Salmiakpastiller

Strong candy, beautiful Finnish packaging

If you hadnt guessed from my Piparkakut recipe, I enjoy Finnish food, culture, and people. I had a chance to visit in 2003 traveling from Helsinki to Mantyharju to Rovaniemi to Pyha in Lapland and back. A beautiful trip filled with lakes, trains, reindeer, hiking, coffee, beer, and lots of great food. My travel companion and I stayed with Jaakko Matilla who led us berry picking in the countryside. Afterwards I pulled together a blueberry pie with the small blue berries (like the Maine variety) that no one has ever forgotten. The rest of the trip was filled with herring (creamed, pickled, fried, and stuffed in bread) and lots of liquorice treats.

Lapin Kulta, a not so fancy beer I enjoyed in Finland, 2003

Jaakko is visiting NYC this week, and Ive been treated to an impressive ring of ruis rye bread from Nordic Breads NYC. Im told is better than the kind in Finland. Jaakko also brought a bag of Salmiakki, or should I say Super Salmiakki candies. Salmiakki contains ammonium chloride (salmiac) which gives the already aggressive flavor of black liquorice a salty flavor. The candies are beyond chewy. The texture is more like a hard gummy candy that clings to your teeth and tongue with a vengeance. The flavor is only slightly sweet, nearly savory, liquorice with a bite of table salt taste and an unexpected menthol minty flavor. Im eating them in small quantities. The flavor lingers on for an hour or more, jammed in my molars.

Reindeer in Lapland.

I havent traveled abroad in a few years now. Jaakko has made it clear that NYC and Americas new foodie tendencies toward organic foods, CSAs and sustainably produced foods would be welcome in Finland. Ive been elected to help. I cant make promises but its a thought to grow on. Finland must be doing okay. Jaakko tells me that you can split a whole or half reindeer meat share.

How to Install Apps on MiBox Mini 小米小盒子 from Xiaomi

Date:  May 4, 2015

Updates:  You cannot use this method to install App anymore.  Please see here.  http://miniliew.blogspot.ch/2015/09/xiaomi-mini-tvbox-with-mibox-miui-1383.html

“May the 4th be with you!"

Today, let’s learn how to install 3rd parties apps onto the Mibox Mini.

First, what is Mibox Mini?

This is Mibox Mini.

It is that small.  Sometimes, it is better than the FireTV Mini.  Simply plug the Mi Box mini into the electrical outlet and plug in the HDMI cable.

The packaging is very compact.  Nice.

The foot print is very small.  It is like a adapter.

But it stream shows and movies onto your TV.  It is good and light to carry around when you travel.

Check this out.  The new WHITE COLOR remote control.

And it is a bluetooth remote control.

Just in case that you lost the bluetooth signal.  You can pair the bluetooth remote control by pressing the Home button and the Menu button and hold it for few seconds until you hear the beep sound.  You have to hold the remote very near to the Mi Box mini.

Ok.  There is only one interface on the Mi Box mini.  That is the HDMI port.  There is NO USB port.

So, with NO USB port, how do you install the third party applications?

Very easy.

1.  First, launch your Mi Box mini as per normal.  Setup the WiFi.

2.  Next, you go into the Mi Box setting.

3.  Then, you select the Account & Security Safety option.

4.  You have to select YES/ALLOW to install applications from unknown source.  (The First line option)

5.  Select Allow.

6.  Next, You need to allow ADB to be turned on.

7.  Select ADB developers option by allowing it.

8.  Press the HOME BUTTON.  Go back to the Xiao Mi Box UI page.

9.  Go and select the Applications Store.

10.  Under the Account menu.

11.  Select Fast Installation.

12.  Then, this page will be displayed.

13.  You need this URL address for next step.

14.  Go to a web browser, and type the URL given from last page.

15.  This is the remote installation page.  Simply drag the Apps into that box below, and the application will be installed on the Mi Box mini.

16.  Goto www.shafa.com to download the Shafa Application Store.

17.  Drag the APK file.

18.  Drop the Shafa app inside the box.

19.  Few seconds later, the application is successfully installed.  Click “Install other APK” to continue upload APK files.

20.  I just installed two APKs.  The Cartoon HD and the Shafa Butler/Apps Store.

21.  Then, you have choices, if you already have tons of APK on your computer, simply use the same method to install the APK.  The benefit of doing so is you not need to say “YES” to the annoying installation dialog.

22.  Or, if you want, just install the rest of the APK from the Shafa Apps Store.

 

I told you is easy.

This Mi Box mini is selling for RMB 199 in China.  It is about $50-$60 in China.

I think it is a very light and good carry companion to overseas.

Moving on

Not much to report. I could not wait to see what the finished product would look like so I just had to set it up. Early morning shot taken today.

Yesterday I bought the plastic pipe fittings and now waiting till the weekend (tomorrow) to do the installation. Might even get the fish in place. Exciting or what ?....

National Developments

Things here in Thailand are moving forward.  Ive just joined "Association of Aquaponics Thailand". Lets hope we can develop this into something useful.

http://www.meetup.com/Association-of-Aquaponics-Thailand/

Check it out.

Finishing up on the Greenhouse

Well, I have made great progress on the greenhouse, it has been painted up, the roof and window panels are installed, along with a ridge vent.  I have two windows that open for more air flow during those "hot" times, with screening to keep the bugs at bay...it was a chore, but well worth the effort. Here are some pics....

 I still have to place the storm door which was graciously donated by my neighbor "Skip" whom I wish to thank. After which I will be placing the substrate for the flooring which will consist of sand/gravel and paver stones, and due to the excessive heat buildup I will be placing a gable mounted solar powered attic fan in one end of the building with possibly a "Swamp cooler" in the other once I run the electric and water to the building....more to come.

System Expansion Plans

OK...So, Ive been toying with the idea of expanding my Aquaponics system to include DWC raft beds. I threw together a little sketch in Google Sketchup to show what it may evolve into later next year. I already have some of the peices needed such as the AquaTop AB120 Blower, Expanded Shale, etc. After careful calculation I can probably throw about $1.5K at it, which would include a Hoop Style Greenhouse covered in 6mil Poly Greenhouse plastic...not bad for the extra I would gain in grow space. I can use the existing system along with the two Danner MagDrive 9.5 -950 GPH pumps that currently sit in the fish tanks along with the Expanded Shale growbeds and the dual 1000W Titanium Aquarium heaters. I can redisign this system into a Constant Height in Fish Tank with no Sump needed. Using an Undercurrent model the Raft beds would be the sump with the pumps sitting outside of the tanks/growbeds while pulling the water through the  DWC raft beds and pumping water backup into the Expanded Shale growbeds. From my calculations even if all of the Shale growbeds filled at the same time/rate, then the rafts water levels would only drop 1.5 inches or 3/4 inch if I installed an indexing valve. The combo Vortex / Swirl filter and degassing chambers along with the shale growbeds should take care of all the filtering for the system. On the Mag pump with a 3 head, I should get about 800GPH out of both pumps , that would circulate all of the water in 4 raft beds in approx. 1hr 19m. The Shale growbeds would flood and drain approx. 3 times per hour.  Taking all growbeds into consideration, initially I will have 345Sq ft of growbed space. Using the assumption that you need .3LBs of fish per square foot of growbed space, I would calculate that 103 +/-  1Lb fish are needed for the system, approximately 25 fish per 175 Gal Tank.  I have the capacity to add another 2 Raft growbeds and up my count to 150 fish total.  Here is a quick fly by of the system.

 

DWC Raft beds are fed by 2" PVC through to the water pumps. Media grow beds use standard 1" PVC drain pipe and 1/2" PVC fill pipe with ball valves for flow control. AquaTop Blower uses 1" and 3/4" PVC pipe with flexible tubing feeding 6" air stones every 3ft in the Raft beds and 12" air stones in each Fish Tank.  I have calculated a need for approx. 6CFM total for the system @ 10" H20, and 2CFM @ 24" H20, which the AquaTop AB120 should provide.

Brooklyn Dirt Monthly Talks on Urban Farming and Gardening

The first Brooklyn Dirt talk is Wednesday at Sycamore. I organized this event with Sustainable Flatbush, and Im looking forward to "digging deep."

Prospect Farm and Sustainable Flatbush are proud to present Brooklyn Dirt: Monthly Talks on Urban Farming and Gardening.

Talk One: Dirt and Soil

With Speakers Jay Smith and Chris Kreussling (AKA Flatbush Gardener)

Sycamore Bar and Flowershop

Wednesday February 16th, 2011

7 - 9:30 pm

1118 Cortelyou RD, BK

Q train to Cortelyou

21+

$5 suggested donation

proceeds benefit Prospect Farm and the Urban Gardens and Farms Initiative of Sustainable Flatbush

Event on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=188915917798918

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Jay Smith is a lifelong environmentalist, member of several environmental organizations, member of the Park Slope Food Coop, completing a Certificate of Horticulture from BBG, deeply interested in Urban Agriculture and re-localization of food production in anticipation of food issues in the wake of the peak oil crisis.

Chris Kreussling (AKA Flatbush Gardener) is a garden coach with more than 30 years gardening experience in NYC. Chris is also the Directory of the Urban Gardens and Farms initiative of Sustainable Flatbush and a community member of the Healthy Soils, Healthy Communities advisory board, a project of the Cornell Waste Management Institute, and earned a BBG Certificate in Horticulture, 2009.

http://flatbushgardener.blogspot.com

Sustainable Flatbush brings neighbors together to mobilize, educate, and advocate for sustainable living in their Brooklyn neighborhood and beyond.

http://sustainableflatbush.org/

Prospect Farm is a community group in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn that is working together to grow food in a formerly vacant lot, with the mission toward creating a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Farm that can serve our community. Prospect Farm is the community leader for the Kensington/Windsor Terrace neighborhood group for the Brooklyn Food Coalition.

http://prospectfarm.org/

The Storm door is on

I have finished placing the storm door that my neighbor donated to the project and it turned out very well. After leaving the door in a closed position with the window on the door open and the other two windows open in the greenhouse I checked the inside temp and in the direct afternoon sun with outside temps at 103 degrees, the inside temp jumped to 115 degrees and more later in the afternoon. Way to hot for any plants to survive. I have ordered a gable mounted attic fan that is solar powered and will install it in one end of the greenhouse to help with air flow and temperature. I am scouring craigslist fror a good used Swamp Cooler to use in the greenhouse as well...hopefully I will find one soon. Even with a relative humidity of 50% I should be able to drop the temp 10-15 degrees on a hot day, and with low pressure water misting maybe even a few degrees more.

 Here are some pics of the greenhouse as it stands now after several weeks worth of work. I still need to place the substrate / bedding for the floor in the greenhouse and then I can start building my aeroponics system.

More updates to follow once I receive the attic fan, this has been alot of fun to put together.

DIY EZ Cloner for Under 50 bucks

OK...so I realized that raising tomato plants from seed at this point is going to be challenging and I dont really have a resource in the winter for tomato plants, so whats an Aquaponics Gardener to do...Why, build my own DIY EZ Cloner and all for under $50..I say around $40 in the video, but I didnt figure in the cost of the pipe, fittings and the three additional Net Pots w/Neoprene inserts Im going to need, so the total comes in at a little under $50..still not bad considering the price of a commercial unit. Here a few pics of the unit and a video overview of the cloner...I think it is going to work out just fine.

 The Finish Product

 A Blue 20 Gallon Tote from my local Family Dollar for $10

 Fairly deep compared to an 18 Gallon Tote

 Layout for 2" holes to accommodate Net Pots

 Starting the holes

Standard 2" Net Pots with Neoprene inserts.

 Finished the holes for now, still have to purchase 3 more 2" Net Pots w/Inserts

 1/2" PVC pipe spray bar before being drilled for spray heads

 Spray bar with 360 Degree spray heads installed.

 Close up of 360 mist head  11/64 drill bit used for installation

 Close up of 360 degree downspray streaming head 11/64 drill bit used for installation

 600 GPH pump to be changed out for a 300+ GPH later on.

Assembly installed in Tote

Here is a short video overview of the EZ Cloner in action.

Enjoy!!!