from the precious-few-things-in-the-news-that-make-me-feel-good-about-the-world department:

a clay water filter for removing e-coli and other pathogens made by firing a half-and-half terracotta and coffee ground mixture in a cow manure fire.

a .pdf with detailed instructions and pictures is available.

i wonder how large they can be made without cracking? the coffee-ground version takes an hour to filter a liter of water, because the pores are so small, and the test filter was only about the size of a soda can. (they can be made with tea leaves or rice hulls also, which give larger pores, but they have poorer removal efficiency).

maybe tall-and-skinny would hold up to firing, but the water could come out the sides. who out there knows about clay?

i guess getting a hot-enough fire over a large volume could be a problem too. the process is supposed to be kilnless.

well, it's badass anyway.

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also UFO spotted on Google Maps

I'm thinking weather balloon or something.

funny image though.

and the mormon temple by the beltway