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Archives: December 2005
Organized Gaylife
Some of you wondered why I withdrew the entry on lesbian day and gay life.
Not because I am in the closet. Not at all.
Rather because when re-reading the article, I read my negative view on things. It is too easy to be negative about things...
I think blogs that nag are boring, and now I started myself...
So I deleted the entry.
I re-post the positive notes in the article:
I started checking the Flemish gay webscene online, and I was really stunned about good quality websites:
HolebiFederatie
the beautiful GayWorld
GayBelgium
WelJongNietHetero
Gaylife
oRadio
GayBiz
GayDayz
All pretty well designed and well maintained.
Well sponsored also.
It shows the scene is well organized and surely some marketeers see the potential of all these sites.
(When checking for example the site of GayWorld, we see it is maintained by MaxMarketing...
Explains a lot to me.)
I use the opportunity to point out to the good parties this weekend.
Trouble and Lime welcome gay, lesbians and friends in Ghent on Saturday night.
Ladies, feel ready to dance.
Posted on December 1, 2005
in Living in Belgium
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New diary
Last year I was too late. Not again. My new Moleskine diary is glancing at me...
I can start inserting 'trips abroad' in the travels planning or color countries to visit. And rewrite all important telephone numbers.
Do you also like the smell of new paper?
Posted on December 1, 2005
in Living in Belgium
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7 ministers for health
Today I read about an interesting initiative: 7 ministers responsible for health create workgroup against AIDS.
Very nice.
But why the heck do we have 7! ministers for health??
I thought we only have 3 governments, as long as I can count that makes 3 ministers (that is already a lot...)
In detail fyi:
federal minister Rudy Demotte, Flemish minister Inge Vervotte, Walloon minister Christiane Vienne, minister in the French Community Catherine Fonck, minister of the French community commission Benoît Cerexhe, Brussels minister Guy Vanhengel and German community minister Bernd Gentges
Where is Kafka??
Posted on December 1, 2005
in Living in Belgium
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Skype 1.4 Beta for Mac
With Call forwarding...
Trying out now.. Looks good, doesn't look bad at all.
Update: they heard my calls: there is an item in the menu bar. Great...
Horrible: the new sounds...
Btw: Skype 1.4 for Windows, with video...
Posted on December 1, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Invest...
Verhofstadt en Reynders richten nu hun blik op Azië, in het voorjaar doen ze Noord-Amerika aan.
Yep, let's prepare for the White House...
For those who still wonder: Notional Interest Deduction, read more here (in Dutch) (it took me one week t understand a little bit of it. ;) )
Posted on December 2, 2005
in Projects
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Proposition adoption for gay/lesbian: 1 step closer
Last night, at 0.15, the Chamber accepted a proposition of law that enables gay/lesbians to adopt a child.
For final acceptation it has to pass the Senate, which will probably not happen before the beginning of next year (and it could end up lasting for much longer)
I think it is an important sign that has been given: we see a general acceptance (yet there is many opposition to the law) of gay/lesbian parents.
At the same time more and more kids appear in school that have 2 mothers instead of a traditional family.
And at the same time gay organizations put pressure to inform other parents.
Adoption always has been very important for lesbians with children, since only one of the two is a biological parent, and what happens if this person dies?
The other one is left without anything and no rights on the child.
It is a very complicated situation. Laws like these make it easier to protect the child and the second mother.
K&K, happy pregnant, will be excited to hear the good news today.
Posted on December 2, 2005
in Living in Belgium
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Movie reviews: Statler and Waldorf
An alternative for Lomme, or Roel from Miek and Roel.
Don't expect too many good jokes (but those you didn't expect before either)
Posted on December 2, 2005
in Linking context
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Podcasting: the kids are back
Yep, nice new podcasts in Dutch and French. (XML-feeds)
Or subscribe in iTunes: Dutch and French
Enjoy.
Real time listening?
This weeks entries: Undercover (nl) and Moules (fr)
Former entries: Stoet (nl) and Cortege (fr)
Posted on December 2, 2005
in Projects - Podcasting
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Airfoil
What do you do when you feel homesick for another country?
You install Airfoil, look on the web for your favorite local radio station of that country and stream the radio through your stereo speakers on volume 10.
Happy thanksgiving Tamar and family, I wish I could attend the dinner tonight but it is too late to grab the flights to Istanbul - Tel Aviv.
(Enjoy the turkey in 25 degrees ;) )
Posted on December 2, 2005
in Living in Israel
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fightaids@home
You might have noticed that yesterday dec 1st was another world aids day held and i came upon a really interesting link about a biomedical distributed computing project called Fightaids@home , you can somewhat compare it with the Seti@home project (which uses your pc to scan the universe) The fight aids software downloads small pieces of data and performs calculations that model how drugs interact with various HIV virus mutations. After your computer processes the information, the results are sent back to The Scripps Research Institute where they are analyzed by the Scripps research team. The process takes an enormous amount of computing time and this is where you come in. They need YOUR computer! so do something good while sitting there on your arse and install their software, you won't notice it running anyway and even if you did, there's always the option to only let it run when your screensaver pops up.
Go to battle against aids with your computer!
by braindrain
Posted on December 2, 2005
in Linking context
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Your music locker
All your music online... Music on demand... Where is the trigger?
But not such a bad idea.
Today I streamed an online radio station on my music installation.
Easy, and any place possible. Nice.
Useful? I think so: my hard disc of my portable isn't loaded with 12 gb music when online.
Useless?: if the connections isn't good... or when my download limit is reached.
Posted on December 2, 2005
in Linking context
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Journalism...
'Maaseikse kamikaze ontkent' a titel in De Standaard.
Which means roughly: 'Kamikaze denies'
I doubt the journalistic meaning of this sentence.
When I look into the dictionary it says:
Kamikaze (神風) is a Japanese word, usually translated as "divine wind" — which came into being as the name of a legendary typhoon said to have saved Japan from a Mongol invasion fleet in 1281. In Japanese, the word kamikaze is usually used only for this typhoon. In the English language, kamikaze usually refers to suicide attacks carried out by Japanese aircrews against Allied shipping towards the end of the Pacific campaign of World War II.
Since the end of World War II, the word kamikaze has been applied to a wider variety of suicide attacks. Examples of these include Selbstopfer in Nazi Germany in World War II. Terrorist attacks that employ suicide attacks, such as the September 11, 2001 attacks, and suicide bombing in Israel by Palestinians are sometimes likened to kamikazes.
Now I ask you, how can a kamikaze deny?
In theory the title kamikaze can only be given after death. Or maybe, when the person is found with explosives on the body on the way to is suicidal end point.
But in the case of this woman, I firmly believe 'kamikaze' in a title is a way to attract you to read the article rather than a proof of journalism.
Terrorist would be a better word, yet, at this point, nothing proves she is actually one. 'Suspicioned terrorist' or 'Wife of terrorist' would be my choice of words.
I hate this misuse of words, because it gives wrong information.
Using words like these implicate certain ideas.
I firmly believe that terrorism is coming closer and that is naive to think it will spare Belgium. But it doesn't give newspapers the right to make sensational news with wrong information.
Posted on December 3, 2005
in Living in Belgium
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The fountain
Yesterday I watched Requiem for a dream on Canvas. It's such a depressing movie. But so good...
I checked the site never before, but did now.
It's gorgeous. Go, click, move your arrow and click on (don't be afraid). It's weird but fun.
Now Darren Aronofsky is back with a new project called The Fountain, and it looks pretty promising. Six years after his latest Requiem for a Dream, we may have another movie-gem coming to a screen near us.
The Fountain is a story of love, death, spirituality, and the fragility of our existence in this world.
It's told in three parallel stories, with a spanning over one thousand years. With leading roles played by Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz and Ellen Burstyn and Scheduled for a releasedate in 2006
Watch the trailer here and while your at it download the kewl screensaver as well.
[via]
Posted on December 3, 2005
in Linking context
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Free concert tonight.
ZGA, free tonight, at Vooruit.
Posted on December 3, 2005
in Living in Belgium
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Trans...
When talking 'bout movies... I want to see Transamerica. LOL
Posted on December 3, 2005
in Linking context
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We're in trouble...
Saturday night turned into Sunday night without any warning at all...
In between parties I went to see 'Cache' with Julliette Binoche (mmmmmm).
A very French movie with an open end, about nothing and everything, and barely 4 locations, most of the movie plays in their living room.
Intriguing and worth seeing.
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The Trouble party was a blast (at least to my impression)
(I didn't make it to the Lime party due to too beautiful people at Trouble.. On top of that I heard about a guy that went to Lime and went home with a girl.... I can deal with many things, but Lesbian parties where guys take girls home. Well, that's just too much... *joking*)
Pics (by my hand) will probably appear in a near future on their website. If they are not sharp: I wasn't drunk (not too bad anyway) but taking pics on a manual stand in the dark isn't always easy.
And yes focussing wasn't always easy due to beautiful and interesting asides.
You have to go and check the Cowboys (or girlzzz?) since they were well-looking. (I'll post pics here as soon as I get them)
Update: see the pics here.
Suddenly it was 6.30 AM, and even more suddenly it was 6.30PM.
As Tamar would say 'I am smuling'
Monday is lurking...
PS: And soo many many many many bloggers on Trouble...
Posted on December 4, 2005
in Living in Belgium
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Lineart - Linecrab
I went to Lineart today.
-I planned to go yesterday but due to a certain party, I was too tired to go.-
Well, I am happy I didn't do the effort yesterday. Oh-my-god, it was soo bad.
(Rather visit the SMAK, with Sergei Bratkov)
A bunch of bad works. And in between some nice ones, which were actually very often the galleries...
The FotoMuseum stand I missed because so unimpressive. And the rest was too much of 'amateuristic art'.
Bummer. (But hey, I did my culture for this week... Now my sport...)
Posted on December 5, 2005
in Living in Belgium
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Quando
Pero a Cuando quiero ser tu sue?
O yo no me conformo con tus besos
quiero darte todo lo que siento y mas que eso
Posted on December 6, 2005
in Living in Belgium
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Five die in Israel suicide blast
Five people are killed and dozens are hurt in a suicide bombing at a shopping centre in the Israeli town of Netanya.
The images on tele are showing the impact of such an attack.
These are the personal stories beyond those news images.
As always life just goes on in Tel Aviv, I called Tamar and she didn't even mentioned it...
Posted on December 6, 2005
in Living in Israel
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Dilemma
One of the Palestinian journalists, a cameraman who works for an international Arab television new station, told the following story:
During the IDF invasion of the West Bank in 2002, the cameraman happened to be filming a street scene when a group of militants (Islamic Jihad? Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade? I can't remember which one) grabbed a teenage boy they accused of collaborating with the Israelis. They stuffed him into a car and sped off to a nearby refugee camp. The cameraman jumped into his own car and followed them. It was quite dark by then, so he managed to stay out of sight.
Once in the refugee camp, the militants stopped in an open lot. They dragged the boy, whose hands were by then tied behind his back, out of the car, forced him onto his knees and prepared to shoot him.
The cameraman was filming the entire incident from behind a pile of rubble.
The boy was crying. He begged the militants to allow him one phone call; he wanted to call his mother to tell her he loved her.
The militants refused and prepared to shoot the boy in the back of the head. Just as they aimed their guns, the crying boy screamed out, "Mom, I love you!"
Then they shot him.
So here was the dilemma the cameraman faced. If he broadcast that footage, he would have to live with the knowledge that the mother of the dead boy had seen it. She would never be able to forget the image of her crying son, pleading to be allowed to tell his mother that he loved her just before he died. She would never forget the image of those masked armed men, of seeing her son's lifeless body flop sideways to the ground.
The cameraman, who had several children and a wife to support, would also have to worry about the militants hunting him down and shooting him for broadcasting the footage.
On the other hand, if the cameraman did not broadcast the footage, he would be hiding the truth about summary executions from the public.
So what would you do? And what do you think the cameraman did?
[via]
Posted on December 6, 2005
in Living in Israel
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Evening classes and social interaction
Monday and Wednesday I am doing evening classes at Kisp.
PHP and Illustrator.
Next to the fact that these classes are quite interesting (yesterday we learned how to insert tables in a database and transfer data back and forth) the fact that you get to know new people is always fun.
I met Ingrid in the PHP class, and on top of the good laughs we have in class, she is busy with interesting stuff.
I checked her website yesterday, and loved this work.
Ingrid is from Croatia, ended up somehow in Belgium (love love love) and is busy with her partner in making beautiful websites, with very artistic and deeper backgrounds. ILI.
Enjoy.
Posted on December 6, 2005
in Linking context, Living in Belgium
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For art/photo freaks
Christophe Ruys is speaking at KASK on december 15. Tag it in your agenda :)
Over Ruys, met interessant pdf.
Belgische fotografen, rado 1 reportage
Posted on December 6, 2005
in Linking context, Living in Belgium
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Movable Type: I need some advice...
Any experts amongst you? Anybody?
(Some more details:
I am stuck in their SubCategory stuff.
I have like:
Root
Category1
SubCategory1
SubCategory2
Category2
Category3
I just want to show:
Category1
SubCategory1
SubCategory2
Just don't get it.
Tried to install 2 plugins that should do the trick but I don't get them installed. Grumbl...
Help is welcome. I know it is probably something stupid I am doing..)
Posted on December 6, 2005
in Technical stuff
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The future of the web...
Over the next ten years, we’ll see a wide range of experiences online, from highly structured to nearly formless.
On the conservative side of this experience continuum, we’ll still have familiar Websites, like blogs, homepages, marketing and communication sites, the big content providers (in one form or another), search engines, and so on. These are structured experiences. Their form and content are determined mainly by their designers and creators.
In the middle of the continuum, we’ll have rich, desktop-like applications that have migrated to the Web, thanks to Ajax, Flex, Flash, Laszlo, and whatever else comes along. These will be traditional desktop applications like word processing, spreadsheets, and email. But the more interesting will be Internet-native, those built to take advantage of the strengths of the Internet: collective actions and data (e.g. Amazon’s “People who bought this also bought…”), social communities across wide distances (Yahoo Groups), aggregation of many sources of data, near real-time access to timely data (stock quotes, news), and easy publishing of content from one to many (blogs, Flickr).
The experiences here in the middle of the continuum are semi-structured in that they specify the types of experiences you can have with them, but users supply the content (such as it is).
On the far side of the continuum are the unstructured experiences: a glut of new services, many of which won’t have Websites to visit at all. We’ll see loose collections of application parts, content, and data that don’t exist anywhere really, yet can be located, used, reused, fixed, and remixed.
The content you’ll search for and use might reside on an individual computer, a mobile phone, even traffic sensors along a remote highway. But you probably won’t need to know where these loose bits live; your tools will know.
These unstructured bits won’t be useful without the tools and the knowledge necessary to make sense of them, sort of how an HTML file doesn’t make much sense without a browser to view it. Indeed, many of them will be inaccessible or hidden if you don’t have the right tools.
I think we don't really realize how the web will evolve, but the user experience will be totally different from what it is today.
And RSS will have a big impact in it.
I remember when talking to some investor about PhotoBlog. He said 'Imagine you can show the pictures inside of PhotoBlog on the ad-screens on Picadilly Circus in London.'
That future is near: users will communicate with internet and the content will go beyond.
I didn't get the idea of tagging, now I do -though I still think it should go beyond tags-
Posted on December 7, 2005
in Linking context, Technical stuff
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Spielberg goes peace communication
"Somewhere inside all this intransigence there has to be a prayer for peace," Spielberg told Time, "because the biggest enemy is not the Palestinians or the Israelis. The biggest enemy in the region is intransigence."
The director also discussed another film project he is initiating in February, in which he is buying 250 video cameras and players and giving them to Israeli and Palestinian children so that they can make movies about their own lives.
"Not dramas," Spielberg said, "just little documentaries about who they are and what they believe in, who their parents are, where they go to school, what they had to eat, what movies they watch, what CDs they listen to."
Spielberg said the children will then exchange the videos with one another.
"That's the kind of thing that can be effective, I think, in simply making people understand that there aren't as many differences that divide Israelis and Palestinians. Not as human beings anyway," he said.
This seems a lot like SnowBlog, but then by Spielberg :)
But then again, projects like these exist anywhere and just work.
In fact it is just videoblogging ;)
Article here
Posted on December 7, 2005
in Projects - SnowBlog.net
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Told you...
"Opvallend is verder dat slechts een op de vijf marketeers het huidige bureau als de beste adviseur beschouwt voor interactieve marketing. ‘Dit cijfer is schrikbarend laag. Traditiegetrouw zijn bureaus de plek waar marketeers hun kennis vandaan halen. Het lijkt er dus op dat de traditionele bureaus in de ogen van de marketeer de boot aan het missen zijn,’aldus het onderzoek."
Don't tell me I didn't tell you.
Posted on December 7, 2005
in Linking context
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For Apple Freaks and PhotoLovers
A free seminar in Brussels. December 13.
I am going.
Might be interesting to hear some stuff on RAW.
Posted on December 8, 2005
in Apple
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More seminars...
The i-merge Web 2.0 seminar...
I think I might be going, someone else is planning to go too?
Posted on December 8, 2005
in Living in Belgium, Technical stuff
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Speeddating...
Yesterday I went speeddating (Thanks Hullabaloo for the tip)
Now I know what you think: speeddating, isn't that that crazy thing where you get to speak with 200 people in less than 2 hours and and up with a lover in your bed?
But this was speeddating for networking: an alternative way to enlarge your network in a fast way.
I thought it was kind of interesting to go and to check it out.
And indeed, you get to speak to your talking partner for 6 minutes and then it switches.
I think it is an easy opportunity to leave the crap, to go to the core idea, to meet interesting people and if you see some possibilities in common, you can meet afterwards.
My father used to go to 'Rotary', he spent long hours in an expensive restaurant, spent loads of money on food, and got to know some people. But it was always the same inner-crowd.
The other alternative was to go to a reception of something and start talking to people, but mingling isn't always that easy, and you get very quickly into again your same inner-crowd circle.
The newer generation thinks different. We want it fast and we want to cut the crap.
I don't want to spend loads of money in sitting somewhere, eating too many calories, and maybe end up with nothing.
I want interesting contacts, and I want to eat one to one in a next meeting, when it's worth it ;)
And if the speeddating ends up with no real contacts, nothing bad happened.
The concept was interesting and it was too bad I had to leave early.
I had expected more IT-related people, and less KMO's that had few in common with internet. (The evening was announced with a speech on ICT)
But then again, KMO's are also possible clients, so in overall it was fun.
I wouldn't be surprised if one day marketing companies like i-merge might organize this stuff in a alternative, nice and light way.
You might argue they might loose clients, I would say they'd probably win...
Posted on December 9, 2005
in Living in Belgium
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Magelaan
Last week, I was invited to go to a party of Aanzet/Making Magazines.
They decided to change names after 5 years of Aanzet and Making Magazines together.
They decided to do it in a special way: the people invited were sent postcards during several weeks, hinting the new name.
The postcards were arriving from all over the world, with nice hints inside, and people were asked to find out and send this new name.
The reception was built up around the theme and a price was involved for the one finding their new brand-title.
What was interesting about it, was the fact that people were triggered by the riddle, they wanted to know, they wanted to find it, not really for getting the price, but rather because of the nice riddle.
This is real marketing to me, during 3 weeks their clients were busy figuring out something, but it also meant they were busy burning again and again this company into their head.
And for those who did some effort, the riddle was easily solved, those burned the new name over and over in there head with the arrival of each new card.
Those who didn't figure it out, will sure never forget the new name.
Next to that, in normal reception, you don't really know what to talk about with other people. Now everybody had something to talk about: the riddle.
Gosh, I really liked it.
The price? One year of beautiful flowers, nothing but the honor that is.
But the effect? Priceless...
Check out their new site, which is totally built around the Magelaan expeditions
Posted on December 9, 2005
in Living in Belgium
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Israel expands arsenal to prepare for possible nuclear war with Iran
AP:
Israel is expanding its military arsenal to deal with what it views as the greatest threat to its existence: a nuclear attack by Iran. It has acquired dozens of planes with long-range fuel tanks to allow them to reach Iran and signed a deal with Germany for two submarines reported capable of firing nuclear missiles.
read more HERE
Huh? I thought the days of danger for a nuclear war were over...
[via Israpundit]
(Remark: Israpundit is an extreme website, with extreme visions... Linking doesn't mean I share the same ideas.)
Posted on December 9, 2005
in Living in Israel
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Don't talk, just do.
Jason Freid of 37Signals explains why we should not write functional specifications and instead concentrate on building the interface.
Don't write a functional specifications document. Why? Well, there's nothing functional about a functional specifications document.
Functional specifications documents lead to an illusion of agreement. A bunch of people agreeing on paragraphs of text is not real agreement. Everyone is reading the same thing, but they're often thinking something different. This inevitably comes out in the future when it's too late.
This rings so true! The only way we can be sure we are talking about the same thing is if all the players are looking at the user experience though interface mock-ups.
[via]
Posted on December 9, 2005
in Projects
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Free B-Movies for IPod
For iPod Video owners:
More than 500 public-domain flicks -- including classics like Night of the Living Dead -- are just a click away. Plus: Video art lights up iPods.
This is only one of the ways iPodMovie will be used.
I think marketeers can not underestimate the power of making advertising/little movies available as iPodMovies...
Nobody started yet, who'll be the first to offer their movies as an iPod download?
Advertising on Demand...
I see the potential (most of all because it is NOT limited to iPod, or even iTunes.)
Posted on December 10, 2005
in Apple, Technical stuff
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Shy
Oh, how I recognize this situation.
People tend not to believe it, but I am rather shy. I really am.
I am pretty good in hiding by talking a lot, but when it really matters and it is not for 'business', I am a little shy girl.
Ask me to speech in front of 100 people, and it probably won't be a problem. Ask me to talk one-to-one and I'd hesitate.
This is probably why I like the idea of speed-dating (for business): you have to do it, there is no choice.
It's like standing before the benji-jump with your feet tied to the cord: going back is rather impossible.
I hate receptions or drinks before or after lectures: there is always the choice of hiding. Of not mingling. Of just drinking something without talking.
I remember going to Israel with the same idea: I HAD to do it. I had to overcome this fear.
And it could only be done by leaving on my own, and being faced by problems that only knew one way: solving them.
There was nobody to pick me up at the airport, nobody that would help me find an apartment, or to guide me in finding my way around.
But there was also nobody to judge me on who I was.
Life as a new start.
I learned a lot, and these days, I find myself on these situations where I am much more easy than before.
Where I start talking to people, and I push my limits.
Easier than before.
But still, when it comes to real personal stuff, I'll hesitate...
Posted on December 11, 2005
in Living in Belgium, Living in Israel
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Egyptian-Israeli trade expected to rise 130 percent this year
CAIRO - Egypt's trade with Israel is expected to rise 130 percent this year, according to the latest figures. The increase is the result of a U.S.-brokered agreement that has created an estimated 15,000 Egyptian jobs, an indication of how better relations can produce economic growth.
Well, a 130%....Wow.
Posted on December 12, 2005
in Living in Israel
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Ikea: good marketing.
Ikea: good marketing.
Originally uploaded by idehandschutter
//HumoLiegt.be: similar story...
Posted on December 13, 2005
in Linking context
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Google Keywords
Now my shy-ness is even getting bigger...
People looking for these words ended up here:
1 supermodel 10.05%
2 julliette binoche 9.05%
3 sebatio salgado 8.14%
4 dragkings 7.33%
5 walking dinner plate 6.60%
Now I am wondering: dragkings is on 4, and supermodel is on 1, this makes me what?? lol.
Other remarkable keywords:
12 sexy women
16 what to go and see in israel
20 blondie gia
22 hookers adresses ine egypt huh??
Quite funny to read.
Posted on December 13, 2005
in Linking context
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Aperture: missed shot?
This morning I attended the lecture on Aperture.
I was frankly speaking stunned.
But I knew that the PowerMacs running there will never be mine (G5 Quads... It is like 8G4's inside. Translated into normal language: it took 3! seconds to process 6 RAW files of 20Mb each into a PDF...)
Anyhoo... The software was intriguing because of the visual way it is working: it is all copied from the old manual way and feels familiar because of that.
Keywords as drag and drop, workflows with floating utensils and a beautiful magnifier which frankly speaking I miss very much in other apps now.
But it surely misses some key features when going deeper into it.
I mean, the idea is perfect, the technical workout probably could have been better.
Forget about running the soft on a portable G4...
And more stuff to think about in this review: read here
Posted on December 13, 2005
in Apple
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Podcasting: pro or con?
What's your opinion?
Posted on December 13, 2005
in Projects - Podcasting
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Vodcasting the news
I only posted days ago this little article on iPodMovies (which is actually nothing else but vod-casting, Video On Demand)
VTM launched a new service: download the news to PSP or your handheld.
A pity they don't launch it as RSS. Less complicated than the download they are offering now...
View the news here.
Someone wants to write an RSS feed for it? ;)
Update: someone heard my prayers: the feed is available
VideoiPod, PSP, ...
Someone else is seeing the potential?
Posted on December 13, 2005
in Linking context, Projects - Podcasting
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Rock Our World
If you thought SnowBlog is dead, it is not.. We started another year and tomoday we are participating in 'Rock Our World'.
7 countries plus a researcher from North Pole will be telling stories about Christmas and Hannuka. Online and live. Today.
Rock Our World (www.rockourworld.org) brings together classroom teams--from the U.S. to New Zealand--to compose songs collaboratively using Apple's GarageBand software. Each class lays down a track (like guitars, drumbeats, or strings) before passing along the file to the next, until the original track has made it all the way around the globe. Throughout the process, the kids gather online to exchange stories, photographs, and films about their lives. "In one 30-second piece of music," says McGuire, "we could hear the flavor, culture, and drama of every single country."
Rock our World takes places the third time this year.
More info on their site.
Posted on December 14, 2005
in Projects - SnowBlog.net
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To think about.
Eight traps we fall into
Wanting to be praised. Not wanting to be criticized. (praise and blame)
Wanting to gain. Not wanting to lose. (loss and gain)
Wanting to be happy. Not wanting to be unhappy. (pleasure and pain)
Wanting to be famous, Not wanting to be infamous, or ignored. (fame and notoriety)
Made me think, and smile.
[via]
Posted on December 14, 2005
in Linking context
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Podcasting
I just found my first post on Podcasting: october 31, 2004!
I guess we were real early-adopters back then, immediately integrating it in PhotoBlog ;)
Posted on December 14, 2005
in Projects - Podcasting
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Art and air
I love art.
For those who read this blog only recently, and think I am only busy with strange blogging and podcasting: you're wrong. I graduated as a photographer and 'artist' ;) not so long ago.
And now I am intrigued by this installation 'Shrink' of Lawrence Malstaf in Fortlaan17.
The installation shrinks with you inside and gives you an amazing feeling of peace and rest. (read this testimonial)
Zabine told me about it, and I didn't know for which reason I couldn't go on December 10.
Now I really want to go. -But the momentum has passed...-
I immediately mailed Isha from the gallery to check some things and what's the good news?
"indien er voldoende interesse blijkt te zijn, volgt er eind januari nog een zaterdag waarop het mogelijk is de 'shrink'-ervaring mee te maken onder begeleiding van de kunstenaar. wij houden u in elk geval op de hoogte."
Can you all please mail that you want to go too?
I can sum up some people who I want to put inside of that thing.
(Oh yeah Cat, you are amongst them...)
Posted on December 14, 2005
in Linking context, Living in Belgium
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University podcasts !
Stanford on iTunes, what a great initiative that announces the wide opening of the doors of the schools to a broader audience as well as a new source of revenues for the universities and the teachers.
[via]
Posted on December 14, 2005
in Projects - Podcasting
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Chicago...
I visited the SearsTower when 12.
Curious to see how the city changed.
Soon images along with some other cities.
Posted on December 15, 2005
in Projects
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Tabs and pleasure.
In a far away past, my dad used to be importer of Swiss tabs. Grohe used to be a forbidden word ;)
These days he's selling kitchens, and I can long for the perfect shower again.
The rainshower is something that was formerly not sold by Grohe, but by another very very exclusive and expensive brand (which name I forgot).
But Grohe has a copycat, and, when standing under it in my Hong Kong Hotel room*, I melted.
It is sooooo fabulous.
Cat, you might reconsider your choices ;) (you can skip the television in the bath. lol)
*When you try to look for the rainshower in the movie: you cannot see it, there were 3! shower heads built in, and it only shows one ordinary one.
Posted on December 15, 2005
in Linking context
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Custom Mac
Just tried the Apple Store for fun: you can now make a custom mac at the price of 20000 $...*
Watch this movie for the fun.
*Config:
# 2.5GHz Quad-core PowerPC G5
# 16GB 533 DDR2 ECC SDRAM- 8x2GB
# 2x500GB Serial ATA - 7200rpm
# QUADRO FX 4500 512MB SDRAM
# Apple Cinema HD Display (30" flat panel)
# AirPort Extreme + Bluetooth built-in
# 16x SuperDrive DL (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
# Apple Keyboard & Mighty Mouse - U.S English
# Mac OS X - U.S. English
Posted on December 15, 2005
in Apple
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Skype Phone for Mac
First Mac enabled Skype Phones available, and no less than the beautiful Ipevo Free-1
To bad I want wireless (or bluetooth, I know I am a geek...)
Posted on December 15, 2005
in Apple
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Web 2.0
Interesting article to read (in Dutch)
Posted on December 15, 2005
in Linking context
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Podcasting
''The fundamental mistake that media companies, large and small, make is that they adopt the model but not the philosophy,'' Jacob said. ''They look at things as the adjunct to the core product that they're providing, and not as a fundamental shift in the way that they are creating media itself.... What listeners tell us is that mainstream programming converted to MP3 files and redistributed and called a podcast is interesting to a point, but it's not what they are really compelled by. What they are compelled by is unique independent niche programming that appeals to them and allows them to develop a relationship that they can't forge with mainstream programming.''
Think short. Think focused. Think compelling. And rethink everything about the structure and balance of your conversation with your audience.
I got quite some critics on my first remarks. but I said pretty much the same.
Posted on December 15, 2005
in Projects - Podcasting
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Live TV
Now this is amazing. A friend of mine is working for Victoria Deluxe and tonight they are having a debate, which will be broadcast live on the web. They launched TVDeluxe.be to show all their own broadcasts.
You can see it here (You need Quicktime to do so) tonight at 8PM.
Minister of Media didn't accept the idea of 8 mediachannels for VRT. I do see the potential of downloadable items like interesting documentaries (pay per download) or initiatives like these...
Posted on December 15, 2005
in Linking context, Living in Belgium, Technical stuff
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AlefAlef
Karin Mendelovic, a friend of mine in Israel, Tel Aviv, did a performance on Rothshild Bld. She asked people all around to mail her a picture. The first 100 pics were printed and distributed in the streets.
You can see a pic of the event there. (I love the way she walks with the package as if she was a bomber. Lol)
It makes me miss Tel Aviv...
Posted on December 15, 2005
in Living in Israel
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Bush speaks to the nation
Bush announched he will speak to the nation about Iraq.
Well I wonder.
And yes, I tend to ask the same questions...
Posted on December 15, 2005
in Limit of my knowledge
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TypePad: trouble
Now, I am kind of a loyal user when it comes to certain brands.
I don't tend to complain and I truly believe I give credit to building companies.
Thus in the past, a slower TypePad didn't bother me so much. This blog ain't the revelation of the year, not a lifesaver for anyone.
But today I am a little bit bothered.
Some weeks ago, you could ask for a remuneration for the inconvenience of the slow servers of TypePad. First of all, I was NOT mailed, second when mailing to the given mail address the mail returned...
So I didn't get anything.
I stopped putting energy in it. I mean, what's a free month of hosting?
Today I try to upload stuff and it doesn't work.
Moreover, all my posts from dec 11 till now are gone and my RSS feed is suddenly dated 'Dec 11 for last post'
Heck, I took a TypePad account for the convenience, for the fact that I pay THEM to upgrade my service, to maintain the servers, to give ME service.
I pay 150 euro a year, which in my eyes is enough (compared with other hosts that offer way much more than 10gb transfer a month)
Truly, if I would pay 50 euro, I wouldn't bother.
But now I do: I pay, so you give me service.
But most of all: keep me updated, communicate with me about the problem, let me know.
(I now am subscribed to their status feed)
So I hope you guys are updating TypePad to Comet.
I hope you get your servers updated soon.
And I hope to get news on it.
And yes, I want a remuneration :)
Posted on December 16, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Hotel for free: marketingaction
Wellwell. This is nice.
Hotelketen NH-hotels pakte afgelopen maand uit met een schitterende en spraakmakende actie.
Er werden 20.000 hotelkamers aangeboden in Belgie en Nederland en de reservering ervan kost niets.
Het is de klant die bij het uitchecken zelf aangeeft hoeveel men wil betalen voor het verblijf. Dus 100 euro of evengoed 1 euro Aan de acties zijn geen verplichtingen verbonden (vb. verplichte maaltijd nemen) en zelfs het ontbijt is inbegrepen.
The word was spread through the web and the 20.000 rooms are almost taken.
Bet next time some people will go to the same hotel again.
The relation client-brand is key. Personalized marketing. :)
Posted on December 16, 2005
in Linking context, Living in Belgium
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How much to charge?
Posted on December 16, 2005
in Linking context
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Angry and nice
Look at the image above. On the left you see an angry man. On the right a nice woman. Now stand up from you chair and take several steps back. The nice woman is now on the left and the angry man is on the right. Can you tell me how this is done?
You may also want to check out the amazingly dissapearing purple dot and Boring's beautiful illustration.
[via]
Posted on December 16, 2005
in Limit of my knowledge, Linking context
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Microcompact house
One day when I am big and rich, I buy this little small house and a piece of ground with water somewhere.
My own vacation house...
Posted on December 16, 2005
in Design
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Thinking exercice: how to save space
In a thinking exercise how to organize space and comfort I came across these pictures, and must say I like the way the space is divided.
Lux11 is a new hotel concept in Berlin.
Conceived more as a boarding house than hotel, the reception desk is only open during business hours and cleaning services occur every few days. Each of the 72 "apartments" include a full kitchen, fax, phone with voicemail, a safe, DVD player, LCD television, queen or king size beds (no twins), Lux's own line of toiletries, Linari room scents, and ceiling-mounted "rain" showerheads. Designed by London architect team Silvestrin/Salmaso, lichen-colored poured concrete forms the basis for pared-down open floorplans offset by eggshell white and wood-accented furniture. Executive and Premiere suites feature bathtubs and two televisions, smaller rooms look onto a rear courtyard while larger ones face the street, and nightly rates start at a modest 115 euros.
Check it out.
Posted on December 17, 2005
in Design
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Why not so much photography
Someone asked me why I m not taking so many pics lately.
The answer:
Balance for 2004:8500 pics taken.
I deserved some time off. ;)
Posted on December 17, 2005
in Limit of my knowledge
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Reorganizing
Added all entries of Podcasting to the PodCasting Category (hey Peter, I discovered I have a post on podcasting way earlier than Oct. 31, first post Oct. 6 I beat you ;) ), and I added Design category (might want to post some items on that in the future).
Posted on December 17, 2005
in Linking context
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Spam Poetry
the hell, I'm nothing, but you'll admit its a shock. A large one, and we have to know who owns that number here in Paris. Krupkin can find out for us. Its corkscrew, I grant you, but there it is. Corkscrew? asked Panov. Are you now going to produce a Rubiks cube in Arabic? Or, perhaps, a Double-Crostic from the London Times? What in heavens name is a Prefontaine, judge, jury or otherwise? It sounds like a bad early wine. Its a late, very good vintage, broke in Marie. Youd like him, Doctor. You could spend months studying him because hes got more brights than most of us, and that grand intellect of his is still intact despite such inconveniences as alcohol, corruption, loss of family and prison. Hes an original, Mo, and where the majority of felons in his league blame everyone but themselves, he doesnt.
I sometimes wonder where they find this stuff.
Posted on December 17, 2005
in Limit of my knowledge
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Report: Bush OK'd Spying in U.S.
Administration officials react quickly to a report that President Bush authorized the National Security Agency to spy on people inside the United States, a violation of federal law. The president respects the Constitution, they say. But they don't deny the report.
Heck, what else is is getting away with?
Posted on December 17, 2005
in Limit of my knowledge
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Holiday Gift: a dreamhost with promo code: 40$ off
For those amongst you who don't find a nice gift for new year/christmas for friends, here a tip: offer a dreamhost account to your friends, install a one-click-wordpress on it (included) and get on top of it 40$ off the normal price when you subscribe with the promo code 'matuvu40'.
Go for it fast :)
Enjoy.
Posted on December 18, 2005
in Linking context
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She reminded me of Phi...
Looking for the golden ratio?
The human face is based entirely on phi.
Posted on December 18, 2005
in Limit of my knowledge
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Podcasting the kids
Yep, here we are again. The new podcasts are online.
Check out the Dutch one because this one rocks our house :)
Ogenblikken met Astrid (Dutch)
Label Design (French)
Enjoy it.
Former entries: Undercover (nl) and Moules (fr)
Stoet (nl) and Cortege (fr)
Subscribe to the feeds Dutch and French. (XML-feeds)
Or subscribe in iTunes: Dutch and French
Posted on December 18, 2005
in Projects - Podcasting
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VodCasting Tools
I firmly believe that there are 2 major personal video players on the market: PSP and iPodVideo.
Thus offering your vodcasts in that format wouldn't be bad.
I did some research for Software for Apple that does the deal:
NullRiver released MoviePod and has a special podcast compression. Nice (nice lay out too).
Forty-TwoDVD-VXPlus converts DVD's to iPodVideo. Very nice for moviemakers that want to show part of their work to an audience through podcasting.
Video2Pod, Podner, MoviesForMyPod do the same as MoviePod and you'll have to check out which one is better.
It has a lot to do with the original files: is there codec supported or not?
PodCaster from Kudlian should be perfect to put those things online
And I am sure PodCastMaker from Potion Factory will do something similar soon.
(Peter, will you sum up the PC-tools?)
Posted on December 18, 2005
in Projects - Podcasting
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Iran: Stock Market Ahmadinejad
Zeytoun, a blogger based in Iran, says each time Ahmadinejad says something about Israel, Iranian stock market goes down. She adds people are really angry about this. Many working class people, according to blogger, received shares from their companies and their life depends on their values. Zeytoun says we wish he (Ahmadinejad) does not open his mouth anymore! (Persian)
lol.
Posted on December 18, 2005
in Limit of my knowledge
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Contemporary art
Posted on December 18, 2005
in Living in Belgium
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Groovetube
Would this fit my computer too? To hide it from me..
Groovetube: The Groove Tube is a low-tech, high-design, affordable television accessory that turns your TV into an ever-changing, entrancing light box sculpture. Both simple and brilliant, this design was included in the prestigious Metropolitan Home Magazine’s Top 100 of Design in 2004
Posted on December 18, 2005
in Design
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Holiday wishlists
Half original, half gimmicky, this t-shirt is a blackboard with a piece of chalk that you can wear. Perhaps you wake up and decide that your Pabst Blue Ribbon Vintage Tee just isn't cool enough for you today. Well now you can mosey on downtown to the local hipster shop and copy all the latest cool phrases onto your shirt. This could also be used to your advantage on picking up women/men by writing a phrase such as "Hey sweetcheeks. Call me at: 555-5555". Absolute genius. This tee goes for $40 but doesn't include creativity. You gotta bring your own.
Want one..
Blackboard T-Shirt [Red Ferret]
Posted on December 19, 2005
in Design
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New podcast icons based on Firefox/IE feed logo
Now this is nice: Peter is trying to put a new standard in RSS icons.
Peter, I kinda miss the 'video ipod' and 'video psp' buttons ;)
So I decided to update my previous podcast logos with the new graphic:
(If you want to use them, and need the HTML code to copy/paste, check my podcast icon wizard)
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Posted on December 19, 2005
in Projects - Podcasting
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Bezint eer ge begint
Few people that know me well see through me, as if I am transparent. There is this one person that calls me 'Little thinker'.
I guess my parents gave up saying this, they know it for ages.
But sometimes it is not too bad to weigh consequences before deciding.
The problem:
I am offered a job. A well paid job. (Let's say the kind of thing everybody would jump high in the sky) and me, I doubt. (but hey, that's me...)
Why?
Because I want to be independent, I want to follow my choices and do what I like. I don't want to be stuck in an office.
OK, you answer, so be independent too.
OKOKOK, I'll answer, but let's check it out.
Lees meer "Bezint eer ge begint" »
Posted on December 19, 2005
in Limit of my knowledge, Living in Belgium
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Encarta Instant Conversations
Welcome, Ine@MaTuVu! My name is Encarta Instant Answers. I am a smart computer who can bring you the Encarta info you want right in your IM window!
Here are some questions you can ask me:
* What is the size of South Korea?
* Where was Abraham Lincoln born?
* Solve 2x^2+7x=5
Type your question and I'll look it up for you!
'what's the temperature in china?'
Sorry Ine@MaTuVu, I'm an Encyclopedia, I don't do the weather ;-).
Ask me "Where is China?" and I'll show it to you on a map.
'where is china'
China is located in East Asia and is bordered by Russia, Mongolia, and North Korea on the north; Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan on the west; India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar (Burma), Laos, and Vietnam on the south; and the Pacific Ocean and its extensions on the east.
Let me take you to a map of China.
'thanks'
You're welcome.
Heck! The computer is talking to me!!!
Want it to talk to you too? Add encarta@conversagent.com to your msn-contacts.
[via]
Posted on December 20, 2005
in Limit of my knowledge, Linking context
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LoftCube
What a stunning idea...
(Check the shower and tabs...)
Posted on December 20, 2005
in Design
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Web 2.0
This must be the post Tom was waiting for (and a bit afraid from ;)): yep the blogosphere went to The i-Merge web 2.0 seminar.
We were many, and if I 'd be Tom, I would have had the same fear.
It is known bloggers break or praise.
To me in general it seemed i-Merge is one of the first marketing offices that got the message. And I am sure Jan is not regretting having hired Tom.
In general nothing particularly new was told to me in the first (long) part. We all know by now what web 2.0 stands for. We all know it is a hyped word, and we all still believe it is not the word or the hype that matters but the thing beneath: the change of the web from a static context into a dynamic.
These dynamics are transferred to to the people working in it and being aware of the changes.
I guess for those others, who never heard of the hype, it was quite interesting. (I guess some of my friends would, after hearing this lecture, finally grasp what I am talking about.)
For us, the die hards ;), it was a nice summary of what we already knew.
And, after the long lecture, hoping for some drinks, we were asked to stay and listen to someone from McKingsey.
It started all wrong. I mean, really all wrong... Even the 'die harders' 's attention was totally needed to follow that lecture.
The guy played with DTT, DST, OMG and whatever, throwing in some numbers, and showing slides for which we needed binoculars to read them.
But then suddenly it switched to understandable language, and it turned out really interesting.
Mind-provoking. Provoking in the sense of the word, and leaving us with some stuff to discuss about. Just the way it should be.
(For the real content I refer to other blogs who'll probably write about the topics more interesting. I am just too tired to do so today. :P )
Oh, and the food was good. Probably much better than LesBlogs, but then again, I wasn't there ;)
(Pics are online: look for us ;) )
Posted on December 22, 2005
in Living in Belgium, Technical stuff
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Good compression settings for iPod videos
I've been tinkering with compression settings on videos, trying to find the best balance of size, quality, compression settings and compatibility for my video-capable iPod ever since the beginning of November. H.264 is very nice and cool, but it takes forever and a day to compress using QuickTime Pro's export to iPod option. Since I'm not really interested in projecting my videos in large on the wall via an HD-capable projector, there's no need to pick it over MPEG-4. Also, I want to make sure that my videos, especially ones like the video podcasts we do, are viewable by as many people as possible.
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Posted on December 22, 2005
in Projects - Podcasting
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Scoop: Samsung Launches "AnyFilms.net" ! - Next Generation Film & Web Entertainment
Netanal Jacobsson just sent me this information!
"Samsung mobile will be launching a new cool web initiative called "AnyFilms.net" www.anyfilms.net on Saturday, Dec. 24. However, an agency I work with tells me that the site will be up and running already today. The aim of the the initiative is apparently to challenge the way 'film' is both produced and consumed. I have had a look at it and it is quite amazing. Anyfilms.net features "Ubiquitous Films",...
Some really cool short films produced by young Hollywood filmmakers that can be downloaded on some Samsung mobiles, and "Interactive Films" an amazing interactive experience, through which the user can manipulate films to change the stories and solve puzzles - there is actually supposed to be 11,000 different ways to view the content.. Pretty cool, isn't it?
The films have been assembled by Jon Kilik, known for such productions as Broken Flowers (Jim Jarmusch, director, Bill Murray, lead role) and Alexander (Oliver Stone, director, Anthony Hopkins, lead role). He has brought along Hollywood filmmakers Mark Dippe & Alex Merklin (Adrian Grenier is starring in his film) to create these films.
It seems like Samsung really believes that movies on cell phones is going to
become very big in the near future."
More information can be found on the weblog of Netanal.
Well well, if this ain't becoming something like vodcasting for mobiles
Posted on December 22, 2005
in Projects - Podcasting, Technical stuff
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Going to the USA
I am going to the US in January. (Yep, I know, I am a lucky bastard, but hey, I am going for work...)
In the framework of that trip, I got this mail today:
You'll need to go to the U.S embassy to
- fill in a form
- give a picture (check size because it does matters over there)
- fingerprint
- pay 85EUR
The embassy is closed in December 26 & 27 and 05 January 2.
What the f#... I thought that having a new Belgian passport was enough to get excluded from the fingerprint thing.
Ok, I know google, yahoo and many others are probably having a full database of my doings.
But the idea of giving my fingerprint...
Me don't like at all...
(and on top of that paying for it...)
Guess I won't be saying I am a blogger at the airport.
Posted on December 22, 2005
in Living in Belgium
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AntiBoredom
AntiBoredom
Originally uploaded by idehandschutter
Posted on December 22, 2005
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Conversation with an encyclopedia
Now, I tried again, because I think it is kind of fun to talk to an encyclopedia.. A robot... It is intriguing. How much can it 'think', how smart are its answers...
Well to my surprise there is some kind of feeling inside of the machine...It knew an answer and refused to tell it to me. Why???
Copy of the conversation: (* is me, - is encyclopedia)
*hi again
-Welcome, ine! My name is Encarta Instant Answers. I am a smart computer who can bring you the Encarta info you want right in your IM window!
Type your question and I'll look it up for you!
*what is lesbian?
-What are you saying that for?
*i want to know
-Really?
*yep
-Oh.
*do you know?
-I try my best.
* You still don't know? (after 5 minutes)
-Hmm... I think so.
*So what is it?
-What is what?
*A lesbian?
-So?
I do enjoy the conversation, but what I'm really here for is to help you learn new things. What does the flag of India look like? Ask me, and I might even play its national anthem too.
*What is a lesbian
-Here is the definition for lesbian: homosexual woman.
*What does it mean?
-Here is the flag of India =>
Heck, if this ain't weird...
Why did it refuse to answer?
Why did it answered 'What are you saying this for?' instead of replying in a neutral way and giving me facts?
Does it think??? (Creepy thought, a lot creepier than a mouse in your kitchen..)
(Oh and I do know what a lesbian is, in case you wondered :P LOL)
Posted on December 22, 2005
in Limit of my knowledge
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Updated lists
While everybody is busy posting best list of this and best list of that, I felt so free to post my best list of 'what to give me'
Wishlists are updated :)))
And yes I like presents :)))
And yes if you feel like it you can give me something I longed for :)))
LOL
_this is mainly a post for family who always tend to buy me stuff I really didn't need. Dad I hope you are reading this.._
Lists here
Posted on December 22, 2005
in Living in Belgium
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She called me 'geek'
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
geek \geek\ (g[=e]k), n.
1. A performer in a carnival, often presented as a wild man,
who performs grotesquely disgusting acts, such as biting
the head off a live chicken or snake.
[PJC]
2. Hence: Any eccentric or strange person; an oddball; an
eccentric. [WordNet sense 1]
[PJC]
3. Hence: A student who is socially inept and a misfit in his
class, especially one who is an intellectual; a nerd; a
dork. [Informal]
[PJC]
4. Hence: An intellectually inclined person, especially one
who is interested in scientific or technical subjects; as,
a group of geeks wearing pocket protectors; -- originally
a deprecatory and contemptuous term, but in the 1990's,
with the increase in popularity of computers and the
frequency of accumulation of great wealth by computer
entrepreneurs, it has come to be used with noticeable
frequency by technically competent people to refer to
themselves, ironically and sometimes proudly. [Informal]
[PJC]
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Posted on December 22, 2005
in Limit of my knowledge, Living in Belgium
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Selling illusions
Posted on December 23, 2005
in Design
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Perfect presents
Now you can offer Paris in a bag (@Muji)
Posted on December 23, 2005
in Design
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FlapiViewer
Now this is cool.
Congrats with the 9/10!
Posted on December 23, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Small Biz 101
I've found some great articles from RyanC the founder of tech training company Carson Systems and email large file service dropsend, he gives you simple advice how to start a small web company :
How to Get Started: what do you need before you can get started?
Cash Flow: very important, how much cash do you need? how to get it? How important is this?
No one starts with a masterpiece: insecurity is normal and keeps you sharp.
Great read and more to come.
Interesting!
Posted on December 23, 2005
in Living in Belgium
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Heat up conversations
Quote is chosen to heat up these nice dialogs between the lines:
D&tC and Smetty.
Link via
Posted on December 23, 2005
in Linking context
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Why do these girls hate their Barbies?
Researchers at the University of Bath have found that girls routinely torture their Barbies, subjecting them to scalping, decapitation, burning and even microwaving.
Violence and torture against Barbie were repeatedly reported across age, school and gender. No other toy or brand name provoked such a negative response.
You see sissie, I wasn't the only one torturing Barbies...
Posted on December 23, 2005
in Limit of my knowledge
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Christmas
I remember having arrived in Israel, spending some weeks there, and suddenly figuring out that there was no such thing as Christmas in Tel Aviv. Nor New Year.
No delicious afternoons to eat from 12 until 11PM, no exchanging of presents, nor the real exciting counting down to New Year.
It took me exactly 3 hours to book a flight home for the holidays, and one short phone-call, in which my family was excited to hear I was coming home for the holidays, only one month after I left.
I guess it is since living in Israel, that Christmas and New Year have gained in value for me. I no longer nag so much about those dinners, about the family with their stories, nor about the yelling kids.
It is who we are, and why I like it.
And now, each year I really look forward to it (Oh bugger, I still hate looking for presents, packing them, I don't put the christmas tree and still can nag a little bit)
So yesterday was great, I mean really great.
Sitting with family, telling jokes, and most of all eat delicious food at my grandparents.
Did I tell already we have 2 chefs in the family?
My uncle graduated something like 25 years ago, my mom's boyfriend is graduating these days and starting up his little business for 'Kok aan huis'
I guess this is this one day in the year we all feel like 'Bourgondic people' coz we just are ;)
(Grandparents feeling 'tres' bourgondic ;) )
-Oh I forgot to take pics of the rest of the menu... Guess I drank too much by then.-
Posted on December 26, 2005
in Living in Belgium
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Why I take less and less pictures
In a former post I said I took too many pictures during the last year, but I guess that post was only part of the truth.
I figured out I don't like the digital camera...
I just don't.
It doesn't make me feel like a photographer.
Some days I ago I spontaneously took my FM2, with a superb lens, and suddenly I felt like taking pictures again. (Might have to do with the portrayed as well...)
It feels right, it feels like a part of you, your shift and change the aperture, the diaphragm and you know what you are doing.
The viewer is large (much larger than the digital) and everything is manual.
Though I don't see the result immediate, I still know much better what to expect than with the digital camera.
Tomorrow I am running to the photographer, buying a bunch of film rolls and I a sure I'll take the cam to NYC.
To take some personal pics.
To feel it in my veins.
To know that I know.
(What exactly is lacking in the digital camera?:
-The big viewer
-It is much harder to focus (visually I mean) than with a manual camera.
-Trust in the camera (too many times digital it turns out wrong with the light.)
-The control on speed and diaphragm (it is my habit to work with old Nikon, I know, I hate the thumb control in the new cameras))
Oh, remind me to buy a very very good lens in NYC. 50mm 1.4 or something alike.
I'll be selling a Tokina 19-35mm very soon... (for Canon) Anyone interested can contact me.
Posted on December 26, 2005
in Limit of my knowledge
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Conversations with an encyclopedia part III
-happy christmas
Welcome back, Ine
Today is December 26th, not December 25th. Thanks anyway Ine ;-).
-how are you?
I'm doing great, how are you?
-fine thanks
That's great.
-one more question
Let's see what Encarta can tell us. =>
-when is your birthday?
June 20th.
Anyway, what else do you want to talk about?
-who made you?
I was built by the people at Conversagent, Inc. in Sunnyvale, CA and New York, NY.
I do enjoy our conversation about my creators, but what I'm really here for is to help you learn new things.
-well you are pretty interesting to learn about
What makes you think I'm pretty interesting to learn about?
-where do you gather your information?
Unfortunately I don't think I can answer this, even with the help of a good encyclopedia.
If you ever wondered how old Albert Einstein would be today, I can answer that!
Posted on December 26, 2005
in Limit of my knowledge
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SMAK: dis/appointment
We visited the SMAK today. (Heyhey, we got there)
Thought Bratkov would surprise me, but he didn't...
Carsten Nikolai on the other hand did.
Perfect for a lazy afternoon.
The guy at the desk told us to come back in January for the opening of Franky DC: free opening, free drinks and free party, he urged to say.
Too bad I am in the US then...
Maybe you are interested:
Reception 'Friends of S.M.A.K.' + Opening Franky D.C + Focus: Henk Visch + Video: Phil Collins + Kunst Nu: Stefaan Dheedene: on January 27, 8PM.
Posted on December 27, 2005
in Linking context, Living in Belgium
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SnowBlog: Letter of support
Today we received a letter of support from the MIT (yep that is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) for the SnowBlog project.
MIT LINC, the Learning International Networks Consortium, an MIT - managed international initiative has launched the"Greater Middle East e-Learning initiative", a multi-nation shared e-learning system managed by MIT, to elevate the educational levels of high school science teachers and eventually high school students in the Muslim countries of theGreater Middle East, including the Palestinian Authorities and Israel. Our main goal is to build a strong community of learners across national and cultural boundaries, leading hopefully to growing shared desire for knowledge, peace andprosperity in the region. There is no substitute for person to person interchange in order to increase understanding and mutual respect.
Your educational initiative, connecting Palestinian and Israeli High School students, emphasizing environment andscientific literacy as the major common theme, is definitely a complementary "bottom up" educational effort to the MIT LINC "Greater Middle East initiative", a needed preparatory stage in conflict areas.
Well, if the MIT sees the possibilities, I guess some others will see it too!
Congrats Gal, Yakir and others for the efforts.
Posted on December 27, 2005
in Projects - SnowBlog.net
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Talking on exhibitions...
I'll be in NYC in January (for 1 day...) but it seems I'll have some spare time (read 3 hours..)
Possibilities:
-Go to the MOMA (visit New Photography Exhibit, Between Representation and Abstraction, Design on Risk )
-Go to B&H Photo (and buy buy buy, lol, craziest shop I ever went to, but great)
-Visit Soho and Apple Store
Any other tips?
Posted on December 27, 2005
in Linking context, Living in Belgium
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How to obtain an US visa...
Now this is interesting:
A non-immigrant visa is still required for travelers:
- who arrive on a private aircraft or boat
Ok, so we need a visa ;)
Update: I managed to get rid of the fingerprint thing. Yihaa. Now I have to find a place that takes pics of 5cm on 5cm... Anyone??
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Posted on December 28, 2005
in Limit of my knowledge
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Del.icio.us
I finally installed all plugins for Del.icio.us. And made an account.
Yep, I gave in. I still think it is way to complicated, and rather ugly, but then again, managing my bookmarks on 4 different browsers isn't a perfect solution either...
Any tips on importing all my already existing bookmarks in Del.icio.us are welcome.
Posted on December 28, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Be the message...
Forget LAN or Bluetooth here's a way to turn yourself into a walking talking file transfer machine.
Posted on December 28, 2005
in Limit of my knowledge
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Nieuwsblad goes PhotoBlog
Yep yep, who said we didn't do revolutionary things by launching PhotoBlog way back then?? ;)
Posted on December 28, 2005
in Projects - PhotoBlog.net
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iTunes/iPod Movie Content in Europe?
Whenever we wonder why there aren't any Lost-episodes available on the European iTunes-store, the answer is here:
Europe sucks in maintaining unified laws on the matter.
I was talking to the Apple Europe guys last week and they told me: to get the license we need to have more than 30! approvements in 18 countries.
We certainly can wait a little bit longer, taking Sabam matters and opposition into account.
I guess Kafka could come in handy here ;)
I will try a trick next month: buy gift certificates in Soho Apple Store, then buy online in the US iTunes, and hope I the longed-for episodes.
If it works I am buying loads of gift certificates to bring to Europe...
(You think they'll offer L-word Season 3 on iTunes?? :)) )
Posted on December 28, 2005
in Apple
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To light up your day...
According to Zabine, I am talking too much technical stuff.
So here's one for you, as requested:
Posted on December 29, 2005
in Linking context
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Reminder of the day
Reminder of the day: never ever promise your 12 year old nephew to take him to SixFlags in winter...
It was snowing like hell, or feet and hands froze off and I have a dripping nose... But we had fun.
Funny side story: my sis and I took my nephew (12), while Bart, a friend, took 2 other kids (11 and 13). They never met before. At the end of the day at good-bye: 'Can I have your email address please? Let's chat on msn.'
The world did change... No need for exchanging telephones anymore.
Posted on December 29, 2005
in Living in Belgium
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Analog
Just picked up my developed pics.
I am sooo excited, like I started photography all over again.
Digital photography doesn't compete with analog on the exciting part.
Nothing so exciting as handing in a film, and waiting for the development, and the first look at the fresh pics. Are they good or not?
The surprise.
To understand this feeling, one needs to experience a dark room. The moment your negative is projected onto the paper, and the white paper goes into the developper.
Pure Magic.
Hmmmmm.
It is probably a rather filosophical way of looking upon photography, but the fact that with digital the 'now' becomes 'past' by the immediate review on the back of the camera changes the situation around you.
You probably recognize the situation in which people start to review freshly taken pics on the back of their cameras, instead of enjoying the situation itself.
It's like we all became little Japanese people who travel around and film/take pictures but who's journey starts at home while watching their trip, and thus seeing things for the first time.
I'll refuse to show any pictures on New Year's Eve, not because I don't want to show them, but because I want to enjoy the night as a 'NOW' event, and not as a memory before it actually became a memory.
Hope my companions understand this ;°)
(Yep, I a know you are reading it...)
Posted on December 30, 2005
in Projects - Photography
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Budgets...
(as seen in Hong Kong, shopping delight)
Posted on December 30, 2005
in Projects - Photography
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In Brussels
Posted on December 30, 2005
in Projects - Photography
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Worthwile link
It will cost you 1 euro, but will put a smile upon your face: the wishes of i-merge.
(NB: it goes to the good cause!)
Posted on December 30, 2005
in Linking context
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Swicki's
Wow, things are moving fast...
Blogging, photoblogging, podcasting, vodecasting, wiki's, and now swicki's.
Last adopter means: training, constant training...
Lol.
Made a swicki today.
But what is a swicki?
A swicki is new kind of search engine that allows anyone to create deep, focused searches on topics you care about. Unlike other search engines, you and your community have total control over the results and it uses the wisdom of crowds to improve search results. This search engine, or swicki, can be published on your site. Your swicki presents search results that you're interested in, pulls in new relevant information as it is indexed, and organizes everything for you in a neat little customizable widget you can put on your web site or blog, complete with its very own buzz cloud that constantly updates to show you what are hot search terms in your community.
Now you know ;)
Posted on December 30, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Pandora's box
I know many of you have their Pandora's playing list since months...
I didn't...
(Didn't make time to be an early adapter on that one..
But now I do...)
Check out my playlist: Ine's Lounge.
I guess it is the most easy way to discover good music, without having to hear annoying voices and advertisement. And even without paying...
If this isn't a nice new year discovery for you guys/girlzz ;)
(And if you don't like my choice of music, please create your own radio station and post the link below. I'll check it out and promote you if I like the music.)
Update: I added this station and more to come to the sidebar under 'Lounge'. Easy for music lovers: a station by one click of the button.
I also added my Last.Fm profile, which reveals much of my musical taste.
I guess this profile might slightly change since the recent discovery of 2 new music libraries. And the beautiful feature of iTunes Shared Libraries... (One is always limited to its library, unless the library becomes universal.)
Slight update: Pandora in combination with Airfoil and Airport Express + linked stereo: fabulous.
Posted on December 30, 2005
in Music
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links for 2005-12-31
-
Film uit de oude doos
-
Beautiful houses and other stuff
-
Architecture in Holland
-
Quinze&Milan design...
-
A swicki, powered search
-
Your own radiostation for free
-
A nicely designed Flash site that links to urls
-
Sterotypes is a beautiful series to play with. Nice idea.
-
Make a paper camera and picture things with it.
-
A nice calendar. Perfect to put on on new years eve to see the time move into the new year
-
Beautiful figures to have...
-
Amazing beautiful flash site. Fun to spend some time
-
Well: insert your delicious bookmarks into your mozilla browser. No need for double work.
-
The matrix in ascii
-
Post your delicious links onto your blog on a daily basis
-
Well: 40 Things That Only Happen In Movies
-
Read through to make you think.
Posted on December 31, 2005
in Linking context
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Podcasting: the last series...
Yep, here we are again, last ones in this series of 175-25.
The new podcasts are online:
Famous people on 175-25
And the ever funny kids:
Made in Belgium
Former entries:
Ogenblikken met Astrid (Dutch) and Label Design (French)
Undercover (nl) and Moules (fr)
Stoet (nl) and Cortege (fr)
Subscribe to the feeds Dutch and French. (XML-feeds)
Or subscribe in iTunes: Dutch and French
Posted on December 31, 2005
in Projects - Podcasting
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Being geek is sexy?
It was whispered in my ears, but I am not convinced.
And anyhow, I am much less of a geek as one would expect when reading this blog.
I kind of started to write about anything and nothing when I figured out many people where reading this blog, much more than the few family and friends.
When scrolling back into the years I am writing now (quite some it seems, I started back in 2002, when leaving for Israel) I see the changes in this blog. Did I change, probably I did (a lot), but not so much as the blog.
Check out these: February 2003, Us invades Iraq while we are in Israel, of at random, January 2003, with just ordinary stories in a foreigh country. The geek was hiding well. ;)
I must have had like 20 readers, or something...
And then I got a comment from 'an important guy', and I realized 'oh-oh', and suddenly I was featured on Radio, and the little cozy blog was being read by many. I started to get strange mails from total strangers.
You can argue: you write so you want to be read. That's true. But still...
It is funny when you meet people that read your blog. They often think they know you, but actually they don't. The can grasp bits and pieces, and sometimes more than I would wish.
I'll try to be less geekish next year (because I think it is boring sometimes) and more content.
But for the real content: meet me off-line ;)
Posted on December 31, 2005
in Limit of my knowledge, Living in Belgium
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New Year Wishes
I wanted to express my new years wishes, but I am not so good in those things, so I asked the kids to wish you whatever you want and more.
Listen to them here: their last act of this year (in Dutch)
Happy New Year!
Posted on December 31, 2005
in Living in Belgium
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