Re:The Roomba for Lawns Is Really Pissing Off Astronomers
by rmxt on Thursday April 16, 2015 @11:21AM
(#9388548)
Yay for (sub?)urban heat island growth! :(
Not sure where the last place you lived was, but I hope that if it were the desert, that there's some sort of aesthetically pleasing option that exists between a water hungry green grass lawn, and an asphalt or impervious concrete surface. Even if it's not the desert, permeable paving sounds like a win-win solution for aesthetics, functionality, and environmental impact.
Re:The Roomba for Lawns Is Really Pissing Off Astronomers
by at-fates-hands on Thursday April 16, 2015 @12:39PM
(#9389090)
It was in North Dakota, and I wonder if this is what he was using. I remember him going on and on about how environmentally friendly these pavers were and how they could filter water and last a longer than normal concrete pavers have have virtually no maintenance costs.
Either way, it looked really nice and had me thinking about the maintenance and costs of my yard.
Re:The Roomba for Lawns Is Really Pissing Off Astronomers
by patorjk on Thursday April 16, 2015 @12:29PM
(#9389039)
When I lived in the New Mexico in the early 90's people started overhauling their grass yards with rock landscaping (with a few plants dotted in). The results tended to look great. I'm surprised this hasn't taken off in more places across the country.
In places where grass is hard to grow (Southwestern US) you see a lot of rock varieties and other materials that they substitute for grass and it looks great.
Just Google, "las vegas yards" and look at the image search.
The last place I lived, my neighbor was tired of his grass in his bakyard (about a 1/4 acre) so he created a huge concrete terrace in his back yard, along with a large rubber hard court for basketball and other activities for his and the neighborhood kids. He still kept his small front yard grass, but the entire backyard was now completely utilitarian.