Homemade Lasagna (Filling from Minced Meat + Bechamel Sauce)

21 January, 2018 | Food blogger | 11 seen

Welcome to just another food blogger series - today I'll share one of my favorite recipes - homemade lasagna.

To make a lasagna you will need for filling: carrots, onions, minced meat (I prefer mixed lamb and pork), for bechamel sauce: butter, milk, flour, nutmeg, and cheese. To stick it all together we will need lasagna plates - there are two options - to use ready-made or make your owns. In today's recipe, I will use ready-made lasagna plates from the shop.

For making homemade lasagna plates you would need to have the so-called macaroni machine, see: How To Make Fresh Egg Pasta Noodles Using Macaroni machine

Let' s start by peeling an onion (s) and carrots.

Carrots and Onions

Next - chop onions and grate carrots.

Put on the cooking pan, let them brown.

Browning carrots and onions on a pan

Add minced meat.

Preparing filling for lasagna

Cook for a while and then take a kettle, pour in water and put goodies from the pan into the kettle, add spices (salt and pepper) and cook slowly for 40 minutes.

…

Lazy Day Trip to Tianeti in Winter (via Mtskheta)

20 January, 2018 | Travel guides | 37 seen

It was on Friday morning, which was a public holiday in Georgia, as it turned out, there is a good reason not to visit the office today, we started to figure it out, maybe go and visit Batumi by train for a couple of days.

On the other hand, we didn't want to spend 3 days absent from home and decided to limit our impromptu trip just as an easy day trip, and agreed to visit Tianeti.

Tianeti has been on my travel list since the end of 2016, the region is not yet very popular among tourists, and that's one of the reasons I love this region. On the other hand, day trips to Tianeti (region of Mtsketa-Mtianeti) are quite possible and really easy doable. See: Day Trip to Tianeti in Georgia

Said done! A quick call to the driver and after 40 minutes we are on the way to Tianeti. 

View towards Mtskheta town from Jvari monastery

First stop - Jvari monastery - a scenic place with great views towards Mtskheta town and Mtkvari / Aragvi delta. Next stop Mtskheta, with quick khachapuri and Turkish coffee at Kartuli Ezo, a short visit to Svetiskhoveli cathedral. If…

Mining Ethereum With EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 (Single Fan), 6GB GDDR5 Review

19 January, 2018 | Servers | 59 seen

This EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 SC GAMING, ACX 2.0 (Single Fan), 6GB GDDR5 is the second graphics card I've put on test for mining Ethereum.

Bought from Amazon, together with the rest of mining rig equipment at the end of December, paid about $275 for this card.

At the start using default out of the box settings, I was able to get out just about 14MH/S, which felt wrong, as I was hoping to get at least 22 MH/s with this card.

Unboxing EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 SC GAMING, ACX 2.0 (Single Fan), 6GB GDDR5

As it was Christmas time when I added this card to the mining rig, I decided to leave it as it is for a couple of days. In combination with Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 560 4GB graphics card I was able to get about 25 MH/s hashing power, which back at the day combined produced about $2.44 from dual mining Ethereum and Siacon, see: I'm Making $2.44 Per Day By Dual Mining Ethereum and Siacoin, and I'm NOT HAPPY YET!

Shortly before the New Year's Eve I decided to experiment with overclocking settings and was able to get this card up to ~ 19MH/s…

Would I invest $2,000 in Cryptos (Buying / Trading / Mining) in 2018

18 January, 2018 | Crypto | 9 seen

I got a phone call from a friend, pretty strange phone call - friend was asking what would I do if I had spare $2,000, where would I invest them to make about $300/mo

After the $300/monthly figure for me, it was clear - a friend is most probably talking about cryptos, and more probably about crypto mining. As I've been covering many articles on cryptocurrency investment lately, the phone call didn't come as a surprise.

See:

• Should You Invest in Hashflare Ethereum Cloud Mining Contract or Build Your Own GPU Mining Rig
• With Rising Ethereum Price I'm making $5.22 daily by Mining Cryptos - And I Definitely Want MORE!
• HashFlare Review - I'm Making $0.50 Per day from Bitcoin cloud mining and I want more

I decided to see, what if we would put $2,200 into HashFlare.io cloud mining how much hash power we would get, right now as of writing this $2,200 would give 10TH/s.

HashFlare.io (Affiliate link here - if you will click, register and decide to invest, I might earn 10% commission from that)

Please, be extra careful when investing in cloud contracts or …

About Setting Up Virtual Trade Zone in Georgia (And Free Industrial Zones)

17 January, 2018 | Living in Georgia | 50 seen

A couple of years ago (in 2012) I met an American entrepreneur John Keogh here in Georgia. Back in these days, office coworking spaces were kind of popular and just obliviously popped up also in Georgia.

John had a business in Tbilisi, and in his blog (www.upsoni.com) he published some cool stuff about his vision of possible coop both for local and expat entrepreneurs - I contacted him and we had a lovely dinner at one of the lovely Tbilisi Restaurants (Capadoccia, more precisely)

A lot has changed since then, long are the days with office coworking spaces, the World has gone mad because of the cryptos (including me and many here in Georgia), but the question I first heard from John - Setting up the Virtual Free Trade zones in Georgia have remained. 

It was in the middle of January, when a question from another blog reader, pointed to me via John Keogh, asked the magical question once more:

Hi Reinis,

I'm planning to relocate to Georgia in order to work there, I'm planning to set up a small company. I contacted John Keogh and he pointed me to your blog and advised me to get in touch with you.

First of all, nice…

Should You Invest in Hashflare Ethereum Cloud Mining Contract or Build Your Own GPU Mining Rig

16 January, 2018 | Crypto | 22 seen

The idea and inspiration for this article come out since after about a month ago I started to invest both in cloud mining and building my very own GPU mining rig. I decided to compare - what's more profitable - doing all by yourself or just throwing money into cloud mining contracts.

Make sure to read out my previous article on similar topic: To Mine or Buy Ethereum/Zcash/Monero in 2018

For a prelude, back in December 2017, I decided to build up to 12 GPU mining rig, using kind of dollar cost averaging - installing a new graphics card once in a month. Now, about 30 days later I have a 3 graphics card mining rig, and I'm dual mining Ether and Siacoin, These 3 cards combined gives me about 41 MH/s hashing power - which translates into some $5-$6 per day (not counting in fee for electricity)

With Rising Ethereum Price I'm making $5.22 daily by Mining Cryptos - And I Definitely Want MORE!

Shortly before the Christmas time I decided to experiment with cloud mining contracts and opted for Bitcoin Cloud Mining contract from Hashflare.io - again the same approach - dollar cost averaging, and investing…

With Rising Ethereum Price I'm making $5.22 daily by Mining Cryptos - And I Definitely Want MORE!

14 January, 2018 | Crypto | 6 seen

Each time I add some new graphics card to my existing gpu mining rig or some other major happenings happens I make a quick update into the blog. 

There are two major updates since my latest post from cryptocurrency mining experiments - I have installed another gpu card (in total there are 3, with a hash power of about 40 MH/s) and second, in the past day's price for Ethereum are reaching new ATH (All Time High) been set at $1,430 as of writing this (January 13, 2018).

Those of you following my blog lately already know - in December I decided to build 12 GPU mining rig and ordered goodies from Amazon. In total spending about $1,365.  The total investment right now covers just the core minimum - motherboard, power supply, PCI risers, RAM, processor and just 3 graphics cards.

Make sure to check out previous updates:

• I'm Making $0.98 Per Day By Mining Ethereum and Siacoin, and I want MORE!
• I'm Making $2.44 Per Day By Dual Mining Ethereum and Siacoin, and I'm NOT HAPPY YET!
• Simple GPU Overclocking Boosts Ethereum Mining Profitability by 20.65% - Now…

Remote and Abandoned Hipster Party Place with Great views of Tbilisi (Hiking near Turtle Lake)

13 January, 2018 | Living in Georgia | 10 seen

It was on a hazy Saturday morning in early January of 2018, we decided to go and visit our favorite hiking trails in Tbilisi, those ones located near Turtle Lake. 

Arriving at the lake with Taxi, see How to Get around in Tbilisi by Taxify (Taxi Mobile Application), noticing our favorite Intelligentsia Coffee Bar is still closed (we arrived before 10 AM) we made a lap of honor around the lake and started to hike towards the Vake Park

Hiking in Tbilisi

Soon we discovered some interesting, seems completely abandoned and pretty remote place, the best I could thought about naming this place - Remote and Abandoned Hipster Party Place with Great views of Tbilisi 

Cool construction

Apparently in Summer months covered and used as a central tent.  We found here a lot of wooden constructions - kind of stuff hipsters love - furniture elements from pallets. Interesting there were a few fridges, seems there is even an electricity cable (still wonder how electricity is calculated and paid then?)

Table with a view

We made a lovely picnic here from the…

December 2017 Dividend Income Report - $173.64

12 January, 2018 | Investments | 17 seen

Welcome to the eighth (#8) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend-paying stocks, peer to peer lending (both fiat and cryptocurrencies) in December 2017. 

As it was expected, already since the middle of the year, December was the record breaker and generated a dividend income in total of $173.64

See a complete list of things going on behind the scenes and my investment plans for 2018: 2017 in Review and Financial Goals for 2018

As usual, I was doing nothing much, just investing in great companies, playing a little bit with cryptocurrencies and lending out money via peer to peer marketplace. Most of the December was on autopilot, just at the start of the month I deposited some chunk of money to Mintos.com peer to peer lending marketplace, and at the end of the month - purchased additional shares of Talina kaubamaya group on Nasdaq Baltics.

I spent some time in December learning to mine cryptocurrencies, and actually even set up a custom ethereum mining rig, also I started to explore options for investments in cloud…

Dwarpool.com Review 2018 - Mining Ethereum at 28MH/s

10 January, 2018 | Servers | 15 seen

I've been mining ether since December 16, 2017, the total hash power currently is about 28MH/s. That's about 1/5 from the planned hash power in 2018. 

It all started with a single GPU installed at one of the free office computers, later it has been extended to custom-built GPU mining rig and some optimization done. Past couple of weeks have been a nice learning curve, I have created many articles on mining with GPU, and they are among the most popular in 2018. Without doubts - crypto mining is a hot topic in 2018.

See the complete list of articles for the past developments:

• Building a 12 GPU Ethereum Mining Rig From Scratch - Part 1: Ordering Details
• Learning Crypto Currency Mining The Hard Way
• I'm Making $0.98 Per Day By Mining Ethereum and Siacoin, and I want MORE!
• I'm Making $2.44 Per Day By Dual Mining Ethereum and Siacoin, and I'm NOT HAPPY YET!
• Simple GPU Overclocking Boosts Ethereum Mining Profitability by 20.65% - Now Making $2.66 Daily

I opted to use Simple Mining OS, to handle my mining rig and enabled most of the default settings there. Out of the box settings at…

My Experience with Wirex Visa Card (Virtual/Plastic) Convert BTC/Altcoins to USD/EUR or GBP

9 January, 2018 | Crypto | 64 seen

I first heard about bitcoin Visa cards back in the Summer of 2017, when opted into crypto craze (strong buy and hold here). Back then I discovered Bitpay VISA card and decided to order one at the start of 2018.

Now, as January approached and my existing crypto holdings have grown more by 320%, I decided to take another quick look at Bitcoin Visa card offer before ordering Bitpay card.

Soon I found an interesting article on Steemit: Best Bitcoin Debit Cards! Bitpay vs Wirex vs CryptoPay

As the author of the article concluded that Wirex seems a great option for EU/UK I decided to give it a try.

From Wirex promo materials:

• Immediately after registration, you will have instant access to your first virtual debit card
• Get it in less than five minutes. After you apply for the Wirex virtual Visa card online, it will be issued and delivered to your email inbox instantly
• The Wirex virtual Visa card does not require a verification process before being issued. All we need is your name, date of birth and address
• For just a few cents, you can transfer…

Filenia Cretan Restaurant near Triopetra

7 January, 2018 | Restaurant reviews | 29 seen

Filenia restaurant was a really nice discovery after we checked in at Triopetra Notos Hotel  - traditional Cretan lamb (and not only) dishes.

We were just driving around the area after caught a very beautiful sunset at the Libyan sea, see: Catching Sunset Photography at The Libyan See (Crete, Greece)

Another lovely roadside restaurant in Crete

Traditional Cretan lamb with pasta

Specialty of house - honey filled pies

Catching Sunset Photography at The Libyan See (Crete, Greece)

6 January, 2018 | | 14 seen

The Libyan Sea is the portion of the Mediterranean Sea north of the African coast of ancient Libya, i.e. Cyrenaica, and Marmarica (the coast of what is now eastern Libya and western Egypt, between Tobruk and Alexandria).This designation was used by ancient geographers describing the southern Mediterranean, but the term is also used by modern travel writers and cartographers.

The southern coastline of Crete which borders the Libyan Sea includes the Asterousia Mountains and Mesara Plain; this area is the locus of considerable ancient Bronze Age settlement including the sites of Kommos, Hagia Triada and Phaistos.

It was in mid-June 2017, we were on about a month long road trip across the island of Crete and were just checked in at Triopetra Notos Hotel, as there were still plenty of time until the super, we decided to explore nearby vicinity driving our rental Opel car. 

Car parked for sunset photography

I just adore evenings like this - see other adventures from Catching the sunset…

Triopetra Notos Hotel Review in Crete, Greece

5 January, 2018 | Hotel reviews | 14 seen

Triopetra in Crete is among the most abandoned places I've traveled lately, if they wouldn't have a sea and a lovely beach, I would compare this place to the remote and almost abandoned desert village in Georgia, Udabno.

During our about one-month road trip around the island of Crete, we stayed at Triopetra Notos hotel for one night on June 11, 2017 and spend about EUR 50 for a hotel room. According to Booking.com website, there are not many hotels located in Triopetra, but during our short visit here, I did found a few new construction sites in the area, which might mean - Triopetra could gain some popularity in the future.

See: Top Hotels and Apartments in Triopetra, Crete

It's said that this property is a 1-minute walk from the beach, in fact, I doubt some could actually reach the sea just walking. Situated 1 km away from Triopetra Beach, Triopetra Notos Hotel offers tastefully furnished rooms and studios with views of the Libyan Sea.

Surrounding views at Triopetra Notos Hotel

In the background, you can see the Libyan sea

Featuring a furnished balcony, rooms and studios at…

2017 Blog Income & Traffic Review - Goals For 2018

3 January, 2018 | Blogging | 4 seen

Another year has just passed, and it's time to take a look back on previous 2017 year of blogging, and no doubts -  take a quick glimpse at 2018.

In today's article, I will reveal some data behind the blog scenes - both traffic and income for the whole year of 2017. But before we dig into the numbers, here is the brief background - blog now is more than four years old, and for the last four years it has gone a very long way,

Make sure to check out my previous yearly blogging reviews:

• 2016 - Blog Traffic and Income Report 2016 - 635,048 Users / $18,586.41
• 2015 - Blog Traffic and Income Report for 2015 - 347,035 users / $9,819.71
• 2014 - Blog Income Report 2014 - $3,334.20

• In total blog have reached 1,049,975 (that's more than a million) users in 2017
• On average it is 87,497 monthly users or
• 2,876 daily visitors

2017 was kind of steady in terms of traffic, there was a growth, but it seems to starts slowing down (if compared to the previous years). It was…