Just like the current weather is my current situation.
From bright sunshine that warms your heart it goes to heavy storm with hail, then some snow and/or rain, back to wind and vertical rain and then a warm day but no sunshine..
In a way, it’s exactly what I wanted, never to experience the same day twice.
But somehow I realized that I was not “up to it” anymore.. was I getting old? Or was it just too much, all the emotions of the last days/weeks?
When finally we decided to take a break from it all, leaving laptop, cell phone and telephone off and just having a good time, going to a different city, sleeping in a different bed, eating different stuff and seeing different things we realized that our last vacation was years ago.. we just spent two days away from home and we feel like we’ve been away for a week!
It’s amazing how easy the human mind gets used to the same environment and how fast it adapts. I am living fulltime here in Amsterdam since a little more than 6 months (I have just been offered a prolongation of my 6 months contract! yay! :) ) and already I started to feel bored. Good that we did this trip, sometimes one just needs to be reminded to take a break from it all, step aside and take a deep breath.
Returning after less than 2 days felt like we had been away for a week!
I feel so much recharged now and I am happy to return to work (no kidding!) today.
Anna will deliver probably in about 2-3 weeks and I am so nervous already, I wonder if I am not more nervous than her ;)

…ist scheisse! Hier ein 5-Minuten-Info:

“Nach Plänen von Union und SPD soll ab Mitte 2007 zur verbesserten Strafverfolgung nachvollziehbar werden, wer mit wem in den letzten sechs Monaten per Telefon, Handy oder Email in Verbindung gestanden hat. Bei Handy-Telefonaten und SMS soll auch der jeweilige Standort des Benutzers festgehalten werden. Anonyme Emailkonten und Anonymisierungsdienste sollen verboten werden.

Mit Hilfe der gespeicherten Daten können Bewegungsprofile erstellt, geschäftliche Kontakte rekonstruiert und Freundschaftsbeziehungen identifiziert werden. Auch Rückschlüsse auf den Inhalt der Kommunikation, auf persönliche Interessen und die Lebenssituation der Kommunizierenden werden möglich. Zugriff auf die Daten sollen Polizei, Staatsanwaltschaft und ausländische Staaten erhalten.”

Quelle: Vorratsdatenspeicherung.de

Mehr Informationen auf Vorratsdatenspeicherung.de
Es gibt dort eine Sammelklage, an der man sich beteiligen kann, Briefvorlagen an die Bundestagsabgeordneten und viele Informationen.

Stoppt die totale Protokollierung!

Just as it began to really make sense… and sound really good (AAC+) I hear from my two favourite radio stations SomaFM and Radio Paradise that a new Radio Royalty rates have been passed.

The bad news: They are for internet radio exclusively and so high, that they might force most “listener supported” radio stations to close (or implement commercials, what they will never do!)
Read more here!
For the moment, only the US officials are bithing around, so there is not much a non-US person can do except showing support :(
http://www.saveourinternetradio.com

The story of RadioParadise here
and the story of SomaFM should be self-explanatory by now.

Help Internet radio become what it was designed for, something that has to do with love, not with commercials. Save Internet Radio! (If you are US citizen, write to congress!)

Quote Bill Goldsmith, owner or Radio Paradise:

I have watched the medium that I love turn from an essential part of the process of connecting those who love making music with those whose lives are touched by it into a mindless background hum of advertising and disposable musical sludge.

It’s about love! :)

I saw this movie yesterday, the best ever call for action concerning global warming and conservation of our home, the earth. And a sad story, too.
>>> http://www.climatecrisis.net/
For these that have not see it yet, go and see this one, even if you are conservative as hell (but then you probably won’t read my blog) it does not hurt to see some interesting facts about what the United States are doing and how much in danger we actually are.

For example, there was an image of the map of Europe that shows how the sea-levels would look like should the “fragile” areas of the antarctic ice and of greenland slip into the water.

Or the predictions on the behaviour of the gulf stream that heats up europe.. which is depending on a steady flow of salty water. This would come to an end should ice from greenland melt and pour into the Atlantic.

In the movie, Mr. Gore also points out that in the seventies, when it become known that cigarettes might _not_ be so innocent as it seemed, the industry spread a lot of doubt among the people.. because doubt was their greatest weapon against the people starting to do something. Someone who is in doubt, doesn’t act.
(He then showed some article/commercial stating “more doctors smoke camels” )

What do I see today all over the news? A “think tank” (apparently a pretty conservative one) found out about Al Gore’s energy bill, which is “20 times higher than the one of average American”, accusing him of hypocrisy.

(See Google News for yourself)

Well, maybe this guy also has a house that is 20 times larger than the average American’s?
Damn it, he ran for presidency in 2000 and is running a global campaign to make people aware of climate changes and problems, THAT GUY IS JUST RICH!
And he is subscribed to “green energy” – not contributing to the burning of fossile fuels.

I wonder how it can be that people are so brain-less. :(

I just learned about the “reactable” – a whole new kind of musical instrument…

They call it a “multi-user electro-acoustic music instrument with a tabletop tangible user interface” – have a look.
See the videos :)

It still sounds more or less a little less than terrible but somehow I can see what they have in mind :P People like Cheetah should get their hands on something like that…

Then, I remembered the multi-touch interface videos that went around last year.. look on youTube for it or here Amazing, isn’t it? Remember your classroom’s whiteboard replaced with that. :D

Hmm.. but also this I have seen recently. In the presentation of Apple’s iPhone. Seen the zooming functions? Using two fingers? ;)

I wonder if they only bought the patent or bought the whole university and the developers :D

Update: Apparently they live on a friendship basis: I just found this article by Jeff Han, he is apparently the “father” of multi-touch interfaces.

Outspoken criticism of Muslim extremists and Egypt’s president earns an Egyptian man a four-year prison sentence.
Here the article on WIRED

It always makes me sad to read such things, if I imagine some men in black suits come arresting me for issuing critizism on my company, the major of Amsterdam or the Dutch Prime Minister Balkenende… Just imagine.. he is being mocked in almost every newspaper.

On the other hand: these people are not running a blog to remember the time when they had time to write a diary and to entertain themselves, they use it as a political means to get their voice heard in a system that does not allow free speech. Makes me feel silly, somehow.

I who complain that some neighbourhood gang has vandalized my motorcycle in front of my house on wednesday. tearing cables and the battery out. Pityful compared with people that risk torture and jail for writing a blog.

One of my neighbours (thanks!) reported to the police that some gang of kids are manipulating on my motorcycle, they tore the plastic that covers the battery and destroyed some of the electronics there.
If I only knew why they did that :( Idiots!

What scares me is that the neighbour reported this at 1600, that is in bright daylight.
These people have no fear at all :(
Makes you wonder when they will come over, smash your windows and rob you while you are in the shower in the morning..

I am very much hurt, not because of the material damage, it’s more that for the first time something has been touched that I worked night-shift in a factory for six weeks in Summer 1996, something I did a shitty job for, for every single cent on that thing, something that Anna invested thousand euros in when I moved together with her because it was desolated… I know now how it feels to want revenge.

I am so hurt and I am so angry, I don’t like this feeling at all. The “dark side” is tempting, oh yes.

At least Anna is back from the UK and my life is structured again.

Off to work, there is a lot of things to do.

We are sitting on the couch and watching the kicks and jumps of the small guy inside Anna’s belly. It’s a creepy/funny/crazy/wonderful all-in-one sensation to see some bump appear on the left of the belly and then move over to the other side. :)

Considering the nausea, the restrictions in mobility and other “inconveniences” of her pregnancy Anna is actually enjoying her pregnancy quite a lot.
Lots of attention, beautiful hair and complexion due to hormones (so she says), strong bond in the family and a husband that doesn’t have an excuse anymore for not helping in the household :P

Today we ordered our stroller, which will be about as expensive as a second hand (ok, fourth- or fifth hand it is) car and has delivery times like a Trabant ;) (8 till 12 weeks, the woman said)
We chose for a Dutch model, Mutsy 4rider, after testing lots of other models for weight, flexibility, colour choice, maneuverability, etc, etc.. I think the shop owner made 3 crosses after we finally left the shop.
I’m still a little unhappy about not buying the Bugaboo but it was just too expensive to be reasonable. Although it’s pretty and flashy! A baby-gadget! :)

The painting of the baby-room has been postponed to tomorrow due to lack of daylight and a major hangover from yesterday :P

Now we are couching, I am recovering and Anna is treating her belly with precious oil. The small guy continues to do his kung-fu exercises :)

I am starting to feel like a father

finally, snow, I am so happy :)