Desperate newspapers will use anything to survive


 The new cash cow of many US newspapers could be you. Whenever you drive to fast or do something illegal (which by US standard is almost everything) The local Sheriff will take you mugshot and publish it. Because it is free information newspaper collect these mugshots and make nice websites out of them which are a hit by their readers. It is their main traffic driver...

Me at Picnic 2009


An interview with Vincent Evers about auto.nl

On the boat

At the Ogilvy boat trip - I couldn't help myself and told my vision of the future of Internet to the people aboard (They couldn't escape - so had to listen - except for the captain that is as you can see ;-) )

80% compatibility - So Whipped...


I was trying Moonit and test my compatibility with Eddie... Here's what I got:

He's defenseless against the really strong pull you've got on him. In fact, his friends are probably teasing him right now, accusing him of being whipped. But you'll both have the last laugh. That's because you were put on this earth to make sure he achieves his true potential. So he can continue being himself, only better. Don't get us wrong, things are going to be intense whenever you're together. With two forces as powerful as both of you, it's not going to be a cake-walk. Especially since his temper has a way of flaring every now and then. But any disagreements and drama along the way are a small price to pay for him becoming a more mature and evolved person. It's important for both of you to make the most of this relationship because something like this doesn't come around too many times. That means he needs to take any constructive criticism you offer in stride and not let petty jealousies and rivalries get in the way. You've got too much at stake here for him to let his temper mess it all up.

Meanwhile at our front door

The canal in front of our house (The Prinsengracht) is under siege of a huge building project - to reconstruct the walls of the canal. It more looks like a site in Baghdad...
(click on the picture to see the full size pano)

Christoph Waltz is my Basterd

By far the best actor of the funny movie Inglourious Basterds from Quentin Tarantino is Christoph Waltz. He is believable, funny, knows his languages and is just Hans Landa. I never heard of him before, but hope to see him very soon again.

Riding trough Northern Holland

With my motor club we had a nice trip through the Northern part of Holland (and back again). Maybe the last activity of this year who knows...

On the Friesian Lakes


I was invited by Ogilvy to sail the Friesian Lakes with a nice crowd of their finest relations - the weather couldn't be better so we had an unforgettable time.

Met him at the gym...


Traffic Jam

Because of an accident in the Coen Tunnel, The A10 around Amsterdam was completely blocked. Luckily as motor riders we were able to ride to the beginning of the blockade, so we could have some small talk (about motors) and were the first to ride again - carefully because of the oil on the highway.

The Lost Symbol - the new Dan Brown almost for free...

 
I ordered the Lost Symbol ages ago with amazon UK. I got a mail today that it is shipped and that I would get an additional 50% discount - so I only pay £ 4.50... While that is not a lot of money in the mean time you can also download the PDF or the audiobook for... free. :-)
I have to wait one more day for the "real" book to arrive.

Porsche panamera

I had a look at the new Porsche Panamera at the brand new Porsche center Amsterdam. It is a huge car - especially compared with a 911 (which is still my favorite).

Sundays' best: top ten pens


In this keyboard age - you still need a pen now and then. During the years I have used a lot of pens - I am afraid I am a kind of pen junkie. I noticed that the cheaper the pen, the faster I lose it :-)
Here are my favorite pens:
  1. Mont Blanc Meisterstuck
  2. Parker Duofold
  3. Waterman Edson
  4. Pelican Souverän
  5. Shaeffer calligraphy
  6. Pentel Tradio Stylo
  7. Sharpie - fine
  8. Fountain Pentel
  9. Pentel Sign Pen
  10. any pencil B...

Hans Warren on Twitter!

A nice new initiative: the poet and writer Hans Warren - who died back in 2001 is on twitter :-)
Everyday a new snippet from his impressive autobiography...
Hans last writing will be published later this year and lots of activities are held to celebrate that.

Finally: An apology for Alan Turing


The UK Prime Minister Brown has released a statement on the Second World War code-breaker, Alan Turing, recognising the “appalling” way he was treated for being gay.

Alan Turing, a mathematician most famous for his work on breaking the German Enigma codes, was convicted of ‘gross indecency’ in 1952 and sentenced to chemical castration.

Gordon Brown’s statement came in response to a petition posted on the Number 10 website which has received thousands of signatures in recent months.

A once forbidden book - now a must read!

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote The Gulag Archipelago after his own experiences in the horrific Gulags of the USSR. He was already awarded the Nobel prize for earlier work in 1970, consequently exiled in 1974 and only in 1990 his Russian citizenship was restored. Now This very same novel is made an obligatory reading on all Russian high schools. :-) Time will always the ones that are right.

Back to Holland

Back on my way to Holland I took the Stenaline from Harwich to Hoek van Holland. It is a very comfortable passage with cruise ship kind of luxury and  niceties. As usual the motorbike guys clung together and we talked about our bikes and riding bikes in general. The ships' crew did a great job to secure my bike and all I had to do was to lay down and go to sleep, the next morning I was back home!

Finally: my BMW R1200GS adventure

I bought a new motorbike: the awesome BMW R1200GS Adventure - a sort hummer of motor bikes :-)
Because of the euro-pound exchange I bought it at Cannon Motorcycles in Braintree, England and today I flew to London stansted to pick it up. It was a great day, warm and sunny and I had a prefect first (terrific) rid through the Essex landscape with my new bike. It is really HUGE - but very agile and easy to ride. I visited the coast and some tiny villages.

Sunday's best: top ten Beatles tracks


Now with the upcoming Beatles B-Day Sept 9 I was wondering: what are the very best Beatles tracks? Here's my top 10:
  1. Can't Buy Me Love
  2. A Hard Day's Night
  3. And I Love Her
  4. Please Please Me
  5. Love Me Do
  6. Michelle
  7. Help
  8. All My Loving
  9. Hello Goodbye
  10. No Reply
Maybe you wanna download the new black box or why now play your own Beatles songs with rockband?

Funny funny people

I really liked Funny people. Adam is fun but my hero is Seth Rogen, who plays Ira.