Užava Lighthouse

31 December, 2020 | Tourism objects | 16 seen

Užava Lighthouse - a lighthouse located on the Latvian coast of the Baltic Sea.

The lighthouse stands in an isolated location, on a 28 metres high sand dune, which is permanently threatened by the Baltic Sea waves' erosion.For this reason, the first coastal reinforcement – a dense log wall was constructed to secure the lighthouse's location in 1910. Later, fir-tree baskets filled with gravel, and big boulders to absorb the waves' energy.

Uzava lighthouse

Currently, the base of the lighthouse is protected by rock armour.

The original tower of the Užava lighthouse was destroyed by artillery shells during World War I. The present-day lighthouse tower is 19 meters in height, completed in 1925. The inscription of the year 1924 on the nearby weather vane on the lightower's dome roof marks the beginning of construction works of the lighthouse

Užava lighthouse
The lighthouse of Užava has been included in the list of the national protected cultural monuments and is located about 20 km south from Ventspils. It stands on one of the three high wooded dunes – the so-called Teniroka dune (28 m high). From afar, this dune reminds people of a baking over, therefore, in the 19th century the German name of Užava lighthouse was Bakofen.

Užava was mentioned in historical sources for the first time already in 1230. It is believed that already in the 17th-18th century a navigation fire in the form of a bonfire was placed on a pile of stones in order to serve as a guidance sign for ships on their way to Ventspils.

Vilgāle

29 December, 2020 | Tourism objects | 23 seen

Vilgāle (formerly also Saldenieki) is a village in Kurmāle Parish, Kuldīga District, Latvia. Located on the shores of Lake Vilgāle. Distance to  Kuldīga 17 km, 181 km from Rīga.

Back in September 2020, I bought a flat in this village in an online auction (without actually seeing the flat), see: Today I bought my first flat on online auction site, It took me a couple of months before I actually get inside the flat (after the flat was registered in the Land Registry on my name), and here is what I got: Vilgāle flat renovation - how it all starts

In today's article, I decided to share some pictures from a drone flight around Vilgāle

Vilgāle from a drone flight

The settlement was established in the post-war years as the central village of the Soviet farm "Vilgale".

Open air stage near Vilgāle lake

There is located a parish administration, primary school, doctorate,  library, post office, an open-air stage, and at least one shop in Vilgāle village

Embūte Castle

25 December, 2020 | Tourism objects | 12 seen

The ruins of Embūte Castle are located in Embūte, Latvia, in Embūte Parish, Vaiņode Municipality, not far from an ancient hillfort erected by Curonians.

It was an ancient Curonian settlement and is mentioned in ancient chronicles as a place with strong Curonian resistance to German crusaders. The bishop's castle was built as a border castle with Lithuania by Livonian Order on a steep hill on the right bank of the Lanka river, which flows into left tributary of the Venta. Later manor house was built using the walls of the former castle, which can be seen in the division of the rooms and the building material. Today, the ruins are surrounded by trees and are in poor condition.

I first discovered Embūte at late 2020, since then I have returned here ever since.

Embūte castle ruins from a drone flight

Embūte has been known since the end of 1244, when the Curonian wooden castle (German: Amboten) was taken over by the master of the Livonian Order Dietrich von Grüningen. In 1245 during war with Livonian Order, castle was attacked by the Grand Duke of Lithuania Mindaugas, but it was not taken. According to the chronicle of Herman Wartberg in 1253 castle was given to the Bishop of Courland. It came in the hands of the Livonian Order for a short period, but in the end of the thirteenth century it again belonged to the bishop. In 1265 master of the Livonian Order Konrad von Mandern built a stone castle 0.5 km south of the former Curonian wooden castle as a border castle with Lithuania.

Since the 16th century castle was unused and was repurposed as manor house. In became a centre of big manor and residence for local German landlords.

In 1700 in course of the Great Northern War the castle was destroyed. Some documents from the 18th century tells, that only the castle walls has been preserved. In the same century a manor was erected on the old castle walls. It was expanded in the 19th century by demolishing one of the old gate towers.

The last owner of the castle was the widow of Hans von Hahn. In 1919 manor house was burned down by Bermontians. Local rumors says that the baroness burned the castle in 1920s to avoid it nationalization by the new Latvian government. During the agrarian reforms in Latvia (1921–1930) all manors and land was nationalized and divided by the Latvian government.

After the Second World War, the local Soviet kolkhoz used stones from the castle as building materials.

Embūte castle mound

Embūte Castle ruins are situated far from the main road, in the sparsely populated region of Courland. Today's ruins are surrounded by trees and in quite bad condition. Only fragments of some walls and towers are visible.

Zaķu krogs near Jūrkalne

24 December, 2020 | Restaurant reviews | 24 seen

Zaķu krogs is both a restaurant a hotel located near Jūrkalne in Latvia.

We discovered this place while driving around Užava, Pāvilosta, and decided to take here a quick stop to order some food for our toddler girl.  Just later I learned there is a hotel also located.

Zaķu krogs near Jūrkalne

Located in Jūrkalne, Zaku Krogs is about 0.9 mi yards away from a Baltic Sea beach. It offers basic rooms with a work desk. Free private parking is available, and free Wi-Fi is available in public areas.

Guests of the Zaku Krogs can rent bicycles directly from the hotel, or use its sauna or pool facilities. The hotel features a spacious garden.

The Zaku is located in a quiet area, away from the rush of city life. The center of Jūrkalnes is a 3-minute car ride away.

The hotel’s restaurant serves traditional Latvian cuisine as well as fish and game dishes, using only natural and organic ingredients. Upon request, special diet menus are available.

There is a motocross track 0.6 mi from Zaku Krogs.

Devil's Dam Embūte (Joda Dambis)

22 December, 2020 | Tourism objects | 13 seen

Devil's Dam of Embūte is an awesome place for hiking and trekking in the Courland region. 

We first discovered this site at the end of 2020, and plan to return here more often.

Devil's Dam from a drone flight

Taken with DJI MAVIC AIR 2

Here is what I was able to find about this place (Source: Joda Dambis)

At the western foot of the Indulis (or Curonian) castle mound is the Joda Lower Square, where open-air stages have been built several times. Large-scale events have also taken place here - the Midsummer Festival with the participation of President Kārlis Ulmanis, theater performances and concerts. In the 1930s, several thousand people from all over the surrounding area gathered here for the summer solstice celebrations and peasants' days.

At present, the Joda Dam and its surroundings are designed for tourists. Walking trails, stairs, observation tower, observation platforms, information stands have been created.

Embute Church Ruins

18 December, 2020 | Churches and Monasteries | 21 seen

The Embūte Church is located in the Embūte Nature Park. Today, only the remnants of its former glory remain.

On a hazy afternoon in December 2020, I took my DJI Mavic Air 2 drone and captured some beautiful aerial photographs and even a video. See Embūte Nature Park 4K: Ancient Curonian Land, Latvia – DJI Mavic Air 2.

Embūte Church

Here’s what I found about this church (source: Embūtes baznīcas drupas).

The Embūte Church was built between 1674 and 1684, financed by the then-owner of the manor, Emmerich von Mirbach.

The Embūte Lutheran Church was one of the largest in the Duchy of Courland, with seating for about 300 people. During Latvia’s first period of independence, thousands gathered here, including some of the country’s most prominent figures, such as Kārlis Ulmanis.

The church was renowned for its interior wood carvings and a magnificent crystal chandelier. It survived World War I unscathed and was repaired in 1926. However, it was destroyed at the end of World War II.

Embūte Church from above

All that remains today are parts of the wall and the bell tower, still bearing traces of artillery fire.

Nowadays, more and more young couples choose this historic site for their wedding ceremonies.

Vilgāle flat renovation - how it all starts

15 December, 2020 | Home Remodeling | 13 seen

On September 18, I was lucky enough to win an online auction and bought a flat in Vilgāle village. It took a few more months before all legal procedures were done and I had the entry in the Land Registry before I was able to proceed.

I first saw this flat about a week ago, when I got the keys from the previous landlady (ut turns out there haven't lived anybody for the last 27 years). There is no electricity and no water (yet). I have started procedures to have them both. Today I had a meeting with an electrician, and after our meeting I made these photos, just to document the history.

Living room

There are still some belongings left from the previous owners. Interior feels like from the 70-ties

Living room

It is said in that cardboard box there is a "new" TV  box.

Bedroom

We are going to look to tear down some walls and unite this bedroom with the kitchen

Bedroom

The previous owner told me that this closet cost RUB 400

Kitchen

Can't wait to drink a cold beer here (on the floor there are bottles back from 1993, empty, unfortunately)

Kitchen

During Soviet times, there was a gas

Hallway

Can you imagine hardwood flooring and elegant tiles here?

Place called bathroom

I hope we will be able to tear down some walls and combine the bathroom with WC

WC

For some reason, Soviets just didn't like toilets and made them narrow, unpleasant places

Today I talked to the local architect bureau and they said they could make all paperwork for permissions of tearing down walls for about EUR 650, also I'm in contact with the plumber and electrician guys. 

Overall it looks like we will need to invest an additional EUR 20,000-30.000 to make this place enjoyable. This probably is not worth the money, as we are not actually planning to live here permanently.. With an extra 20-30K, I could make enough money in the stock market to rent a holiday house once a year in places like Crete with ease.

Next steps - electricty, plumbing, permissions for tearing down walls, actually tearing down some walls, replacing windows, central heating.

Īvande Manor

11 December, 2020 | Tourism objects | 36 seen

Īvande Manor, also called Lielīvande Manor, is a manor house in Īvande parish in Kuldīga municipality in the historical region of Courland, in western Latvia.

The manor Groß-Iwanden was created by the merger of several small estates. In the middle of the 16th century the estate was owned by the family of Rudolf Steinrat.

Ivande manor

Three generations remained the property in the family Steinrat and was enlarged by them. In 1643 was the sale to Hofmarschall Christof von Sacken. In 1646 property was sold to Dettlof von Tiesenhause

n. Through death and inheritance connected with it, the estate went in 1690 to Ernst Gotthard von Manteuffel-Szoege. Due to missing heirs the property was sold in 1750 to Friedrich Johann von Schlippenbach on Gaicken and Muischazeem.

Ivande manor

In 1821 property was sold to Peter von Medem. In 1853 the estate was resold to Baron Eduard von Heyking. The property remained in the possession of the Heyking family until its expropriation in 1920.

The palace was built as a neoclassical building around 1860 to designs by the architect Theodor Zeiler. On the park side, there is a huge portico supported by two free-standing and two imposing massive colossal Ionic columns. The castle was destroyed by fire in 1905, but rebuilt in 1912–1913.

I'm earning $3.19/daily* by trading crypto options and I want more!

10 December, 2020 | Crypto | 25 seen

This is a quick follow-up post to my original idea of experimenting with writing crypto covered calls on Ethereum and Bitcoin, I started at the end of November 2020

This is not the first time I'm selling options on crypto, in fact, I've been doing so for the last two years. This is the first time I'm applying one trading strategy only. About 3 years ago I was very enthusiastic about crypto mining and I was building my Ethereum mining rig, which at it's high was earning about $5.5 per day. See: Mining Ethereum @ ~53 MH/s and Siacoin @ ~310 MH/s Earns me $5.53 Daily - And It's Time to Take a Pause

Today I sold 3 out of the money covered call options on Ethereum, with 1DTE, for what I got, 0.003938 ETH, or about 1.31% daily income yield, and also I sold 0.1 out of the money 1DTE call options on Bitcoin, for what I got 0.00004375 BTC or about 0.43% daily income yield.

With todays exchange rates (1 ETH = $600, 1BTC = $19.062), that gives us $2.36 and $0.83. Total $3.19. All numbers are after platform taker commissions

My total investment so far, during this 30-day experiment is $436.91. The daily income of $3.19 would mean about 0.7% daily income. Which is AWESOME.

Now, not every day is the same, and there have been days when I've actually lost my coins, but that's already another story

daily Income from trading crypto options

While the experiment is still on-going, I've already decided that I want to make at least $10/daily by trading crypto options in the next 2-3 months. In short, that would mean I need to invest some additional $800, but rather than doing that, I will dollar cost average + reinvest all coins. 

The plan is on a weekly basis to match up the income of the Deribit platform and invest the same amount via Coinbase.

In the last 7 days, I have made a total of $11.85, so the plan is to invest then the same amount by buying new coins.

Let's see will I be able to get this daily income up to $5/day by the end of December 

Top 20 Laptops with Intel Core i7 11th generation processor

7 December, 2020 | Laptop Reviews | 213 seen

In this article, I have listed Top 20 laptop models with the 11th generation Intel Core i7 processor.

Below listed models will be the top choice among gamers and business users. Creative graphic designers, video animators, and photographers will enjoy these powerful laptops as well.

See: Top 5 Best Selling Intel Core i9 (Gaming) Processor Laptops

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This article contains affiliate links to Amazon, by clicking on links on this page and by making a purchase on Amazon site, I will earn an affiliate income at no cost to you. Prices for laptops listed on this page are retrieved using Amazon Product  Advertising API and is updated daily. For actual prices please refer to the product page on Amazon.

Latest Business Laptop Dell Inspiron 15 5000 5502 15.6" Full HD Non-Touch 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7 16GB RAM | 512G SSD | Intel UHD Graphics Backlit KB Win10 Pro with TD 32g USB Drive

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HP Envy X360 13.3" FHD 2-in-1 Touchscreen Laptop | 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7 Processor | 8GB RAM | 1TB SSD | Backlit Keyboard | Fingerprint Reader | Windows 10 | with Woov Woov Accessory Bundle

• Its seal box is opened during upgrade for better performance. Substantial high-bandwidth 8GB RAM to smoothly run your games and photo- and video-editing applications, as well as multiple programs and browser tabs all at once. A flash-based 1TB SSD has no moving parts, resulting in faster start-up times and data access, no noise, and reduced heat production and power draw on the battery.
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MSI Summit B14 A11M-076 14" FHD Ultra Thin and Light Professional Laptop Intel Core i7-1165G7 Intel IrisXe 16GB DDR4 1TB NVMe SSD Win10PRO, Ink Black

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• Intel Core i7-1165G7 1.2-4.7GHz | Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201(2*2 ax)
• 16GB (16G*1) DDR4 3200MHz; 1 Sockets; Max Memory 32GB | 1TB NVMe SSD
• Micro SD | HDMI- out 4K @ 60Hz | Thunderbolt 4*2 [Support Power delivery, DP 1.4a, USB 4.0] | USB-A 3.2 Gen2 *2
• White backlight keyboard (84 Key) | Silky Glass Multi Touch with Finger print reader [Support FIDO 2] | Speakers 2W * 2 | IR HD Type [30fps/720p]

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New XPS 13 2-in-1 9310 Intel's 11th Gen Evo Core i7-1165G7 Intel Iris Xe Graphics 13.4" 16:10 4K UHD WLED Touch Display Premium Active Stylus Pen + Best Notebook Pen Light (2TGB SSD|32GB RAM) 10 PRO

• Processor 11th Generation Intel Evo Core i7-1165G7 Processor (12MB Cache, up to 4.7 GHz)
• 2TB PCIe NVMe x4 Solid State Drive Onboard
• 32GB 4267MHz LPDDR4x Memory Onboard
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Dell Newest Inspiron 5000 Series 15.6'' FHD Laptop, Intel Core i7-1165G7, 16GB RAM 512GB PCIe SSD, Webcam, Backlit Keyboard, FP Reader, KKE Mousepad, Windows 10 Home

• The memory of this Inspiron Laptop has been upgraded to 16GB DDR4 SDRAM for enhanced high bandwidth to easily switch back and forth between open applications; Hard drive has been upgraded to 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD for fast boot up and data transfer; Original seal will be opened by our engineers for upgrade ONLY, 1-Years Warranty on upgraded RAM/SSD/HDD from PConline365, and original 1-Year Manufacture Warranty on remaining components
•  15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) Anti-glare LED Backlight Non-Touch Narrow Border WVA Display; Intel Iris Xe Graphics with shared graphics memory
• Powered by 11th Generation Intel Core i7-1165G7 Processor (4 Cores, 8 Threads, 12MB Cache, Base 2.80GHz up to 4.7GHz Max Turbo Frequency) which delivers incredible responsiveness and smooth, seamless multitasking.
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MSI Stealth 15M A11SEK-062 (i7-1185G7, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD, RTX2060 6GB, 15.6" FHD 144Hz, Windows 10) Gaming Notebook

• Display: 15.6" Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS-Level 144Hz 45%NTSC Thin Bezel Display | Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6GB GDDR6 (Max-Q)
• Processor: 11th Gen Intel Tiger Lake Core i7-1185G7 Quad Core (1.2GHz-4.8GHz, 12MB Intel Smart Cache, 28W)
• RAM: 16GB (2x 8GB) DDR4 3200MHz | Hard Drive: 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
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MSI Summit B14 A11M-076 (i7-1165G7, 16GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, Intel Iris Xe, 14" Full HD, Windows 10 Pro) Creative Professional Laptop

• Display: 14" Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS-Level 72%NTSC Thin Bezel Display | Graphics Card: Intel Iris Xe
• Processor: 11th Gen Intel Tiger Lake Core i7-1165G7 Quad Core (1.2GHz-4.7GHz, 12MB Intel Smart Cache, 28W)
• RAM: 16GB DDR4 3200MHz | Hard Drive: 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
• OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Professional | Warranty: 1-Year MSI USA Warranty Parts & Labor (include 1 Year Global Warranty) + Lifetime Tech Support from EXCaliberPC

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ASUS ExpertBook B9 Thin & Light Business Laptop, 14” FHD Display, Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU, 1TB SSD, 16GB LPDDRX RAM, Windows 10 Pro, Up to 23 Hrs Battery Life, Sleeve, B9450CEA-XH75

• 14” Full HD Display with Iris Xe graphics immersed in a narrow bezel design, 180-degree hinge, and IR webcam with Windows Hello support and proximity sensor
• Professional-grade performance with Intel Evo Platform powered by 11th Generation Intel Core i7-1165G7 Processor (12M Cache, up to 4.7 GHz, 4 cores)
• Windows 10 Pro (ASUS recommends Windows 10 Pro for business)
• Magnesium-lithium alloy chassis with Military Grade 810H durability: weighs only 2.2 lbs with a thinness of only 0.6”
• Fast high capacity storage with 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD and 16GB LPDDR4X RAM for superior multitasking performance
• ErgoLift Hinge, backlit spill-resistant keyboard and ASUS NumberPad, an LED-illuminated numeric keypad that’s perfect for crunching numbers
• Built-in light bar compatible with Amazon Alexa and Cortana for voice-recognition support

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2021 Flagship HP Pavilion 15 Laptop Computer 15.6" FHD IPS Touchscreen Display 11th Gen Intel Quad-Core i7-1165G7 32GB DDR4 1TB SSD B&O Audio Backlit Webcam HDMI WiFi Win 10 + iCarp Wireless Mouse

•  32GB RAM | 1TB SSD
• Equipped With The Powerful and Latest 11th Generation Intel Core i7 Processors, Intel Quad-Core i7-1165G7 (2.8 GHz base frequency, up to 4.7 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology, 12 MB Intel Smart Cache, 8 Threads)
• 15.6 inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS Touchscreen micro-edge, BrightView, 250 nits, 45% NTSC Display I Intel Iris Xe Graphics Integrated
• 1x USB Type C; 2x USB Type A; 1x HDMI 2.0; 1x Multi-Format Digital Media Card Reader; 1x Headphone-out/microphone-in combo jack
• Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit), Full-size backlit keyboard with numeric keypad, Imagepad with multi-touch gesture support, B&O Play Audio with Dual Speakers, HP Wide Vision 720p HD Webcam with Integrated Dual Array Digital Microphone, Intel Wi-Fi 6 (2x2) + Bluetooth 5.0, up to 8.5 hours battery life 

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2021 Flagship Dell Inspiron 15 5000 Laptop Computer 15.6" Full HD Display 11th Gen Intel Quad-Core i7-1165G7 16GB DDR4 512GB SSD MaxxAudio Backlit Webcam HDMI WiFi USB-C Win 10 + iCarp Wireless Mouse

• 16GB RAM | 512GB SSD
• Equipped With The Powerful and Latest 11th Generation Intel Core i7 Processors, Intel Quad-Core i7-1165G7 (2.8 GHz base frequency, up to 4.7 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology, 12 MB Intel Smart Cache, 8 Threads)
• 15.6 inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) Anti-Glare LED Backlight Narrow Border WVA Display I Integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics
• 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (DP/PowerDelivery); 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1; 1 x headphone / microphone combo; 1 x HDMI 1.4; 1 x Power jack; 1 x MicroSD Card Reader
• Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit), Backlit Keyboard, 720p at 30 fps HD camera, dual-array microphones, Stereo speakers with Waves MaxxAudio Pro, Intel WI-FI 6 2x2(Gig+) and Bluetooth 

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2020 HP Envy x360 2-in-1 13.3" FHD IPS Touchscreen Laptop Intel Evo Platform 11th Gen Core i7-1165G7 8GB Memory 512GB SSD Pale Gold - Backlit Keyboard -Fingerprint Reader -Thunderbolt - WiFi 6

• Intel Evo platform powered by 11th Generation Intel Core i7-1165G7 1.3 GHz turbo up to 4.7 GHz
• 13.3-inch diagonal, FHD (1920 x 1080), multitouch-enabled, IPS, edge-to-edge glass, microedge, BrightView, Corning Gorilla Glass NBT, HP Sure View integrated privacy screen
• 8 GB DDR4 SDRAM (onboard); 512 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
• Intel Iris Xe Graphics; Audio by Bang & Olufsen with dual speakers; Full-size, backlit, pale gold keyboard with Fingerprint Reader
• Windows 10 Home, Battery Up to 11 hours and 45 minutes (mixed usage), Wi-Fi 6 AX201, Bluethooth 5, Thunderbolt support

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Latest_Dell_Inspiron 15 5000 Business Laptop FHD Non-Touch, 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7, 32GB Memory, 1TB SSD, Fingerprint Reader, Backlit Keyboard, Windows 10 Pro TD 32G USB

• Tiger Lake i7-1165G7 2.7 GHz (4.7 GHz Turbo, 12MB Cache) Intel Iris XE Graphics (96 EU)
• Backlit Keyboard and Fingerprint Reader in Power Button
• 15.6" 1080P Anti-Glare WVA Display (220 Nits)
• Windows 10 Pro

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Razer Blade Stealth 13 Ultrabook Gaming Laptop: Intel Core i7-1165G7 4 Core, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q, 13.3" 1080p 120Hz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, CNC Aluminum, Chroma RGB, Thunderbolt 4

• blaze through games and content creation — nvidia geforce gtx 1650 ti 4gb vram graphics, quad-core 11th gen intel core i7-1165g7 processor, and 16gb dual-channel memory.
• designed for mobility: ultra thin, light and incredibly durable with a cnc unibody aluminum frame and long battery life.
• 120hz full hd thin bezel display: super fast 120hz full hd display that enables smooth visuals in games, with 100% srgb color space.
• razer chroma keyboard and precision touchpad: keyboard featuring single-zone rgb lighting with 16.8 million color options, and a precision glass touchpad.
• complete connectivity — includes thunderbolt 4, usb-c, usb-a, wireless ax, hd webcam utlizing windows hello, and 4-array mics.
• Operating system: Windows 10
• System ram type: ddr4_sdram

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Dell Inspiron 14 5000 2-in-1 FHD 1080p Touch Display, 11th Gen Intel Core i7, 12GB Memory, 512GB SSD, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, Fingerprint Reader, Windows 10 Home, Titan Grey

• Latest Intel Core Processor
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2020 Latest Business Laptop Dell Inspiron 17 7000 2-in-1 Laptop 17.3" QHD Touch-Screen 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7 32G RAM 512G Nvme SSD GeForce MX350 Thunderbolt 4 Window 10 Pro TD USB HUB 3.0

• 17.0-inch QHD+ (2560 x 1600) Truelife Touch Narrow Border IPS Display 11th Gen Inte Core i7-1165G7 processor
• NVIDIA GeForce MX350 2GB DDR5 dedicated graphics
• 32GB DDR4 RAM 512GB SSD + 32G Optane
• fingerprint reader, backlit keyboard, Wireless-AC (WiFi 6 - 802.11 ax), DVD/CD drive not included
• Windows 10 Pro 64bit

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2020 Latest Business Laptop Dell Inspiron 17 7000 2-in-1 Laptop 17.3" QHD Touch-Screen 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7 32G Ram 1TB SSD GeForce MX350 Thunderbolt 4 Window 10 Pro with TD USB HUB 3.0

• 17.0-inch QHD+ (2560 x 1600) Truelife Touch Narrow Border IPS Display 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor
• NVIDIA GeForce MX350 2GB DDR5 dedicated graphics
• 32GB DDR4 RAM 1TB SSD
• fingerprint reader, backlit keyboard, Wireless-AC (WiFi 6 - 802.11 ax), DVD/CD drive not included
• Windows 10 Pro 64bit

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HP Pavilion 15.6" FHD Touchscreen Laptop, Intel i7-1165G7, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, B&O Play Audio, Backlit Keyboad, Fog Blue, Win10 Pro

• 15.6" diagonal FHD IPS BrightView micro-edge WLED-backlit touch screen (1920 x 1080)
• 6GB high-bandwidth RAM to smoothly run multiple applications and browser tabs all at once; 1TB Solid State Drive allows to fast bootup and data transfer
• 1x USB Type C 2x USB Type A 1x HDMI 2.0 1x Multi-Format Digital Media Card Reader 1x Headphone-out/microphone-in combo jack
• Tiger Lake i7-1165G7 2.7 GHz (4.7 GHz Turbo, 12MB Cache) Intel Iris XE Graphics (96 EU)
• Windows 10 Pro 64 bit

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2020 Newest HP Envy 2-in-1 15.6" IPS FHD Touch Screen Laptop, Intel 11th Gen i5-1135G7, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, Intel iRIS Xe Graphics, Backlit Keyboard, Bundle Woov Sleeve, Windows 10, Silver

• 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 and Intel Iris Xe graphics implemented on Intel's new 10 nm SuperFin process technology, get things done fast with high performance and instant responsiveness. | [Wi-fi 6 & Bluetooth 5.0]: Enjoy a smoother wireless experience with Wi-Fi 6 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.0 combo, all your connections are solid and up to 3x faster file transfer speeds than Wi-Fi 5. | [Bang & Olufsen Three-way Speakers] An exceptionally rich audio experience.
•  Intel Core i5 Quad-core Processor Intel i5-1135G7 8 MB Cache, Base Clock 2.4Ghz, Max Boost Clock 4.2Ghz,
• 15.6" diagonal, multitouch-enabled, FHD, IPS (1920 x 1080), edge-to-edge, micro-edge display keeps you connected, entertained, and productive all day.
• 16GB DDR4 Memory | 512GB Solid State Drive (Boot SSD) ,Original Factory Box will be opened and resealed for Upgrade.
• Weight Only 4.24 lbs | 0.74 Inch Thin | Woov Laptop Protective Sleeve | Windows 10 Home | WIFI | 802_11_AX | HDMI | Webcam | Bluetooth

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Razer Book 13 Laptop: Intel Core i7-1165G7 4 Core, Intel Iris Xe, 13.4" FHD+ Touch (1920 x1200), 16GB RAM, 256GB PCIe M.2, CNC Aluminum, Chroma RGB, Thunderbolt 4, Intel Evo Certified, Mercury White

• Slim, Sleek, Ready to Go: Razer Book 13’s ultra-compact, 13.4” touch display 4-sided with thin bezels and lightweight, CNC aluminum, unibody design make it the perfect mobility companion to conquer the day's undertakings
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• Intel Iris Xe Graphics for Crisp, HD Quality: Well-suited for the sleek profile of the Razer Book 13, it powers pixel-perfect productivity, as if having a dedicated graphics card to not only catch the eye but captivate it.
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Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 FHD+ Touch, 11th Gen Intel Core i7, 32GB Memory, 512GB SSD, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, Killer Wi-Fi 6, Fingerprint Reader, Windows 10 Home, Platinum Silver

• XPS 9310 2-in-1 is Dell’s Next-Generation Flagship 2-in-1 13-inch Ultrabook
• Intel's New TigerLake mobile processors
• The new variable torque hinge design makes it easier to open the XPS 13 2-in-1 with one hand. It also means your screen is more stable, even when you're in motion or using the touchscreen.
• Enjoy a clean-looking palm rest design with vent holes incorporated into the hinge and the power button.

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Ēdole Castle

4 December, 2020 | Tourism objects | 29 seen

Ēdole Castle is a Gothic Revival castle situated on the banks of Ēdole Lake, Ēdole parish, in the historical region of Courland, western Latvia.

Originally consisting of two residential buildings linked by a stone wall, the castle is surrounded by a landscaped park. It is considered an architectural and archeological monument of national importance.

Ēdole Castle

The castle was built for the bishop of Piltene between 1264 and 1267. It was rebuilt in the 16th century and from 1561 until 1920 it was the property of the Baltic-German Baron von Behr and his descendants.

During the 18th century the castle was expanded and from 1835 to 1841 it underwent a major reconstruction work to become one of the first samples of Neo-Gothic architecture in Kurzeme. The building was partly burned during the Russian Revolution of 1905. Between 1906 and 1907 a household yard and tower were built in one of its corners, being the façade remodelled with its Gothic forms preserved

Kronvalda Park in Riga

3 December, 2020 | Tourism objects | 13 seen

Kronvalda Park (originally Strēlnieku dārzs) is a part of the greenery of the Old Riga canal bank. The total area of the park is 11.92 ha. Kronvalda park which borders Elizabetes and Kr. Valdemāra Street, as well as Kronvalda and Kalpaka Boulevards.

The city canal divides the park into two parts.

Kronvalda park in Riga

I spent a good hour with our toddler baby girl and DJI Mavic Air 2 drone to capture some nice aerial photography of Riga.

Canal at Kronvalda park in Riga

Best for feeding ducks or lazy walks

View towards Riga

November 2020 Dividend Income Report - $140.67

2 December, 2020 | Investments | 43 seen

Welcome to the forty-third (#43) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend-paying stocks and peer to peer lending in November 2020.

Last November we spent in Latvia, did several trips here and there. I had a chance to play with my latest DJI Mavic Air 2 drone, made some really nice HDR photos, hyper lapses, and more.

St Nicholas Naval Cathedral in Karosta

From the perspective of dividend income - Last November was quite Okay (compared to previous months of the year, but not so Okay if compared to November 2019). We took $140 in dividend income last month. I would wish more for an almost 4 years old dividend portfolio, but things are as they are.

Compared to the previous November in 2019, when we took $260 in dividend income, our monthly dividend has decreased by -45.98%  (-$119.74). A year ago we did set a goal to take at least $320 this month, now this didn't happen. 

Luckily, an additional $1,479.60 was made from options trading.  

As options trading is not a passive form of making money while you are sleeping it wouldn't be fair to include them in dividend income reports.

Check out our options income report here: November 2020 Options Income Report - $1,479.6

If counted all together (dividends + options) it seems we have made $1,620.27 in total last month.

We were able to generate about 7.15% income yield from our portfolio value last November (that's about 85.8% annualized)

One of our monthly goals is to generate at least a 2.5% income yield from the portfolio. As longs it's above it - it's awesome.

Interest income in November 2020

From the stocks and peer to peer lending we got the following income last month:

Ticker

Earnings

BGLF

€36.30

T

$22.01

ET

$18.34

PBCT

$12.79

Mintos

€10.28

RA

$7.02

EDI

$6.49

EDF

$4.51

O

$2.97

Total EUR 121.27 / USD 140.67

In total there were 9 companies paying us dividend in November 2020 that is 4 companies less than in November 2019

Monthly income

I've been tracking my journey towards million dollars in a savings account since January 2017. Almost 4  years already. 

Monthly dividend Income chart as of November 2020

The cumulative dividend income for 2020 now is $1,621.10  which is just shy 45% from my goal of 2020 ($3,600). To reach my goal in December, it would be asked to generate about $2.000 dividend income next month. This is something I'm pretty sure won't happen next December

2019 in Review and Financial Goals for 2020

Goals for November 2021

This is my favorite part of these reports - trying to forecast/set goals for the next year. But before setting a goal for 2021, let's see what I forecasted/said a year ago (November 2019)

For November 2020, I will set a $320 goal. It should be easy.

Ahh, what a surprise, we didn't get there, not even close. our dividend stock portfolio wasn't immune to the market downturn and most of our stocks get trimmed or halted dividend payments. In the case of recovery, there is hope.

I will be optimistic and say we are still looking to crack that $200/mo goal in November 2021

How to See Messages Sent From The Contact Form Drupal 9

24 November, 2020 | Drupal Development | 28 seen

Recently working on my latest Drupal l9 project - BalticInvestors.com I faced a strange issue - after enabling the core default contact form, it seemed that data is not stored anywhere after actually filling out and submitting the webform.

Turns out there is a little helper module, which solves it - Contact Storage

Contact Storage module will provide storage for Contact messages which are fully-fledged entities in Drupal 8 and Drupal 9. This plus core contact module aims to provide functionality equivalent to the base-features of Webform or Entity Form.

Contact storage in Drupal 9

Apriķi Lutheran Church

20 November, 2020 | Churches and Monasteries | 12 seen

Apriķi church is located in the Apriķi village, Laža parish, Aizpute district in the Western part of Latvia (Courland).

Apriķi church is considered to be the pearl of Courland sacral art because the glory of its indoor interior is remembered by every visitor. 

Apriķi Lutheran Church

The stone church is built on Apriķi manor house land as Osten-Sakenu private church in the beginning of 17th century.  The church got its glorious blue-white and golden coloured interior in the middle of the 18th century. The main influence in the interior is rococo, but specific elements share distinct baroque characteristics.
The pulpit, organ gallery, organ, altar, confessional make up a unified ensemble – decorative wood-carving masterpiece. The interior of the church is made even more luxurious by its ceiling, where there is a depiction of the sky and allegoric beings (truth, caution, hope etc.) and over the organ gallery there is a whole orchestra of angels depicted.