Thoreau said, “A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.” In that spirit, I enjoy organizing every scrap of wood, connector, valve, fitting, hose and wire to get the most out of the least.
If you want to get the most out of the least, you always need to consider distance, time, and geometry. After setting the 100 W solar panel in the optimal position - all things considered - I cleaned it.
The energy bank earns 98 watts. Over time, power becomes energy in watt-hours. Capacity is 240 Wh, roughly 2.4×10²⁴ photons of sunlight, or about the sunlight from ~5×10¹⁷ hydrogen atoms fusing in the Sun. This feels economical to me.
This 100 watt solar panel will only produce 98 watts for a few minutes per day. Right now, this setup is only producing 34 watts. A few hours have passed and the Earth and sun are no longer in the most efficient position for energy transfer.
When you know the direction the sun rises and sets every day of the year and you understand the advantages and disadvantages of distance, time, angles, and geometry, you can put runners and routers in the optimal locations - all things considered. This is economical.
It always makes sense to do the most with the least. Since life on Earth is powered by the sun, this kind of "optimization story" shows up all over the world. It also shows up inside the hexagons that store honey. markianrubin.life/practical-…
Living systems evolve to conserve energy, so across nature and human history, geometry converges. When energy is scarce, you see the same forms repeat. That’s why pyramids appear around the world. They’re the most stable, energy-efficient way to stack stone. Triangles save honey.
Nov 8, 2025 · 7:21 PM UTC