Slashdot Mirror


My Compost Bin And I

John writes "There they were, staring at me with a last glimmer of hope. I tried to turn to avoid the cries of help they echoed, but they were too much for me to bare. Minutes later, with an insight of knowledge, I quickly devised a plan to rescue these dying souls. And out of the bitter remains I found around my place of refuge, I constructed a home for them - somewhere where they could be in peace - a compost bin. The vegetable scraps rejoiced! Their time of suffering was no longer, for my divine plan had taken effect. "

302 comments

  1. Rubbish by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 5, Funny

    What a bunch of rubbish. I cannot believe /. would post this pile of rotting crapola.

    --
    Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
    1. Re:Rubbish by jpetts · · Score: 5, Funny

      What a bunch of rubbish. I cannot believe /. would post this pile of rotting crapola

      It just proves that /. is a bot, trawling for text: it picked up "com", "post" and "bin", and Bam!:- there's the story!

      --
      Call me old fashioned, but I like a dump to be as memorable as it is devastating - Bender
    2. Re:Rubbish by cscx · · Score: 3, Funny

      Hey, in my high school biology class, we made these! I'm waiting on a story on coke-bottle terrariums next week!

    3. Re:Rubbish by Jonny+Ringo · · Score: 2

      Yes but /. smells sooo nice when it starts to ferment!

    4. Re:Rubbish by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      quit yr whining.. you guys are so spoiled!

    5. Re:Rubbish by helix400 · · Score: 1
      Aaah yes, the future of technology is here, in compost bin form!

      And all this time I thought it would involve electricity.

      -----
      Abortions for some, miniature American flags for others!

    6. Re:Rubbish by sczimme · · Score: 1

      and Bam!:- there's the story!

      Thanks, Emeril.

      --
      I want to drag this out as long as possible. Bring me my protractor.
    7. Re:Rubbish by infernow · · Score: 1

      At least the article makes no attempt to disguise the fact that it's nothing more than a stinking pile of worm feces, which is more than I can say for some of the /. articles I've seen.

      --

      that that is is that that is not is not

    8. Re:Rubbish by jpetts · · Score: 1

      Thanks, Emeril.

      Is this a US-oriented joke or comment? It means nothing to me...

      --
      Call me old fashioned, but I like a dump to be as memorable as it is devastating - Bender
    9. Re:Rubbish by logullo · · Score: 1

      http://www.foodtv.com/foodtv/show/0,6525,EM,00.htm l

    10. Re:Rubbish by dimator · · Score: 2

      You're not missing much.

      --
      python -c "x='python -c %sx=%s; print x%%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))%s'; print x%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))"
    11. Re:Rubbish by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


      Three words: WTF (pause as you say each one)

    12. Re:Rubbish by MadLibs · · Score: 1
      Hey, in my high school biology class, we made these! [rit.edu] I'm waiting on a story on coke-bottle terrariums next week!

      "and then you put your weeeeeeeeed in it man!"---SNL

  2. Fraggles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Oh, how I miss my Fraggle Rock mound of Compost... her insight was so... insightful.

    AC

    1. Re:Fraggles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It Maddam Trashheap! Sheesh! :P

    2. Re:Fraggles by GordoTheGeek · · Score: 3, Informative

      Actually, you're both wrong. The Trash Heap's name was Marjorie. The Trash Heap has spoken!

  3. Wow by Pahroza · · Score: 5, Funny

    People have been building compost heaps for years and years and years. How exactly is this news? Oh!!! I think I got it! A geek who went outside!

    1. Re:Wow by ackthpt · · Score: 3, Interesting
      A geek who went outside!

      Not just one, but one of many!

      Years ago I embarked upon an organic garden (which you can really get into) in my back yard. Learning about the ins and outs of soil, composting, sympathetic planting, etc. much of it through USENET gardening groups before there were even web browsers. Hacking an organic garden can be no less rewarding or involved than any coding project. Including the internet (as it was at the time) and assistance from several gardening buffs who know how to get to USENET (and a few university extension offices (Ohio State, Michigan State to name a couple)) made it all the more cool. Too bad I now live in a townhouse, with no garden option. :-(

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    2. Re:Wow by Amerist · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Bleh. While this excursion was interesting--and it's true that it's funny that a geek went outside--but I myself think that composting is a worthwhile project.

      Look at it. While it doesn't involve computers it does involve a little bit of a construction project, and there is a bit of science to it. In fact there are multiple types of composting. I found a good site (below) that lists through them.

      http://www.earth911.org/master.asp?s=lib&a=organ ic s/organics.asp

      I especially like the picture for Vermiculture (eew worms.)

    3. Re:Wow by statichead · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Lets not forget the beneficial nematodes, insect warfare and the green manures. There is definitely some sort of strange parallel to the computer code/networking worlds in this. I think it may have to to with the infinite intricate relationships that coexist in a certain space.

    4. Re:Wow by Pahroza · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I do agree with you, I was not making light of someone composting, but rather that this isn't something new, and not really news for nerds. There are a myriad of websites out there that provide information for this sort of thing.

      I'll grant that it is nice to see the occasional submission that doesn't relate to computers, but the only correlation I can see between this story and slashdot is that gardeners are frequently referred to as having a "green thumb", and slashdot is occasionally referred to as having an ugly "green theme". :)

    5. Re:Wow by Amerist · · Score: 1

      Ugh, ugly "green theme" indeed! ;)

      I think that I have to agree--the composting post really didn't fit. Though I especially liked the bit where someone posted something about "what did he use the rotting vegitation to power his computer?"

      That's it! Next time lets get a post about an automulcher. A system that stirs the heap automatically, keeps track of pH levels in the heap, and regulates temperatures (even if it starts snowing outside.) Of course, it would have to be a geek project--but I'll bet that an article about industrial composting (I know it exists somewhere.)

      Or how about composting worm robots! (eew.)

      Amerist.

    6. Re:Wow by PunchMonkey · · Score: 1

      People have been building compost heaps for years and years and years. How exactly is this news?

      Yeah, what is this, k5?

      --
      I'll have something intelligent to add one of these days...
    7. Re:Wow by ackthpt · · Score: 1
      Lets not forget the beneficial nematodes, insect warfare and the green manures.

      Indeed. Figuring out how to attract predators, discourage pests was pretty enlightening and really cool to see in action. When I was young I was constantly grounded for coming home muddy, late, with too many pond creatures, etc, and punishment was working in my mom's vegetable garden. She was cool with pesticides and chemical fertilizers. After a run-in with cancer several years back I reconsidered what I was using in lawn and garden and eating without question. The organic path appealed and was fun while it lasted, and highly productive! I didn't have to visit the grocery store for produce for a summer, living out of an 18' x 32' plot. Amazing how simple it really can be, once you begin to understand what's happening above and below ground.

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    8. Re:Wow by Reziac · · Score: 2

      I built a compost pile indoors. Only thing is, mine seems awfully heavy on the silicon chips ;)

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
    9. Re:Wow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, it's nice to have a completely random article once in a while even if just for the fun of saying "WTF?!" and giggling for a little while.

      Kinda like posts where people are talking about monitors and then start talking about having glass hands and only their face is tan.

      (I laughed really hard when I read that post)

    10. Re:Wow by Jerf · · Score: 2

      You may be able to locate a Community Gardening plot. I don't know how you'd find one in your local area, but around here, it's attached to the local Food Bank project.

      It's cool, but the downside is that you can't do anything that takes more then one season, including growing certain things (like anything involving trees ;-) ), or embarking on multi-year soil quality projects. You're stuck with what you get. Still, it may help you work the greeness out of your thumb, if it's bothering you.

      We did that this year, and it's the first garden my wife and I have ever cared about (as opposed to being forced to help with the family garden)... it's impressive what you can do with just 625 square feet.

    11. Re:Wow by perfessor+multigeek · · Score: 1

      Who says that living in a townhouse precludes gardening? I ive in an apartment and do all sorts of stuff, even beyond the terrace garden. I've got three words for you:
      -Grow lights (or blue and white LEDs if you're going high-tech and low-power usage)
      -sweater boxes (they're cheap, watertight, big, and lightweight)
      and . . .
      -intense cultivation. It's amazing what you can grow in small spaces when you put your mind to it. Think of it as coding for a low-RAM environment.

      If what you're worried about is weight then check out light-weight soils using stuff like shredded styrofoam.

      --
      Data is the lever, rigor the fulcrum, brains the force that drives it all.
  4. I have color pictures of my trash can by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Can I get a Slashdot story?

  5. A whole new community... by hbmartin · · Score: 2, Funny

    Some one should hurry and register TrashBinMods.com

    --
    Karma: Bizzare (mostly affected by varying internal caffeine levels.)
  6. news for nerds? by archen · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Eh... why exactly does this qualify for a slashdot article (frontpage)? Granted it looks more advanced than my grandma's compost pile of three sticks and some chicken wire, but in the end a compost pike is still just a pile of crap!

    1. Re:news for nerds? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      whoops, pike=pile... small typo - whatever.

    2. Re:news for nerds? by vsprintf · · Score: 3, Funny

      Eh... why exactly does this qualify for a slashdot article (frontpage)? . . . but in the end a compost pike is still just a pile of crap!

      And this would differ from most slashdot articles because . . . ?

    3. Re:news for nerds? by Em+Emalb · · Score: 5, Insightful

      wellllll....let's take a look at the old faq:

      Slashdot is many things to many people. Some people think it's a Linux site. To others, it's a geek hangout. I've always worked very hard to make sure that Slashdot matches up with my interests and the interests of my authors. We think we're pretty typical Slashdot readers... but that does mean that occasionally one of us might post something that you think is inappropriate.

      That's why.

      --
      Sent from your iPad.
    4. Re:news for nerds? by falzer · · Score: 2

      Yeah, this article topic (compost) is pretty boring. Maybe someone thought it involved cloning, or our rights online.

    5. Re:news for nerds? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      . . . Except that they're not slashdot readers at all. Why do you think we have so many duplicate articles?

    6. Re:news for nerds? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's all about CmdrTaco's Omelette. Sometimes he makes a cheese omlelette. Sometimes he makes a denver omelette. Other days he spits in it and sneaks some shit in with it. Mmmmm... Tasty!

    7. Re:news for nerds? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Either you are not a nerd, or you don't matter....

  7. Obligatory Simpsons quote by ruprechtjones · · Score: 1

    What, you don't pocket-mulch?

    --
    Kip Hawley is an idiot.
    1. Re:Obligatory Simpsons quote by JesseL · · Score: 2

      Oh, it's so decomposed!

      --
      "Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!"
  8. Slashdotted already, and what the...? by redbaron7 · · Score: 1
    John looks to have successfully slashdotted his site already!

    We have a compost heap too, but I can't really see the relevence to Slashdot unless there's something on his site which explains all?

    RB

  9. The Dungeon Master Speaks... by Anonvmous+Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Minutes later, with an insight of knowledge, I quickly devised a plan to rescue these dying souls. And out of the bitter remains I found around my place of refuge, I constructed a home for them -"

    Anybody else read that expecting to hear "And then I rolled a three..."?

    1. Re:The Dungeon Master Speaks... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your fucking hilarious!

    2. Re:The Dungeon Master Speaks... by Tassleman · · Score: 1

      The first post I've ever wanted to mod legit Funny, and no mod points. :(

    3. Re:The Dungeon Master Speaks... by image · · Score: 4, Funny

      >Anybody else read that expecting to hear "And then I rolled a three..."?

      Based on most of the people I've known that would build a compost bin, I did expect something that started with "and then I rolled a..."

      But it didn't end in "three." : )

    4. Re:The Dungeon Master Speaks... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yep.. "and then I rolled a three foot doobie..."

    5. Re:The Dungeon Master Speaks... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      And then he rolled a one? How is that funny? it doesn't seem like he critical missed.

      (Yes, mods, "joint", I know. I got it. Thanks.)

    6. Re:The Dungeon Master Speaks... by MrEd · · Score: 2
      I did expect something that started with "and then I rolled a..." - but it didn't end in "three." : )


      Excepting theretofore thou proceedest to "paper". I rolled a two paper today! (it was good).

      --

      Wah!

    7. Re:The Dungeon Master Speaks... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your fucking hilarious what?

  10. Uhhh, Okay. by serutan · · Score: 2

    Interesting article. I think you have to stir the compost every so often though. They make commercial ones that are like rotating drums for that purpose. This guy's gonna have to dig around in it with a shovel or something. Gotta admire his enthusiasm.

    1. Re:Uhhh, Okay. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't think you really have to stir it, stirring just speeds things up a bit.

    2. Re:Uhhh, Okay. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, it can be pretty damn important, depending on what all you put in.

      If you don't stir, because of a lack of oxygen, the decomposition can be mostly anaerobic, producing methane, which is a greenhouse gas. At least, that's what the sites linked from the guy's webpage say.

      (Of course, if the decomposition is aerobic, it will produce CO2 and H2O instead of CH4. And isn't CO2 the most notorious greenhouse gas of all?)

    3. Re:Uhhh, Okay. by Gordonjcp · · Score: 2

      Of course, you could always trap off the methane and burn it for heat.

  11. Huh????? by pagercam2 · · Score: 2

    How does this make a "News for Nerds. Stuff that matters"??????? It maybe a slow news day but it can't be that slow, is he atleast using the compost for a case mod????? is there a super cooled overclocked 5GHz Athlon at the bottom????

  12. OK sooo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What the fuck does this matter to anyone?
    You can stuff your carrots up yer bum for all I care.

  13. I can already see the next headline by pheph · · Score: 2

    Slashdot r00ted by compost loving hippie!

  14. mirror, mirror by tedtimmons · · Score: 1
    Mirror mirror, how I long for a site that will not fall.

    http://www.perljam.net/misc/compost.html

    -ted

  15. Pocket Mulch by antis0c · · Score: 5, Funny

    Lisa: My name's Lisa Simpson. I think your protest was incredibly brave.
    Jesse: Thank you. This planet needs every friend it can get.
    Lisa: Oh, the earth is the best! That's why I'm a vegetarian.
    Jesse: Heh. Well, that's a start.
    Lisa: Uh, well, I was thinking of going vegan.
    Jesse: [chuckles] I'm a level 5 vegan -- I won't eat anything that casts a
    shadow.
    Lisa: Wow. Um ... I started an organic compost pile at home.
    Jesse: Only at home? You mean you don't pocket-mulch? [takes out pocket
    stuff for Lisa to feel]

    --

    ..There's a-dooin's a-transpirin'
    1. Re:Pocket Mulch by Cyno01 · · Score: 1

      ooo, so decomposed...

      --
      "Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
    2. Re:Pocket Mulch by cpeikert · · Score: 2, Funny

      To finish:

      Lisa: "Ohhhh... it's *so* decomposed.."

  16. Roof? by Cyno01 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I don't get it. Why all the work on the tiles on top, why would you want to keep rain out of your compost heap? Doesn't the moisture help with the decomposition? Could someone enlighten me on this before i ask four questions in a row?

    --
    "Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
    1. Re:Roof? by archen · · Score: 1

      Moisture is good, but you don't want compost soup (potentially overflowing), which is exactly what would happen considering the container he's using.

    2. Re:Roof? by Phred_Johnston · · Score: 1

      In dry climates (like colorado), a cover (roof) will help keep needed moisture in.

    3. Re:Roof? by squidinkcalligraphy · · Score: 1

      Composting is a fine art. Too much water and there is no air in there, so and anaerobic microorganisms thrive. But they tend to smell. Too dry and nothing thrives. U need some water, but also plenty of air so the aerobic critters get going. For really good compost tho, water/air is only a small part of the equation; carbon content plays a big part too

      --
      "I think it would be a good idea" Gandhi, on Western Civilisation
    4. Re:Roof? by Huge+Pi+Removal · · Score: 2

      Well, like he says, rainwater will leech out a lot of the nutrients from the heap. There's a fine balance to be struck in compost, between damp and dry, hot and cold, etc, etc, but usually the moisture from the scraps you put in there is sufficient (of course, check it regularly and add water if it's looking dry).

      However, a slightly easier way of doing it is just to pop a square of left-over carpet on top of your bin.

      --
      - Oliver

      The right to bear arms is only slightly less stupid than the right to arm bears...
    5. Re:Roof? by Jeremiah+Blatz · · Score: 2, Informative
      I don't get it. Why all the work on the tiles on top, why would you want to keep rain out of your compost heap? Doesn't the moisture help with the decomposition? Could someone enlighten me on this before i ask four questions in a row?

      As others have pointed out, too much moisture is bad. Also, the roof can help keep in heat (although this one doesn't look great for that). Heat is good. Heat speeds up decomposition, discourages weeds, and kills off pathogens.

      I made a composter out of a plastic 55 gallon garbage can with a locking lid. Holes in the bottom and sides, none in the top. When I'm paying attention to moisture levels and adding at the right nitrogen/carbon mix, it gets hot enough to steam. The locking lid keeps out raccoons, too.

  17. You know what would be great ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... is if he did a case mod with that compost bin. Then at least the story would be relevant. =)

  18. This "news" article being posted on slashdot... by ice-nine · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... really makes a case for moderation of articles, and not just comments.

    --
    zing
    1. Re:This "news" article being posted on slashdot... by meshko · · Score: 1

      yes! yes! please! Let's have article moderation! If there was article moderation this crap would be off the main page 20 minutes ago!

      --
      I passed the Turing test.
    2. Re:This "news" article being posted on slashdot... by Jonny+Ringo · · Score: 1

      Don't we all moderate articles? I mean how hard is it not to take part in something you aren't interested in. Why are you even wasting time posting here when you can easily go to the next article you are interested in. Do you post to every /. article? Man God help you if you do.

    3. Re:This "news" article being posted on slashdot... by blanktek · · Score: 0

      OK its called Kuro5hin.org and you get the same problems. How about a pecan pancake recipe headline?

    4. Re:This "news" article being posted on slashdot... by jpetts · · Score: 1

      really makes a case for moderation of articles

      You think that doesn't happen? There no other way all my witty, informative, insightful articles haven't made it onto the fron page of /.

      --
      Call me old fashioned, but I like a dump to be as memorable as it is devastating - Bender
    5. Re:This "news" article being posted on slashdot... by buswolley · · Score: 1
      propose an exact system for this then. Who gets to moderate it. does it take away moderation points from comments? etc..

      Personally I think that the body of editors/bots/whatever who chooses what articles to post should be elected by slashdot users. /. ran by /. the people I mean. lol.

      It would make people who want to become elected editors really watch what they write since their whole /. record is available(or could be)

      --

      A Good Troll is better than a Bad Human.

    6. Re:This "news" article being posted on slashdot... by buswolley · · Score: 1

      Thats a nice **qualitative** method of modding it. We are talking about a *quantitative* method.

      --

      A Good Troll is better than a Bad Human.

    7. Re:This "news" article being posted on slashdot... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It would make people who want to become elected editors really watch what they write since their whole /. record is available(or could be)


      You mean watch what they write so it stays in line with the party line?

      Man, no wonder people call OSS enthusiasts commies.

    8. Re:This "news" article being posted on slashdot... by passion · · Score: 2

      case for moderation

      Ahh, this is just another /. "case mod" posting.

      --
      - passion
    9. Re:This "news" article being posted on slashdot... by njchick · · Score: 1

      Right, the compost bin should at least be made from Lego bricks and run Linux to be interesting to the /. population.

  19. Slashdot irony by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Story on neutron stars - 2 comments, 1 of which is FP

    Story on a pile of crap - 30 comments

    1. Re:Slashdot irony by br0ck · · Score: 1

      Perhaps we all just feel more competent discussing rotting feces than we do even thinking about the relative merits of a proof that neutron stars really are neutron superfluids. Not to mention that articles not posted to the front page never get as many posts anyway.

  20. /. ed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Alright it is already dead. Very sad!

    Guess the server slipped on one of those rotting bananas.

    Hrmm...wonder if this guy has one of those Delorians from Back to the Future that you can use the compost to create nucleur reactions to enable your flux capacitor....if so he should go back in time and beef up his server before the ./ing occurs

  21. and the obligator by slycer9 · · Score: 0

    Imagine a Beowulf cluster of these!!! (Yes, I know...a landfill...)

    --
    Don't park drunk, accidents cause people.
  22. Wait..... I have a better idea! by Chef_TM · · Score: 1

    There they were, staring at me with a last glimmer of hope. I tried to turn to avoid the cries of help they echoed, but they were too much for me to bare. Minutes later, with an insight of knowledge, I quickly devised a plan to rescue these dying souls. And out of the bitter remains I found them a place of refuge, I found a home for them - somewhere where they could be in peace - Iraq. Jack Valenti, Hillary Rosen, Bill Gates and Dubya rejoiced! Their time of suffering was no longer, for my divine plan was about to come to a fitting end.....

    I hate this forum. It makes me sig as a dog

  23. Worst. Topic. Ever. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    CBG: That Slashdot Topic was, without a doubt, the worst topic. Rest assured I was on the internet within minutes registering my disgust throughout the world.
    Bart: Hey, I know it wasn't great, but what right do you have to complain?
    CBG: As a loyal reader, I feel they owe me.
    Bart: What? They're giving you thousands of articles for free. What could they possibly owe you? I mean, if anything, you owe them.
    CBG: Worst topic ever.

  24. Compost is right. by crawdaddy · · Score: 1

    Speaking of compost, how about that server?

  25. Greencone + Compost + Recycle = little garbage by Neil+Blender · · Score: 5, Informative

    I recently bought a house. One of the first things I did was build a compost bin and buy a greencone. Between that and recycling, I have very little garbage each week. Another benefit is no smelly garbage in the house since everything that rots or decomposes goes in either the green cone or the compost.

    1. Re:Greencone + Compost + Recycle = little garbage by spurious+cowherd · · Score: 2

      good.

      nice start.
      Just so you know where it can go; with not too much effort our family of 4 has reduce trash to a total of 2 bags per week on average.

      --

      Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.

    2. Re:Greencone + Compost + Recycle = little garbage by Servo · · Score: 3, Interesting

      For those in apartments, you may want to check out Mary Appelhof's worm compost info.

      --
      A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over. -Benjamin Franklin
    3. Re:Greencone + Compost + Recycle = little garbage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      I'm not buying that because:

      1) The cute hippy chick isn't sufficiently cute or hippy

      2) the animation below is flashing WAY to fast. it's going to give me a seizure.

      3) She's throwing away some nice food! Look at that stuff! I wish I ate stuff that nice, and the bitch is throwing it away to feed the green cone.

      4) Ayn Rand says, save the economy, not the environment, and I do everything Ayn Rand says.

    4. Re:Greencone + Compost + Recycle = little garbage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My wife and I use up one tall kitchen bag a week and we don't compost at all. Really, we just don't throw away much food at all. Anyone whose food trash is of any consequence at all has some kind of ... problem.

    5. Re:Greencone + Compost + Recycle = little garbage by cpeterso · · Score: 2


      Greencone.com is slashdotted, but here's the UK web site: greengardener.co.uk

    6. Re:Greencone + Compost + Recycle = little garbage by ShawnD · · Score: 1
      our family of 4 has reduce trash to a total of 2 bags per week on average.
      And my family of 4 only produced about 1 bag a week (2 at the most), even without composting.

      I always wondered why so many people complained when the city started charging $1CDN for each bag over 3 per week.

    7. Re:Greencone + Compost + Recycle = little garbage by Neil+Blender · · Score: 2

      If all your food comes out of a can or box, then no, you won't have much garbage (if you recycle.) However, if you cook a lot and cook everything from scratch there is no avoiding things like bones, peels, vegetable matter like stems, etc. We generate a lot of food waste, but very little of it is usable or unfinished portions of the meal. We waste almost no edible food. At most, it might be a little bread that got moldy.

    8. Re:Greencone + Compost + Recycle = little garbage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Haha, you guys suck. I use at LEAST one bag a DAY (weekday... weekends produce a lot more beer bottles...) by myself. You've got a lot of work to do to catch up with me!

    9. Re:Greencone + Compost + Recycle = little garbage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > you may want to check out Mary Appelhof's worm compost [wormwoman.com] info

      Do you mind if I choose catwoman over wormwoman?

    10. Re:Greencone + Compost + Recycle = little garbage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow, you are a brave little trooper. My hats off to you.

    11. Re:Greencone + Compost + Recycle = little garbage by Graspee_Leemoor · · Score: 1

      Well no smelly garbage in the house, but I wouldn't come to one of your BBQs...

      graspee

    12. Re:Greencone + Compost + Recycle = little garbage by Servo · · Score: 2

      The link comes up dead, but who knows.

      --
      A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over. -Benjamin Franklin
  26. This gets posted??? by DAldredge · · Score: 2, Offtopic

    And this doesn't???

    This was rejected yesterday within 15 minutes of being submited.

    "It is now official. On November 2, US President George Bush signed the department of justice Authorisation Bill which will make extension for H-1B visas easier.

    It will also make it possible for more Indian doctors to live and work in the US once their academic programme is over.

    The extension of H-1B visas will particularly benefit the IT sector. This is good news for Indian H-1B visa holders, as nearly 50% of them are working in the high-tech sector. "

    http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html /u ncomp/articleshow?artid=27499106

    1. Re:This gets posted??? by meshko · · Score: 1

      I've got to agree. This blows. The editors don't seem to realize, that when they post crap on slashdot it not just funny, it also means hundreds of productive man-hours wasted.

      I know that this has been discussed a lot, but let me cast my vote again: stories must be moderated too.

      --
      I passed the Turing test.
    2. Re:This gets posted??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You've mistaken this forum for a democracy. Dolt.

    3. Re:This gets posted??? by cscx · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Welcome to the club.

      2002-09-01 22:46:39 Greek Government Bans *All* Video Games (yro,censorship) (rejected)
      2002-09-02 02:10:17 MLB Wants to Shut Down Fan Web Sites (yro,censorship) (rejected)
      2002-09-03 15:37:59 N'Sync Star Replaced With Cargo on Soyuz Mission (articles,humor) (rejected)
      2002-09-04 23:30:12 "Smart" Furniture (articles,tech) (rejected)
      2002-09-05 08:17:26 First Commercial Moon Trip OKed (science,space) (rejected)
      2002-09-06 17:02:22 RIAA Shuts Down Aimster (yro,censorship) (rejected)
      2002-09-08 09:50:52 Japan to Test Space Shuttle Technology (articles,space) (rejected)
      2002-09-10 23:43:26 Man Jailed For Playing Tetris On Airplane (articles,humor) (rejected)
      2002-09-11 08:30:34 How to Cook With Lava (articles,humor)
      2002-09-16 09:12:31 Saturn V Space Junk Could Strike Moon (articles,space) (rejected)
      2002-10-19 06:00:31 Jesse Helms Freezes Bill, Saves Small Webcasters (articles,news) (rejected)
      2002-10-21 03:04:41 Windows NT 6 (Longhorn) Screenshots Revealed (articles,microsoft) (rejected)
      2002-10-27 16:34:33 World's Smallest Computer (articles,tech) (rejected)
      2002-11-05 16:49:13 Self-Healing Battle Tanks (articles,tech) (rejected)
      2002-11-06 01:38:02 Google's 'Compute' takes on Distributed Computing (articles,security) (rejected)

      An interesting story is that a good 4 or 5 of those stories were posted A WEEK or more LATER. Note the one about cooking with lava is still 'pending.' Hemos might post that one; it's evident from this story that he's a tree-hugger. =)

    4. Re:This gets posted??? by Reality+Master+101 · · Score: 2

      I know that this has been discussed a lot, but let me cast my vote again: stories must be moderated too.

      If you want that, you know where to go. Of course, you only have to look at the site to see what happens when the lunatics run the asylum.

      Personally, even though I don't always agree with the story selection (like this one), there's no doubt that a small group of focused, full-time editors picking stories is way better than the masses picking stories.

      --
      Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
    5. Re:This gets posted??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why do people continually feel the need to bitch that their article was rejected? There is more than one editor posting stories. Sometimes they make different decisions about what to post. Get over it and stop your incessant whining.

    6. Re:This gets posted??? by CSG_SurferDude · · Score: 2

      Two comments here....

      1- This is exactly the kind of story that gets everyone weierded out...

      2This is why I stopped submitting stories. There are hundreds of geeks submitting the same story so (i believe) the editors toss most submissions except ones from their friends and/or long time /. residents.

      Off-hand, I'd say that over 600 people losing their jobs as Philips Semiconductors shuts down their fab in Albuquerque is more on-topic than this story. Google news (And that's why I'm using my +1 bonus, instead of just letting it sit at a score of 1.)

      (And of course, it'll be modded down as troll/off-topic within minutes. Oh Well.)

    7. Re:This gets posted??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Poor you. Look at this list. Not a single one approved:

      2001-01-01 14:47:56 WIPO Troll cums on CmdrTacos children (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-01-01 15:01:41 Hemos Sucks on ESRs Withered Penis (articles,patents) (rejected)
      2001-01-01 15:07:28 How do I clean up a huge pile of feces? (askslashdot,aol) (rejected)
      2001-01-01 15:13:08 WIPO Troll Patents Crotch Hair (articles,patents) (rejected)
      2001-01-01 15:19:27 WIPO Troll Patents Crotch Hair (UPDATE) (articles,patents) (rejected)
      2001-01-05 11:55:05 CowboyNeal rapes CmdrTacos anus (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-01-05 12:06:55 Why did CowboyNeal rape CmdrTacos anus? (askslashdot,news) (rejected)
      2001-01-05 12:13:30 I am the Goatse.cx man, by CmdrTaco (books,slashdot) (rejected)
      2001-01-05 12:21:55 I CUM ON YOUR FACE (articles,x) (rejected)
      2001-01-05 12:28:27 Motherfucking bastards fuck you fuck your shitty s (articles,x) (rejected)
      2001-01-05 12:33:59 Slashdot sucks the turds from my ass-hairs (articles,x) (rejected)
      2001-01-05 12:42:06 Interview with the Goatse.cx man (interviews,bug) (rejected)
      2001-01-05 12:47:39 WIPO rapes Hemos sister (articles,aol) (rejected)
      2001-01-05 12:52:49 Reject this story, you fuckfaced geeks!! (yro,censorship) (rejected)
      2001-01-05 13:00:06 Hahah reject this one too!! (yro,censorship) (rejected)
      2001-01-08 01:31:33 How do I shave my crotch? (askslashdot,news) (rejected)
      2001-01-08 01:36:36 Does CmdrTaco eat Dog Testicles? (askslashdot,news) (rejected)
      2001-01-13 05:21:38 Turds, Diarrhea, and Fecal Japan (articles,slashback) (rejected)
      2001-01-13 06:23:33 I raped Hemos puckered anus (radio,apache) (rejected)
      2001-01-13 22:46:36 Fuck you fucking fuckers up your fucking asses!! (yro,news) (rejected)
      2001-01-14 22:16:41 Why does WIPO Troll like feces so much? (askslashdot,toys) (rejected)
      2001-01-14 22:21:51 Will CmdrTaco ever come out of the closet? (askslashdot,slashdot) (rejected)
      2001-01-14 22:27:11 Step-by-step guide to sucking your own penis (science,privacy) (rejected)
      2001-01-15 07:17:50 I want a handjob from that JenniCam girl (features,pilot) (rejected)
      2001-01-21 03:15:46 skfsjytdrwtvasdiwudwquskfsjytdrwtvasdiwudwquytefwk (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-01-21 07:12:20 Jon Katz shoved up WIPO Trolls ass (features,science) (rejected)
      2001-01-21 10:16:12 Jon Katz escapes, shoved up ass again (articles,science) (rejected)
      2001-01-21 10:23:48 . a dot for your website (yro,quickies) (rejected)
      2001-01-21 12:45:33 WIPO Troll patents the eating of crotch hairs (bsd,patents) (rejected)
      2001-01-21 13:03:48 Slashdot.org renamed to SUCKDOT.ORG (radio,slashdot) (rejected)
      2001-01-21 14:10:42 WIPO Troll spews feces onto Front Page (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-01-21 21:32:42 WIPO Troll beaten to death by Network Vigilante (yro,privacy) (rejected)
      2001-01-23 03:03:13 Taco fired from Andover for Slashback embarrassmen (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-01-25 06:04:53 CmdrTaco sucks RMSs crotch hairs (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-01-25 06:10:03 CmdrTaco used as sex slave by ESR (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-01-25 06:15:16 Roblimo ate Timothys balls! (and crotch hair) (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-01-25 06:24:41 WIPO Troll fucks CmdrTaco with penis, dildo (radio,privacy) (rejected)
      2001-01-25 06:30:33 Do zoophiles go to hell? (askslashdot,x) (rejected)
      2001-01-25 06:37:44 I stroke my cummy cock at thee (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-01-25 06:43:29 Heres Fecal Japan in your eye! (science,spam) (rejected)
      2001-01-25 06:51:02 CHECK THIS SUPER COOL TURD OUT!!! (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-01-25 06:57:04 I wanna fuck Alyssa Milanos tits (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-01-25 07:03:26 Or I want some Alyssa Milano **PORN** (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-01-25 13:42:27 CmdrTaco, Hemos discovered licking goat balls (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-01-26 02:45:08 FUCK FUCK FUCK CROTCH HAIRS FUCK FUCK (apache,php) (rejected)
      2001-01-26 04:50:31 Crotch Hair Grooming Secrets Revealed (books,apple) (rejected)
      2001-01-26 07:09:24 WIPO Troll beaten to death by CmdrTaco, Hemos (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-01-26 23:00:55 Trolls to fill your Q with shit (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-01-27 04:57:37 I took a dump on Paters face (articles,slashdot) (rejected)
      2001-01-27 05:03:48 I Took another dump on Paters face (articles,slashdot) (rejected)
      2001-01-27 05:10:36 Ewww, I think Pater likes this (articles,slashdot) (rejected)
      2001-01-28 01:56:52 This Q sucks anus hairs (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-01-28 05:28:40 Plastic.com trolled, goes down in flames (radio,slashdot) (rejected)
      2001-01-28 06:23:42 alcgewiryt32;r.wbgtd79p iuycfge.lirf87e tfl.alcgew (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-01-28 08:12:29 VALinux licks my crotch hairs (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-01-29 16:28:22 Who stole my crotch hairs!?!? (askslashdot,netscape) (rejected)
      2001-01-31 01:32:28 Crapflood? (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-01-31 02:36:02 WIPO posting at -1, beats Malda to death (radio,slashdot) (rejected)
      2001-12-06 17:47:57 Taco-snotting orgy kills 4, injures 11 (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-12-06 20:47:51 Taco-snotting REVEALED (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-12-06 21:19:33 More snotting of the Tacos! (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-12-06 23:14:46 I like little boys, like CmdrTaco! (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-12-08 20:09:36 WHY R U LEAVING THIS PENDIGN (articles,news)
      2001-12-08 22:45:25 Kuro5hin returns! (features,ie) (rejected)
      2001-12-09 03:20:19 Vehix.com sued by Apple over infringement (articles,news)
      2001-12-13 07:02:37 Burp (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-12-15 10:12:26 Crap! (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-12-15 23:22:31 On Taco-Snotting 1.13 (features,slashdot) (rejected)
      2001-12-19 05:07:41 Monty Python and the Holy Taco (articles,slashdot) (rejected)
      2001-12-20 08:12:28 WIPO Sodomizes little Children! (articles,patents) (rejected)
      2001-12-21 11:55:59 WIPO Shoves CmdrTaco into Anus, Film at 11 (features,slashdot) (rejected)
      2001-12-24 13:27:16 Snotty Snot, Snot and more S N O T (developers,news) (rejected)
      2001-12-26 19:19:42 Christmas sucks, Taco. How about yours? FUCK YOU. (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-12-27 01:41:20 REJECT THIS OR DIEEEEE IN YUOR SNOT (features,programming) (rejected)
      2001-12-30 06:29:00 Kuro5hin WIPOed by Troll Gangs, film at (articles,slashdot)
      2001-12-30 21:25:41 CmdrTaco castrated in freak kitchen accident (articles,news)
      2001-12-30 21:32:14 WIPO wants sex with you. GOAT SEX! (yro,debian) (rejected)
      2001-12-30 21:45:49 Reject this or we cut off your MICROPENIS (developers,privacy) (rejected)
      2001-12-31 00:01:10 Circle-Jerk Catastrophe Kills 8, Injures 36 (science,quake) (rejected)
      2001-12-31 02:01:55 Yay! Youre rejecting my shit again! (articles,news)
      2001-12-31 02:35:41 Sims anus explodes, covers YRO page in feces (yro,news)
      2001-12-31 03:05:13 Slashdot: Linux Zealot Circlejerk, or GNU Suckfest? (articles,gnu)
      2001-12-31 03:21:08 CmdrTaco caught licking toejam from CowboyNeal (articles,slashdot)
      2001-12-31 03:27:07 Would you reject this, please? Ill suck your cock! (articles,quickies)
      2001-12-31 04:39:37 SHOVE MY ANUS FULL OF MAN BEEF!!! (articles,privacy)
      2001-12-31 06:56:51 OK, shove Tacos anus full o beef then!! (articles,humor)
      2001-12-31 07:23:07 Why does my scrotum look broken? (askslashdot,privacy)

      http://slashdot.org/journal.pl?op=display&uid=26 74 26&id=3275

    8. Re:This gets posted??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hemos might post that one; it's evident from this story that he's a tree-hugger.

      or a complete and utter wacked-out cokehead. it's getting to the point where it's not even worth coming to check out the stories. check out my submissions below. sure, not all of them were worthy, but based on the titles given, how many would you at least have browsed?

      2001-05-09 22:36:42 Not re-writing, but writing a NEW Constitution (askslashdot,editorial) (rejected)
      2001-05-18 20:08:09 We Know Where You Are and We Are Coming For You... (articles,privacy) (rejected)
      2001-06-13 18:44:07 Failed dotcom job networking (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-07-03 16:57:42 Where do you think you're going....citizen? (articles,news) (rejected)
      2001-09-20 17:11:54 Slashdot's effect on the Economy (askslashdot,slashdot) (rejected)
      2001-11-20 18:36:45 Architectural renaissance in Communities? (askslashdot,slashback) (rejected)
      2002-01-11 20:57:52 Stephen Hawking turns 60 (articles,science) (rejected)
      2002-05-31 16:19:08 Heckle the (ex)-President, Lose your 1st Amendment (articles,censorship) (rejected)
      2002-06-03 04:01:53 How Do You Cheer Yourself Up on Bad Days? (askslashdot,humor) (rejected)
      2002-07-14 02:37:38 Want to bet Microsoft claims to be better than Ope (articles,news) (rejected)
      2002-07-16 20:35:07 Ways to Hire and Fire I.T. Staff? (askslashdot,news) (rejected)
      2002-07-17 05:01:08 KMA? (yro,humor) (rejected)
      2002-08-14 06:23:33 Getting the sweet job working personally for the m (askslashdot,tech) (rejected)
      2002-08-16 05:03:03 Pay my bills for me...please! (articles,money) (rejected)
      2002-09-18 15:51:56 Fail high school graduation 17 times, then get an (articles,humor) (rejected)
      2002-10-13 01:37:04 Windows XP Home more secure than any other OS at s (articles,humor) (rejected)
      2002-10-15 03:25:24 Living in Castle Wolfenstein in Real Life! (articles,usa) (rejected)

    9. Re:This gets posted??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      slashdot does NOT have editors.

      slashdot has moderators.

      their "editors" do NOT edit.

      they 'approve' and 'reject'

    10. Re:This gets posted??? by statichead · · Score: 1

      If you don't like it get the fsck out. Read what you want to read and skip what you don't. This is far better than the B.S. redhat shell nonsense that went out a few days ago. If you want to you might actually learn something new. Why do people participate in threads they don't freakin care about? BTW I totally agree with you on the visa stuff.

    11. Re:This gets posted??? by Glint · · Score: 1

      The majority of articles you submitted were crap, and the lava one would be a quadruplicate post or something. That's why they got rejected, while this didn't.

      I'm not flaming you, I'm just being honest.

    12. Re:This gets posted??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My own favourite rejected stories are the "Mozilla x.x released!" and "OpenBSD 3.x out early!" which get rejected about a week before they're really released.

    13. Re:This gets posted??? by CSG_SurferDude · · Score: 1

      Actually (IMHO) this is worse than the shell article.
      Assorted lameness filter stuff here.....

    14. Re:This gets posted??? by LtOcelot · · Score: 1

      I'm not flaming you, I'm just being honest.

      They're not mutually exclusive.

    15. Re:This gets posted??? by perfessor+multigeek · · Score: 1

      Some of us have long since figured out that if your post is rejected, then turn it into a journal entry. If your ideas are good then people will come by, if they're bad, then they won't.
      Based on your heds, if you were to post Not re-writing, but writing a NEW Constitution, We Know Where You Are and We Are Coming For You..., Where do you think you're going....citizen?, Architectural renaissance in Communities?, and maybe Heckle the (ex)-President, Lose your 1st Amendment as journal entries (and, btw, stopping doing your bitching as an AC) then maybe I'ld drop by and take a look.
      Anyway, as people keep pointing out, big though it may seem, /. is still, basically a tiny little profitless forum run by the whims of a handful of Midwestern geekboys and they've never claimed any different. Traffic is vast, content is massive, but that's it.
      Don't like it? Start your own damn web site, see how easy it is.
      Rustin

      --
      Data is the lever, rigor the fulcrum, brains the force that drives it all.
  27. Composting ideas by nothing_23 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I am currently taking a class on Sustainable Resource Sciences. Last week we had a lecture on composting. I can't believe that people pay the city to take their yard waste away, and then pay someone else money to buy soil amendments for their garden.
    Here are some other links my professor provided:
    http://compostingcouncil.org/
    http://www.oldgrowth.org/compost/
    Or here is the lecture in pdf format

    1. Re:Composting ideas by panaceaa · · Score: 1

      Spending $10/year for topsoil is much better than having an eye-soar in the back yard. I have a small yard, so there's no way to hide a compost pile in a clump of trees or anything. The lawn creates thatch, the trees drop leaves, so we get a lot of organic material that we could potentially compost. But instead we pay our city taxes that includes weekly organic pick-up, and we buy topsoil for gardening. The organic waste still gets composted, just somewhere else.

    2. Re:Composting ideas by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, I learned the same thing in my Hippie Tree-Hugging Science class. We learned that paying The Man to take away our garbage is wrong, and we should let our garbage pile in the living room, "to celebrate the diversity of odors and bacteria in our eco-verse".

      I thought that was pretty cool because, hey, I already do that.

      (I'm such an ass, aren't I?)

    3. Re:Composting ideas by Mr.+Slippery · · Score: 1
      Spending $10/year for topsoil is much better than having an eye-soar in the back yard.

      There's nothing "eyesore" about a compost heap.

      Hell, if you're shy about it you can buy one of those plastic bin contraptions ; me, I just put some fencing around a couple of sqaure feet of backyard. Pile lawn clipping and leaves and such on top; bury kitchen scraps in the mass. It's simple. No bins required

      The organic waste still gets composted, just somewhere else.

      Your lawn waste, perhaps, but I doubt your kitchen scraps get composted.

      --
      Tom Swiss | the infamous tms | my blog
      You cannot wash away blood with blood
    4. Re:Composting ideas by statichead · · Score: 1

      Up here in upstate NY not to be confused with NYC, many towns turn collected yard debris into compost for the taking.

      You can not match the quality of real compost for gardening. Personally I can not make enough of the stuff. I need to supplement with bags of composted manure. This stuff, while it works, does not contain the variety of trace elements and organic composition that helps soil work better. Topsoil is by no means compost.

      As for the eye-sore deal beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the least offensive that I have seen is a simple bin made lincoln log style stacked up 3 feet or so, you could make it out of cedar 2x4s if you wanted to. Personally mine is just a pile of stuff Beauty is the black stuff that comes out.

      compost happens

    5. Re:Composting ideas by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Reminds me of a joke.

  28. They reject my stories and post this?!?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Damn you. Damn you all to hell! - Stewie from Family Guy

  29. STANDBY FOR A BAD PUN by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    first compost.

    1. Re:STANDBY FOR A BAD PUN by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      this story rots.

  30. Slashdot Editors caught using crack by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In a shocking turn of events it was revealed that the slashdot editors are smoking crack. This story came to light after they posted an article on composting.

  31. "Four upside down pot plants." by NineNine · · Score: 5, Funny

    In the article, the author mentions that "Four upside down pot plants." help with circulation. I don't know about him, but four pot plants, upside down or otherwise, don't help me with circulation... they knock me on my ass.

    1. Re:"Four upside down pot plants." by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Informative

      Actually, as THC is a vasodilator, marijuana does improve circulation.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    2. Re:"Four upside down pot plants." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Let's not forget: THC isn't the only cannabinoid present in marijuana that's a vasodilator either. ;)

  32. I Like the Change.... by puppetman · · Score: 2

    maybe it's because I have a compost pile in my backyard, and on cold September mornings, I would look outside and see it steaming. Seems to have gone dormant now.

    It's a nice change. Consider it kind an environmental-enema for those constipated with too much technology.

  33. Hemos You Lazy Bastard by greymond · · Score: 1

    What the fuck is wrong with you?! Why not start posting home and gardening tips. I think the new advances in rake technology will vastly improve the rate at which leaves are piled.

  34. So? by Tremblay99 · · Score: 5, Interesting
    I've been using a plastic worm compostor for years ... add kitchen scraps and paper, the worms digest everything several times faster than any compost pile.

    Oh yeah, standard designs all have drainage, and most are made to work indoors (low/no stink, if done properly). Just check out a link or two.

    1. Re:So? by Jim.McGinness · · Score: 1

      This guy is going to get an experience both with composting and with his web site. At least he'll learn something, I hope.

      My worm composter bin had been running along happily for a few years and today I discovered that the red wrigglers were all dead or nearly dead and little tiny white worms had taken over (nematodes?).

    2. Re:So? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      how do plastic worms make compost?

    3. Re:So? by kitzilla · · Score: 2

      > I've been using a plastic worm compostor for years ...

      I had no idea plastic worms ate so much.

      --
      This is my post. There are many others like it. If you don't like what you read here, go try one of the others.
    4. Re:So? by Quikah · · Score: 1

      Might be maggots.

      --
      Q.
    5. Re:So? by Jim.McGinness · · Score: 1

      You're right. They're still really small and thin, so it's hard to tell exactly. They don't yet look like what I'm used to maggots looking like. I'll have to convey the entire bin contents out to the outdoor compost pile tomorrow just to avoid problems and start this bin over.

    6. Re:So? by Tremblay99 · · Score: 1
      The bugs might just be a symptom -- the water content can be too high ... or the ph is off making your box a cozy environment for something that otherwise wouldn't be there.. But starting over with fresh worms is not a bad idea. My brother just re-started his worm box with worms from mine -- turns out that making veggie slush in the blender is not good worm food :O

      If mine ever has probs, I'll just grab a handful of critters from his.

    7. Re:So? by Jim.McGinness · · Score: 2, Informative

      Yep. It's my fault, it appears I neglected draining off the excess "worm tea" for too long and catastrophically unbalanced the micro-ecosystem. The other, smaller, worm bin is still happy, so I have an ongoing source of critters.

    8. Re:So? by !splut · · Score: 2

      Are they ringed? Nematodes are so small that you'd have a hard time seeing them at all. We're talking around one mm in length. If, on the other hand, the white worms are more like a centimeter long, and if you can discern a lighter ring near the front end, they are in fact "whiteworms," a species of ringed worm fairly closely related to the earthworm.

      Nematodes, by contrast, are not ringed worms(phylum Annelida), and belong to a completely different phylum (Nemotoda).

      Whiteworms live under much the same conditions as earthworms, and can actually achieve a higher biomass in a given culture. They reproduce much faster, possibly explaining why they replaced your earthworm population.

      --
      The angel in the oatmeal.
    9. Re:So? by Jim.McGinness · · Score: 2

      I think you've pegged it. I hadn't gotten around to dumping the old contents yet and the little guys have not turned into maggots. I guess I'll continue the experiment a while longer....

  35. I get it... by emars · · Score: 1

    1. Compost Bin
    2. ?????
    3. Profit!!!!111!!1!

    --
    ...18...19...20 Submit
    1. Re:I get it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      wtf?

      I have NO idea what you are trying to say.

      And just a tip: hold down shift when you want to make exclamation points!!!!1!!111!!!1111!!!11!!

    2. Re:I get it... by netsharc · · Score: 1

      It sure looks like the corporate plan of Dotcoms gone by..

      --
      What time is it/will be over there? Check with my iPhone app!
  36. Never quite understood by Dirtside · · Score: 5, Funny

    I've never quite understood what the purpose of a compost pile is. I'm vaguely aware of the organic matter in the pile decaying, and large piles can get rather warm (a big enough pile may burst into flame, or so I've heard). But, uh... why are we making compost piles, exactly?

    Oh, yeah, and add me to the growing list of people who vote this article Least. Relevant. Slashdot. Article. Ever.

    --
    "Destroy science and religion. Science would re-emerge exactly the same; but not religion." - Penn Jillette, paraphrased
    1. Re:Never quite understood by NineNine · · Score: 1

      Don't kids in school these days have to study anything other than how to install fucking software? Compost = soil. Stuff rots, it becomes dirt. Isn't this like a third grade concept...?

    2. Re:Never quite understood by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When bio-degradable stuff goes into a modern landfill, it doesn't decompose. Things are packed in too tight with no air. I saw an interesting thing on the discovery channel where a archeologist professor took his students to a landfill so that they could investigate past events. They were pulling scraps of stuff from the landfill from the early 70's that hadn't looked like it had decomposed at all. So consider it a small contribution to the enviornment (especially usefull if you have a garden)

    3. Re:Never quite understood by AndroidCat · · Score: 1

      Ahh, this explains why the 70's keep retro-appearing. Obviously the preserved stuff escapes from the landfill ever now and then.

      --
      One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
    4. Re:Never quite understood by Dirtside · · Score: 2

      I don't know, I don't remember much about third grade, since it was seventeen years ago. Besides, I asked "Why do we compost?" not "What is compost?" Jump to conclusions much?

      --
      "Destroy science and religion. Science would re-emerge exactly the same; but not religion." - Penn Jillette, paraphrased
    5. Re:Never quite understood by NineNine · · Score: 1

      Why do we compost? OK, that's just as good.

      See, when you throw out garbage, it doesn't just vanish. The garbage man takes the garbage to a big hole in the ground where it's sealed in a concrete tomb for thousands of years. If you don't throw it out, then it rots naturally (actually, faster), and you get the benefit of really, really good free dirt.

    6. Re:Never quite understood by Jeremiah+Blatz · · Score: 1
      Why to compost:
      1. Compost is good for your soil. It has a decent amount of nutrients, retains water well, and does not hold excess water (it provides good drainage). In areas with very sandy or clay-ful soil, composting is the only economical way to get decent growing conditions.
      2. Composting takes most of the stuff that makes your trash smell bad and makes it not smell bad. (Meat, dairy, eggs do not got in the compost.) If your compost sk1llz don't suck, your compost pile doesn't smell bad. This is especially good if you forget to take out the trash sometimes.
      3. Composting keeps material out of landfills. Organic matter in landfills doesn't decompose. In a compost pile, it does. Leaves and grass will shrink by like a factor of 5 when composted. This is why many municipalities are subsidizing compost bins for their residents; it's cheaper than landfilling.
  37. Good article... by NineNine · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What is this I see?? An article on Slashdot that's *NOT* about Evil Microsoft or the Evil government? Be still my beatign heart! Is this an acknowledgement that there are geeks that don't just sit around and write angry letters to senator's junk mail boxes about the evils or Microsoft and the lack of privacy while waiting for the last hour's version of Mozilla to compile on a Gentoo box used to play Quake 3? Dear God! I am *so* impressed. As a part time biology geek, I was fucking thrilled to see this post. Keep it up. There's more to true geekiness than OSS and boring anti-privacy law garbage.

    1. Re:Good article... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This article was very Cathartic for the /. community... Keep em coming... :)

    2. Re:Good article... by distributed.karma · · Score: 2, Funny

      Well, it did mention /bin.

      --

      --
      If you moderate this, then your children will be next.

  38. How lame by jukal · · Score: 5, Informative
    why don't you instead turn the compost bins into electricity generators. There was a related story on slashdot, which I could not find, so instead, read this(generating electricity with biomass):

    Cuba is about to start the nation's first-ever sugar cane harvest in which a sugar mill will not make SUGAR, but instead will be generating electricity from the biomass.

    1. Re:How lame by Jeremiah+Blatz · · Score: 1
      why don't you instead turn the compost bins into electricity generators.
      Because composing is an aerobic process. The electricity generation stuff converts biomass to methane, which is burned to boil water, drive a turbine, run a fuel cell, etc. This process is significantly trickier, and not something you can do with crap lying around the average house.
  39. I'm an idiot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So i took a recyling container and instead of recyling I put dirt and leaves in it. ohh yeah then i put a top on it so it didnt get wet.

    hmmm, sounds like a great new story for slashdot.

    later

  40. Improper composting by Whatever+Fits · · Score: 1

    He is trying to protect it from the rain? What??? My compost bin gets a regular watering. If you do not have enough water in it, IT WON'T DECOMPOSE! This is also the case if you have too much water. The drains on the bottom and propping it up seem a little excessive. Mine is just a pile on the ground with a few wooden slats around it. It looks kinda like a few pallets bolted together, but it isn't! Honest!

    There are several reasons for keeping your compost quite wet enough: to keep it decomposing; to keep the worms alive; to keep it from catching on fire (spontaneous combustion isn't fun); and to keep the smell down. A properly maintained compost heap really doesn't smell much. Now I wouldn't want it under my dining room window, but I digress.

    He is saying six months for compost? Hmmm... seems a little long for me. I don't ever remember compost taking that long. Oh, don't forget to go out and stir it up with a pitch fork or something every once in a while.

    --
    My name fits again.
    1. Re:Improper composting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Duh! Everything decomposes? Otherwise
      we wouldn't have to have freezers. It
      just will take more time to decompose.

    2. Re:Improper composting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you do not have enough water in it, IT WON'T DECOMPOSE!

      Yes, but the optimal amount of moisture depends on local temperature and rain conditions. If he lives in a relatively cool and wet place, the compost could get too wet and must be protected from excessive moisture. Cool temperatures would probably also lead to slower decomposition, so that could explain the six months.

  41. don't roll your own by TheSHAD0W · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Building a compost heap is an annoying piece of work; and you have to tend the thing, stirring it up. They make a rolling composter that, instead of having to dig and churn all that smelly stuff, you just roll the bin around to mix it.

    1. Re:don't roll your own by statichead · · Score: 1

      you don't have to do anything to it. It just takes longer if you don't mix it up and put in the right stuff, considerably longer in fact.

    2. Re:don't roll your own by Mr.+Slippery · · Score: 1
      Building a compost heap is an annoying piece of work; and you have to tend the thing, stirring it up.

      Folks, it's just not that hard. "Building" it was surroudning a couple square feet of my backyard with fence to keep the dogs and suburban wildlife out. Maybe an hour's work.

      Yard waste, I throw on top. I collect the kitchen scraps in a small bucket; when it fills (about once a week) I scoop out a hole with my cultivator, dump in the scraps, and cover over. That seems to provide enough stirring. Takes maybe three minutes a week.

      If you're got a really small yard and need to save space, go ahead and get once of the fancy plastic bins; but if you've got some yard space, an old-style pile is really simple.

      --
      Tom Swiss | the infamous tms | my blog
      You cannot wash away blood with blood
  42. Well done by otisaardvark · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Despite all the "rubbish" jokes here, environmental protection and awareness is to be applauded. A little effort (switching lightbulbs off when leaving rooms, putting scrap paper in a separate bin) can make a tangible difference. Sorry for getting all philosophical, but I reckon that in general, we can (and should) argue for our rights; enforcing our responsibilities (in this case, to the environment) should be a matter for the conscience but is just as important. Well done to the guy.

    1. Re:Well done by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ummmm... this is /. You could probably power a small state with the amount of power being pulled in by the comps viewing this page.

  43. mod up if you like pussy! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You will be using Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 to develop and compile the c-code for this lab. Many of you are probably more familiar with emacs and gcc under unix, but this lab will be done under Windows NT running on a Pentium III using Microsoft Visual C++ as editor and compiler
    This is a short tutorial how to get started with Visual C++. It has some nice features, but you will probably use the wrong keyboard combinations a numerous of times if you have used emacs (for example to save a file, you use C-s (control key-s), and not C-x C-s as in emacs).

    For this lab you will be given a couple of .c and .h files to start with. They can be downloaded from the lab page and contain everything needed to compile and run this application except for the implementation
    of the filter algorithm (which you will do).

  44. Compost Heap of Running Jokes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    1. All your beowulf cluster of trash are belong to us!
    2. ???
    3. Profit!

  45. Imagine a Beowulf cluster of these!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It had to be said...

  46. Uhm? by i_need_no_nick · · Score: 1
    What's with all the weird posts recently?

    Is slashdot really getting less coherent, or am i just getting more drunk?

  47. Overclocked that box by ad0gg · · Score: 1

    Also add some neon lights and alum. case and a blow hole with 6800 rpm fan.

    --

    Have you ever been to a turkish prison?

  48. Google cache by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Google cache for those interested

  49. In the words of Comic Book Guy... by baudbarf · · Score: 1

    WORST - ARTICLE - EVER!!!

    --
    You can run but you can't hide, except, apparently, along the Afghan-Pakistani border.
  50. A last glimmer of hope by pjgeer · · Score: 1

    I tried to turn to avoid the cries of help that echoed, but they were too much for me to bear. Minutes later, the server crumpled into a pile of stinking molten slag. The slashdotting had taken effect.

  51. Yeah, but... by MikeV · · Score: 1

    ...does it run Linux. :)

  52. Slashdot. News for... by Noexit · · Score: 1

    ...gardeners, decomposing matters.

    --

    Never argue with a man carrying a water buffalo

  53. I don't have to go outside to compost by DaveAtFraud · · Score: 2

    I'll just declare the funky looking stuff in the back of the fridge to be "compost."

    --
    They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither safety nor liberty.
    Ben
    1. Re:I don't have to go outside to compost by gl4ss · · Score: 2

      actually.. you wouldn't believe what happened to my carrots, black goo. black goo.

      and when potatoes grow out of the fridge, then it's way past the time they should have been eaten..(they'll do it really.)

      what this compost has to do with news for nerds/ stuff that matters i have no idea.. if one doesn't know about composts he should have not skipped elementary school.

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    2. Re:I don't have to go outside to compost by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      and when potatoes grow out of the fridge, then it's way past the time they should have been eaten..(they'll do it really.)

      Potatoes don't grow in the fridge. You should keep them in a cool (not cold) dark place with your onions and garlic. They grow better there.

    3. Re:I don't have to go outside to compost by Amazing+Quantum+Man · · Score: 2

      you wouldn't believe what happened to my carrots, black goo. black goo.

      You fool! That's not carrots! That's an alien virus which will incubate inside you if you touch it!!!

      --
      Fascism starts when the efficiency of the government becomes more important than the rights of the people.
  54. I have a compost pile, too by spun · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's in my sink. I use a stack of dirty dishes to protect it.

    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  55. /. is F*ucked! by DAldredge · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    My post above has been moderated this way:

    Moderation Totals: Offtopic=3, Insightful=1, Interesting=2, Informative=1, Total=7.

    This is INSANE! 7 mod points have been wasted on my other post. Don't the mods have anything else better to do?

    1. Re:/. is F*ucked! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, only four points were wasted. Your post WAS off topic. It was none of the other three. Don't YOU have anything better to do than bitch about rejected submissions?

    2. Re:/. is F*ucked! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't the mods have anything else better to do?

      Not really. Otherwise they'd be doing something else on a Friday night instead of moderating your post.

  56. How about a desktop compost bin? by chizzad · · Score: 1

    First off, composting is great, I compost all my leaves, yard waste, non-meat food waste, dead plants, etc. However, what I really need is a desktop compost bin for my tea bags and spent loose leaf tea.
    That would go great with the tree on my desk. Any ideas on how to produce enough heat with a small enough container to put on ones desk?

    --

    Don't write in this space.
    OK
    1. Re:How about a desktop compost bin? by user32.ExitWindowsEx · · Score: 1

      Simple. Get an Athlon system and use the excess heat from it. :p

      --
      "Evil will always triumph because good is dumb." -- Dark Helmet
    2. Re:How about a desktop compost bin? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      whoa, small, fits on your desk, requires heat?

      I SMELL A CASE MOD!

      (no pun intended)

  57. A new device? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    Why not just make a /usr/compost/bin on the file system? It saves you the trouble of having to go outside and handle all that dirty garbage stuff...

    -FarPar

  58. Rotten compost by kitzilla · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Slashdotted already. :-)

    Glad the guy is composting, but--for whatever a gardening discussion is worth on a tech site--I don't think he's got enough air circulation going on.

    The holes look too small. He also doesn't discuss how he's going to turn the pile, which is real important in closed compost bins.No oxygen equals stinky sludge. Mmmm...nummy!

    The simplest (and one of the most effective) compost heap is just a big ole pile laying directly on the ground. Put a bit of carpet remnant on the top to hold moisture, and you're golden. Piles can be made neater with a bit of chicken wire and some supports. Real low-tech stuff.

    Here's a link to all things rotten:

    http://www.oldgrowth.org/compost/

    Twinkies don't compost, by the way. Something my kids discovered.

    --
    This is my post. There are many others like it. If you don't like what you read here, go try one of the others.
    1. Re:Rotten compost by ziggles · · Score: 1

      Who in their right mind would throw away a twinkie?!

    2. Re:Rotten compost by kitzilla · · Score: 2

      That's what happens when you're trying to sell the virtues of composting to your kids, and the 4-year-old overhears. If I'm not paying attention, she'll compost anything. Found my cordless phone out there one morning, nestled in rotting coffee grounds.

      She's cute, though. :-)

      --
      This is my post. There are many others like it. If you don't like what you read here, go try one of the others.
    3. Re:Rotten compost by ultramk · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Twinkies don't compost, by the way. Something my kids discovered.

      More than that, they're nearly immune to aging. Back when I was a freshman art student ('93, 94?) I made a sculpture featuring an ordinary Twinky, in a lexan case I created that was supposed to reference Lenin's final resting place... it's even internally lit.

      Before you ask, no, I didn't spray the Twinky with anything. Straight out of the package. The case is not air-tight, but it's close.

      Of course, it was in a couple of student shows while I was at school, but I figured when it started lookiing nasty, I'd pop in a new one. That was almost 10 years ago, and it still looks great, as you can see (I took those photos about 5 minutes ago). Notice the dust on top of the case? I do dust it every 6 months or so...

      I noticed a bit of shrinkage last year, but it's pretty slight. Of course, discussing art on /. is like asking the guy at TacoBell about optimal router configurations, but I thought you all might be amused.

      Michael-

      --
      You catch enchiladas by picking them up behind the head and holding them underwater until they don't kick anymore -VeGas
    4. Re:Rotten compost by kitzilla · · Score: 2

      Wouldn't you love to be a fly on the ceiling when some archeologist digs that thing up in a couple thousand years. You've created the stuff of doctoral dissertations in the year 4002:

      "The Cult of the Twinkie"

      "Ancient Snack Foods and Burial Tradition"

      "If Only We Could Dig Up an RC Cola to Go With This"

      --
      This is my post. There are many others like it. If you don't like what you read here, go try one of the others.
    5. Re:Rotten compost by Jace+of+Fuse! · · Score: 2

      Does this mean that with my strict diet of Twinkies and Sobe I'm going to live forever? Or am I just going to be perfectly preserved after I die?

      --

      "Everything you know is wrong. (And stupid.)"

      Moderation Totals: Wrong=2, Stupid=3, Total=5.
    6. Re:Rotten compost by Artifex · · Score: 2

      Of course, discussing art on /. is like asking the guy at TacoBell about optimal router configurations

      A lot of us who programmed routers so well they didn't require much attention are now out of jobs, so you might be surprised.

      I got to talking to one of the checkout guys I always saw on my 3 A.M. grocery trips in Portland, and found out he used to be a tech recruiter for guys like me... that's about when I decided I had to move back home before I ran out of savings.

      --
      Get off my launchpad!
  59. garbage by any other name is still... by jxliv7 · · Score: 2, Funny

    garbage...!

    we're talking eco-garbage here, right...?

    i just wonder what the SMELL will be like.

    like most ecological efforts i'm aware of, in real life they STINK.

    1. Re:garbage by any other name is still... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Shut the fuck up, moron.

    2. Re:garbage by any other name is still... by kitzilla · · Score: 2

      "Healthy" compost smells earthy and rarely attracts insects. If a compost heap smells like ammonia (or worse), it isn't getting enough air. That--or someone put a Twinkie in it.

      --
      This is my post. There are many others like it. If you don't like what you read here, go try one of the others.
    3. Re:garbage by any other name is still... by plugger · · Score: 1

      Whereas internal combustion engines and oil refineries smell heavenly, don't they? Diesel engines stink, compost merely smells, you wuss.

  60. MOD PARENT UP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject.

  61. required reading about compost by gordona · · Score: 5, Interesting

    A poem by Walt Whitman, innocently entitled "This Compost" (http://www.riles.org/compost.htm), reveals all there is to know about compost. On the earth beneath our feet he asks where all the rotting corpses have gone and how such sweet things like blackberries and apples can grow "out of such corruptions". But read it for yourself and behold the awe and mystery of the grand design. When looked at it this way, each of us becomes fodder for something else!

    --
    "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!" -- Dr. Strangelove
  62. The poll is already past by Christianfreak · · Score: 2

    /. editors: If you are trying to when best headline that poll is already over. You've probably got weirdest article hands down though.

  63. Haha by Tuffnut · · Score: 1

    Looks like slashdot made compost out of his site!

    Critical Error! Unable to make a connection to the database.

    Please be patient while we fix the problem. Thanks!

  64. Compost fails to compile by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    *core dumped*

  65. Why not a worm bin? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    While I'm sure it will eventually work out as a tiny compost pile, the small size of that bin is just calling out for it to be made into a worm bin. You just use typical red earthworms to eat all the garden and food waste, and end up with the most fantastic crumbly black fertilizer.

    This is a good place to start.

    1. Re:Why not a worm bin? by MasteroftheVoxel · · Score: 1, Troll

      This is pretty digusting. I cannot believe that someone would actually do this *indoors*. Red worms are not really that palatable, and most of us like to keep vermin - cockroaches, flies, maggots, etc OUT of our garbage. Why would anyone want to willingly put this on their kitchen counter? This sounds just like a disease waiting to happen. Not only that but you have have 2000 worms for 1 pound of garbage! And move the bedding around each time you add garbage? And they mention the risk of the worms escaping?

      And don't even mention the horrible smell that they say is the most common complaint.

      I'm sorry, I can't even imagine ever doing this.

    2. Re:Why not a worm bin? by delfstrom · · Score: 2

      We've had a worm composter for a year. It sits in our kitchen in our apartment. It has greatly reduced our garbage from two adults down to just a quarter of a standard black garbage bag a week.

      1. It doesn't smell at all. There is some earthy smell when harvesting it every three months, but that's about it.
      2. The worms only try to escape if it is too wet. They'd much rather stay inside a nice dark warm enviornment surrounded by their favorite tasty foods than be out on the cold bright sterile kitchen floor, where they would soon die.
      3. It's not disease waiting to happen. Red worms are not a vector for disease, unlike rats. If you intend on using the worm casings for indoor plants, you should sterilize the casings by baking them in an oven, as it is possible that either the worms OR, more likely, the food you bought at the grocery store and then peeled, etc, contains some sort of plant disease. Otherwise you can use the worm casings outdoors without a problem. It's the most effective fertilizer that you can get.
      4. If you can't even imagine ever doing it, then I suppose you don't have a very good imagination. It's a piece of cake, really. It's not rocket science. Take some responsibility for the waste you create, for a change!
    3. Re:Why not a worm bin? by statichead · · Score: 1

      Yea and when you lose that high paying it job you can sell worms;-)

  66. Imagine a beowulf cluster of these by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    .... man!

  67. ooh i can't wait... by nuckin+futs · · Score: 1

    Once the compost bin has been filled, it will be monitored until the materials have completely decomposed. I expect this to take about six months. A follow-up article will be written at that stage. Stay tuned!

    for the follow up story on slashdot six months from now!

  68. My only guess by cr@ckwhore · · Score: 2

    Now that the site is slashdotted, I can only make assumptions regarding what this post is really about.

    Did he use the decaying vegitables as a power source for his server perhaps?

    --
    Skiers and Riders -- http://www.snowjournal.com
  69. Another name by Shamanin · · Score: 2

    I thought this was a story about yet another way a company could get around renaming the "Recycle Bin" similar to what MS did to Mac.

    --
    come on fhqwhgads
  70. Re:Uhhh, Okay. Why not? by denny_d · · Score: 1

    I take my kitchen scraps and just turn it right into the soil. It's only me, so I only have to do it every two or three days. The soil, I think, will be ready for a 'real' veggie garden next spring. I live in a sandy soil area so, instead of using oil based fertilizers, I go green. It's a little slower but the difference is already showing.

  71. YOU FAIL IT! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Way to go dan, two first FAILURE posts in a day. Truly you are the greatest FAILURE cslib has ever seen. YOU FAIL IT!

  72. Much more of a /. site. Super tech gardening! by teamhasnoi · · Score: 2
    Even if you are not a pothead (I'm retired :) this site has such cool solutions to growing ahem...*plants* indoors, you could easily spend a hour there. DISCLAIMER: Obviously you take your chances, so don't actually do it. I don't and don't know anyone who does. This is proof of concept only. :)

    Don't be surprised when you're hungry after you visit.

  73. Site is trashed... by Kaz+Riprock · · Score: 2


    And not the composting variety:

    >Critical Error! Unable to make a connection to the database.

    >Please be patient while we fix the problem. Thanks!

    I think we just helped him add a bit of silicon to his compost pile.

    --
    Mordor...a magical, mythical land where women are more rare than dragons--but where every man would rather find a dragon
  74. Do a quick search for Wormaroo by Insightfill · · Score: 1

    Interesting product! They even sell the worms. There was a write-up in Forbes last year on them.

  75. Imagine the stench from... by squidinkcalligraphy · · Score: 1

    ... a beowulf cluster of these

    --
    "I think it would be a good idea" Gandhi, on Western Civilisation
  76. My mom's had a compost silo for years by drinkypoo · · Score: 2
    But she didn't do a webpage about it, so I guess that's why it's not on the front page of slashdot.

    In fact I spent many, MANY long hours teaching her how to use her mac.

    Anyway compost silos are cool, everyone with a house should have one unless they have enough people to justify an actual compost pile. This is, however, something like 20 people in most cases.

    The major advantages to having a compost silo over a pile are as follows: It takes up less space, it works faster because it traps heat, it ends up as a farm for earthworms which are good for your soil (and mine) and of course, it reduces the amount of stinky garbage in your trash can.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  77. You have it all wrong! Kill a cow instead! by Zutroy+Of+Earth · · Score: 1

    Weird. The firts thing I though about when I saw that story is the Vegetable song from the arrogant worms :)

    Carrot Juice Is Murder

    Dying souls indead!

  78. solutions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I too had problems with my vegetables being bare, until I found out that the grocery store provides free plastic bags to put them in. Now my vegetables are covered up and all my problems are solved, except when I leave vegetables in the fridge for several weeks...

  79. additional bin mods by ehovland · · Score: 1
    • copper heatsink and fan (for overclocking bacteria)
    • blue LEDs, lots of them
    • spiderman grill face
    • LCD front panel to show temperature & nitrogen:carbon ratios
  80. Compost Queen by Embedded+Geek · · Score: 3, Funny
    "My whole life had been spent waiting for an epiphany, a manifestation of God's presence, the kind of transcendent, magical experience that lets you see your place in the big picture. And that is what I had with my first compost heap"

    - Bette Midler, on being named "Compost Queen" in Los Angeles, c. 1990s

    --

    "Prepare for the worst - hope for the best."

  81. Scary... by StormKnightHec · · Score: 2, Funny

    The scary part is that this will probably end up being a slashback subject once spring comes along and thaws his now-frozen compost pile.

  82. Trashdot... by Zildy · · Score: 2, Funny

    News for worms, stuff that festers.

    --
    Karma: Excer..ex...excellahhh...realll good (mostly affected by drinking not done in moderation)
  83. That compost bin sucks. by leastsquares · · Score: 5, Informative

    1) Who cares about the compost getting wet when it rains? So long as the drainage is fairly good, a bit of rain won't hurt.

    2) It looks like it is sitting in the sun. That's going to really stink in the summer. Instead of being a nice place friendly mold/fungi/insects to hang out, it is just going to attact wasps and roaches in the summer.

    3) How do the worms get in? Worms really help to make good compost. They mix it around, while eating much nasty bacteria.

    Not that I'm an expert in composting or anything. He should have just cut a couple of 6 inch holes in the bottom of his box and sat it on some soil.

    1. Re:That compost bin sucks. by puppetman · · Score: 2

      Our composter doesn't stink - you throw a layer of soil on top everytime you add.

      Worms make it in - not sure how - ours is packed.

      No wasps, and no roaches. We don't have cockroaches here. Wasps in the summer, but more attracted to flowers and garbage.

    2. Re:That compost bin sucks. by kitzilla · · Score: 2

      Yeah, that was my point. This bin will yield lots of nasty sludge, not new soil.

      Then he'll say composting doesn't work.

      --
      This is my post. There are many others like it. If you don't like what you read here, go try one of the others.
  84. Imagine a cluster by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Imagine a Beowolf cluster of these!

  85. Get a Can 'O Worms by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    the Can O' Worms is an amazing Australian product for managing and hastening the compost making process. Just add veggies remains, earthworms, and there you go. More of a "plug and play" solution.

  86. What would be cool is... by woogieoogieboogie · · Score: 1

    If the compost bin was made out of an old iMac case.

    --
    ... Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed...
  87. STFU! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    STFU! You sound like a MORON!

  88. Pirate school by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    [blah blah blah] ...

    [blah]

    I only got as far as the 3 Arrs in pirate school..."

    Pity. Your next lesson would've been:

    This is the END for you, you gutter-crawling cur!

    And I've got a little TIP for you. Get the POINT?

  89. FUCK SLASHDOT UP THE CORNHOLE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fuck you, you fucking fucer fuckers. I hope you fucing die. Fucks.

  90. Indeed by hasse · · Score: 1

    Bleh. While this excursion was interesting--and it's true that it's funny that a geek went outside--but I myself think that [anything] is a worthwhile project.

    Look at it. While it doesn't involve computers it does involve a little bit of a [anything else], and there is a bit of science to it. In fact there are multiple types of [anything]. I found a good site (below) that lists through them.

    http://www.everything2.com

    I especially like the picture for Goatse (eew worms.)

  91. um... by BarrettAnderson · · Score: 1

    are you sure that will work? i did a little decomposing pumpkin project during freshman year around halloween... i'm now a junior and the pumpkin is still happily sitting on my balcony... AND is orange... ... i just don't know about the texture...

  92. food waste breeds vermin. by twitter · · Score: 5, Insightful
    There are good reasons to throw food wastes away. Vermin, large and small, can turn your little pile into a real biohazard. A better soloution is to eat what you buy and don't buy things you will throw away.

    A neighbor I once had composted all their kitchen scraps in our shared back yard and there I learned that not all things rot well. It stank, but that was the least of it's problems. The pile fed rats and scattered the mess all over. I was not happy to think of the backyard as a magnet for flea bearing pests and kept the cats inside. Cats that got out got fleas and had to be treated. Fleas are a serious health hazard. The raccoons I feed don't seem to give me the same problems.

    Other nasties can flourish in your obstensibly friendly compost heap. Crop pests have been known to winter in compost heaps outside processing plants. Pests like potato weavils can decimate crops and require extensive use of pesticides if they are not all eliminated from a given region. While the chances of such pests wintering in your pile may be remote, you might not want to make that pile if you don't know how to recognize the pests. Molds and blights that might have slipped past customs can also take up residence in your given area if you simply throw your wastes out on the ground to rot. Whole regions of Florida have been ruined by citrus blight.

    The landfill is a good place for food wastes. Sanitary landfills are called that because they get sealed up. Clay lined and capped, stuff goes in and does not come out. It's one place I don't mind food wastes becoming black gold.

    According to the cited article, food wastes make up 10% of the waste stream on average but they can represent much less than that. I hate putting food wastes into the trash, so I try to eat everything. Carcases become stocks, leftovers are frozen in meal size portions, Jambalya, pasta and tacos eat all the spare meat. It's not that hard to do. Modern food processing assures that most food mass is used.

    Want great soil? By all means, composte your lawn clippings, the leaves you rake and other stuff that naturally hits the ground. Oak leaves are some of the best and you can find wonderful soil in gutters where people are sloppy about raking their yards. If you must tread into the wild world of rotten food, please watch your pile and try not to obnox your neighbors.

    I don't have much garbage either.

    --

    Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.

    1. Re:food waste breeds vermin. by david.given · · Score: 5, Informative
      A neighbor I once had composted all their kitchen scraps in our shared back yard and there I learned that not all things rot well. It stank, but that was the least of it's problems.

      Well, yeah. That's why you get a Green Cone. They're deceptively simple; there's some very cunning engineering in there that makes your compost decompose properly. It's not just a bucket.

      Basically, it's a solar-powered convector. There's a big air space inside, and baffles to route the air into the compost. The air is drawn through the material, maintaining high oxygen levels and preventing anaerobic decomposition (this was the problem you had; without proper ventilation, you get anaerobic bacteria, which produce assorted unpleasant substances including ketones, which smell to high heaven). It's largely sealed and even if you leave the lid off, they don't smell.

      If installed properly --- it's got to get sunlight --- it basically requires no maintenance. You put waste in. Nothing comes out. The decomposed material is absorbed into the ground under the Cone. They say that in a particularly bad year the bacteria might not be able to decompose everything, and you may need to empty it... but this will only happen every couple of years at most.

      They are seriously neat gadgets, and are a stunning example of high-tech designs implemented in low-tech materials. They're definately worth checking out at their website. If I didn't have a flat I'd buy one like a shot.

      ...

      The same sort of technology is coming into fashion. In Australia I've seen lavatories built this way. These have a solar-powered fan to force the air through the waste; air is sucked down through the lavatory, through the sewage, which is kept dry, and then vented out a chimney at the top. No water needed. No power needed. No maintenance needed, except for someone to come and clean the human-accessable bits every now and then. In fact, you can make money out of them --- the processed sewage is top-grade fertiliser.

    2. Re:food waste breeds vermin. by Waffle+Iron · · Score: 3, Informative
      IIRC, a while back Consumer Reports (who tend to be "environmentally conscious") said it was a Good Thing to grind up food scraps in the garbage disposal. This way, it ends up back in the biosphere instead of entombed in a hermetically sealed landfill taking up space that would be better be used by junked computers. Since the garbage disposal is easy and fun, I'm signed up for that.

      As for composting, that leaves us with leaves. My municipal government's website suggests: "Try running them over with a mulching mower". Since I got a shiny new mulching mower this year, I tried it. My verdict: kick ass. Easy and fun; and no more raking. Leaves are shredded to tiny confetti that sinks into the grass. (As long as you don't let them build up too much between mowings.)

      So now, I don't throw out any biomass, and I don't have to break my back tending to piles of dirt.

    3. Re:food waste breeds vermin. by qengho · · Score: 3, Interesting

      a Good Thing to grind up food scraps in the garbage disposal. This way, it ends up back in the biosphere

      Many years ago Asimov wrote an essay about phosphorus, calling it "life's bottleneck". I can't find the essay online but here's a brief piece that discusses it.

      "...phosphorus leaches from our soils, is removed from the land in the crops we harvest, and flows down our drains whenever we use phosphorus-rich detergents or flush the commode (phosphorus was in the land, then in the agricultural crop we ate, the phosphorus passed through us, and now we're flushing it away...) and phosphorus ends up flowing into our streams and rivers and ultimately to the oceans. There it settles into mud and is not returned to the land except by geological processes requiring millions of years."

      Disposals might not be such a good idea after all.

    4. Re:food waste breeds vermin. by Jeremiah+Blatz · · Score: 1
      Compost piles are bad (except for grass and leaves). Compost bins are good. They have small enough holes that vermin don't get in. They're contained, insulated, and keep a more constant moisture level; this encourages aerobic decomposition (as opposed to rotting). Meat/bones, oil, and dairy do not go in the compost!


      These few simple rules pretty much ensure that compost is not a nuisance for your neighbors.

    5. Re:food waste breeds vermin. by floydigus · · Score: 2

      Thank you obsessive-compulsives for breeding several new strains of super bugs that will kill us all.

      I think it's amazing that this kind of attitude still exists. Where do you think your great grandparents' organic waste is now? Rotted away on a compost heap, that's where.

      You need to realise that sometimes the low-tech solution is the best one.

      --

      All things in moderation; including moderation

    6. Re:food waste breeds vermin. by brycenut · · Score: 2, Informative
      The raccoons I feed don't seem to give me the same problems.


      No? Racoons do have their share of fleas (I worked trapping them one winter as part of a masters project, and got first-hand evidence of their infestation), and they also have plenty of other diseases & pests. How about rabies, ascarids (a roundworm; which can cause blindness in humans), leptospirosis, canine distemper, and assorted other nasty diseases for humans and animals.


      Leave urban wildlife alone - they aren't pets, and shouldn't be encouraged to live near your house, for your own and your pets' good. Just because they're cuter than rats doesn't mean they're less dangerous.

      That said, you're right, many nasties can flourish in compost heaps, and the whole thing can be obnoxious to neighbors. But done properly, most compost heaps, even with food, can be almost scentless. And finally, even grass clippings can be a problem, as flies love them as they decompose, something about the scent they give off being similar to the fly's own pheremones.


      In short, compost piles are great, but they need to be implemented properly. A good source of information is always your local Extension Service office, which can be found under the county listings in your phone book.

  93. and for the much larger family... by vt-hick · · Score: 0, Troll

    a Beowulf cluster of these puppies!

  94. Hello McFly... by Lord_Of_The_Beer · · Score: 1

    Oh Please.

    Next we will be Meta-Meta-Moderating.

    Don't we already do enough moderating?

    I have a news Flash for you.

    You are not going to like EVERY SINGLE ARTICLE.

    AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ THEM.

    Just Say "Oh Really that looks Stupid, I do believe I will pass"

    --
    D.A.K.D.A.E.---- Deny all Knowledge, Destroy All Evidence
  95. Wow by duckpoopy · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    You write just like a high school student.

    --
    word.
  96. 05:05 PM -- Friday November 08 2002 by mellonhead · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Slashdot officially jumps the shark.

    1. Re:05:05 PM -- Friday November 08 2002 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Offtopic? Just because you don't get it doesn't mean it's offtopic...

  97. MY compost bin by booyaka · · Score: 1

    /home/compost/bin Sorry, I couldn't resist, im sure that pops up 100 other times in this forum. Then again, it probably makes it more /. relevant.

  98. compost by mshurpik · · Score: 2

    Barlow: You know, there are three things we're never going to get rid of here in Springfield: one, the bats in the public library, two, Mrs. McFierly's compost heap, and three, our six-term mayor, the illiterate, tax-cheating, wife-swapping, pot-smoking, spendocrat Diamond Joe Quimby.

    Quimby: Hey, I am no longer illiterate.

    Jesse: I'm a level 5 vegan, I won't eat anything that casts a shadow.

    Lisa: Wow. Um ... I started an organic compost pile at home.

    Jesse: Only at home? You mean you don't pocket-mulch?

    Bart: Hey, Lawn Boy! You missed a spot!

    Willy: When I'm done with you, they'll have to do a compost-mortem!

    Marge: Now throw compost on it!

  99. I used to grow my pot in compost! by Newer+Guy · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It grew well..nice sticky buds... and somehow it just seemed to make sense...mother earth's weed grown in mother earth's compost. Oh, those were the days!

    1. Re:I used to grow my pot in compost! by ryanvm · · Score: 2

      I used to grow my pot in compost!

      Dude - you just made the exact same post 15 minutes ago. ;-)

    2. Re:I used to grow my pot in compost! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No he didn't... some one else may have... go look at his list of posts... If he's growing it... you're the one smoking it :)

  100. Maybe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You dorkos should consider turning off your pc's when you are not using them rather jacking off to your uptimes.

  101. Purple Prose by Valdrax · · Score: 2

    Yeah, I know. With melodramatic purple prose like that, I thought I was reading Kuro5hin.org again.

    --
    If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
  102. Gee by The+Dobber · · Score: 2


    I've been practicing organic yard management for years.

    Although in my case its known as

    1) "to cheap to replace the mower bag"

    B) "to fuckin lazy to rake the leaves"

  103. I think I got it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    John sends hemos an article submission. Hemos rejects it. John sumbits again. Hemos rejects again. Loop another 30 times, and Hemos finally gives in.

    'Fine, fry your damn server, you tree hugging hippie.'

    At least, one can hope.

  104. WORST /. ARTICLE, EVER by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    seriously. worse than any double post.

    the only thing this has going for it is the number of people posting "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT"

  105. Oh the irony by bigchris · · Score: 1

    Oh the irony... that's one of Sydney's "recycle bins" they are there for recycling PET bottles, newspapers, etc Either he's nicked someone's bin (and they now don't recycle) or he ain't recycling those things anymore.

  106. Green cones = cough, cough by farfisa69 · · Score: 0

    We like a little tobacco mixed into our cones down here in Victoria. Rest of Australia like it green though...

    --
    Meat is murder, I eat chicken.
  107. Funny.... by ffatTony · · Score: 2

    If I was a slashdot editor I would not have filed this under "Science", but under which ever Topic John Katz hides behind these days?

    Speaking of Katz, has he not posted a story in a really long time? Maybe I just filtered him out.

  108. Bad Grammar! by ActiveSex · · Score: 1

    To be a nitpicky prick:

    "My Compost Bin and I" should be "My Compost Bin and Me". Proper usage of the pronoun "I" has been drilled into everyone's skull ad nauseum, so much so that people are starting to believe that it is inappropriate to use "me" in any context. "Me" is a perfectly usable pronoun! Use it!

    The same thing has happened with the pronoun "myself", which utterly disgusts me. For example, people say, "You can come to John or myself with any questions you may have." That is revolting, and this is just basic grammar I'm talking about. You wouldn't try to use the . operator on a pointer, would you?

    And of course there are the all spelling mistakes and uses of the wrong homonyms, typical of any Slashdot posting.

    By the way, congratulations on building yourself a composter. You're only the 9 billionth person to own one. I hope your confidence doesn't crash too hard when you find it has no effect whatsoever on your sex appeal.

  109. Re:*Wow* by netringer · · Score: 2
    Wow, indeed!
    "This is my solution. Four upside down pot plants."
    The local cops are going to be *very interested* in those POT PLANTS!
    --
    Ever dream you could fly? Get up from the Flight Sim. I Fly
  110. non-secret, selfish reason for composting :) by timothy · · Score: 2, Informative

    The best reason for recycling: Laziness.

    The family compost heap at the family's northern holdings consists of two "wraparound" things -- rubbery, tough material with lots of holes in the sides which is basically collapsable, but stays up once there is a bit of material stretching the sides apart on the bottom. (Think of a botttomless, topless, pliant tube, with holes all over it.It exists as a shapeholder only when there is stuff inside of it.)

    Once in a while (ideally -- in practice we rarely do this, or feel the need to), you pull up the tube, relocate it, and pitch (as in pitchfork) in the pile of compost. you have left over, thus mixing it up, ensuring the different layers all get to know each other, etc.

    How is it Lazy? Simple -- the more that goes into the kitchen compost pot (in our case, actually old orange juice cartons fully opened so they have a large mouth ... in smarter houses, this is often a wide ceramic vessel with a lid), the less refuse Younger Son must carry to the garbage collection spot down the road.

    In the 8 or 9 years this system has been in place, I think we've emptied the resulting stuff only once -- super nice soil. Perhaps twice, but the point is the same. The point is, it is for our purposes a nearly bottomless sink for all the organic detritus we can toss in -- banana peels, dead plants, egg shells, mussel shells (ideally sundried and crushed), bread scraps, dead tea leaves, corn husks, onion peels, etc etc. Never noticed a bad odor, and have never seen rats or racoons near it. A few bugs, esp. when fruit items are left un-mixed-in, but that's OK. Acceptable tradeoff.

    If we were active gardeners instead of merely occasionaly putterers, we could probably both turn and empty this pile more frequently and get nice soil out of it more often, but ... we're not.

    So there you have it :)

    timothy

    --
    jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
  111. That's nothing, compost your own dung! by erf · · Score: 1

    The Humanure Handbook (full text online!) describes how to replace your toilet with a sawdust filled bucket, compost it in your backyard, and make superb compost.

    You too can break that nasty habit of pooping in drinking water.

    All of what he says applies to more mundane forms of compost as well.

  112. wtf? by mrsmalkav · · Score: 1

    and here i was thinking that "compost bin" had to do with some kind of circuit board melting or some kludged together computer that someone had named their "compost bin"... filled with like... kruft or something.

    wtf.

    wrong kind of nerd, thank you.

  113. alternate by twitter · · Score: 2
    IIRC, a while back Consumer Reports (who tend to be "environmentally conscious") said it was a Good Thing to grind up food scraps in the garbage disposal. This way, it ends up back in the biosphere instead of entombed in a hermetically sealed landfill...

    I grind mine up in my mouth. It goes to the same place in a pipe that was designed for it. Ba-woosh!

    --

    Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.

  114. your place of my place? by twitter · · Score: 2
    I have a feeling the rats would have eaten your green cone, neat as it may be where you live. Here in the fettid swamps of Louisianna, garbage stinks, especially when confined in a box. Everything is too moist unless you hang it from a line, and even then it moulders.

    I'm going to stick to eating the majority of food I bring home.

    --

    Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.

  115. Twinkies are collectible by K-Man · · Score: 2

    A friend of ours used to have a snack cake collection. In the original packaging.

    I can see this on "Antiques Roadshow" in a few years.

    --
    ---- "If we have to go on with these damned quantum jumps, then I'm sorry that I ever got involved" - Erwin Schrodinger
    1. Re:Twinkies are collectible by Graspee_Leemoor · · Score: 1

      Sorry to be "me too", but I have two cakes that a friend gave me- one in 1999, one in 2000. They are little iced cakes from a bakery. One is in the shape of pikachu, and the other is a frog. They both look as good as the day I got them, despite being totally uncovered on a shelf.

      graspee

  116. MOD PARENT UP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's funny. Too bad no mod points today.

  117. This article says it all ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't come here much anymore, and today I was reminded of why that is.

  118. This crap was moderated +4? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    This "news" article being posted on slashdot... ... really makes a case for moderation of articles, and not just comments.
    And your comment being modded +4 proves how much crap gets mod'd up. If you don't like the articles on slashdot, troll somewhere else.

    The comments section has been continuously going downhill with bigots, racists and Microsoft trolls. The only sanctuary true nerds have left is the homepage.

  119. Ya, but can you imagine.. by Nemith · · Score: 1

    a beowulf clusters of theses!!!

    Sorry, but someone had to do it ;)

  120. Parent is not "informative," parent is "Wrong" by Jeremiah+Blatz · · Score: 3, Informative
    Who cares about the compost getting wet when it rains? So long as the drainage is fairly good, a bit of rain won't hurt
    Wet compost is bad. Compost must be moist in order to work. Wet compost gets moldy, mold is bad. (See below)
    It looks like it is sitting in the sun. That's going to really stink in the summer. Instead of being a nice place friendly mold/fungi/insects to hang out, it is just going to attact wasps and roaches in the summer.
    Heat is good. The bacteria that make compost go like heat. The mold and fungus make stuff smell bad, they don't particularly like it hot. (Warm, yes. Hot, no.)
    How do the worms get in? Worms really help to make good compost. They mix it around, while eating much nasty bacteria.
    Worm composting is an entirely different process from bacterial composting. Worm composting has its good points (like it gives you non-smelly organic fertilizer [aka worm pee]), but it's a lot harder than regualr composting.
    Not that I'm an expert in composting or anything.
    You have made that much abundantly clear.
    1. Re:Parent is not "informative," parent is "Wrong" by leastsquares · · Score: 2

      Wet compost is bad. Compost must be moist in order to work. Wet compost gets moldy, mold is bad.

      Compost that is frequently or constantly wet won't be good, I agree. But rain isn't a problem, even somewhere really wet, like Britian... providing there is apply drainage. I have had four compost bins in Britian (not all at the same time!) and only one was covered -- that was covered to avoid being too attractive urban foxes and other vermin.

      Heat is good. The bacteria that make compost go like heat

      Yes, warmth is good. But the compost generates its own heat. Constant warmth is important (i.e. avoid heating excessively during the day and then freezing in the frost overnight) - A shaded, fairly well sheltered, location will allow a more constant temperature.

      Worm composting is an entirely different process from bacterial composting.

      Very true. I forgot to mention that you get lots of free fishing bait too ;)

      You have made that much abundantly clear.

      Don't be cheeky. I know enough to make sufficient compost that I'm unable to use it all myself in my own small garden.

  121. sterile vacuumpacked deepfrozen tablescraps.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    been tryin to think of WHY i read this article at all... but I cant really think of anything.. and I dont even feel sorry for the scraps.. unless its cleaned and sterile and vacuumpacked and then frozen.. its gonna rot and decompose itself anyway... and that isnt what he used to do before.. is it?

  122. Is this K5??? by QuietRiot · · Score: 2

    What site am I on again? I feel like I'm at kuro5hin.org the way this reads.

  123. It's mandatory in some places by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In Finland some cities have mandatory biowaste separation and composting, and many people have a compost in the backyard. Having a compost is great if you like to go fishing (worms) or want to plant plants. It's a little easier on the environment too.

    Of course you can dump the biowaste into the designated containers where they'll end up in some state-owned composting facility but then you won't get the worms or soil from it!

  124. It isn't flameproof I think... by giminy · · Score: 2

    One of the problems I've always had with the compost heap is that, at least in the summer, it catches fire every once in a while. Decomposing vegetables generate a lot of heat, and even in my open-air compost pile (just a big pile with a wire mesh fence around it), fires start. Usually once once or twice in the summer, and never much more than smoldering, so it's easy to see the smoke, wander over, stir it up with a rake to get the hot parts on the outside, and throw some water on it.

    The small space of his heap and mostly-solid sides are enough to trap in a lot of heat though...What would happen if it started smoldering? I realize that oxygen might be the limiting reactant in this case, but what if there is enough airflow to keep it going? Hopefully the plastic bin he uses isn't too flammable!

    --
    The Right Reverend K. Reid Wightman,
  125. mistakes were made by bbc22405 · · Score: 2
    You should add an equal part leaves to your kitchen scraps. Now is the ideal time of year to stockpile leaves. There is no harm in stockpiling extra leaves, if it doesn't annoy your neighbors; they don't attract significant numbers of vermin, and they keep well. You might want to spend money on wire fencing, to corral them.

    If you don't add leaves, your "compost bin" will reek. It will smell almost exactly like rotting food. (No big surprise there, I suppose.)

    Your composter looks far too small to "get cooking", if you were interested in having it reach elevated temperatures. Some people think that is important when composting, to kill seeds and plant pathogens. Of course, a bigger pile is more work, and I suppose in your case, more expensive.

    On the other hand, if you were interested in getting the output rather than disposing of the input, bigger is almost always better, until your pile reaches a size of several cubic meters or yards.

  126. NIMBY by ImaLamer · · Score: 2

    A better soloution is to eat what you buy and don't buy things you will throw away.

    Like banana peels!

    It stank, but that was the least of it's problems. The pile fed rats and scattered the mess all over.

    I guess no one thought to cover it huh? Rats can be smart, but they are not smarter than thou are they? Then again are you sure they were rats? Either way "vermin" have to eat somewhere too.

    I was not happy to think of the backyard as a magnet for flea bearing pests and kept the cats inside. Cats that got out got fleas and had to be treated. Fleas are a serious health hazard. The raccoons I feed don't seem to give me the same problems.

    Cats should be kept inside. They are not (not!) wild animals. Cats kill natural wildlife such as birds and have been breed for domestication for thousands of years. Fleas are a serious health hazard... but in some areas not so much. The raccoons though could be a serious health hazard also. Raccoons can carry Rabies and other nasties. If they scam food from you it's one thing. To feed them is another. Right there you show that you have no room to complain. But keep your cats inside, the rest of us like birds! (Why didn't your cats kill the rats?)

    you might not want to make that pile if you don't know how to recognize the pests. Molds and blights that might have slipped past customs can also take up residence in your given area if you simply throw your wastes out on the ground to rot. Whole regions of Florida have been ruined by citrus blight.

    Like posting on slashdot... you should know what you are doing. But! Molds that pass customs are the faults of customs personel and people who insist on bringing in fruit and the such. This is something learned by the Swiss many years ago... that is why we have customs today. Throwing away your "wastes" to rot isn't a good idea, but it's all organic and there is a complex system at work that breaks it down. How should we dispose of you at a later date?

    I hate putting food wastes into the trash, so I try to eat everything.

    So do I, but it's because I'm poor... how about you?

    The landfill is a good place for food wastes. Sanitary landfills are called that because they get sealed up. Clay lined and capped, stuff goes in and does not come out. It's one place I don't mind food wastes becoming black gold.

    Oh landfills! So it's that old NIMBY deal. "Just put it somewhere else please! Nevermind that we are throwing away something that we could use again."

    Want great soil? By all means, composte your lawn clippings, the leaves you rake and other stuff that naturally hits the ground. Oak leaves are some of the best and you can find wonderful soil in gutters where people are sloppy about raking their yards. If you must tread into the wild world of rotten food, please watch your pile and try not to obnox your neighbors.

    Leave your clippings on the ground. Take it from me I grew up with a horticulturalist - it's better to leave you leaves on the ground... that is why they fall down. Lawns that get raked usually find that they need to be re-seeded every few years (here and there) because in the winter time they are dying in frosts because they are exposed. BTW, leaves and grass stinks too (anything wet and organic in break down stinks); also leaves and grass bring in pests as well. It's really the same to them.

    I don't have much garbage either.

    I suppose not, the city took it all away.

  127. This is relevant by nickclarke · · Score: 1

    Can't you see the link -
    Compost bins help rubbish decompose,
    Slashdot helps servers decompose.

    Simple.

  128. my great grandparent's waste by twitter · · Score: 2
    Where do you think your great grandparents' organic waste is now? Rotted away on a compost heap, that's where. You need to realise that sometimes the low-tech solution is the best one.

    That's right. In New Orleans, people chucked their waste on the other side of the levee, and it was know to be foul and disease inducing. In time, sewers were covered, swamps drained, dumps made sanitary and people stopped dying of the diseases these bad practices all caused. Avoid things that stink you will live longer.

    --

    Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.

  129. Re:Geek related by Alari · · Score: 0

    It's HUMOR you stupid fuckers!

    There, now that's a troll. =)

    Alari

    --
    I use Windows... like a two dollar wh.. why don't I just go ahead and not finish that sentence.
  130. Keyboard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I have a compost pile in my keyboard.

  131. Goats? Pigs? by perfessor+multigeek · · Score: 1

    So, I'm curious, have you ever considered getting a goat? I would love to see a time when there is a suburban goat population, with one for every, what, fifty people? You can be damned sure that the goat will handle your compound-breakdown needs. Maybe a few pigs too for the local schools and restaurants.
    I'm not even going to get into the zoning problems here. Let's just say that I'me well aware of them.

    Anyway, this gives me the FIRST EVER LEGITIMATE SLASHDOT REASON to mention goatsex. heh, heh, heh.

    hee he hee he hee heh hehehehehehehh
    Rustin

    --
    Data is the lever, rigor the fulcrum, brains the force that drives it all.
  132. Re:Diesel stink? Nawwww by perfessor+multigeek · · Score: 1

    Diesel engines stink, you say? Not if they're biodiesel !
    What could be better than getting to drive an SUV *and* clean up McDonald's waste (using up their old fryer oil) at the same time? It's the ultimate in American!

    --
    Data is the lever, rigor the fulcrum, brains the force that drives it all.
  133. Raccoons=vermin by T1girl · · Score: 2

    The raccoons I feed don't seem to give me the same problems.

    My idiotic neighbors in California used to feed raccoons, no doubt humming "I went to the animal fair" in their blissed-out little minds as they did so. This was in a rural area where a lot of folks kept chickens. Every time they went on vacation, the raccoons would break into at least one henhouse and destroy quite a few chickens and ducks. Chickens, by the way, are perhaps the ultimate recyclers. They will eat any kind of kitchen scraps, even, ahem, chicken meat and eggshells.

  134. Given your signature... by jotaeleemeese · · Score: 1

    ... it is most ironic that you find privacy laws discussion boring.

    --
    IANAL but write like a drunk one.
  135. Re:Diesel stink? Nawwww by plugger · · Score: 1

    Now that is interesting. I remember the car being in the news about a year ago, but I didn't know they sold kits.