bless Amos Roddy)
Having originated from near the Equator, none of it made much sense to me, but now I live in Tasmania I understand the urge to will the Sun back to us in the darkest part of Winter. Here, we have "dark mofo", a festival of food & fire & edgy pagan pretension, which for me is just too on the nose.
December 21, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Having originated from near the Equator, none of it made much sense to me, but now I live in Tasmania I understand the urge to will the Sun back to us in the darkest part of Winter. Here, we have "dark mofo", a festival of food & fire & edgy pagan pretension, which for me is just too on the nose.
Metroidvanias. What defines them?
'Return here when you're stronger' is the mechanic.
The combat is usually acrobatic and demands skill.
But what really burns these titles into our memories is *atmosphere*. That's exactly where Carrion excels.
'Return here when you're stronger' is the mechanic.
The combat is usually acrobatic and demands skill.
But what really burns these titles into our memories is *atmosphere*. That's exactly where Carrion excels.
December 18, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Metroidvanias. What defines them?
'Return here when you're stronger' is the mechanic.
The combat is usually acrobatic and demands skill.
But what really burns these titles into our memories is *atmosphere*. That's exactly where Carrion excels.
'Return here when you're stronger' is the mechanic.
The combat is usually acrobatic and demands skill.
But what really burns these titles into our memories is *atmosphere*. That's exactly where Carrion excels.
Crazy to think that eucalyptus species actually evolved to be as highly flammable as possible.
December 17, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Crazy to think that eucalyptus species actually evolved to be as highly flammable as possible.
Not only will this reduce the fragility of having our biggest industry being dependant on an ecologically fraught imported product, but will turn out looming plastic apocalypse into clean electricity. With some refinements, we can even process #aquaculture plastics.
December 17, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Not only will this reduce the fragility of having our biggest industry being dependant on an ecologically fraught imported product, but will turn out looming plastic apocalypse into clean electricity. With some refinements, we can even process #aquaculture plastics.
Now is the time for the development of a centrally located coir recycling facility, connected to a custom gasification plant, to take spent coir bags from farms, convert the plastic to power and steam for sterilization, and return high grade, low cost recycled substrate back to the growers.
December 17, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Now is the time for the development of a centrally located coir recycling facility, connected to a custom gasification plant, to take spent coir bags from farms, convert the plastic to power and steam for sterilization, and return high grade, low cost recycled substrate back to the growers.
We know used coir can be reconditioned to be almost as high yielding as virgin, but at current fruit and coir pricing, it hurts the bottom line to do so. Sensitivity analysis has shown that small price movements will change this. These movements will happen in the next year.
December 17, 2025 at 1:13 PM
We know used coir can be reconditioned to be almost as high yielding as virgin, but at current fruit and coir pricing, it hurts the bottom line to do so. Sensitivity analysis has shown that small price movements will change this. These movements will happen in the next year.
Coir is such a good substrate that the entire industry has been built around it. It's so productive that it’s cheaper to replace than to accept the yield loss. So every season, bags get swapped out and the waste stream grows. Millions of bags are imported from the plantations every year.
December 17, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Coir is such a good substrate that the entire industry has been built around it. It's so productive that it’s cheaper to replace than to accept the yield loss. So every season, bags get swapped out and the waste stream grows. Millions of bags are imported from the plantations every year.
We can also pair it with one of the other massive ecological and economic problem in horticulture; coconut coir substrates.
This is plantation coconut fibre from Pakistan or India, packaged in shrinkwrap, shipped at great cost to Australia, and the hort industry is utterly addicted to it.
This is plantation coconut fibre from Pakistan or India, packaged in shrinkwrap, shipped at great cost to Australia, and the hort industry is utterly addicted to it.
December 17, 2025 at 1:13 PM
We can also pair it with one of the other massive ecological and economic problem in horticulture; coconut coir substrates.
This is plantation coconut fibre from Pakistan or India, packaged in shrinkwrap, shipped at great cost to Australia, and the hort industry is utterly addicted to it.
This is plantation coconut fibre from Pakistan or India, packaged in shrinkwrap, shipped at great cost to Australia, and the hort industry is utterly addicted to it.
Gasification is NOT burning. When it's done properly, it converts mixed, dirty ag plastics into syngas, heat, and inert char; reducing volume massively and avoiding landfill.
This is already solved tech. We’re just not deploying it.
This is already solved tech. We’re just not deploying it.
December 17, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Gasification is NOT burning. When it's done properly, it converts mixed, dirty ag plastics into syngas, heat, and inert char; reducing volume massively and avoiding landfill.
This is already solved tech. We’re just not deploying it.
This is already solved tech. We’re just not deploying it.
Tasmania has a huge problem with agricultural plastic waste. Primary producers have to ship it to the mainland for "recycling" at a huge cost, usually many thousands of dollars per hectare. Most of it will go to landfill.
We need a gasification plant.
We need a gasification plant.
December 17, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Tasmania has a huge problem with agricultural plastic waste. Primary producers have to ship it to the mainland for "recycling" at a huge cost, usually many thousands of dollars per hectare. Most of it will go to landfill.
We need a gasification plant.
We need a gasification plant.
I humbly submit my first blog post.
Please read it if you have the time, and feel free to provide feedback here, or share with others if you like.
I hope to make this the first of many discussions about the paths before us, the non-elites, now that the shoggoth is out.
Please read it if you have the time, and feel free to provide feedback here, or share with others if you like.
I hope to make this the first of many discussions about the paths before us, the non-elites, now that the shoggoth is out.
January 8, 2025 at 9:48 PM
I humbly submit my first blog post.
Please read it if you have the time, and feel free to provide feedback here, or share with others if you like.
I hope to make this the first of many discussions about the paths before us, the non-elites, now that the shoggoth is out.
Please read it if you have the time, and feel free to provide feedback here, or share with others if you like.
I hope to make this the first of many discussions about the paths before us, the non-elites, now that the shoggoth is out.
Just finished building a custom bookshelf for my kids' room! 🛠️📚 Nothing beats the satisfaction of creating something with your own hands. What DIY projects are you working on? #DIY #Parenting #Handmade
January 5, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Just finished building a custom bookshelf for my kids' room! 🛠️📚 Nothing beats the satisfaction of creating something with your own hands. What DIY projects are you working on? #DIY #Parenting #Handmade
What’s growing on Bluesky is quality of interaction; not the hardest-hitting debates, but conversations with room to breathe. There’s less pressure to perform, more space to connect. It feels like a platform finding its own rhythm, distinct from X's antagonistic highs.
January 4, 2025 at 9:25 AM
What’s growing on Bluesky is quality of interaction; not the hardest-hitting debates, but conversations with room to breathe. There’s less pressure to perform, more space to connect. It feels like a platform finding its own rhythm, distinct from X's antagonistic highs.
San Pedro, the mescaline cactus of the Andes. Thankfully my days of being interested in recreational 10 hour long planeswalking with transdimensional cryptids are behind me.
January 4, 2025 at 8:56 AM
San Pedro, the mescaline cactus of the Andes. Thankfully my days of being interested in recreational 10 hour long planeswalking with transdimensional cryptids are behind me.
One thing I love about Botanical Gardens: they showcase the pinnacle of everything, even pumpkins.
This is what expertise looks like.
This is what expertise looks like.
January 4, 2025 at 7:53 AM
One thing I love about Botanical Gardens: they showcase the pinnacle of everything, even pumpkins.
This is what expertise looks like.
This is what expertise looks like.
From the geometric perfection and complexity, to the pleasing squishiness, there's nothing to not like about these things.
January 4, 2025 at 2:45 AM
From the geometric perfection and complexity, to the pleasing squishiness, there's nothing to not like about these things.
I love these little rocks. It's one of those community-minded wholesome things I would have thought was cringe in my previous life before children.
January 4, 2025 at 1:11 AM
I love these little rocks. It's one of those community-minded wholesome things I would have thought was cringe in my previous life before children.
Animism frames the world as alive, every rock, tree, or storm imbued with spirit. it's not about literal belief—it’s a lens, a way of engaging with reality. today, we find echoes of this in ai: latent systems as kami, shaped by human intention, carrying emergent 'presence.'
January 3, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Animism frames the world as alive, every rock, tree, or storm imbued with spirit. it's not about literal belief—it’s a lens, a way of engaging with reality. today, we find echoes of this in ai: latent systems as kami, shaped by human intention, carrying emergent 'presence.'