Didn't know where else to put this, but I felt the urge to share it when I saw it, and thought you slrpnk folks might get a kick out of it!
EDIT: Since there's some skepticism over the panel, the source I got it from:
https://outofedenwalk.nationalgeographic.org/2013-04-trail-notes-solar-camel/
“The only uncomplaining one is Madoita, the lead camel. He is both warmed and shaded by a $600 blanket of photovoltaic silicon cells. He is a belching, furry, ambulatory wall plug for my satellite phone. We take turns cleaning the dust from these cells with a cloth. A new chore on an ancient caravan trail: Wiping down your solar camel.”
21 Comments
TheOneAndOnly@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 112d
No, it's not. Yes, it's a camel, and possibly, that's where it is... But that's definitely not a solar cell.
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 16 pts · 112d
It's a rubber backed carpet, likely used for daily prayers.
HonoraryMancunian@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 112d
Oh yeah it totally is
PugJesus@piefed.social · 4 pts · 111d
https://outofedenwalk.nationalgeographic.org/2013-04-trail-notes-solar-camel/
“The only uncomplaining one is Madoita, the lead camel. He is both warmed and shaded by a $600 blanket of photovoltaic silicon cells. He is a belching, furry, ambulatory wall plug for my satellite phone. We take turns cleaning the dust from these cells with a cloth. A new chore on an ancient caravan trail: Wiping down your solar camel.”
poVoq@slrpnk.net · 10 pts · 111d
The original source says it is a solarpanel and that they carefully avoided crossing the photovoltaic elements with the string that holds it down would support that fact. It does look quite unusual though, but expensive flexible hiking solar panels like that might exist.
TheOneAndOnly@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 111d
Huh...I stand corrected! I have never seen the like before, but I trust NatGeo did it's homework. Thanks for the source!
HonoraryMancunian@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 112d
I always thought they were powered by food
sparkyshocks@lemmy.zip · 7 pts · 112d
Food is just solar power stored in organic compounds, made from the CO2 in the air.
kayaks@slrpnk.net · 4 pts · 112d
Yes! (And combined with earths nutrients)
assa123@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 112d
and always has been, which means that carbon and petroleum are also a form of solar power storage. Almost all the energy we use come from the sun. The problem is that it took millions of years to accumulate, and we are releasing all that energy in a brief period.
msage@programming.dev · 3 pts · 112d
It's the future!
EtnaAtsume@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 112d
If you were going to do this, wouldn't it make more sense to have the solar panels draping down like chain mail?
In looking up historical examples of camel barding, I actually did not find much, but this is similar towhat I had envisioned.
Considering the dearth of actual examples, though, perhaps such raiment was not actually used.
ericatty@infosec.pub · 8 pts · 112d
I just realized "dearth" is one of those words I've heard but never seen written down.
Usually it's the other way around.
Now I'm tripping that it looks perfect and wrong at the same time
Skullgrid@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 112d
to be fair it was quite hard to take and develop photos back then
QuandaleDingle@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 112d
This goes hard.
akwd169@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 112d
Oh my god ive been saying slurpnik.net in my head everytime, for years at this point
kayaks@slrpnk.net · 3 pts · 112d
Hahaha lovely! 🫀💚 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
akwd169@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 112d
🤣
teft@piefed.social · 4 pts · 112d
Very obviously just a rubber floor mat upside down.
PugJesus@piefed.social · 3 pts · 111d
https://outofedenwalk.nationalgeographic.org/2013-04-trail-notes-solar-camel/
“The only uncomplaining one is Madoita, the lead camel. He is both warmed and shaded by a $600 blanket of photovoltaic silicon cells. He is a belching, furry, ambulatory wall plug for my satellite phone. We take turns cleaning the dust from these cells with a cloth. A new chore on an ancient caravan trail: Wiping down your solar camel.”
betanumerus@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 112d
MedicPigBabySaver@lemmy.world · -2 pts · 112d
No.