*I'd kinda like to have a cool hackerly cybernetic computer-controlled food-generation system (so as to have all the benefits of agriculture without ever actually working), but the fine-print here is discouraging. Every day this guy fights off the bugs and mildew diseases inside his sealed, high-tech system. If you're gonna be lurking in there every day, why even bother to automate the system? You're still a farmer tied to the soil – even though you've removed the soil and replaced it with plastic pumps.
"Because the plants are kept in a greenhouse there is a constant battle with aphids, white flies, and powdery mildew. Plus the added cost of keeping the GH slightly heated during the winter so the plants and fish can overwinter properly.
"There is a tremendous amount of labor dealing with the insect and disease control. Every day, I go out and examine all the plants for diseased leaves and berries. Plus since it is so early in the season, there are no bees to pollinate the flowers - I go out each morning and "buzz" the flowers with an electric toothbrush. Works great!"
via @johnrobb
*On the other hand, if you build a Rinaldo/Youngs "Farm Fountain," you're still stuck there tinkering with it most of the time, but at least you can say, "Check out my cool bio-art installation."
