Kevin Warnock

One of the great things Intel Capital does for its Portfolio Companies is hold Software Services Days. The idea is to get a set of companies in a big room with lots of Intel executives, and have the companies demo what they’re working on, both to each other and to various Intel people. In my role as Chair of gOffice.com, I set up a demo station to show our patented online typesetting system that under the covers is powered by TeX with the ConTeXt macro package. You can see the gOffice (Silveroffice is written on the table sign, as gOffice is the brand while Silveroffice, Inc. is the company name) iMac in the center of the video at 11 seconds into it.

This event was held at Intel Corporation headquarters in Santa Clara, California in the Robert Noyce Building. Arvind Sodhani, President of Intel Capital, spoke, as did Paul Otellini, President and CEO of Intel Corporation. I’m honored that gOffice was recognized by Intel Capital and included in its portfolio of companies. Intel Capital puts on first rate events for its companies, in particular its annual CEO Summit that I’ve had the privilege of attending the last two years.

I learned a new word today: Aquaponics

Aquaponics is a way to grow vegetables with very little water in very little space in a very short amount of time.

The key element that makes this possible is that the vegetables are grown in harmony with a tank of edible fish. The fish tank water is used to flood the vegetable growing containers multiple times per day. The growing containers then drain slowly back into the fish tank. The plants take up the rich nutrients in the fish tank water, and they grow really well and really quickly as a result. The process also cleanses and aerates the water, so the fish are happy they have clean water to live in.

No outside inputs are needed besides water to top off the system for the water lost to evaporation, and fish food to feed the fish. The fish tank density is high, at about a pound of fish to each gallon of water. The fish grow quickly as well in this system.

I found a website dedicated to home aquaponics installations at BackyardAquaponics. There is also a magazine called Backyard Aquaponics Magazine. Their first issue is free as a PDF file here.

I never knew that you could farm your own fish at home, and in large enough quantities that you would be eating fish pretty often with a medium sized system.

I’ve now added this to my long list of projects I’d like to pursue.