Basic Autonomy

Wool is a genuinely versatile material - it can be spun into yarn for knitting, weaving, or darning, felted into almost any shape, used as insulation or stuffing, or applied as a garden mulch where its texture deters slugs and snails. In many sheep-rearing areas, farmers struggle to sell fleece and will part with it cheaply or for nothing.

The immersive AI shopping experience that is replacing Google search is a capitalist hellscape. If you want to actually discover things online and experience all the glorious imperfection that was once the internet, an alternative search engine is a must. We look at the main alternatives.

There are alternatives. Some are privacy-focused (like DuckDuckGo, Brave, or Startpage) and some are genuinely independent (like Mojeek or Kagi). Learn more about these in our latest article.

The classic deep red of Swedish barns - known as Falun red - comes from iron oxide pigment sourced as a byproduct of the Falun copper mine in central Sweden, which has been operating since the 9th century. You can replicate the look at home using iron oxide pigment in the flour paint recipe, or use any earth pigment to get a different colour entirely. https://basic-autonomy.com/how-to/make-swedish-flour-paint-for-wood/

Acid rust removal - using citric acid, phosphoric acid, or white vinegar - is simpler to set up but attacks the base metal if left too long, struggles with heavy corrosion, and can seep into joints where it is difficult to rinse out. Electrolysis takes longer to set up but is safer for thin metal, more effective on heavy rust, and will not etch the surface regardless of how long it runs.

Brine concentration is one of the most important variables in vegetable fermentation - too little salt and harmful bacteria can compete, too much and the ferment is unpleasantly salty. The right range varies: sauerkraut works at around 2%, whole garlic cloves need closer to 4%, and cucumbers sit between 3% and 5% depending on how sharp you want them.

Almost any firm vegetable ferments well - cabbage, cucumbers, carrots, radishes, beetroot, peppers, onions, garlic, courgettes, and beans are all straightforward. A ferment that smells sharply sour and has cloudy brine is working exactly as it should. One that smells putrid and has developed sliminess is the much rarer sign that something has actually gone wrong.

If your shop-bought soap lathers well but leaves your skin feeling tight or dry, it is probably a synthetic detergent bar rather than real soap. Real soap is made by saponification - a chemical reaction between lye and fat that produces soap and glycerine. Without lye, there is no saponification, and without saponification, there is no real soap.

Most bathroom dirt is not actually dirt. The white crusty build-up on taps is limescale, the grey film on shower walls is soap scum, and the black spots in grout are mould. Each has a straightforward solution that does not involve a bottle of branded chemicals.