Sun Jun 2 2024, 3:14:45 pm CET All of a sudden it is Sunday. Where did the time go? I am barely ready for the weekend and it is almost over. Additionally, we are already in June. Crazy times!
We did some chores around the house today and kabooom, it is afternoon/early evening... Anyway, it's been a nice day so far. Yesterday we were invited to dinner at our friendsM. and W. and their daughter M. It was such a long time since last, but we all lead busy lives and in certain periods it is not easy finding a day that suites all of us.
J.'s still in a study period and it will be like that for some weeks more. He is doing a great job, but he's never found it easy to find inspiration to study for something that is long in the future.
Yesterday I took the time to work on my future plans for this website I will use the experience that I have collected during the 3 years This site was born almost exactly 3 years ago, 15th of May 2021! I have had this site. I did some ongoing enhancements but this time I have some big changes in store. I will change the service provider, the underlaying technology, but I will stay true to the design and layout with only some basic changes.
I finally got around to order an air compressor. For 20 years - at least - I have always wanted one, we always had one growing up. It is really a memory from my childhood (memories like our first VCR It was a Hitachi and it looked something like this..., the first microwave Not sure what it was, but I do remember the story my dad told me about how microwave heating technology was initially invented to dry timber with., the first game console Oh, how I remember how my brothers and I played with this one. I remember the Pacman and a shooting game with airplanes and submarines. It is called the Philips Videopac G7000 in the European market. and when dad came home with his Sinclair ZX81 Oh I can even remember the box it came in. On this I developed my first program in a Basic like language......these memories are stuck in my brain and I can remember some very specific details of them). It's extremely useful and it was used a lot. Anyway, the one I ordered now finally was one with a 50l tank, on 1500w producing 10 bar. I also added some basic equipment like a 5m hose, nozzles and air pressure valve.
Sun Jun 2 2024, 8:07:51 pm CET OK, just a moment ago (irrelevant for you) I made some updates on this site. Notice the background image? For the person into detail you spot it at once. Yes, it is my fabulous 4 EUR mechanical keyboard from Temu you see in the background. So far, I am a fan of this little keyboard.
Did you know that today in ... is when ... Randomly picked historical events that occurred on this day. Thu May 30 2024, 10:25:38 am CET Did you know that today in 1692 is when Bridget Bishop Read more about her on Wikipedia. is the first person to be tried for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts; she was found guilty and later hanged.
Thu May 30 2024, 10:42:50 am CET I hope today will not be as many calls as what I had in the last couple of days, I need to focus on other priorities, work through some emails and keep up with pending admin tasks.
I am trying out the new keyboard So far so good. I really like this little 61 keys mechanical keyboard. Note; I replaced the spacebar to the red one you can see in the image.. Yesterday I tried it out with one of my Raspberry Pi:s. The exact keyboard layout did not exist - English(US) and 61 keys - but after some minor fiddling around I found a good combination.
Did you know that today in ... is when ... Randomly picked historical events that occurred on this day. Thu May 30 2024, 10:25:38 am CET Did you know that today in 1635 is when the peace of Prague Read more about it on Wikipedia. is signed, officially ending the thirty year's war.
Wed May 29 2024, 9:46:03 pm CET Another extremely hard workday. Yes, two days in a row it's been rough. Stupid really, it should not affect you so much, but this time it is extreme on all levels. I guess, at some point we just have to let it go and acknowledge that it is simply a hopeless case. But it is difficult to see and experience the decay of quality due to ignorance. Anyway, let them find it out the hard way... I will protect and defend my team, that will be the main priority going forward.
...And all of a sudden we are with the three of us... K. went back to her parents for a couple of days. Soon enough she will be back again. Now there will be a time of studying and focusing on schoolwork hopefully. But, that doesn't mean that we will not miss her.
H. and my father in law G. did a fantastic work with the front garden. Completely cleaned up, the two hedges are cut, flowers and plants were all taken care of. It really looks great!
Did you know that today in ... is when ... Randomly picked historical events that occurred on this day. Wed May 29 2024, 8:04:45 pm CET Did you know that today in 1852 is when Jenny Lind read more about her on Wikipedia. leaves New York after her two-year American tour.
Tue May 28 2024, 10:50:41 pm CET OK, time to go to bed. I just had to make a quick update before I go horizontal. We had a great evening out with the youth, they spoiled us with a surprise visit to Lucy Chang It a great place in Brasschaat that we go to sometimes.. After a heavy workday it could not have come on a better moment.
Another funny note, I received an order that I placed some time ago. It was a try-out I made, I actually fell for one of those Temu commercials you see here and there, this one was about a mechanical keyboard. I did some investigation about it and it looked good enough. I have always been interested in the retro mechanical keyboards - perfect for a laptop or any of the Raspberry Pi:s etc. I mean for 2 Euros the risk is very limited. The complete order was just over 10 EUR - I actually needed a couple of USB phone charger cables anyway - the minimum order amount. Thus, today I received it and I am using my nice 2 EUR keyboard when writing this post. It is actually really seems to be a decent little thing. I will provide photo evidence tomorrow...
Did you know that today in ... is when ... Randomly picked historical events that occurred on this day. Tue May 28 2024, 10:13:35 pm CET Did you know that today is the World Hunger Day Read more about it on Wikipedia..
Mon May 27 2024, 12:28:27 pm CET It was a fantastic Sunday yesterday, finishing off some small projects and stuff around the house. Mostly general admin stuff, but also a little 3D printing project. Another important milestone was finalizing the travel arrangements for the summer trip - final payment, seat reservation and booking long-term parking. Satisfying items like that. H and I also took the time to prepare food, we made home made Italian-style meatballs (hand-rolled pork and beef meat mix and packed with spices, herbs, cheese etc) in ratatouille with pasta. All four of us enjoyed it together, a dinner I thought it turned out great, it tasted very nice! I am even enjoying the left overs today... and evening to remember!
Today, it started out like a typical work week with some calls and items to deal with right away - both interesting ones and, well, less interesting ones that we just need to deal with. Let's see what the day brings...
Did you know that today in ... is when ... Randomly picked historical events that occurred on this day. Mon May 27 2024, 12:13:39 pm CET Did you know that today in 1950 is when the Linnanmäki Read more about it on Wikipedia. amusement park is opened for the first time in Helsinki.
Sat May 25 2024, 6:52:14 pm CET I have again tried some attempts to post here, but just never came around doing it. I did however work on the site and I did update the Bookmarks page. Generally the work week was rather pleasant, busy but it was an inspiring week. It was also a week when the window cleaner decided (the evening before) to come. We have the window cleaner coming monthly, always on a Tuesday. But not this time. There would be absolutely no problem if we were given more than a couple of hours lead time. Especially if the day was planned to be somewhere else. It's a very friendly, cool guy though and I admire his view on professional life, "oh, today it feels like I want to work", kind of approach. Envy that!
...I'll just upload this nowAgain, I never uploaded it last night so today at Sun May 26 2024, 1:50:16 pm, I will just upload what I wrote and start a new post... and start writing a new post later today.
Did you know that today in ... is when ... Randomly picked historical events that occurred on this day. Sat May 25 2024, 6:51:01 pm CET Did you know that today in 1763 is when the first issue of Norske Intelligenz-Seddeler Read more about it on Wikipedia., the first regular Norwegian newspaper (1763 - 1920).
Tue May 21 2024, 7:42:08 pm CET The work week started, yes due to the religious fantasy historical events it was a day off yesterday. Fine with me - a long weekend and a shorter work-week. Amen to that.
It was a rather busy work day, catching up with emails here and there and it was an early call scheduled to start with as well. All good due to the prepared coffee with a light breakfast.
Recently I have been hooked on the recent AI endeavours. It all started with the recent AI Presentation I attended. Well, only partly true to be honest. With all the AI focused functions which is being rolled out these days in my area of expertise. Seems everything is revolving around AI these days. Anyway, I am also hooked on the Ollama self-hosting framework freely available. I am so hooked in testing new AI models, most recently the Llava model with the image recognition capabilities. Fantastic! As an example, I asked AI to analyse and describe what it was seeing in one of the picture from my surveillance camera. It described perfectly; the background and the foreground, analysed the weather and shadows perfectly. I will see if I can show you a sample tomorrow. Now it is time to go to bed...
Did you know that today in ... is when ... Randomly picked historical events that occurred on this day. Tue May 21 2024, 7:42:59 pm CET Did you know that today in 1932 is when Amelia Earhart Read more about her on Wikipedia. is forced to land due to bad weather in a pasture in Derry, Northern Ireland, and she thereby becomes the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
Mon May 20 2024, 5:26:34 pm CET As you notice, I am doing "a double update". I started writing this post two days ago but never got around to upload it. Keep in mind that the very last entry was written on Saturday and I have not changed it - check the timestamp of the post.
On Saturday we went (the last attempt it ended with a car accident in early February last year) to Plantin-Moretus museum This is another fantastic hidden gem in Antwerp.. It was really interesting to learn about something that had so much influence of world history. If you ever get the chance, I "urge" you to go and visit this hidden gem. Just shortly expressed; it is all about the work of the 16th-century printers Christophe Plantin and Jan Moretus who started up the world's biggest printing imperium and was basically unchanged for 9 generations (about 230 years thus). It was a fantastic day that ended brilliantly on my favourite place in Brasschaat, namely the airport. The weather turned nice and sunny and we decided to enjoy the moment together there with a drink One of my favourite places at the local airport of Brasschaat before we went home. Perfect timing as there were some activities (someone was practicing landing) going on with nice airplanes.
Sunday started out calm and relaxed. Slow start of the day. We did some minor chores and other stuff around the house. In the early evening we were invited to my parents in law for a birthday party - the mother in law's birthday. To be honest, I thought it was a strange concept of food (ordering the food from a place doing French friesIt's called a "Frietkot" and they are EVERYWHERE in Belgium. The fact that Fries is called "French fries" is soooo wrong! . Yes, strange but it is VERY common in Belgium), but it actually turned out to be a really nice evening! We ordered the foodfrom a place called Koperen Pan A typical place/site in Belgium.
And now...here we are, today is a bank holiday here. Great with a long weekend which makes a short work-week. Bonus! I will tell more about some 3D-printing I have done, but the youths are here now after the long weekend. Fantastic to see them again. Soon we'll enjoy a dinner together at home sharing all the stories from the last couple of days...
Sat May 18 2024, 7:49:14 pm CET What a fantastic day it was today. Yesterday as well for that matter...and let's start there. We could meet up with our neighbour ladies for dinner. Yesterday, after a busy work day we had the luxury of enjoying the company of our dearest friends, our ladies. The preparation itself was a a post worthy with everything happened with the cooking - yes, I "helped" out in the kitchen. But even that was, to say the least, enjoyable and the story ("pepper perfection" [an internal joke]) was shared...
Did you know that today in ... is when ... Randomly picked historical events that occurred on this day. Mon May 20 2024, 5:27:43 pm CET Did you know that today in 1873 is when Levi Strauss Read more about him on Wikipedia. and Jacob Davis Read more about him on Wikipedia. receives a U.S. patent for blue jeans with copper rivets.
Thu May 16 2024, 10:36:48 pm CET It's been a different week so far. J. left for Antwerp and his busy week started. Then there is the wedding in K's family that they have to go to... Not an ideal timing, but that is how life goes I guess. Personally, I am trying to combine the schedules with my crazy work schedule that is intertwined with everything else.
It's crazy how things changed post pandemic. Especially for me and how we work in my sector. Regularity and the 9-to-5 schedule ceased to exist completely. I started work more stretched out not taking any times into consideration. If you work remotely you always have to be available and prove that you're getting work done. Personally, I have never ever worked so much and been so productive and I never "slowed down". In fact, I have the feeling that I can not go back to how it used to be for the simple reason that I have the best schedule worked out, the work load would never allow it... Not without serious changes. Again.
Anyway, that were just some thoughts that's been occupying my mind recently. I am sure it started because I recently have been recognised for "a work well done". Today was a very nice day at work and I received some nice feedback as well. It has been a period when it just comes together effortlessly and goes smooth. I think we much too often forget to reflect the nice moments and see it as something normal. It is important to notice the good times as well...
Talking about smooth, all of a sudden the technician from the internet provider turns up and rings the doorbell asking if everything was done with the fiber installation. Anyone who followed that story knows that it has been going on ever since they first turned up digging down fiber in the street outside about 6 months ago. I remember how important it was to have a sketch ready showing the cabling... something no one ever looked at. Anyway, the 3 guys turned up started with the installation and 25 minutes later it was done. I think that the total work hours to get it installed from the beginning until the end was about 2 hours and 25 minutes effectively...
Now it's time to enjoy our TV series Bodkin Read more about it on IMDB.. It is rather enjoyable to watch ...and then with some tea (to get in the right atmosphere).
Did you know that today in ... is when ... Randomly picked historical events that occurred on this day. Sun May 12 2024, 9:56:20 am CET Did you know that today in 1866 is when the United States Congress establishes the nickel Read more about it on Wikipedia..
Sun May 12 2024, 10:03:45 am CET We enjoyed the nice breakfast - with croissants and coffee - this sunny and clear morning. All of a sudden summer is here.
Second half of the day yesterday we worked in the garden. The mission was to get all the collected rough-cut firewood, cut it up in right size and load into the firewood storage place outside. It was heavy but very nice work to be outside in the sun. The firewood storage shed had also been arranged to increase the capacity and better order. Now we have two separate entries to access the two separated areas. We got everything done, without the help of parents in-law we would have probably been busy today as well.
Today the plan is firstly to enjoy the garden - to harvest from all the work yesterday. Last night, after cleaning up after all the work, it was really nice outside in the garden The garden at night. I took this picture after all the work and the clean-up done. It was such a satisfying feeling!.
Sun May 12 2024, 7:09:55 pm CET ...and today we enjoyed the garden! I think today we spent 95% outside - J. worked on school stuff and planning/guidance with H. as a lot is coming up next week. Smaller everyday chores throughout and some add-hoc things coming up as well, like moving the basketball hoop in the garden to a better location An apple tree with a basketball hoop? I think this will be the best location ever, for usage but not for the lawn ;-). Everything is now better, except for our lawn. We always have a very sensitive lawn, and now it will for sure suffer. But it is supposed to be used in my eyes!
Did you know that today in ... is when ... Randomly picked historical events that occurred on this day. Sun May 12 2024, 9:56:20 am CET Did you know that today in 1808 is when Swedish-Finnish Read more about it on Wikipedia. troops, led by Captain Karl Wilhelm Malmi, conquer the city of Kuopio from Russians after the Battle of Kuopio.
Sat May 11 2024, 11:51:07 am CET There were nice couple of days - Thursday was an official bank holiday here and yesterday I was back to work to complete the work week. Even though it was a lot to jump into, it was worth it. Especially after spending a fantastic day with my family in Domburg in Zeeland, the Netherlands.
I was on a very interesting reading/presentation From the presentation yesterday that I attednded; Pieter is one of the most important people around AI and robotic technology currently. It doesn't make it any less interesting that he is born and raised in Brasschaat! about the trends of AI by our local hero Pieter Abbeel. He graduated from the same school as J here in Brasschaat and then became a professor at Berkeley (California) at 30. Read more about this extremely successful individual (within one of the most fascinating technical field) in the provided link.
As mentioned, it was a fantastic time in Domburg (which is a coast town in the region called Zeeland). We have visited most of the sights in Zeeland, Domburg was the last on our list. It turned out to be one of my favourite places so far in the region. There is a nice beachfront Domburg and the beachfront. with pavilions, beach bars and restaurants. In contrast to that, the little town is surprisingly charming with the typical touristic shopping street but also calm areas with narrow streets and picturesc houses Nice area in Domburg.
Did you know that today in ... is when ... Randomly picked historical events that occurred on this day. Sat May 11 2024, 10:45:18 am CET Did you know that today in 1813 is when William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth discover a route across the Blue Mountains Read more about it on Wikipedia., opening up inland Australia to settlement.
Wed May 8 2024, 1:13:59 pm CET Quick update before the calls start during my lunch-break as I was on the computer anyway. It was a rather busy start of the day, then I had some time for admin work before the lunch-break.
It's a public holiday tomorrow, the Ascension Day. Why? Well, it is to commemorates "the bodily Ascension of Jesus into Heaven". There you go, if you didn't know what you celebrate tomorrow, now you do. You're welcome. We will hopefully (if weather allows) do a little excursion to Domburg Read more about it here. Looks promising!, it is a coast town in The Netherlands.
On Friday I will go to an interesting AI presentation. That is, to say the least, a very hot topic these days.
OK, now I have to get back and into another call.
Wed May 8 2024, 8:38:11 pm CET We have just been out for a little drive this evening. OK, we picked up the youths from the tram station, they did their school-day (met up with friends in a cafe and enjoyed the a nice evening in Antwerp) and then J. and K. (I suppose) had their dinner together and went home. Now we are all here, looks promising for tomorrow's excursion. Now we'll see how the weather turns out.
I have started some initial 3D prints with the new plastic filament from Polymaker in the latest order Perfect service from 123-3d again. This time I ordered 2 roles of filament from Polymaker (Gray PLA) and Real (black PETG) from 123-3d. Oh, I really love the products from Polymaker and especially the Poly Terra line (some). I am now printing with a Fossil Gray This is what I am printing with, bought from my favourite supplier. and it is looking great!
Did you know that today in ... is when ... Randomly picked historical events that occurred on this day. Wed May 8 2024, 1:09:19 pm CET Did you know that today is the No Socks Day Read more here....
Tue May 7 2024, 10:40:10 am CET It was difficult getting up this morning for the early calls, just one of those days when it is more difficult to wake up than normal. The magic of coffee changed that in a jiffy...
I was looking forward to finally have the fibre installed - just the last to connect and the setup of the router. That was scheduled for yesterday (I have lost the count on when they are supposed to come), but as it happens, they never turned up. Not even a message. Will they come today? No one knows, it seems. Customer support is something rare these days. Generally, the quality of service is really decreasing. Not sure why, but I notice this everywhere across different companies and segments. It's almost an exception to met with a friendly face or receiving the basic level of quality.
One company that really stand out providing excellent service, is the online 3D printing shop of choice, I orderedAlways deliver great service and offering nice products! These are my two favourite brands! some plastic filament (PETG and PLA) on Saturday evening and I had it before lunch-time on Monday. It was nicely delivered and I also had a little gift included. How nice is that? But that is why I keep ordering from them.
Oh and just quickly, I just must mention the nice excursion last Sunday with the youths. As mentioned, we went to the Royal botanic gardenThe Royal Botanic garden in Brussels. Only open 2 weeks per year! in Brussels. It was really nice to find this lush green oasis in the middle of Brussels with an interesting history (dating back to 1874) and a unique setup (with plants and flowers that are 200 years old). It was a fantastic day with a nice restaurant visit before going home.
Did you know that today in ... is when ... Randomly picked historical events that occurred on this day. Tue May 7 2024, 10:34:40 am CET Did you know that today in 1697 is when Stockholm's royal castle (dating back to medieval times) is destroyed by fire. It is replaced in the 18th century by the current Royal Palace Read more about it on Wikipedia..
Thu May 2 2024, 8:11:10 pm CET It's been a very nice day today, I had the time and energy to do a lot of stuff that I wanted to do that I previously did not had the time for. Most are things that need some concentration or a certain focus that you can't rush into. Not like those things when you "oh, I have an hour free, let's start doing some...". I am talking about things like writing, more 3D printing projects (I just love the Multiboard project This is just one of the most comprehensive projects out there, the pegboard system covering almost 1000 parts. FANTASTIC!) and buying equipment (I have 3D printed so much recently that the filament is running out), researching some needed spare parts around the house (the tumble dryer need a new filter and the washing machine need a new front panel to the soap-dispenser etc). So I today I could take some time for the things that I have been putting off for some time. Fantastic.
It was the same for H.(she's been the garden gnome, German tutor and shopping specialist today) and J. (studying was the main-goal for today). We calmly exchanged loving greetings when passing each other in the garage (my 3D printing corner is there) or when our paths met in the garden (when I need my Zen moments). It was all very, and now I am searching for the words, Zen-balanced day today.
I left off a working week still with the satisfying feeling of achievement and appreciation. Ideally we all need a good balance of that. I think that must be the things we (I certainly do) fear the most when retiring. Correct? Anyway, on Thursday I learned that I was nominated for a global-wide awardat work. I am keeping a down-to-earth view on it, but the most flattering feeling came from the person (who I respect the most at work) who nominated me. Enough about that now and we will see how it goes. By June I should know.
Tomorrow we are going to the Royal Greenhouse of Laeken I am looking forward to it so much. Not easy to get in there... with J. and K. I am looking forward to it very much. It will be a whole day excursion with the 4 of us - the best!
Did you know that today in ... is when ... Randomly picked historical events that occurred on this day. Sat May 4 2024, 6:57:19 pm CET Did you know that today in 1626 is when Dutch explorer Peter Minuit Read more about him on Wikipedia. arrives in New Netherland (present day Manhattan Island) aboard the See Meeuw.
Thu May 2 2024, 8:11:10 pm CET OK, we are in May already and that is officially a summer month, right? Where ever we are in Europe, now is it SUMMER. What ever you say, who ever you are, what ever religion and what ever... it is summer!
It's been a couple of days with 20-25 degrees (and that is according to Celsius), all of a sudden it was hot and humid. And no oxygen. Strange weather when celebrating (not really a proper celebration it here) Walpurgis Night.
Anyway... A lot of interesting stuff happened; on an everyday family-social level we had the birthday celebration of granny (on the mother's side) turning 94 years old. It was all nice and relaxed with a family gathering in the middle of the week. But also I have had the time to produce some real nice 3D printing projects (using the brilliant Open SCAD tool. More to come for sure!!!). More to come!
Just as a little side-note, but still a pretty cool thing that I want to mention, especially for my personal reference. Today I learned that I have been nominated for an achievement award (global level). What makes it special are the persons who nominated me and of course (an added bonus) it's nice with the substantial amount of money that's on the stake... We'll see. I am already happy with the acknowledgement (from people who I really respect) so far...
Did you know that today in ... is when ... Randomly picked historical events that occurred on this day. Thu May 2 2024, 8:12:30 pm CET Did you know that today in 1885 is when Cree and Assiniboine warriors win the Battle of Cut Knife Read more it on Wikipedia., their largest victory over Canadian forces during the North-West Rebellion.
