Personal
- 2026-03-03
Takeaways From a Billionaire Day in the Life Video
I watched one of those “day in the life of a billionaire” videos recently. Here are some things that stood out to me: He and everyone he …
2026-02-07I just can't do science fiction, but I tried
I’ve been an avid reader all my life. I even have a degree in English Literature & Culture. I’ve read hundreds of books. Fiction, …
2025-12-15Zwift Ride is a premium product and I love it
I’ve spent weeks researching indoor cycling setups, weighing smart trainers against dedicated smart bikes, comparing ecosystems and …
2025-10-13The system I used to quit drugs works for DevOps too
A student of mine quit his job to go full-time on his DevOps career change. Three weeks later, he was playing video games instead of studying. Here’s …
2025-10-09Tired of having to go into the office? Read this
It’s 1pm as I’m writing this, and I’ve just completed one of my 4-hour focused work blocks. I recorded a few personal videos for …
- 2025-07-21
The career move that earned me Microsoft MVP (twice!)
Just renewed my Microsoft MVP award for another year. 🎉 “How did you get recognized for MVP so fast?!” I get this question a lot. Just a …
- 2023-12-17
Decided to split up into a technical and personal blog after all
I’ve been struggling with this ever since I started blogging 2 years ago (can’t believe it’s already been that long). But I’ve …
- 2023-09-28
I'm not journaling as often as I used to
I notice that I’m not writing in my journal every day like I used to. I always wrote down what I did, what I felt, what my plans and ambitions …
- 2023-08-23
Vacation Time!
I’ve just finished my last workday and tomorrow I’m heading off to Norway! When I glance at the amount of posts I’ve made on my blog …
- 2023-05-17
Why Have A Personal Website?
Why bother with a personal website? Why not just write blog posts on LinkedIn? I want to own my data. I want to have complete freedom. I want to write …
- 2023-05-16
8 Simple Japanese Habits
Through YouTube I’ve been exposed to quite a bit of Japanese culture and I love many aspects of it. I love this list of habits, and I was …
- 2023-05-15
Invest In Experiences For Happiness
Happiness, Hedonic Adjustment, Experiences This was a very good video. I can honestly say that I am very happy and content, and I lead a very …
- 2023-05-15
AI Does Not Grow Exponentially, Thus, Less Scary
I watch the whole AI craze from the sideline: I am interested in it but I do not spend a lot of time investigating it. But I do pick up a few things …
- 2023-05-14
Why I'm Posting More on Social Media
My recent post on E/N blogging led to a realization: posting on social media will be something I do for myself, instead of doing it for others. When …
- 2023-05-14
Started Using Tumblr for Travel Blogging
With the spring finally being fully released on the Netherlands, my wanderlust has awakened again after lying dormant for two years. In my 9 years in …
- 2023-05-14
I Ran 10k For The First Time Today
I ran 10k for the first time in my life today. I ran to the beach and back in Heemskerk on hardened forest roads, listening to the birds and feeling …
- 2023-05-09
My Blog Is Turning Into And Everything / Nothing Website And It Feels Good
Read an interesting post this morning about E/N websites. Apparently a phenomenon from the early days of the web, E/N websites meant everything to the …
- 2023-05-04
Saw Sabaton Live Yesterday!
Had a great time at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam yesterday. Went to see Sabaton live. This was my second time seeing them live, and it was a great …
- 2023-05-04
My Plan For The D2R Ladder Reset
Diablo 2: one of those games in life I keep returning to. Started playing it when I was 12, and I know it inside out. Roughly once every 1,5 years …
- 2023-05-02
Vacations In The Soviet Union
Read an interesting article this morning. Apparently the Soviet Union introduced paid time off well before other industrialized countries. …
- 2023-05-01
The Power of Writing
Ah, writing. It’s one of the skills that I’ve consistently been praised for throughout my life. I’m pretty good at it, and I think …
- 2023-04-27
Video: How To Read The News From The Command Line
I use RSS feeds to read the news, and I use Newsboat as a RSS reader. To in stall on MacOS: brew install newsboat Integrate in already existing …
- 2023-02-22
New job!
Last week I accepted a job offer! I’ve been hired as a DevOps Engineer by Fullstaq. Fullstaq specialises in Kubernetes and Cloud Native, so …
- 2023-01-03
How This Blog is Created, Written and Hosted
As I alluded to in my article about Obsidian, I am very fond of editing my text in neovim. Naturally, if you want to edit in neovim, you need to have …
- 2023-01-02
Starting a Project
I’m starting a project with a friend. Developing an application. We make a good team, he’s great at coding and knows the backend too. …
- 2023-01-02
Going to Publish Smaller, and More Often
I’ve transitioned my note taking system towards a Zettelkasten system. I still use directories for folders and make copious links, but more …
- 2022-10-18
Book Notes: Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life
I came across this little book while doing some research for my Jiro Dreams of Sushi article. While scanning the book’s description, I was …
- 2022-10-08
I'm In Love with my Work: Lessons from a Japanese Sushi Master
Last week I watched “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” again. It must be the eighth time I revisited this piece of art. I have very little interest in …
2022-09-10Building my Own OS: Linux as a Creative Activity
NOTE: In this article, I use a rather broad definition of “Operating System.” I do not intend to appear as if I wrote and compiled my own Linux …
- 2022-01-30
Why I Chose a Bear as a Logo
I always struggled with finding an online nickname for myself. I was never given one, and over the years I used a few here and there, ranging from …
