This is an open group started for the tinkerers in this community. I picked the Wright Flyer as the icon because, as we all know, the first sustained power flight for heavier than air flying machines was achieved by...................two bicycle mechanics. I lift my hat to people like these, who have a great idea and stick to it. I think there are many more such breakthroughs waiting in aquaponics, and for those that like to scratch under the surface, make their own components or critically evaluate aspects of aquaponic theory and practice, this open group may well be a great place to share ideas and discuss concepts without fear of ridicule or repremand.
Thanks for starting this, Kobus. Have you sent out invites to recruit some people? I'll put something up on the home page too. You might want to make a copy of your original comment explaining the airplane in the text box above so it stays put at the top rather than get pushed down. You might also want to start a few discussion topics...your specialty
Thanks for joining all. Perhaps people that understand how Ning set-ups work can give me some pointers here. What I would like to do is build some concise summaries of all aspects of AP, such as buffering chemicals. There, I'd scour the site for what people have said, and combine with other sources to end up with something down the line of: "If you want to go organic, the Friendly aquaponics team advises you switch to XXXXX, while our experiences with rain water indicates the potential need for regular small doses of YYYYY added to the system. This should not be an issue, as Rupert reported the product in use in Australia as a fungicide already, which can make it doubly useful."
What is the best way to search discussions here that were not posted with key words? will the text be searched automatically, or will it become a manual search? The idea is to end up lissting the people and the advice in order to prevent anyone feeling "robbed" of their contributions :)
Kobus I am a rookie at aquaponics. But I have 20 years building ponds, plumbing Irrigation systems from ball fields to cemetaries. I can contribute on piping pump size and help with flow and pipe friction for those who need that. Hope I can contribute.........Dave P.S I am a tinkerer at heart haha.
Thanks Dave - all related expert input will be very important. As I've said many times before, I do not think there has been enough time for any one person to have become the sage of all things aquaponic. I'd like to push the technology forward through a robust database of knowledge and advice. Energy efficiency and therefore correct plumbing and pump sizing advice is a important part of that.
Hey Kobus, there might be a way I can set you up to create "pages" like the one I just made for the photo contest (congrats on 3rd place, BTW) and in the intro box on the home page. Would that help? I think you can also just search any word in the forums...I just searched the word "carbon" and came up with a ton of hits.
Sylvia - thanks for the complement. Great to have a pic there in the winners!
I think there will still be a little bit of back-and-forth regarding how the pages can be set up. I do not want to overload your site. What I would like to achieve, is a logical flow of information from a core of content out to its periphery in a logical pattern - very much like the MindMap software that I use. In the core pages, text or concepts will be clickable, and linked to other content pages with short summaries that eventually link back to the original post, if there was one. Links will build up in a logical network, thus pH will have links to pH balancing chemicals, but also to ideal pH for bacteria, ideal pH to plants, and then nutrient management issues related to pH until the single thought page of "pH" has flows to all we know regarding the knock-on effects of pH in aquaponics. It will take time to logically build this, and it will be best to have the concept all figured out before the first steps are taken in order to avoid having to restart or change anything.
As you may have seen in a previous post, I have been thinking about how best to set about building up the content of this group. I'd like to get to a point where we have a streamlined but detailed MindMap style content stored under headings and sub headings that can be collapsed down to a single heading: Aquaponics. The reason for this is two-fold. First, there is a growing trend for discussions to be replicated, and apart from having to redirect people to old threads all the time, some posts in the original discussion may not get repeated in the next episode and thus little gems become mothballed.
Second, I am a big picture person. I believe that in having all the details is only useful if you know where every bit goes and how they are related to each other. You want to push yor stocking densities to 120% max advised? These are all the issues that will pop up - and then you can run through the big picture and highlight it all in a logical manner. Also, often good ideas are born from staring at the whole picture rather than individual aspects.
Inbetween my normal routine, I am going to start fleshing out a map of aquaponic knowledge and stick it here for comment every now and then. Anyone that want to start their own discussion in the mean time are welcome to do that - any pointers if you think I'm nuts will be considered.
Happy to share our future research with the world, its an idea its time has come and will spread worldwide very fast. Lets build a TEAM and help the hungry !
I'm not familiar with the backend structure of the groups however... If this is a forum format like the general forum, you might consider this... You would have your Main topics as different discussions and then your details as replies within that discussion, (i believe you should be able to set the rules and format as per replies, this should clean things up), you can then hyperlink certain points to another page. This may be the simplest way without needing to import an app of some kind. for example...
Xavier - the idea with the mind map is purely for my own way of thinking - It allows you to grow an ever-increasing complex set of thoughts on a single page - where you can see the big picture - I think I sent a mail out on what I wanted to achieve before you joined. I'll see if I can re-send to the new guys. It is stand-alone software that will not work here. I'll use it to keep track of how the discussions get structured around a logical core / heading / subheading backbone.
Adam: There are two places where I will hopefully be able to make a start over the weekend. One is to build up a logical "master template" around which discussions can be arranged, and the other will be to start searching the text already on this site for snippets that can then be put into the correct discussions. People are more than welcome to start throwing concepts out in the interim. I want to start with a heading of Aquaponics, dropping down into all the different methods on the site, and from there into detailed operational issues and finally detailed species results. I'm sure it will take on a logical shape as we progress, but right now it feels like a 5000 piece puzzle scattered all around with no start having been made.
I wanted to share another method to organize diverse streams of information that I set up on another forum several years ago, that may be a useful addition here . It uses a service called Dropbox to automatically sync a shared folder across many computers. We basically create a community database that everyone could contribute to and benefit from. Here is how it would work:
The database founder, that would be you Kobus, would create a comprehensive folder structure that included all the relevant topics as subfolders....and sub folders of subfolders...etc.
The db founder would create a free (up to 2 gb) dropbox account and place the db folder in it. He would then invite other members to share this folder via their own dropbox accounts.
All members can contribute content (PDFs, dosc, web pages, video, audio, etc) to the db by placing it the appropriate folder on their computer.
Content additions, changes, and updates are automatically propagated to the computers of all other members sharing the db folder via the Dropbox service.
Database content can be linked to and shared publicly as desired, to complement forum content on this site.
The Dropbox service is cross-platform, and folder content can be accessed via a webpage, if needed.
The db is SSH secured on the Dropbox servers, and every member has a copy on their own computer, so it has built in redundancy.
In my experience with Dropbox over the years, the service has been safe and very reliable for all that have used it. It's a great way to build a community database. Their are some limitations, and specific rules that must be obeyed by all members to ensure the db stays organized and viable for everyone, but it's pretty much an effortless process once it is set up.
Jeff - sounds like a good idea, but can I please run it past Sylvia - seems as if a lot of her forum's content might end up in this server and I'm not sure what she will think about that one.
Ends up there is an app that is connected to the Ning api called Box that I think is similar to Dropbox. I've set it up as a tab currently. Check it out and let me know what you think. Easy to change the name so what would you suggest we call the tab?
Right - feedback from Sylvia is that the drop box idea will not be that simple to implement. What I will start trying to do, is start discussion points that we can populate by linking to content of discussion threads, or by adding the required info. Regards all and sorry for the quiet period. Car ports, broken water lines, annual financial statements......................................
Ends up they wanted my first born child for the privilege of using box.net. I've got a couple inquiries out at Ning, and am still considering the Dropbox idea. My apologies as well for not moving faster on this - I'm a bit slammed as well.
For all in the group. My initial idea was to start summarizing all the knowledge in this forum in an organised fashion on this group board, but work is pinning me down. Anyone with an idea or discussion topic is free to go ahead and start it up if they want to - I see it is only me starting discussions right now. If settings have to change for this to be possible, please let me know.
Alfred - it is not as much linking docs as it is pouring through what has already been written here and re-posting it in logical order, with key words. It seems as if no one searches before adding a discussion in the open forums - just see the same stuff recycled over and over. I would love to be able to have an end result that is far less cluttered in here.
Rebecca - it looks like the search function migrated a bit and you are correct - it is not all that obvious at all. If you go to the forum, groups or blogs pages, there is a little search window near the top of the page.
Kobus Jooste
Feb 15, 2011
Sylvia Bernstein
Feb 21, 2011
M Cosmo
Good call Kobus
I like this definition of Tinker
a person who enjoys fixing and experimenting with machines and their parts
a skilled worker who mends or repairs things
I always subscribe to the Apple "Crazy Ones" Let us tinker on!
Feb 21, 2011
TCLynx
Feb 21, 2011
Kobus Jooste
Thanks for joining all. Perhaps people that understand how Ning set-ups work can give me some pointers here. What I would like to do is build some concise summaries of all aspects of AP, such as buffering chemicals. There, I'd scour the site for what people have said, and combine with other sources to end up with something down the line of: "If you want to go organic, the Friendly aquaponics team advises you switch to XXXXX, while our experiences with rain water indicates the potential need for regular small doses of YYYYY added to the system. This should not be an issue, as Rupert reported the product in use in Australia as a fungicide already, which can make it doubly useful."
What is the best way to search discussions here that were not posted with key words? will the text be searched automatically, or will it become a manual search? The idea is to end up lissting the people and the advice in order to prevent anyone feeling "robbed" of their contributions :)
Feb 21, 2011
David Waite
Feb 21, 2011
Kobus Jooste
Feb 21, 2011
Sylvia Bernstein
Feb 21, 2011
Kobus Jooste
Sylvia - thanks for the complement. Great to have a pic there in the winners!
I think there will still be a little bit of back-and-forth regarding how the pages can be set up. I do not want to overload your site. What I would like to achieve, is a logical flow of information from a core of content out to its periphery in a logical pattern - very much like the MindMap software that I use. In the core pages, text or concepts will be clickable, and linked to other content pages with short summaries that eventually link back to the original post, if there was one. Links will build up in a logical network, thus pH will have links to pH balancing chemicals, but also to ideal pH for bacteria, ideal pH to plants, and then nutrient management issues related to pH until the single thought page of "pH" has flows to all we know regarding the knock-on effects of pH in aquaponics. It will take time to logically build this, and it will be best to have the concept all figured out before the first steps are taken in order to avoid having to restart or change anything.
Feb 21, 2011
Kobus Jooste
Greetings fellow tinkerers.
As you may have seen in a previous post, I have been thinking about how best to set about building up the content of this group. I'd like to get to a point where we have a streamlined but detailed MindMap style content stored under headings and sub headings that can be collapsed down to a single heading: Aquaponics. The reason for this is two-fold. First, there is a growing trend for discussions to be replicated, and apart from having to redirect people to old threads all the time, some posts in the original discussion may not get repeated in the next episode and thus little gems become mothballed.
Second, I am a big picture person. I believe that in having all the details is only useful if you know where every bit goes and how they are related to each other. You want to push yor stocking densities to 120% max advised? These are all the issues that will pop up - and then you can run through the big picture and highlight it all in a logical manner. Also, often good ideas are born from staring at the whole picture rather than individual aspects.
Inbetween my normal routine, I am going to start fleshing out a map of aquaponic knowledge and stick it here for comment every now and then. Anyone that want to start their own discussion in the mean time are welcome to do that - any pointers if you think I'm nuts will be considered.
Regards
Kobus
Feb 21, 2011
Alfred Luckerbauer
Feb 22, 2011
Sahib Punjabi
Feb 22, 2011
Kobus Jooste
Feb 23, 2011
Xavier Johnston
I'm not familiar with the backend structure of the groups however... If this is a forum format like the general forum, you might consider this... You would have your Main topics as different discussions and then your details as replies within that discussion, (i believe you should be able to set the rules and format as per replies, this should clean things up), you can then hyperlink certain points to another page. This may be the simplest way without needing to import an app of some kind. for example...
Hope this helped and wasnt too confusing...
Feb 23, 2011
Kobus Jooste
Feb 23, 2011
Xavier Johnston
Feb 23, 2011
Kobus Jooste
Feb 23, 2011
Sahib Punjabi
Feb 24, 2011
Jeff G.
Kobus,
I wanted to share another method to organize diverse streams of information that I set up on another forum several years ago, that may be a useful addition here . It uses a service called Dropbox to automatically sync a shared folder across many computers. We basically create a community database that everyone could contribute to and benefit from. Here is how it would work:
In my experience with Dropbox over the years, the service has been safe and very reliable for all that have used it. It's a great way to build a community database. Their are some limitations, and specific rules that must be obeyed by all members to ensure the db stays organized and viable for everyone, but it's pretty much an effortless process once it is set up.
Food for thought....Jeff
Feb 24, 2011
Kobus Jooste
Feb 24, 2011
Sylvia Bernstein
Feb 25, 2011
Kobus Jooste
Mar 7, 2011
Sylvia Bernstein
Mar 7, 2011
Kobus Jooste
Apr 13, 2011
Alfred Luckerbauer
Apr 13, 2011
Kobus Jooste
Apr 13, 2011
Rebecca B
Apr 13, 2011
Kobus Jooste
Apr 13, 2011
Harold Sukhbir
Apr 13, 2011