Finally was able to to listen to this episode, sucks working in areas with 0 internet connection or cell service... but after finally hearing and then reading this 31 page saga (kinda slow at work today...) i have 3 comments to make

-First as a petroleum engineer by trade i feel the need to address this because i didn't see it commented on by anyone else:
Quote Originally Posted by Grognaurd View Post
So, let us fix the pump / well problem for poor Datu. He cannot get the right current/voltage to the pump to lift the hydrostatic head up out of the ground. He keeps trying to supply more power to lift the head. Let's turn that around. Shrink the weight of the head.

The weight of the head is a function of the length of the pipe and the pipe diameter. Can he put pipes or sticks inside the pipe to occupy space to reduce the effective diameter of the pipe? They do not have to run the big generator 24/7 to get enough water for the colony, it seems they just have to use it because it is the only thing with enough power. My guess, it is over engineered. Shrink the head Datu...

just a guess...

We have this ( ).... Maybe we can turn it into this (o) and reduce the amount of power required

I have no idea if it will work, I am not an engineer, I am a general manager that lives outside of the box, helping techies redefine their problems with fresh eyes
while this is a great idea, and i do hate to burst bubbles, its not quite the way it works. Hydrostatic head is a pressure rather than a weight and is completely independent of area (pipe diameter), the equation is density X gravity X column height. because fluid moves not as a solid piece but as independent particles, the only surface area that matters is the surface area of the inside of the pump, which is fixed. So in this scenario, the only thing dictating the head the pump has to lift is the depth it is set below the surface, making the pipe smaller could even make the problem worse by increasing pipe friction (though this is not likely at the flow rates they would be seeing). This scenario is simply a matter of optimizing the pump depth where it is deep enough that the water can flow up to the pump on its own, yet still shallow enough that the pump can provide enough pressure to get the water to the surface.

-Second with all this talk of Datu dying, i know it may be a long shot, but i will believe it when his heart stops beating and/or he actually turns. until then, crazy or not, i'm not buying it.

-and last lets all agree that the absolute worst part of this episode was "Due to the holidays, next week's episode will be released in two weeks." im glad i was in the car alone b/c i may have actually yelled out "WTF! I just waited two weeks" and especially with these cliff hangers... here's my suggestion. how about instead of this, next week, as a Christmas present to us all, Kc releases part 2 AND part 3 at the same time... maybe...