Skimming the milk

Lytro. Light Field Camera.

2011-10-20T09:30:00.001+02:00

Lytro is a Light Field Camera. I first thought is was rather fanciful, but they've gone and made the damn thing. Rates very high on the cool factor charts. It's the Box Brownie all over again!Part of the cool factor is that it's Mac only! Me want! Now!

It's going to be a Pantone christmas

2011-10-19T11:34:00.001+02:00

What colour is your X-Mas going to be?

(Via Swiss Miss.)

The 80s are Calling

2011-08-29T13:37:00.001+02:00

Do you miss those big ass phones? Well in you're in luck. Urbanourfitters have seen way to cater to our demands. Bring back the eighties! oh noes!

Via swissmiss.

SLR mount

2011-07-22T16:52:00.001+02:00

Very cool gadget to get a bit of zoom going on your iPhone. Then again I'm not going to fork out 250 dollars for this. Cool or crazy? Via Cool Hunting.

Folding notebook

2011-04-12T17:57:00.001+02:00

Maybe a bit much but I'd love to see a folding notebook. At least someone is trying to think outside the box.

'Going for a walk'

2011-04-04T11:30:00.001+02:00

Take your dog for 'a walk', Soprano style.. Don't walk your dog like this in a high crime area. You could end up in a gun fight with just a dog leash to wave around.

Turn your iPad into an 80's stereo

2011-03-22T13:07:00.003+01:00

Stereolizer turns your iPad into an 80's stereo. What more could you wish for!?

(Via NOTCOT.)

Bookshelf Porn

2011-03-07T16:28:00.001+01:00

Too many books?Well, there is a solution for everything. They ain't kidding!

(Via Swiss Miss.)

Two roads to courage

2011-01-31T16:30:00.001+01:00

Now this is a very cool present. Not so much a bourbon man myself, but I think I could manage ;)

(Via NOTCOT.)

iPod Nano could be cool again

2010-11-18T12:29:00.001+01:00

iPods are getting a bit dull and superfluous, especially if you have an iPhone. However the TikTok+LunaTik Multi-Touch Watch Kits by Scott Wilson is pretty snazzy!

(Via Daring Fireball.)

DBA

2010-08-23T16:35:00.001+02:00

Fancy but brutally simple dishrack by DBA. It looks great.

(Via Swiss Miss.)

For the single man

2010-07-05T10:06:00.001+02:00

Hate washing up? Hate company? Hate cooking? Well this little beauty of a dishwasher might just be what you're looking for.

LEGO NYC

2010-07-03T13:08:00.001+02:00

As a kid I loved LEGO™. And now there is aLEGO Store : New York City . Packing by bags as we speak. Well, maybe not. But I'd love to!

(Via Swiss Miss.)

Snazzy Trains

2010-05-26T12:32:00.001+02:00

I might love traveling by train a little more if train Interiors looked like this.

(Via Yanko Design.)

Post-This™

2010-04-29T17:01:00.001+02:00

Post-It Apocalyptic, a must have Post-it dispenser for the office. Maybe now they'll listen!

This blog has moved

2010-04-28T12:03:00.002+02:00

This blog is now located at http://dutchcelt.blogspot.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds or you may click here.

For feed subscribers you don't need to change anything. The feed is still the same. Thank you Feedburner!

Desk phones are cool agian.

2010-04-08T13:59:00.001+02:00

Last year I gave up my landline. No more traditional phone, just an iPhone. I've never looked back. Never regretted it, not once. If I ever want that desk phone feeling I can.

(Via Swiss Miss.)

Polaroid, back from the dead.

2010-03-22T20:21:00.001+01:00

I'm loving Polaroid all over again. Fantastic package design for such an iconic product. Anything less would not have worked.

Via Daring Fireball.

Tea-Shirts

2010-01-07T21:47:00.001+01:00

Not for every day but great to have in the cupboard. Hanger Tea. Love em.

Via the one and only Swiss Miss.

TV Posters

2010-01-06T14:38:00.001+01:00

Fantastic TV posters. All my favourite TV's show's in stylised poster form by Albert Exergian. I might get the Magnum one!

Via Exergian.

Adobe (punching) pillow's

2009-12-10T12:42:00.001+01:00

Get yourself a nice Adobe pillow at MySuiteStuff so you can have nightmares of bloated UI's

Via Hilton Harbour

Sticky phone

2009-12-03T12:23:00.001+01:00

Solar Powered Sticker Phone by Liu Hsiang-Ling is something you just know you're gonna lose because how often do you stick something to a window to charge it? On the other hand it would be very cool as a speaker phone when stuck to a window. Fly on a window sort of thing.

Via Yanko Design

Stuff for the apartment

2009-09-14T14:27:00.001+02:00

I must say I really like the design of these. Very simple and yet the details make it work.
RW 107-2 Rollwagen

Follow That Truck!

2009-08-13T16:43:00.001+02:00

Ever stare at the back of a truck. I'm sure you never thought of taking pictures of them. Unless it was at Mardi Gras.

Stealth MacBook Pro

2009-07-03T14:01:00.001+02:00

This is what I want for x-mas, a ColorWare Limited Edition Stealth MacBook Pro.

Mat black finish (smudge resistant material), solid state drive and best of all a mat screen! It's only $6000, so... well... maybe not. The stealth bit is that they're selling only ten of them so you'll never ever see one.

Via Cool Hunting

PMS my Cube!

2009-06-17T14:55:00.001+02:00

PMS is still kinda funky when it comes to everyday design items. So a PMS Rubiks Cube should be just the ticket.
Via core77.

Don't run with scissors!

2009-06-08T20:40:00.001+02:00

Best tattoo ever! When in doubt cut along the dotted line! Ouch!

Via Boing Boing

Is one fridge enough?

2009-06-04T13:30:00.001+02:00

Something tells me that I'll need more than just the one.

Do you want fries with that?

2009-05-27T12:42:00.001+02:00

It's kina cool as long as I don't try to force these Salt&Pepper Cells into a hand mixer.

Via ffffound.

Clever logo's

2009-05-19T16:54:00.001+02:00

We've seen clever logo's like this 'yoga australia' before. The FedEx hidden arrow is a famous and familiar one but I missed the Amazon A to Z smile.

Via NOTCOT.

Naim Audio wonder

2009-05-18T21:07:00.001+02:00

I'm a bit of a minor HiFi head. I don't gaga and spend tens of thousands of euros on the latest and greatest. However, I do have a very nice Naim integrated amplifier. Which I'm still very very happy with. Well, until I came across Naim Audio's NaimUniti.
So what's do you get for about 2.300 euro?

Amp based on NAIT 5i
CD transport based on CD5i
DAC that was originally built for the CD5x
DAB/FM tuner
WiFi file streaming (UPnP)
USB
Digital Inputs: 5 SPDIF (2*optical, 2*coaxial, 1*3.5mm jack)
Ethernet and iPod connectors
2x50WPC into 8Ω
Sub output (2 Mono outputs via RCA)
Red Book CD audio
Internet radio (WMA, MP3 Streams, MMS)
MP3, AAC (up to 320 kbps, CBR/VBR)
WAV, FLAC, OGG Vorbis

Sign me up on the waiting list. This can't possibly be a bad buy!

Family and other animals

2009-05-13T19:33:00.001+02:00

I love photoblogs. Easy reading and more often that not great foto's. Awkward Family Photos is no exception. Flick through some of the posts but not to many. You'll run the risk of losing your faith in humanity. If you've been following this blog for while you may already have.

Lazy, but cool.

2009-05-13T14:30:00.001+02:00

Now, I'm not one for bikes. But they do represent some cool shit on the design front. As does this Ultra Motor A2B Electric Bicycle. I just love those fat tires!

Via Cool Hunting.

I thought he was a pulpit

2009-05-11T11:36:00.001+02:00

Once a good logo now a devastating one. When Bad Things Happen to Good Logos. Leave those kids alone!

Via NOTCOT.

Folding bikes are for geeks

2009-05-03T20:51:00.001+02:00

Well, except for this one. Despite living in the Netherlands I don't use my bike that much. If I were in the market for a new one this one would certainly on my list.

(Via Core77 .)

Oh me, oh my an OLED MacBook Pro

2009-04-22T15:28:00.001+02:00

LG insider points to Apple OLED notebook. Now if this were true I'd sign up in a second. I'd rather see an OLED in an iMac. But an OLED would actually produce a laptop screen that beats the pants off of anything else. Viewing angle? What viewing angle?

Personally I'd think that if they did do this the OLED would make its way into the MacBook Air. With a 15 inch screen? The Air's higher/exclusive price point would also make it a more cost effective fit.

(Via Register Hardware.)

Bombs away!

2009-03-13T18:19:00.001+01:00

If you gotta go you gotta go, vertigo or not!

Blue tea?

2009-03-12T11:16:00.001+01:00

Pantone Storage Jars, for that designer/chef in your house. But why not pick a more relavant colour for tea? It's not called Pantone colour Matching System for nothing!

(Via NOTCOT.ORG.)

The newpaper is dead, long live the newspaper, on Kindle

2009-03-11T12:53:00.001+01:00

Yahoo's news article;The 10 Major Newspapers That Will Either Fold or Go Digital Next. It seems slightly ironic that Yahoo would post a Time article about the probable demise of some notable brick and mortar newpapers.
Also funny that I'd now like to get my hands on a Kindle type device.

MacOS iPhone Project

2009-03-10T13:58:00.001+01:00

If you're a geek then you must have MacOS 7 on your iPhone. I'm not sure it can run Quark XPress. There must be a Commodore c64 emulator for iPhone somewhere!? Anybody?

(Via NOTCOT.)

The Elements of Islay

2009-03-03T10:36:00.001+01:00

Anybody need a drink? One should always start with the elements, The Elements of Islay that is.

(Via NOTCOT.)

Bondage game

2009-02-26T17:42:00.001+01:00

It's not what you think it is... perverts. It is a game everybody should play, just to calm down a little. How much rope do you need to wrap a brick?

Wondering if I could wrap a Barbie Doll, or is that my inner pervert talking?

Via Daring Fireball.

Very 80's

2009-02-20T11:47:00.001+01:00

I'm getting bored with my iPhone. This looks like a nice replacement. oh, wait... it doesn't have shazam!

(Via Core77.)

Who's your 'Vader'?

2009-01-28T13:34:00.000+01:00

Okay, this is creepy. Somehow it's kinda cool but it's also most definitely creepy! Do you notice that she's showing a bit of shoulder, that Sith slut!

Blockbob Eater Mug

2009-01-20T13:11:00.000+01:00

Must have! Even beter than a PMS mug. Well, possibly.eBoy Blog: Blockbob Eater Mug

Ahoy!

2009-01-19T15:12:00.001+01:00

This is what every boy dream's of. A gas powered boat for in the bath tub.

Via swissmiss

Stormtroopers get all the best toys

2009-01-15T11:44:00.004+01:00

It's just not fair. I want, I want, I want..
Via a volkswagen forum of all things.

52 E-Commerce Stores on the iPhone

2009-01-12T13:34:00.000+01:00

Retail on the web has really taken flight last year. I didn't expect to see that this also included the iPhone. Mobile shopping here we come.

Via swissmiss: 52 E-Commerce Stores on the iPhone

I'll lose this one as well

2008-08-12T14:59:00.007+02:00

USB memory sticks these days are lost just as easily as a Bic ballpoint pen. Furthermore they're likely to be 'nicked' more often than your pen. The problem with this USB stick is that it will be trown away more than anything else because it looks like something you should throw away. Leave it on your desk after working late and the cleaning lady will toss it in the bin. I suppose it's some kind of security.

Snazzy PC

2008-07-30T14:47:00.003+02:00

Yes, I agree. "Snazzy PC" is a bit of an oxymoron. However, Dell has pulled off a fairly decent looking desktop PC design. Maybe skip the iMac after all.

A proper game review

2008-05-22T17:20:00.003+02:00

Yes, Zero Punctuation does seem to have his finger on the pulse aided with a few cans of Red Bull. A comprehensive review in 4 minutes flat. Now that's what I was looking for.

(via Daring Fireball)

Cookies!

2008-05-06T14:34:00.003+02:00

I like cookies, I like Space Invaders. Space Invader Cookies!

Butterfingers

2008-04-01T21:45:00.004+02:00

Bomb the Bass. Wow, these guys take me way back. They still sound as fresh as ever. Also, the guys from the Perish Factory have made a
fantastic video. Each 'button' has their own cute idiosyncrasies.

via 30gms

Earth day

2008-03-29T16:03:00.004+01:00

That reminds me, I must do some washing later. Tumble dry it before ironing the lot on full blast. Who ever uses the lower settings? Damn, I still need to download the entire series of the Wire, run full backups of the two computers we have and archive the latest downloads and some work to DVD-R. I'll need to recharge my mobile phone, iPod and Tom Tom because one can't live without those essential lifestyle tools. There is a film on telly tonight that I'm going to record to watch directly after, I may want to keep it you see. Needless to say we'll be having microwaved popcorn with that. In any case I need not worry about that because I've programmed it in to the recorder this morning and everything will switch back to standby mode when it's done, the way it's supposed to. ... Earth day, hmm, now I'm in the mood for some herbal tea. Let me put the (electric) kettle on.

Are you doing it wrong?

2008-03-27T12:38:00.003+01:00

Often your see somebody doing something completely the wrong way. You'd feel the need to yell, "You are doing it wrong!" Riding your bike with your face is just one example.

Nader for president, again

2008-02-25T13:07:00.003+01:00

Those poor Democrats, I can see them crying into their tea.

Photo: © Ilka Hartmann 2005

HD-DVD killed by the web

2008-02-19T12:23:00.006+01:00

Toshiba's HD-DVD has thrown in the towel, or rather, kicked the bucket. As soon as Warner jumped off the bandwagon after seeing the Blu-Ray light HD-DVD found itself in a very tough spot.
Although some equate this with the Betamax-VHS war we have to remember that the Blu-Ray HD-DVD conflict was fought out in the open. Consumers could read in almost realtime that HD-DVD was doomed. No marketing strategy could combat this one. Toshiba may still look for some niche market to park HD-DVD, like BetaMax once did. But instead of being pushed out of the market slowly the web killed it, in an instant, stone dead. Instant news, instant opinion on such a massive scale is basically a bullet in the head.

It's evident that Sony's Play Station 3 played a large part in hogging a huge chunk of the retail movie market without actually being in the retail movie market primarily. Toshiba played nice with Microsoft but just that sent all the wrong signals. The XBox isn't exactly the killer consumer appliance it was hyped up to be. Nitendo's Wii waved it's magic wand and made all that go away.
Marketshare slipped through Toshiba's fingers. Everybody could see, there was no hiding, no spinning this one. Dead, game over for player two.

Monotracer

2008-01-18T18:26:00.000+01:00

It's a pity you can't drive these bikes in the Netherlands. Peraves had been making these jet fighters for the road for while now and were starting to look a little dated. However, this new version the Monotracer, looks fantastic.

Sydney Side

2008-01-04T06:02:00.000+01:00

We've just come back from our trip in Sydney. One of the main motivators for coming to Australia this holiday season was a wedding of two friends who had moved from Holland to Sydney down under just over a year ago. So we had booked extra flights to Sydney to go to the wedding and hang out with them for a while, watch the fireworks and head back to Melbourne. Also this would give is an opportunity to meet up with others who we haven't seen in a while.

Getting to our hotel was pretty easy. There is a train station at the airport that travels into the city (Circular Quay station) from where we could catch the ferry to Kirribilli, where our hotel was located. A stones throw from the official Sydney residence of the Prime Minister. Our first meet up would be in the Sangri-La Hotel. The Blu Lounge on the top floor has the most fantastic view of Sydney's harbour Port Jackson. This is actually a very nice start to any visit to the capital.

The area's around the harbour are very nice. The Rocks, Botanic Gardens and Darling Harbour further inland. Manly is a must in the summer. It's a complete zoo, full of sun worshipers. The city center itself is a bit disappointing. It's all business and little play. Hyde park and the museum are nice but that's about it. The Bridge and the Opera house seem to be main draw and I must say it never gets tired. We also managed to meet up with Marie, an American living in Amsterdam. She's been in Australia for a few months now and just back from a stint in New Zealand. We were meeting up with the newly weds at Macquarie's chair to have a picnic in the shade with a view of the Opera House and the Bridge behind it. What a day of doing nothing except eating, drinking and having a laugh, it's what expats do best.

The museums are really good and I'll wholeheartedly recommend the Sydney Now exhibition at the Sydney Museum. Of course the main attraction would be later in the week, New Years celebrations with fireworks, food and plenty of wine. If you've every seen some of the fireworks on TV then you might be able to conceive the magnitude of the display. First of all there are hundreds of thousands of onlookers along the shoreline. Sitting in tents, apartments (the lucky ones) and like us with some quilts on the parks along the banks having a midnight picnic. We were not disappointed and apparently the spectators never are.
In between all that we looked around the suburbs or towns around Sydney, Newtown being one of the nicest, shopping and having latte's on the corner café's. Now that what I call having a holiday.

Streets of Melbourne

2007-12-24T07:38:00.000+01:00

Melbourne I've been told has a more European feel to it when compared with Sydney. I'll be travelling up to Sydney this week and so I'll be able to judge for myself.
Melbourne on the whole doesn't feel very European to me. For one the sun feels just that little bit brighter than the sun I've experienced in and around the Mediterranean. I say this and I haven't yet felt the full force of the Aussie sun. Even though Melbourne is supposed to be suffering a drought at the moment it has been raining for a large part of my stay with temperatures well below 20 degree Celsius. Just like the summers of my youth... in Ireland.

But this Christmas eve the weather is starting looking up. The sun is back out to play, the wind has calmed down and the clouds are light and fluffy. That's more like it, X-mas in shorts.

Some parts of Melbourne are, I must admit, a bit like Europe. St Kilda being a prime example. Narrow streets where the trams are blocking the rest of the traffic. Sweet. Also some of the side streets in the city centre are pedestrian only and have this wonderful feel to them. They're perfect for hanging out drinking flat whites or a nice local chardonnay. Café culture looms large here. In Europe pubs seem to be more prominent, I kind of prefer the wider range of café's, wine bars, tearooms and bars found in Melbourne.
Personally I love Asian food and the choice here is overwhelming. I suspect that this kind of choice probably doesn't occur anywhere else in the world, with, I imagine, California coming a close second.

Poor old Rodger

2007-12-23T04:41:00.000+01:00

Hayley and I have been enjoying our time off relaxing and sight seeing. Melbourne is big and there is plenty to see and to eat. Food and wine is plentiful here. Just about any type of cuisine is available along with all kinds of fusion food of the highest level. We both enjoy our food and haven't been disappointed. The first few days was nice and sunny in the high 20's. Very nice. Then the rain hit. Lots of rain. Flooding everywhere.

In a span of about half an hour 40 mm of rain fell in the area of Melbourne where we were. As parts of the city can be hilly we had to navigate through some nasty puddles. Then we came across a dip in the road that had a rather large puddle in it. Cars stopped, traffic jams grew. We saw cars drive across the median to the other side of the road going the other way. That looked pretty risky, seeing wheels spinning and due to the downpour you couldn't see very much, never mind on coming traffic. We also saw cars driving through this ever growing 'lake', and making it to the other side. All that tried succeeded and we so no reason to suspect one could fail. So we bit the bullet and moved Rodger (the name Hayley's family had given the white Holden Astra) towards 'the great highway ocean'. All seemed fine, Rodger didn't complain when water rose up and over his radiator grill. Half way our nautical adventure all went quite. Electrics and lights worked but the engine would sail no further. There we sat, in a massive downpour with cars passing us and being slammed by their wake. It would be just a matter of time before water would start to rise through the foot wells. Then this bloke, barefoot and in shorts, ran across the highway from is van and knocked on the window shouting, "Do you want a push?". We just stared at him, still embarrassed and shocked that we'd just killed Rodger. Then I blurted out, "Yeah, sure". He waded to the back of the car and we where on the move again. I didn't get out until the water had subsided past the door opening. I took over and we soon found 'dry' land.

Still in a awkward position on the road we decided that I would push on a bit further so we could make a right hand turn across the oncoming traffic to a nearby fitness club car park. That sounded like a wonderful plan.
Once at the car park soaked and out of breath we tried to revive Rodger but still no luck. So we arranged for Hayley's dad to come pick us up. While waiting we bumped in to some Aussie blokes coming out of the fitness club having a laugh. "Hey, did you guys see that white Astra floating down the mountain highway?" I said, now I started to see the funny side, that we had made it safely to the car park.
The next day after the RACV guy had a look at the car we found out what I had feared. Water in the engine. To what extent we still have to find out, but it's safe to say that we had killed Rodger stone dead.
We weren't the only ones to suffer from this ferocious weather and in hind sight we have been fortunate that we didn't suffer worse.

Since then we've been able to drive Ashley's (Hayley's brother) old car Dougie (an old Honda Civic) to see some more sights. More on that in my next post.

Adjusted hemisphere

2007-12-18T00:40:00.000+01:00

Melbourne, I've arrived and survived the long-haul trip. Schiphol, Heathrow, Hong Kong Airport and Melbourne Airport.
Just to get to Schiphol we rented a car and left at 4.45 am because that was much better than taking the night train at 4am. Our first leg of the trip lifted off at 7.25 on time.
I've never been to Heathrow and after hearing the horror stories I expected the worse. This dread would most certainly dull the edge, was my thinking, my hope. Well, in the end, it didn't. Heathrow is truly an awful airport. To be fair airports are not very nice places anyway. Some have done very well and I do like Shiphol. Dublin and Manila Airports are a bit of an embarrassment on the one end and on the other Kuala Lumpur airport is actually very good. Very good signing (as good as Schiphol), beautiful architecture and nicely laid out like a modern day village. Nothing felt complicated and dare I say it, it felt comfy and easy going.
For some reason I was expecting Hong Kong Airport to be similar. It wasn't. The signing wasn't as good and the shops and restaurants felt disjointed, not connected. As if they were all there temporarily. The airport building was as I had imagined it after seeing some of the construction on the Discovery Channel, stunning. The vast open space does relax and I felt a ease and safe. If they could get more of a community or village atmosphere going it would be an outright winner, despite the flawed signing.
Melbourne Airport reminded me of Shiphol, not a open clear as Shiphol but still modern and European. Easy entry and exit for departures was a nice surprise and is better than most.

Jet lag mostly dissipated and still a bit bemused with the wonderful weather I'm starting to settle. The lack of public transport will be something to get use to. Melbourne is vast and sprawled out city and so having a car is effectively mandatory. One thing is exactly as I had expected. Australians are in sense louder.

What to buy for my GF?

2007-12-04T21:38:00.000+01:00

They are forever!

Nudge nudge, wink wink.

2007-11-23T18:58:00.000+01:00

I was reading about childhood TV. How innocent it all was, how we all used to be. God, we used to be idiots!

Halloween safety

2007-10-28T17:24:00.000+01:00

I'm not sure which is worse, the safety tips or the seventies...

Small(ish) exhaust pipe

2007-10-22T13:10:00.000+02:00

Daddies new car

2007-10-11T16:25:00.001+02:00

MyCuppa Tea

2007-08-24T13:58:00.000+02:00

I like em dark

2007-08-19T11:48:00.000+02:00

It's what is on the outside that matters most.

I love rugby

2007-07-30T11:19:00.001+02:00

Just look at those thighs!

Muppets: "... and the winner is..."

2007-07-04T17:17:00.000+02:00

Part two and final instalment of the Muppet top 50. It's not Count von Count. Damn. He's my fav!

And it wasn't these two either:

Waldorf: That was wonderful!
Statler: Bravo!
Waldorf: I loved it!
Statler: That was great!
Waldorf: Well, it was pretty good.
Statler: Well, It wasn't bad.
Waldorf: There were parts that weren't pretty good, though.
Statler: It could've been a lot better.
Waldorf: I didn't really like it.
Statler: It was pretty terrible.
Waldorf: It was bad.
Statler: It was awful!
Both: Terrible! Eh, boo!

Top 50 muppets

2007-06-27T19:17:00.001+02:00

Yes, this is the kind of list I like to see on the web. Can't wait to see part two!

Americana on the silver screen

2007-06-21T16:42:00.000+02:00

The American Film Institute (AFI) has released its latest list of the top 100 American movies. Yes, Lawrence of Arabia and Schindler's List are Americana, apparently, and some of my favourites.

The top 10 films are:

1. Citizen Kane (1941)
2. The Godfather (1972)
3. Casablanca (1942)
4. Raging Bull (1980)
5. Singin' In The Rain (1952)
6. Gone With The Wind (1939)
7. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
8. Schindler's List (1993)
9. Vertigo (1958)
10. Wizard of Oz (1939)

I'd like to have seen 12 angry men, 2001 A Space Odyssey, China Town or Taxi Driver up there.

There should be list that's a bit more 'popcorn' with a mix of cinematic quality, box-office quantity and cult status (not sure how one would measure that) with titles like Usual Suspects, Jacky Brown, Mars Attacks, Seven, The Driver (1978), Fight Club, Alien, Dark Star (1974), Pulp Fiction, Bullit, Blade Runner, The Thing (1982), The Shining, Unforgiven, The Graduate, Star Wars, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) just to name a few.

Space is not fit for ordinary man

2007-06-19T13:40:00.000+02:00

However, if your are super fit, super bright, super disciplined and a multiple record holder, space has your name on it. As is the case with Sunita Williams.

A small list of some of her space records when she returns back to earth:

Longest uninterrupted time in space by a female.
No other woman has completed four space walks.
Longest time for a female to work in freespace (29h 17m).
Female record for days in space (188).
The first person to complete a registered marathon from space (Boston: 4h 23m).

Yeah, I'm not going up to space any time soon.

Working at home

2007-06-11T16:12:00.000+02:00

Whoohoo! I'd never leave my bed with this tray for laptop and food. Make's me wish I was sick in bed! Cough, cough, sniffle.

Hanging Harry

2007-06-08T17:11:00.001+02:00

I've seen some strange things in my life. Selling stuff without a pulse is one of them. Fur coats, stuffed animals, Céline Dion etc. etc.
But selling something that represents something dead is just a little bit stranger. Poor Harry.

Locked bike

2007-05-27T12:44:00.000+02:00

Dear or dear. Is it art or paranoia? Well, of course it's art and if you look carefully you can see that it actually is locked. The lock that's attached to the bike rack is different from all the others. Oh, the irony!

Photo by Random Dude.

Heroes

2007-05-26T17:36:00.000+02:00

Apart form Dexter, Heroes is the best TV show this year. I know fans that hate comic books and their on-screen incarnations, hate fantasy and hate Si Fi but absolutely love Heroes. That has to be great writing. What else could it be?

Drugs will kill you...

2007-05-22T22:39:00.000+02:00

Especially when you bake them into your brownies. Well, okay, maybe not, but apparently they make time go really really really slow.

Wack a marine

2007-05-07T18:03:00.000+02:00

Very stange visual joke with a Full Metal Jacket scene as a Wii game. Sick but still a little bit funny. Judge for yourself.

Internet Riot

2007-05-02T17:08:00.000+02:00

On this blog I've refrained from posting too technical or political slanted articles. However, the current little ruckus on the Internet is a little bit funny. I'm not talking about the Viacom versus Google lawsuit, which isn't funny at all and is in fact very worrisome. No, I'm talking about the AASC encryption for HD-DVD disks that cost millions upon millions to create has been cracked with little effort a few months ago and now the 'key' to HD-DVD encryption has recently been posted online. The AASC is now pathetically trying to reverse the exposure by threatening with legal action those who posted the key to free HD videos. Some comply and others don't, won't or can't. Digg says it can't because their users are so almighty and thus their hands are tied or some other malarkey. Users, bloggers, forums and god knows what kind of Web 2.0 communities are posting the 'key' like crazy as to ensure their self entitled right to ~~steal~~ copy any HD-DVD release until they're blue(ray) in the face. No you can't says the AASC, yes we can say the masses. The genie is out of the bottle and there is no stopping it.
But you know what. We are still going to buy HD-DVD's (or Blue-Ray) disks to keep on our bookshelves or to give away as presents. All this screaming and shouting leads to nothing because we are forever condemned to consume. DRM sucks because it doesn't work, it never has and by the look of things it never will.

DEAF07

2007-04-16T11:21:00.000+02:00

I went to see the Dutch Electronic Arts Festival 2007 yesterday. The exposition was quite remarkable and has some extraordinary exhibits. The best of which was ondulation. Sound and liquid motion provided a mesmerizing experience.

I wanna be hip

2007-04-12T14:14:00.000+02:00

And now I, and you for that matter, can be the talk of the town with this 5 minute video instruction. Disco Rocks!

Expat map of Rotterdam

2007-04-11T18:10:00.000+02:00

From time to time I meet up with the expat community in Rotterdam. Being half Dutch and half Irish myself I feel oddly enough at ease with this exiled bunch.

We frequent some of the restaurant and cafes dotted around Rotterdam. Nothing but the best you understand :)

Here's one of those "my maps" from Google I quickly put together so you can find where the expats hang out in Rotterdam.

Stuffed

2007-03-23T10:54:00.000+01:00

I'm not a big fan of stuffed toys but weird stuffed toys are kinda cool. Maybe I'll get one. Just to give my own weirdness some company.

Escaping suburbia

2007-03-06T19:05:00.000+01:00

Special forces escape and evasion training is these day being 'restyled' for entertainment and has over the last decade gained considerable momentum as an urban / extreme sport. Not sure what they're running from but it sure looks like hard work. Fantastic to watch, though.

Till death does us in

2007-03-05T15:32:00.000+01:00

I've found a little site called 'Instructables' and it has the most amazing things on it. I'm a total dimwit when it comes to DIY. But the section about dangerous stuff does appeal to me.

I would really like to thank all of the people who submit such dangerous things, because i really dont have time to do and post the things in my head. ... Yes, crazy ass shit; especially the fire. Everyone loves fire.

Hey maybe they should advertise The Darwin Awards website.

The Boring Store

2007-03-02T16:40:00.000+01:00

This store really is boring. No flash, no frills and their products are as mundane as you would expect. They go to great lengths letting you know that the whole store really isn't worth your valuable time, or even your spare time, rainy days and nothing to do time. ... I wish there was one around the corner. I'd spend my every boring moment in there!

Flights of fancy

2007-02-16T11:02:00.000+01:00

The United States of America is big. It's huge and Americans travel like there is no tomorrow. Researchers are always trying to find ways to represent this in a meaningful way. Some are good, useful and some are aesthetically beautiful. Especially when you display flight information in video format.

Valentines day

2007-02-08T19:23:00.000+01:00

What, if anything, should you get? It could be anything... A present if you're going to break up but still wish her well or something practical if you've been together for years. I think sweeties and flowers should do the trick. Maybe just the sweeties... something I like.

I need to lose some weight

2007-01-17T16:53:00.000+01:00

But where to start? I've heard of a great new way to shake off a few pounds. What do you think. Would this 'methode' be money wasted?

I want one!

2007-01-16T11:37:00.000+01:00

I'd like an iPhone because it combines multiple gadgets in one. There is an option of an iPhone for the not so fortunate, like myself. I'd go with duct tape though.

Parking, day and night

2007-01-08T10:15:00.000+01:00

Watching a parking lot is like watching paint dry. Except when they speed up the traffic. :)

Monkey business

2007-01-04T16:38:00.000+01:00

Sorry to rehash an old quote like this but in my line of work it seems very true as well.

"We've heard that a million monkeys at a million keyboards could produce the complete works of Shakespeare; now, thanks to the Internet, we know that is not true." - Robert Wilensky

And the winner was...

2007-01-04T08:30:00.000+01:00

It's just staggering how daft people get. Didn't their mothers tell them not to stick your head in a plastic bag? Even my mother told me not to hit a grenade with a sledgehammer. Just as well, I'm now reconsidering jumping through a mine field on a Pogo Stick.

iBlend

2007-01-03T09:37:00.000+01:00

Hayley and I have just bought a very nice food processor. It's the bees-knees as they say down our way. However, you'll never catch me doing this with it! I know I'm not a total fanboy because I didn't spontaneously burst into tears. I did wince, that's normal right?

Elevators

2006-12-29T15:46:00.000+01:00

In Saint Dénis, France, yes in Europe, a woman with not the quickest of minds or rather "problems of confusion" found herself stuck in an elevator. Stuck for three days! The 'concierge' or janitor as there also known (we are talking suburban Paris) didn't seems too concerned when learning that there might be someone stuck in there. So no fuss about when the repairman should get his toolbox and hurry up. Three day's! What if that was me, with a soar throat, a single sudoku book. I'd never be able to cope! Well that's the stairs for me from now on. I'd rather walk to the fifth floor. ...eh well... On second thought, maybe not.

Silver Surfer

2006-12-28T16:57:00.000+01:00

I used to read comics. Spiderman and DareDevil were my favourites. But also Silver Surfer, especially when Jean Giraud (aka Moebius) doodled the character on to the page. A bit like when Frank Miller come with a alternative Batman treatment "The Dark Knight", which by the way has become one of the standard treatments. Moviewise Spiderman 1 is unmatched and DareDevil a bit of a disappointment. I haven't seen the Fantastic Four movie for the simple reason that it didn't seem to inspire me. My thoughts on that have now changed. The next Fantastic Four movie "Rise of the Silver Surfer" has now got me on the edge of my seat, the trailer looks so great. Now all I have to do is wait half a year, on the edge of my seat. Bugger.

What's the time again?

2006-12-27T10:19:00.000+01:00

This time of year everything tends to get a little bit hazy. So if this Christmas you got a watch that doesn't have any dials you're kinda screwed for a month or so before you get the hang of the little bugger. Still pretty Blake's 7 though (I think that's cool, right?).

The Guilt Mug

2006-12-21T16:36:00.000+01:00

If I would ever have a guilt inducing mug like this I'd keep in the back of my cupboard. Even if I would use it my mother would call me at the exact moment that I'd pick the thing up. "Hi mom, I was just thinking of calling you, no honest", I'd cry. To no avail of course.