Have the teams boil a liter of water using sunlight.

-- Rick Gray (rgray@penn.com), April 02, 2001

Answers

In ENGLAND?

-- Chip Haynes (ehaynes@co.pinellas.fl.us), April 03, 2001.

Umm they are filming in Cali now. they would have to use sunlight. The electric grid is too unreliable now.

-- Stephen A. Binion (Stephenbinion@hotmail.com), April 03, 2001.

Can we make sun tea?

-- Dan Denney (rustrenegades@hotmail.com), April 03, 2001.

There's a show on the Outdoor Channel that features lumberjack competitions from all over North America. One of their challenges is to build a small wood fire, using shavings they cut from a log, and boil a tin of water. First team to get the water to boil over the top of the tin wins.

DS

-- Dave Sansom (david.sansom@sympatico.ca), April 04, 2001.

Dan- Sorry to disappoint you, but I think the first California challenge is tofu. THe sun tea will have to wait unitl the semi-finals. (But making ELECTRICAL GENERATORS makes sense, doesn't it?!)

-- Chip Haynes (ehaynes@co.pinellas.fl.us), April 05, 2001.

Sell the power...be rich!

Okay...put the Three Rusty Juveniles back on their bike!

-- Dan Denney (rustrenegades@hotmail.com), April 05, 2001.

All tofu jokes aside (well, most of them anyway), I think it would be ironically funny if JYW DID have a generator competition as part of the California tapings. Could be human powered, could be wind powered, could be a very telling episode. Anyone know the daily energy consumption figures for an average California house?

-- Chip Haynes (ehaynes@co.pinellas.fl.us), April 06, 2001.

I made a very subtle suggestion for that very thing (generators). I had some left over hand powered Y2K flashlights I sent with our applications and video.They work great as long as your hand doesn't cramp up.....remember the saying,"be carful of what you wish for"...

-- Matthew Kenney (abbynrml@tcsn.net), April 06, 2001.

That was a pretty good idea, besides a cute bribe, they could use them to read the applications when the power goes out.

JustJay

-- JustJay-captain-Three Rusty Juveniles (justjay@neo.rr.com), April 06, 2001.

And flutter it will this summer.....California is ONLY has about a five or six MEGAWATT shortfall (some of the approved new generateing stations won't be on line until October),so just wait until it really gets warm and everybody decides to turn on the AC at the same time.

-- Matthew Kenney (abbynrml@tcsn.net), April 06, 2001.

Let's see: Film outdoors in the bright California sun with battery powered cameras and sound equipment. Recharge the batteries late at night, 12 hours away from peak load hours. I think this will work out ok. Is there such a thing as a gas-powered Sawz-All?

-- Chip Haynes (ehaynes@co.pinellas.fl.us), April 06, 2001.

What works better is the hybrid of a chop saw and chain saw type thing used in most yards called a "body saw".Works great for ripping roofs off.Then again,just about anything can be motorized....at one of the swaps there is a vendor who regularly brings his two stroker magarita mixer....I once thought I'd make two stroke meat carving knife,but the wife talked me out of it,too much noise at the dinner table (good point).

-- Matthew Kenney (abbynrml@tcsn.net), April 06, 2001.

You all are missing the real challenge...

Build a whatzit in ten hours with NO POWER TOOLS...

Scary thought, huh?

-- Dan Denney (rustrenegades@hotmail.com), April 06, 2001.

I think Team Amish has a lock on this one!

-- Chip Haynes (ehaynes@co.pinellas.fl.us), April 09, 2001.