iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

I’ve stepped on one of these once. Not that soft red thing mind you.

Small red rubber ball and three metal jacks. Harmless kids toys until you step on one.

Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

This is not a bad světlý ležák at all. Quite a solid malt base and definitely a touch of acetaldehyde. Finishes a bit dry but lingers. Foam unfortunately does not linger but very nice and creamy at first. Does make me realize my own version does not suck at all. Good beer in Vietnam

Tall 500ml handle glass of amber beer with a 1.5-2cm head. On a wooden table.

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Ahhhhh. Time for a proper beer

Polotmavé in a Krouvi mug poured from a Lukr faucet

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Time again for homemade flour tortillas. Started yesterday because I had to render pork fat for lard. 35g balls of dough for small tortillas and some 60g ones for large tortilla. This is always so worth the effort. #tortillas

Balls of dough lined up on aluminum quarter sheet trays

Larger balls of dough lined up on a flat baking sheet covered with plastic wrap to keep them from drying out

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

I watched a guy “herd” a bunch of ducklings in his rice paddy in Hoi An, Vietnam earlier this year. Wish I had taken a video. I’m guessing he keeps them for the same reason

20 or more ducklings huddled together amongst rice growing in a water filled paddy

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

One can have curry udon for breakfast, right? When you don’t live in Japan anymore sometimes you get really hungry for what would be very ordinary in Japan.

A Japanese stainless steel pan with curry, udon, some Napa cabbage and an egg bubbling away.

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

It is cold tonight. The boys are piled up to keep warm.

Cavalier, Golden Retriever and Irish Setter are curled up together, partly on top of each other, on a dog bed.

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Tonight is Motown vs Chi-town. First time to make a Chicago deep dish and the dough is correct but I didn’t scale the recipe quite right (too much dough) and need to bake it longer. Very correct directionally and just needs some tweaks. Third time for Detroit style and family loves it.

Detroit style pizza in a rectangular pan

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Was suddenly in the mood for ćevapčići. The kids will get this as leftovers in their lunch tomorrow. Poor kids

ćevapčići - small torpedo shaped sausages/meat balls. Grilled and stacked on a round plate. One small pita is on the edge of the plate and along side is a small plate of sliced red onions

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Made my first ever Detroit style pizza. Actually I’ve never eaten one but thought it seems like an awesome style.

Rectangular pizza. Already baked. Can see the nice crispy pepperoni, sauce and even the crispy edges from the cheese.

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

this photo maybe provides a bit better context/persoective

The previous looking through the rainbow but at a wider angle that shows more of the dark sky outside of the rainbow

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

A few years back I was at the end of our driveway and could have walked through this portal

A rainbow that appears quite nearby and you can nearly see the entire arc of the rainbow. Inside the arc it is looks like a normal sunny day. Outside of the arc of the rainbow it is heavy gray clouds

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

This arrived from Japan today. My fountain pen case completely reimagined in urushi Thank you @matsuzawa.bsky.social It’s gorgeous!

A slender fountain pen case slightly opened to reveal two pens inside, one black and one blue. The case is mostly in a dark urushi finish with the red around the edges/seams.

The same fountain pain case closed so you only see the case from the outside. On a wooden table as with the other photo

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

I’m certain that this article is utter BS my real thoughts in the alt text

Screenshot of photo of some guy (I assume the Z Energy boss) and the headline “ Z Energy boss on why NZ dodged fuel shortages — and why pump prices may stay high for a while”

He is trying to look honest in this photo I suppose - and casual, like higher fuel prices are no big deal and that we should all be grateful that his tribe saved us from running out of fuel

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Actually it is often a very frightening read. I got it on my Kindle first but I‘m now waiting on a paperback version because I want to make notes in the margins, etc.

A page from American Nations with the following highlighted:

Congress passec the infamous Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 by the slimmest of margins, with Yankees and Deep Southerners in favor, and Appalachian representatives deeply opposed. The acts granted the president the right to expel any foreigner or unnaturalized immigrant or to arrest anyone born in a hostile country at will. The acts also increased the number of years of residency required for citizenship from four to fifteen. Meanwhile, anyon who spoke, wrote, or published anything against the govern-ment, Congress, or the president that might bring them "into contempt or disrepute" or that might be considered "scandalou and malicious" would be subject to up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

The wild peacocks graze just like the cows

More than a dozen, not all visible, peacocks and peahens working their way through a paddock

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

Went out to the garden to plant broadbeans. Picked some chilis since several are still happily hanging on. Picked about 20 Aji Charapita as part of that, then came in to make a salsa with them. This is kicking my butt but it tastes sooooo good. Love this chili ivebeen.cooking/recipes/aji-...

Looking into stone mortar at a blend of chilis, coriander, onion and garlic in a liquid of lime juice and olive oil

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

Time to brine the brisket to start the process that ends with Reuben sandwiches. 6.875kg of brisket 748g kosher salt 42.55g Prague Powder #1 (I don’t like botulism) 5 days of curing 1 day of desalination 1-2 days basking in the rub 1 most of the day smoking Many days of happy eating

Three large cuts of beef brisket on a white cutting board and my great grandfather’s (>100 year old) butchering knife on the front edge of the cutting board.

Bottom piece of brisket is the point and the two pieces on top are the flat cut in half.

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Finished! The clash of religious empires - or rather emerging dominions and spheres of influence that used religion as a tool. Learned about Latvian, Estonian, Lithuanian history that I never had even heard about. Sámi culture seems to have been more familiar - at least for me. 1/2

Silence of the Gods opened to the last page of the main text of the left and the first page of the Bibliography on the right. My glasses are on the left side page.

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Quite a beautiful start to the day this morning

Orange and pink/purple hues sunrise looking toward Little Barrier

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

As someone of Finnish heritage and taking regular sauna the idea of water in the sauna having anything to do with washing away baptism is pretty crazy. I guess sauna was very ”foreign“ to people not originally from the region Snake under/behind the kiuas being a good thing also mixed in to all this

Text from part of Silence of the Gods by Francis Young

“If the Prussians really were trying to wash baptism away, this represented something different from mere ignorance of Christianity - it was a conscious and outward rejection of a Christian identity through a counter-ritual. However, Gouguenheim argues that Bishop Jung (and Henry of Livonia, who described similar practices at an earlier date) may have mistaken the use of water in saunas as a kind of 'pagan baptism'.”

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Is it a bird? A plane? A bat dog? Just a silly #IrishSetter Moments before absolute chaos

An Irish Setter on the floor, facing up with ears splayed like a bat

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

He’s been tested multiple times, regularly. Someone is worried that grandpa has lost his marbles and he thinks it is a badge of pride.

Doug the dog from the movie Up!

Squirrel

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

And I pulled this out of the lower shelves of the wine cellar to go with the lasagna

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

First pan out of the oven. I’m doing these in quarter sheet chaffing pans because the fix perfectly in my Breville countertop oven. Way more efficient that heating up my big oven. Even when I cook them one by one.

The previous lasagna now baked with beautifully browned, crispy cheese on top.

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

Making two pans of lasagna today. Made my own bolognese with beef and lamb mince. But I’m going back to the way my mom and grandma made lasagna instead of dealing with bechamel. Tub of cottage cheese, eggs, oregano/parsley/thyme. And shredded mozzarella - with some proper buffalo mozzarella on top.

Quarter sheet chaffing pan with unbaked lasagna. Shredded cheese and pieces of mozzarella spread across the top.

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Growing Jerusalem artichokes for a few years now. This year - bumper crop. I no longer worry about excess. Sliced and marinated in ginger, green onions, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, soy sauce, black vinegar and plenty of chilis (recipe my wife found in The Little Red Book). Insanely good!

As described in the post - in a small bowl

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

Had more than a few eggplants this end of season so I made pickled eggplants - and some mushrooms. Outstanding and I’ll do this again next year. www.neilsowerby.co.uk/2022/02/25/b...

oblong dark pottery plate with a stuffed pickled eggplant and a few mushrooms. A glass of wine and the wine bottle

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

I smoked a bit of bacon today

Three sections of brined and then smoked pork belly (aka bacon) on a quarter sheet pan.

This will get cut into smaller portions, vacuum packed and frozen. That is - what I can protect my son

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

So many persimmons and a great harvest of charapita chilis. So salsa it is. With chips for now but have some fish to make for dinner and a fruit salsa is most excellent with fish.

A glass bowl of salsa made with chopped and somewhat mashed persimmons and onions. Small flecks of coriander but I couldn’t find much in the garden so very sparse.

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Same here a bit further north in Matakana

Orange and pink sunset with a dark view of a rose garden in the foreground

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Or you could go the other way

Big Lebowski scene - robe while buying (and drinking) half & half at the grocery store

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

Today was a Polotmavé (half dark Czech lager) and Friday was my Pilsner Urquell clone. The wort of both of these - so gorgeous

Light amber wort in a 2L Erlenmeyer flask

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

was time to rethink my brewing setup. Back to full time job means everything as efficient as possible. Pump on the Grainfather G40 is shit so my external pump is essential. Ordered three-way T valves and parts to get this all hooked up properly. Still need the silicon hose to fermenters each time.

Right to left: A brew kettle on an LPG burner (will pull that out when I use it - mostly for the long boil of the Pilsner Urquell). Grainfather G40 and an induction plate with a stainless steel stockpot on low metal shelving. Counterflow chiller on a shelf on the wall. My old G30 (on a small wooden wheeled platform) that I use to heat sparge water (the built in pump makes sparging a breeze.

Further to the left are two conical fermenters.

Various buckets in the foreground

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

The side effect of deciding I am not going out this weekend. Not driving anywhere. Homemade tortillas return. It is a lot of work but always worth it! #tortillas

A stack of 30 flour tortillas on a towel

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

And do you have the same tile as me?

Golden Retriever head and front feet on wood grain looking ceramic tile

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

It was breathtaking to see in person

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

I’m in Hoi An for a conference (don’t shame me for international travel in these times - I agreed to this more than six months ago). This banh mi place deserves the accolades it has received. Bourdain was absolutely spot on. Outstanding!

The counter at Banh Mi Phuoc with all the ingredients in the glass case - various meats, lettuce, cucumbers, herbs

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

How would you open the Strait of Hormuz? wrong answers only.

Charlton Heston from the movie The Ten Commandments

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 14/03/2026

1.4kg wet Perle hops becomes 351g dried. Vacuum packed and going into the freezer. Destined for Helles, a Dortmunder Export and maybe a Scwharzbier and/or a Rauchbier.

Vacuum packs of hops in a stainless steel bowl

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Post your favorite Lord of the Rings character. Wrong answers only.

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

1.4kg of Perle hops. The EKG dried enough in the dehydrator but I don’t even have enough racks to dry this many hops at one time. On a board for now and will rotate onto racks. Need to build frames with screen.

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

On to the racks for drying Still need to pick the Perle hops and have some Riwaka and Wakatu. One bine of the Riwaka found its way to the bines and string for the EKG but fortunately that hop cones are quite different shape so can mostly tell which are which.

Some of the fresh hops on metal drying rack ready to go into the dehydrator

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

East Kent Golding hops harvest. First time for these bines. 469g wet so should be about 79-94g once dehydrated I have neglected my hops this year while busy with the new job. One lesson is to always cut new bamboo for my poles. The don’t hold up in the windy and wet weather a second year

Large stainless steel bowl of fresh hops

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Jeff Smith @sumisu3.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

Another trip to the garden. Huge bowl (from only two plants) of sport peppers (aka the chilis used in Chicago style hot dogs) and another good harvest of Hatch chilis. Looks like enchiladas this week!

Green Hatch chilis in a stainless steel bowl on the left and a mix of red and green small chilis, Sport chilis, in a more shallow but much wider stainless steel bowl

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