welcome

Greetings! I live in rural Maine where I work out of my solar powered and heated barn workshop.    I started this web site in 1997 and add to it when I have new things to share, it now has over 300 pages. I have come to define myself as a "creator".  This concept encompasses the many media and technologies with which I work, all require the idea of creating or designing something new.  This is what gets me up every morning and keeps me going every day.  Creating. Since 2001 I have made a big commitment to live as sustainably as I can and my web site documents all my efforts to reduce my the carbon footprint of my lifestyle.  The main reason I share this information is to inform and educate others who are equally committed to saving our planet from the impending disaster of climate crisis.   View of my home and workshop.

engineering
	ELECTRONIC PRODUCT DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT I work with individual inventors and small companies to develop electronic prototypes and design new electronic products.  Follow me on Facebook.
	ENGINEERING FOR ARTISTS I work with artists to design electronic controls for their light, kinetic, video, audio and multi-media work.  Here you will find an extensive gallery documenting many projects large and small.   Most recently, I have been collaborating with Dave Bruckenstein to make a series of sculptural clocks.

sustainable living
	LIVING SUSTAINABLY On this page I list all the things that Ido to live sustainably from using solar energy and owning an electric vehicle to simple no-cost things like composting and recycling rechargeable batteries. By modeling the world I want to see maybe others will join me in living lightly on the planet without compromising a comfortable lifestyle.
	VISIT MY B&B I have a delightful "Renewable Rural Retreat" airbnb room available by the night.  Come visit with me in rural Maine and see for yourself how comfortable sustainable living can be!
	CHEVY VOLT ELECTRIC VEHICLE I'm currently driving a 2017 Chevy Volt electric vehicle.   This section of my site explores the characteristics of this amazing vehicle.  And my blog post details the improvements made since the 2012 model.
	SOLAR POWER SYSTEM My blog documents the process of financing, designing, purchasing and installing a 5.2kW solar power system.  My friends and neighbors helped install it in the summer of 2009.  The system currently consists of 31 solar panels with Enphase micro-inverters behind each panel that convert solar power directly to 240 Volts AC right on the roof.  By installing it myself, I saved about $9000.  See the real time energy stats here.
	SOLAR HEATING FOR MY WORKSHOP In 2001 I designed and built a solar augmented heating system for the radiant floor in my workshop.  The backup is propane, and I later added a wood stove to reduce the propane consumption.  This blog documents the initial construction and the continuing improvements and lessons learned.  See real-time system stats here.
	SOLAR DOMESTIC WATER In July 2006 I installed a solar domestic water heating system with the help of my friends.   This blog documents the installation of a packaged system that was purchased as a complete off-the-shelf kit, although I made a few modifications.  See real time monitoring of this system.
Solar DHW storage tank temperature (live)	ENERGY MONITORING I have installed real-time energy monitoring equipment with live web interfaces to make my energy use and savings transparent: ● Solar electric power generated and historical records of energy usage ● Solar domestic water heater ● Solar building heating system for my workshop ● Heat recovery Ventilator temperatures in my workshop (shut down in summer/fall) also monitored annually: ● Propane consumption and costs for home heating/cooking/water heating ● Propane used as supplemental heat in my workshop (in addition to solar and wood) and live: ● Weather Station (via Weather Underground) ● Geiger counter - live ambient radiation counts
	HEAT RECOVERY VENTILATION SYSTEM IN MY WORKSHOP In October 2008 I installed a heat recovery ventilator in my workshop because the building is so well sealed in the winter that I was concerned about indoor air quality.  This inexpensive system brings in fresh and removes stale air while recovering 86% of the heat as it exits the building.
	MINI ENERGY RECOVERY VENTILATION SYSTEMS IN MY HOME In October 2014 I installed a mini Energy Recovery Ventilator in my kitchen/dining area to bring fresh warmed air into the house without losing heat when it is tightly sealed up in the winter.  I later added a second unit in the master bedroom.  These impressive and affordable units claim 92% efficiency.
	TANKLESS WATER HEATER In June 2010 I replaced a failed 50 gallon water heater with a propane fired tankless, on-demand unit that conserves energy by not losing heat all day from a tank.  Water is pre-heated by the solar collectors to reduce the need for propane.
	SOLAR LAWN MOWER In July 2005 I converted a gas lawn mower by replacing the old polluting gas engine with a 12 Volt electric motor run from a battery that charges from solar electric panels on my shed roof. In my blog I have detailed every step of the process so that others can build their own quiet, powerful, zero emission conversion that runs on free solar power.
	THERMAL WINDOWS In 2008 my friend Topher came up with a design for a double pane interior storm window that can be made easily and inexpensively.  If placed in all the windows of a home these simple double pane shrink film windows can save hundreds of dollars in heating bills annually in colder climates. My complete instructions with detailed pictures show you how to build these simple energy savers.  Thousands of these windows have been built by individuals and community groups since the fall of 2008.
	INSULATING BUILDINGS Insulating exposed concrete walls from the outside with rigid polystyrene foam and sheathing.  This keeps the concrete inside as warm thermal mass. also: Insulating exposed frost walls of my solar heated workshop and Insulating door and window framing
	and A thermal study of my buildings
	WIND STUDY and WEATHER STATION In April 2010 I decided to evaluate my site for a potential vertical axis wind turbine on the roof of my workshop for a year.  So I purchased a weather station that can log wind data.  While my site is not good for a wind turbine, the result of the study was an abiding interest in meteorology.  At right is the real-time local weather from my station as reported on Weather Underground's site click the image for more detail.

wood working
	FURNITURE My furnishings are all based on a theme of thin vertical staves as a primary visual/structural element.  I work mostly with native woods: maple, cherry, walnut and some exotics. I have exhibited in craft shows and galleries across the country since 1997.  Here you will find a catalog of my designs, and information about how I work.
	TURNED WOOD ART (2002-3)  I purchased a wood lathe in mid April 2002 with the sole intention of creating turned art objects. I had been designing shapes in my head for over a year that were forms evolved from my furniture. The designs all had legs attached radially in the same way that my tables have thin vertical staves as a primary element.
	ART VESSELS - with Rebekah Younger (2004-5)  This is a body of collaborative work that began in May 2004. Guy begins by turning a vessel from a hard, light colored wood -- typically rock maple creating forms that provide a suitable "canvas" for Rebekah to decorate.
	CANOE In July 2007 I decided that I needed a small, light canoe that I could use to paddle around Maine's beautiful rivers and lakes. This detailed blog shows the construction of my 14 foot, 2 person, stitched lap strake canoe built from plans in a book.  Made from 4mm marine plywood with some fiberglass it weighs less than 47lbs.
	Learn to make a wood bowl with me - 2.5 hour class.  Suspended during the pandemic View On Airbnb

products
	SOLAR DIFFERENTIAL TEMPERATURE CONTROLLERS I designed and manufacture these simple and affordable controllers. They improve the performance of solar heating systems by preventing pumps from running if the collectors are cooler than the storage tank.
	MAGNETIC LEVITATION KIT I designed this simple electronic kit that uses magnetic levitation to suspend small objects up to about 1/2 ounce (15 Grams) or so in mid air.  This is an ideal Science Project for ages 12 and up! Defy gravity!  Enhance levity! Assembled and tested versions as well as parts kits with detailed instructions from $39.75.

art
	MY LIGHT SCULPTURES I began making light art in the mid 1980's.  My work has exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the country and abroad and is in several private and corporate collections.
	MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL Here you will find videos of my electronic art and time-lapse videos showing the construction of my canoe along with all my "Beauty of Decay" flower series and other time-lapse experiments.

about me
	IN THE MEDIA I have written articles on sustainability issues for Home Power magazine and others.  Collected on my site are all these articles and also press about me or the things that I do.
	Historical views of my property
	BIO A brief pictorial history of my life. At left I am posing with the Enterprise model while shooting visual effects for "Star Trek the Motion Picture" in 1979.

social media
	I write about projects I'm working on or interesting technologies I use.  Like or follow to stay up to date.

"Do or do not. There is no try."
Yoda