De Blogkabouter, Paulus De Blogkabouter

Waauw - Eat, learn, move ...

2011-08-21T12:06:00.002+02:00

This is one of the reasons i started this blog.
Sharing this kind of amazingness and inspirational beauty.

Eat
http://vimeo.com/27243869
(hmmm locusts, ...)

Learn
http://vimeo.com/27244727
(Dancing, cooking, ...)

Move
http://vimeo.com/27246366
(London, Paris, don't recognise the rest at first sight)

What do YOU recognise?

There is real poetry in the real world ...

2010-03-07T22:48:00.003+01:00

... science is the poetry of reality

Dawkins, Sagan, Myers, Feynman, ...

This is the best one from a series of 5 and hopefully many more will be made!!
I trully love this one, the other ones are super too!!

via PZ

This town is only big enough for one batman!

2009-12-28T08:53:00.004+01:00

I love XKCD

2009-12-04T10:50:00.003+01:00

Hope embedding works ...

I Love xkcd from NoamR on Vimeo.

I really do love XKCD!

(Via XKCD's blag, video link: http://www.vimeo.com/7151435)

By the way..

2009-01-23T11:28:00.003+01:00

.. I GRADUATED, with "een grote onderscheiding" (magna cum laude aka with great honor),
mostly because of the dissertation, i got 17/20 on it wich is pretty good.
Anyway: YAY
Anybody got a job for me? :-)
I'm an envrionmental biologist, specialised in environment, did my dissertation on protist colonisation (Testate Amoebae) and i'm interested in doing:
research, communication, working with cradle to cradle, ..
Most important is that i'm helping in bringing the world closer to a healthy and sustainable place!

Oops

2009-01-23T11:06:00.004+01:00

hmm, this might be even a longer break than before,
anyway, i run this blog and not the other way around, so if i dont have time, i dont have time :)

Almost a year ago i mentioned a book about genetic programming that i wanted to read, and its downloadable for free, so double thumbs up for that :)
But its still on my reading list i'm afraid, too much other things to read for now.

Anyway, its this comic by the wonderfull XKCD that reminded me of it so i decided to post something, not sure if i'm going to pick up posting again..

Have a nice day!

Another rotting corpse, more cheese and a bigger fish!

2008-08-29T22:51:00.004+02:00

A few weeks ago i blogged about my visit to the nationial botanical garden to visit a large and stinky flower, we were too late but hurray hurray, there's another one coming out!!

The progress can be followed here!

This is what the website shows right now:

Maybe this time we'll be lucky and be on time to actually smell the flower!
(lucky ? well maybe not lucky but it will definitely leave an impression :-))

Nothing interesting ever happens in Antwerp ...

2008-08-29T16:25:00.009+02:00

...untill today!!

A sperm whale (Physeter catodon) was pulled ashore on Antwerp's beach (Sint-Anna).

Of course me and my dad went to have look!

Here's the series of picture's i took.

Interesting books to read..

2008-08-29T16:25:00.003+02:00

i've been planning for a while to put up a list here with interesting books, with a short review.
No time now but here's a few important ones, i'll give more info at a later time:
"The New Peoplemaking" by Virginia Satir
"The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins
"Biomimicry" by Janine Benyus
"Cradle to Cradle" by William McDonough & Michael Braungart
and many many more,
the reason i'm putting up this post right now is that PZ got a booklist meme up a day ago or so, and that's a post i'll want to go back to when i'm expanding the series of post about books i'm planning to make here.
Here's PZ's post.

Have fun and read read read!

...from a wonderful movie.

2008-08-13T22:13:00.002+02:00

Here's a strange news article..
about a garden gnome that gets stolen, travels all around the world and is then brought back with pictures to prove it..
A cool idea, but certainly not new,
it surprises me the article doesn't mention the movie:
Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain
(imdb, wikipedia (obviously already mentions this news feat))
A wonderful and truly inspiring movie, i'm glad someone did the gnome thing!

Good night!

This is fun!

2008-08-11T18:01:00.003+02:00

I tried the world challenge twice

This Traveler IQ was calculated on Monday, August 11, 2008 at 03:59PM GMT by comparing this person's geographical knowledge against the Web's Original Travel Blog's 2,927,022 travelers who've taken the challenge.

The first time i did the world challenge i got up to level 10 with 357601 points;
the second time up to level 11 with 444278 points.
Have fun :)

A rotting corpse, cheese and fish!

2008-08-09T23:00:00.003+02:00

As a biologist, i have an interest in nature ... D'UH
A very inspiring voice is that of the naturalist Sir David Attenborough
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHaWu2rcP94 (watch the clip, its short but important to understand the rest of this post)
The flower in this movie clip has just been flowering in the National Botanic Garden of Belgium
This i a picture of their page about it (a picture because the page probably won't stay there)

Today I visited the plant, together with Steven (one of my bio-buddies) and Karo.
But as you can see...

We were too late! Better luck next time.
Fortunately there are lot's of other beautifull flowers to be found there.

And Venus Flytraps

A mammoth tree

A castle

And also ... something dangerous ???

Steven seems to like it though ;-)

have a nice day!

The bloggnome is no longer fighting disasters alone!!

2008-08-06T13:15:00.001+02:00

Beware, for i have help now!!

Need help to keep a commitment?

2008-08-05T22:47:00.005+02:00

Everybody has a price ...and if you make a contract with Stickk, you'll pay that price if you fail!
Maybe if i have a little more selfdiscipline, i'll try it ;-)

byebye adsense

2008-08-05T22:47:00.002+02:00

For a few months now Google was placing charity-ads on this blog, because as long as i didn't register myself, they couldn't pay me so no ads of "ordinary" companies would appear ... but i just saw a few normal ads appear here ... using my blog for free then i guess ... so i kicked off AdSense

Go, Herr Christer & Stefmeister, GO!

2008-07-11T23:05:00.003+02:00

I believe in you!
If this kid can find two hours a day to practice ..

There's no time like the present, as far as i know, you only have one life!
xx paul

ps: talent is for losers that aren't willing to do the work ;-)

Good morning from Chicago

2008-07-11T19:35:00.002+02:00

I woke up this "morning" at 3pm, because i didn't went to sleep untill 7 am,
working nights in stead of days on the dissertation,
and somehow xkcd found out what's going on in my life AGAIN ... i really like his comics!! Check em out!!

Newest playlist addition meme: Sungha Jung

2008-06-23T06:29:00.004+02:00

I actually discovered his songs a few days before Andy's songs, but somehow Andy got posted first, maybe this kid is technically not as good as Andy, but maybe that's because he's only 11 years young!!

At first this is the song i liked most:

And then he posted this one:

Very nice, and impressive!

And he's got a channel on Youtube ..
www.youtube.com/user/jwcfree
it's just packed with nice songs he plays !!
and some can be downloaded at hisspace:
www.myspace.com/jungsungha

must go practice my piano now ;-), ciao

It's easier to be an asshole to words than to people

2008-06-18T07:24:00.005+02:00

I've done it, especially when things get a bit emotional, losing touch with reality because of words on a screen and what i made of them in my mind, and i'm sorry!

so as usual, xkcd is right

INTERNET ARGUMENT

Please keep in mind you're dealing with real people.

from: http://xkcd.com/438/

What does an adversity mean to you ??

2008-06-18T05:04:00.002+02:00

Well to Napoleon Hill it means this:
"Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit." – Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
And if I can give you one advice about your mental attitude, it is to incorporate this advice into your character.
I've been working on it for at least half a year now, it's not easy but holds tremendous power when used!
So in stead of tossing and turning and getting upset about spontaneously waking up at half past 4, when i'm trying t get enough sleep to stay awake during studying, i'm using this time to post this here (and satisfy my evergrowing group of fans ;-)), send a few important emails, and come back here to post at least 1 cool thing!
So dear friends, stay tuned, be delighted, and find the good in every bad!

Some music..

2008-05-26T18:46:00.007+02:00

His name is Andy Mckee, and he can play the guitar..

..VERY WELL, i'm a fan!

And apparently a "normal" guitar isn't good enough for him :)

His recordcompany has a channel on Youtube, with a playlist so you can easily listen to a bunch of his songs as backgroundmusic. He's also on hisspace.
(What is that myspace-thing anyway .. :-))

Lookin' for somethin' ?

2008-05-21T10:38:00.002+02:00

"There are two things people want more than sex and money... recognition and praise."
– Mary Kay Ash (1918-2001)

Have a little faith in people, try to understand them before you expect to be understood!

("Newest playlist addition" - meme)

Ridiculously beautiful

2008-05-16T21:37:00.003+02:00

Pictures of toxic nudibranches by David Doubilet at nationalgeographic.com

via PZ

The Ironman Widget

2008-05-04T21:53:00.002+02:00

Watching this movie will be my reward when i hand in the thesis, looks supercool!

Can not get enough of this song ... (newest playlist addition meme)

2008-05-03T00:32:00.006+02:00

... not yet anyway, but I keep liking many songs, so why not this one?

Ok the view is rather ... monotonous, but that just means you can hit "play" and continue surfing in another tab while enjoying the music!

Many thanks to Margo, the inspiration behind http://www.viesta-festival.hyves.nl/, a festival for a new world!
It's a cultural/music festival with a mission to make a difference:
Finding peace within and in the world.
Aiming at individuals for the improvement of well-being and consciousness of the individual and society.

Antwerp

2008-05-01T16:21:00.001+02:00

It's a well know fact that Antwerp in Belgium is the best place in the world, just ask any Antwerpian and he or she will completely confirm that ultimate (almost dogmatic) truth!!

Many many many many (ok you get the point) wonderfull activities are organised here, there's a massive amount of cultural heritage, you'll find the best beers in the world here (and that's definitely not Carlsberg or even worse: Heineken, real Antwerpians/Belgians wouldn't even give that to their dogs, if it would be ok to give beer to your dog)

For instance, here's a nice upcoming activity: a culinary high note

Recently our local television channel held a contest to find the new "Ode to the city" aka "Ode aan't stad" it will not surprise anyone that many candidates showed up with songs about how much we love this wonderfull metropolis, here's two:
Zot van A (in Antwerpian/Antwerpish)
Stad on de beik (in antwerpian)

the first one won, here's the videoclip

De strangers (a local treasure) have a song to praise our wonderfull city
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHIsGTlpcIA
and another one: Antwarpe 'k zien a zoe geire

and here a nice commercial about Antwerp
't stad is van iedereen (in dutch)

this link also ended up in the draft of this post ... don't really know why ... it's in antwerpian ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB2KRXcWx-Y

Antwerp is so wonderfull i could write many posts about it every single day into eternity and beyond. But this will have to do for today. If this post is to big, the internet will probably crash because too many people will want to download too many things about Antwerp at the same time.

See you in Antwerp!

Happy ending!

2008-04-24T20:27:00.002+02:00

May everyone have a happy ending..

Of course the ending preferably later than sooner, the happiness right now, and now, and now, and now, ... every now!

When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.
– Cherokee Expression

back to work ;)

To do - list: walking on fire

2008-04-22T20:12:00.003+02:00

some time ago i made a draft post about this,
and tomorrow i'm going to use it as an example in the Physics-class on heat transfer i'll be teaching

Sure makes you want to try it ... no?

But I seriously would really like to try this, so if anyone wants to join me, i'll have some time this summer! If you don't trust it, just come and watch, there will be party-snacks and drinks!

Teaching physics

2008-04-20T14:43:00.003+02:00

Tomorrow will be the second lesson in physics i'll be teaching as a teacher in training... and this is just what i needed ;-)

via PZ

Language not suited for children, insights not suited for Americans

2008-04-18T00:31:00.001+02:00

Giving more power to the people

2008-04-15T22:43:00.006+02:00

This one comes from the free Public Service adds i'm letting google put on top of my blog.
http://solar-aid.org/

I'm not (yet) absolutely enthousiastic about this one because i'm unsure if the efficiency and durabillity of solar cells already outweigh the cost and pollution that are unavoidable in their production. But if so, I say: GO FOR IT, we really need to stop putting things on fire all around the world.

Is it ... a policecar? .... a firetruck? ... in a hurry? ... No it's ..

2008-04-13T08:20:00.002+02:00

a car driving in traffic...

...without a driver!

Here's PZ's post about it

drive safely!

Happy easter, viral marketing!

2008-04-10T14:17:00.003+02:00

It's small and yellow and you can stomp it with your feet...
... a little chick!

And now for something completely different..

Giving power to the people

2008-04-01T16:25:00.002+02:00

electrical power from something that looks like a yoyo
This makes me wonder if there are fitness centers who save on their electrical bill by using the "wasted" energy of their customers? Anyone?

This i want to read ...

2008-03-28T11:52:00.002+01:00

http://www.gp-field-guide.org.uk/,
Genetic programming is cool!
And someday i hope to use it consciously to fix a problem.
This has just enormous potential to benefit mankind in general!
So it's on the "must read-list"
i'll try and post that list sometime soon because there are really interesting books on there through wich anyone could have a mindexpanding experience!

But now i'm off for a three day seminar to get some issues handled! (Excited!)
To quote David D. "The boy must die in order for the man to live."

May your day be wonderfull!

So far out ... yet daily reality for millions of children

2008-03-26T00:06:00.002+01:00

via PZ

Chaos, the way of the future.

2008-03-20T21:28:00.003+01:00

Today I had a very interesting conversation with Robin Rowley,
I was introduced to him through Leen, a friend of mine, as her lecturer at the Plantijn Hogeschool. Some time ago, when i was talking with her and Tom about my plan for my future, she mentioned him as someone who I should talk to, and she was right.
He's an expert on Communications, Organisation Behaviour & HRM, Entrepeneurship, Strategy and Change Management. And this is exactly the field that's been calling to me for almost half a year now, drawing me away from my present career in biology.
He has also written a book, "Organize with chaos", available at Management Books 2000, of which he was so kind to give me a copy of the previous edition, the new one is just out.

A man's mind stretched to a new idea never goes back to its original dimensions. And this hour he gave me today was certainly a mindstretching experience!

I'm kinda very busy finishing this neverending masterthesis so i'm right now not able to do a lot with the new idea's and insights but this will come soon enough!

As a preparation for this conversation i read this introduction on Chaos and Complexity:
http://complexity.orcon.net.nz/index.html

It's by Victor MacGill, a very interesting person who's website i will discuss soon, but this link from his website was too nice to keep from you:

Which answer will i take today...

2008-03-17T23:14:00.002+01:00

http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/2008/03/07/

Who in this world still cares as long as you can have fries with it?

So many lessons to learn

2008-03-17T23:07:00.004+01:00

http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/2008/03/14/

And if I don't learn this one soon, i'm going to be in a lot of trouble.

be really carefull what you wish for ... part deux

2008-03-17T11:04:00.001+01:00

Nothing comes for free, unless you've prepared yourself and thought things through

Oh no, it's the apocalypse ...

2008-03-17T10:50:00.003+01:00

http://www.viruscomix.com/page433.html

Somehow, this kind of apocalypse doesn't look so bad..
via PZ

Stonehenge reloaded

2008-03-12T18:11:00.003+01:00

There's this guy,
and his name is Wally Wallington
and he does some amazing things!!

Here's his website with explanation

If anyone ever tries to tell you aliens were needed for the construction of the pyramids ... show them Wally's website!

Thanks to Pieter

AdSense

2008-03-10T22:35:00.003+01:00

Hmmm, blogger has been telling me i can make money with my blog if i put banners on it, being curious by nature (and facing a huge mortage) i clicked on it, and for now, as long as i don't really register, "non-commercial" ads are being shown..
I don't make any money of it, but a seemingly worthy cause is drawing attention to itself .. not a bad thing i think!
Let's try it for a while.

Tired

2008-03-10T22:21:00.004+01:00

This morning something (probably myself) woke me at a quarter past 5 and apart from some lingering and turning around, i couldn't sleep anymore so I got up (and posted the previous post among other things)
in the afternoon i slept a few hours because i was just wasted, and now i'm still tired..
Anyway, maybe i should stop whining, bitching and complaining and make some stuff happen!
As Og Mandino says: Those who are weak, wait for opportunities. those who are strong, make them. Opportunities! Your life is full of them.
(i'll post some more thing about Og in the future)
I think i'm going to use this oppotunity of being tired to get some sleep :)

Have a nice day!

Early morning math! A game theoretic approach to the toilet seat problem.

2008-03-10T06:56:00.004+01:00

If you ever find a woman who will agree with the following (really agrees and not just pretends and makes you pay for it in many other ways), let me know!

Necessary disclaimer: I said "agree" not "understand", I know many intelligent women and some of those are even way more intelligent than I am, understanding it is not the issue here. This is really not about intelligence nor is it about logic.

A GAME THEORETIC APPROACH TO THE TOILET SEAT PROBLEM
By Richard Harter

from The Science Creative Quarterly

The toilet seat problem has been the subject of much controversey. In this paper we consider a simplified model of the toilet seat problem. We shall show that for this model there is an inherent conflict of interest which can be resolved by a equity solution.

Consider a bathroom with one omnipurpose toilet (also known as a WC) which is used for two toilet operations which we shall designate as #1 and #2. The toilet has an attachment which we shall refer to as the seat (but see remark 1 below) which may be in either of two positions which we shall designate as up and down.

Toilet operations are performed by members of the human species (see remark 2 below) who fall into two categories, popularly designated as male and female. For convenience we shall use the name John to refer to the typical male and Marsha to refer to the typical female.

The performance of toilet operations by John and Marsha differ in a number of respects. The costs of these operations are peculiar to the respective sexes and are fixed except with respect to the position of the toilet seat. In particular:

Marsha performs toilet operations #1 and #2 with the seat in the down position. John performs toilet operation #1 with the seat in the up position and toilet operation #2 with the seat in the down position. If the seat is in the wrong position before performing the toilet operation the position must be changed at an average cost C. Optionally the position may be changed after performing the toilet operation, also at an average cost C. (Changing the position of the seat during the performance of a toilet operation is beyond the scope of this note and is definitely not recommended.)

Consider the scenario where John and Marsha each use a separate toilet. It should be obvious to the most casual observer that each minimizes the seat position transfer cost by not altering the seat position after performing a toilet operation.

For Marsha the seat position transfer cost is 0 since all operations are performed with the seat in the down position. For John the cost is greater than 0 since seat position transfers must be performed.

Let p be the probability that John will perform a #1 operation vs a #2 operation. Assume that John optimizes his seat position transfer cost (see remark 3 below.) Then it is easy to determine that John’s average cost of seat position transfer per toilet opeation is

B = 2p(1-p)C

where B is the bachelor cost of toilet seat position transfers per toilet operation.

Now let us consider the scenario where John and Marsha cohabit and both use the same toilet. In our analysis we shall assume that John and Marsha perform toilet operations with the same frequency (see remark 4 below) and that the order in which they perform them is random. They discover to their mutual displeasure that their cohabitation adversely alters the toilet seat position transfer cost function for each of them. What is more there is an inherent conflict of interest. Attempts to resolve the problem typically revolve around two strategies which we shall designate as J and M

Strategy J
Each person retains the default strategy that they used before cohabiting. This strategy is proposed by John with the argument “Why does it matter if the seat is up or down?”. As we see below this strategy benefits John.

Strategy M
Each person leaves the seat down. This strategy is proposed by Marsha with the argument “It ought to be down.” As we see below this strategy benefits Marsha.

Consequences of strategy J:
Under strategy J the toilet seat is is in the up position with probability p/2. The respective average cost of toilet seat transfer operations for John and Marsha are:

John: p(3/2-p)C
Marsha: pC/2

The incremental costs (difference between pre and post habitation costs) are:

John: ( p - 1/2)pC
Marsha: pC/2
Total: (p^2)C

John’s incremental cost would actually be negative if p were less than 1/2. This is not the case; p>1/2. Note that Marsha’s incremental cost is greater than John’s for p<1. Marsha objects.

Consequences of strategy M:
In strategy M the seat is always left down. When John performs operation #1 he lifts the seat before the operation and lowers it after the operation. The respective average cost of toilet seat transfer operations is:

John: 2pC
Marsha: 0

The incremental costs are:

John: 2(p^2)C
Marsha: 0
Total: 2(p^2)C

In these strategy Marsha bears no cost; all of the incremental costs are borne by John. John objects. Note also that the combined incremental cost of strategy M is greater than that of strategy J.

It is notable that John and Marsha each advocates a strategy that benefits them. This is predictable under game theory. However the conflict over strategies has a cost M in marital discord that is greater than the cumulative cost of toilet seat transfers. It behooves John and Marsha, therefore, to adopt a strategy that minimizes M.

This is not simple. A common reaction is to advance sundry arguments to justify adopting strategy M or J. All such arguments are suspect because they are self serving (and often accompanied with the “If you loved me” ploy.) A sound strategy is one that is equitable and is seen to be equitable. In this regard there are three candidate criteria:

(1) Minimize the joint total cost
(2) Equalize the respective total costs
(3) Equalize the respective incremental costs

The argument for (1) is that John and Marsha are now as one and it is the joint costs and benefits of the union that should be considered. This principle is not universally accepted. It is readily seen that (see remark 5) that the joint total cost is optimized by strategy J which has already been seen to be suspect.

Criterion (2) seems plausible. It requires, however, that Marsha put the seat in the up position after performing a toilet operation some percentage of the time. No instance of this behaviour has ever been observed in recorded history; ergo this criterion can be ruled out. (But see remark 6.)

Criterion (3) argues that the mututal increased cost of toilet seat operations should be shared equitably, i.e., neither party should bear a disproportionate share of the costs of cohabitation. A short calculation reveals that criterion (3) can be achieved if John leaves the seat up after performing toilet operation #1 with a frequency

f = (2p-1)/p

Since the value of p is seldom precisely measured and is variable in any event it suffices to use an approximate value of f. If we assume that p=2/3 then f=1/2. This suggests the following convenient rule of thumb:

In the morning John leaves the seat up after performing #1.
In the evening he puts it down.

This rule may not be precise but it is simple and approximately equitable; moreover the use of a definite rule sets expectations. The seat is put down in the evening to avoid the notorious “middle of the night surprise”.

I expect that this analysis should settle the toilet seat controversey for once and for all - if John and Marsha are mathematicians.

* * *

Remark 1: The toilet has an additional attachment called the toilet seat lid which can only be down if the toilet seat is down. When the lid is down the toilet is (or should be) non-functional for toilet operations. Some persons maintain the toilet seat lid in the down position when the toilet is not use. For these persons the analysis in this note is moot. Such persons pay a fixed cost in seat movement for all toilet operations.

Remark 2: Toilets are also used by domestic animals as a convenient source of drinking water unless the lid is down. (See remark 1)

Remark 3: Experimental evidence suggests that almost all bachelors optimize the seat transfer cost, the exception being those who put the seat up after performing a #2 operation.

Remark 4: Folklore has it that Marsha performs more toilet operations than John, hypothetically because of a smaller bladder. John, however, drinks more beer. We shall not discuss his prostate problem.

Remark 5: “Readily seen” in this context means “It looks obvious but I don’t know how to prove it; you figure it out.”

Remark 6: The toilet lid solution is to put the toilet lid down after all toilet operations. This solution imposes a cost of 2C on each party and is accordingly more expensive. It is, however, more esthetic. It also eliminates the “doggy drinking” problem.

* * *

(REPRINTED FROM ISSUE ONE, MAY 23rd, 2005)

Richard Harter is an eclectic auto-didact, a man of letters and software. By turns a mathematician, a software maven, and an entrepeneur, he has retired to the wilds where he tends his garden and his web site. He has a keen interest in science, the philosophy of science, and science fiction, and professes to have the wit not to confuse the three

Let's walk

2008-03-07T10:55:00.004+01:00

Because of the course in mindfulness i'm following, i'm experimenting with mindful walking.
Focussing on the legs, the shift of balance that accompanies every step, focussing on the hips, sometimes using a mantra to accompany the different steps, etc

But sometimes i just walk like these guys ;)

So that's how it works ..

2008-03-05T17:22:00.002+01:00

Just recently a few friends (Chris, Zeno, Lotte and Karo) explained to me the game that when you see a yellow car, and if you see it first, you can punch the person next you you ...
I thought it was a silly game ... but that's just because they didn't explain it fully !!

Luckily xkcd comes through once more

If you have some time to spare ... or need a laugh :)

2008-03-02T17:39:00.002+01:00

A few vids from monty Python and some parodies.
danku pieter voor de tip

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, so true

2008-03-01T22:58:00.002+01:00

(http://assets.gva.be/Albums/GvA/Cartoons/slides/070509K.asp)

For those whose dutch urgently needs improving, a translation:

Title: The Netherlands are considering a ban on alcohol for people below 18

Male Officer: He was trying to make beer by boiling the water from the central heating system together with the dirty underwear of his grandparents.
Female officer: But that's actually not illegal ...
Male Officer: Heineken accused him of industrial espionage.

(Heineken is a really terrible beer when you compare it to just about every Belgian beer, but somehow they managed to merchandise it all around the world, despite the fact that it's just a disgusting excuse for beer.)

911 call

2008-02-29T22:11:00.003+01:00

Found it on Sigmund, Carl & Alfred
I don't know what else is on that blog, I just went there today for the first time, via a link @ Pinks, i'll check out some of the rest at that blog later

auch, this one is dark ..

2008-02-29T13:17:00.001+01:00

a bee

The power of Wii

2008-02-27T17:54:00.004+01:00

ok this guy has been doing some amazing things with some "everyday" materials,

In this video he creates an interactive whiteboard ... this opens some really cool teaching perspectives !!

Here's his website with all his projects, check it out!

(Via Steven)

Hey ... I like oranges

2008-02-26T14:42:00.004+01:00

but i admit, i usually use a small knife to start peeling them

but they should be next to the pineapple!

via xkcd

A parade of super heroes

2008-02-25T15:18:00.002+01:00

If you have some time ...
http://www.thesuperest.com/

please please watch 'em all by starting at the first hero

(via PZ)

Lio vs. Disney: 1-0

2008-02-24T15:39:00.003+01:00

this one has insects in it :-)

You'll find a link to Lio's comics-page in my links section,
Update: I'm also putting the picture up here because after a while they seem to be removed from the website

9 words women use

2008-02-24T11:15:00.003+01:00

2 days ago Lotte, a good friend of mine, sent me this chain e-mail, thanx for the advice :)

1. Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.
2. Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.
3. Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.
4. Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!
5. Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)
6. That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.
7. Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or Faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she says "Thanks a lot" - that is pure sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. Do not say "you're welcome" ... that will bring on a "whatever").
8. Whatever: Is a women's way of saying F@!k you!
9. Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking "What's wrong?" For the woman's response refer to # 3.

* Send this to the men you know, to warn them about arguments they can avoid if they remember the terminology.
* Send this to all the women you know to give them a good laugh, cause they know it's true.

Bodyscan ... just another way for falling asleep ??

2008-02-23T12:47:00.002+01:00

Wednesday i think i actually fell asleep before i started .. it's all a bit unclear.
Thursday i tried it twice, didn't get past the left foot (the very beginning after the "slowing down"-intro).
Yesterday i tried it with my eyes open but again somewhere at the left foot I fell asleep ..
Today I'm going to try it in the afternoon, with my eyes open, maybe that will get me farther into the excercise.
Needless to say it's going to need a lot of practice!
Or maybe i really need to sleep more :)

Mindfullness session 2

2008-02-20T18:31:00.003+01:00

yesterday I had the second mindfullness session,
the largest part of the session compromised of a bodyscan
(dutch explanation)
and this was so relaxing that somewhere halfway I felt asleep until the girl next to me nudged me because i was breathing heavily (no, NOT snoring)
as an excercise i now have to do this every day until the next session on tuesday

if you want to know more about mindfulness, just google, it's a hot topic these days

Viva Pachelbel

2008-02-16T13:19:00.003+01:00

There's a song that i can almost play on the piano,
it's the Canon by Johann Pachelbel.
Rob Paravonian has made a funny standup act about it,
go to http://www.youtube.com/user/paravonian
and then click on "Pachelbell Rant"

his "The Friends Theme and Sugar Ray" is also great!

october --> february

2008-02-16T12:45:00.002+01:00

Some main points that have happened since last time.
Hopefully i'll find a time in the future to elaborate on each of them.

For now i'm still working with people in retirement homes for the University project.

When that's over i'm going to finish my teacher's ed, i still have to do the practical part, 20 hours of actual teaching.

From 3/2/2008 through 10/2/2008 i've been hiking through the French Jura.
It was great!
a report (in dutch) with some pictures can be found here

Last tuesday was the first session of a training in Mindfullness i'm following. Very interesting sofar!

And today is the first day of the rest of my life!

hi there

2008-02-16T11:48:00.004+01:00

4 months since the last post ...
I guess the largest part that kept me away are the dark clouds of the still unfinished master's thesis, the real world. Because if i can find the time to post something here, i could also finish an urgently needed extra paragraph.

And it's not that i just didn't write anything here, i used to frequent a few blogs on almost a daily basis and that has also stopped.

A few times i've been very tempted to write something here, always at moments of an emotional crisis.
And today, with the master's thesis still unfinished (but that's not the reason), i've just hit a small emotional rock-bottom, so here i am, hoping that writing here, sending words into the great open plains of the internet, will somehow help me cope with what i'm dealing with right now. And guess what, it's already very slightly helping to put things in perspective.

So i'm goning to post a few things, an update about me and some posts that have been lingering in the draft folder.

and thanks Scary, for the christmas greetings, apparently you've laid your blog to rest ... may your stompyness continue whereverer you go!

with love,
paulus

Scary Monster's Scary thang

2007-10-12T16:11:00.000+02:00

over 2 months ago, Scary (see blogroll) did an interview and asked his many readers if they were interested in answering five of his questions and i agreed, so here and now, with some delay are Scary's questions and my answers.

Scary: English is not your milk tongue. What are some of the problems you encounter with an English language site?

Blogkabouter: Well English is indeed not my native language but i'm confident in saying that i understand no less of it than the average educated native english speaker (and probably more). Because of my biology studies i have to read a lot of english (and some french and german) specialised scientific literature and i rarely have to pick up a dictionary to translate something. I guess that local dialects would form an obstacle but i really can't think of recent problems i encountered with English language sites. I like your monster-english bye the way, it's very down to earth!

an anecdote: Years ago when i was visiting Paris with my parents and sister, some american tourist asked me for some information and afterwards they asked me "What part of the states are you from?" (yeps, they had no idea where Belgium was :)) So it's also safe to say that my active spoken english is also at an average level for a native speaker.

Scary: How determined are you to follow your course of studies into the “real world”? What Me means is, when after you graduate from university and you get the chance to choose between two jobs. One pays less money, but the work is doing what you like to do, the other pays considerably more, but has nothing to do with your studies. Which one would you choose?

Blogkabouter: First of all my graduation has been postponed for another year because the master's thesis didn't get finished in time. And now i'm combining finishing the thesis with working 3 and 1/2 days a week for a friend of mine who is an MD PhD leading a research project about the immune response to the influenza vaccin of old people in retirement homes. My job consists mainly of going to the homes and interviewing the people and making sure the requirements for the study are met. This has nothing to do whatsoever with biology or the environment (which i obviously am very passionate about) but i find this very interesting, the paycheck is ok and i get to spend allmost all of my working hours talking to other people or performing small harmless tests on them, something i don't mind doing at all.
I'm not only passionate about biology, i'm passionate about life and people!
So it really depends if the job that pays considerably more but has nothing to do with my studies, is interesting and morally defendable. Especially in the coming years, with a substantial loan payment that has to be paid every month, financial security is somewhat of an issue.
In the end i'm happy doing anything that helps to make the world a better place, be it the management of a natural reserve in Costa Rica or being in an information department helping people figuring out how to file their taxes.

Scary: What is the strangest/ most dangerous situation you have ever been in?

Blogkabouter: Traffic is dangerous. In Belgium it kills about three people every day and many more around the world.
The two incidents that come to mind right are:
Some A-hole running a red light when we were on vacation in Florida some 7 years ago, he almost chrashed right into us.
And the other one is in Tanzania, a little over one year ago. Picture yourself a narrow road in the mountains, one lane for every direction and naturally a canyon on one side and a wall of rocks on the other. I was sitting in the first bus of our 2-busses convoy and we just nearly missed a 10 ton truck rolling down the mountain who was passing another vehicle.
In Belgium there also have been several dangerous moments but i can't really remember any. Maybe i try to forget about them as soon as possible because after all, that's the traffic i venture into every morning ..

Scary: Your favorite food? Were talking about eatin it almost every single day and not gettin sick of it.

Blogkabouter: Chinese Dim sum's (ok they have over 100 kinds at our local chinatown so it's hard to get tired of them :)). I've learned to choose good ones from my Sifu, so if anybody is interested in buying me dinner in exchange for my guidance through the menu, you're most welcome!
And if i'm not too busy i'll probably join you for free if you ask nicely ;)

Scary: What is the dumbest thing you have ever done/said?

Blogkabouter: Well one thing i've never forgotten is a vivid discussion with some friends of mine about having to perform a tracheotomy in case of an emergency. The problem is that i had started it with a tracheotomy in mind but somehow i was using the word "vasectomy".
Some of them had to understand quite well what was going on but I was talking so enthousiastically that nobody dared to intervene and correct my mistake

Thank you scary for the questions and my apologies for the late reply, i could have gotten around to doing this a lot sooner.

Okay here is YOUR chance!!! Do YOU fear an interview by De Blogkabouter?

Interview rules:
1. Leave me a comment saying “Do me Blogkabouter".
2. I will respond by commenting back on your blog with your five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with a post containing your the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

what time-zone am i in anyway ???

2007-10-06T10:52:00.000+02:00

let's see, right now it's almost 11 o'clock in the morning and the timestamp of this post is ...

6 fracking 15 am

2007-10-06T08:10:00.000+02:00

oh dear,
can someone please take the needles out of my "sleeping late at saturday"-voodoo doll, this time it was my stomach that woke me up and i still have a headache (okok, there was some alcohol consumption yesterday-evening, but nothing excessive: 2 glasses of white wine, a mojito and a long island ice tea)

anyway, at least now i have some time to spend in the blogosphere, so i'm not complaining (complaining doesn't do any good anyway, AHA thank you paul for yet another wise life-lesson :))
There's just always so little time: working (yeps, i'm working for 70% as technical personnel for a research project @ the university), finishing the master's thesis and painting walls and ceilings and ceilings and walls, and corners, whenever i get home.

soooooo let's post something that should have been posted a few months ago and see if i can hang around here a few more times a week!

8 fracking 15 am

2007-09-29T09:08:00.001+02:00

there's this cool online store,
www.megagadgets.nl, where i ordered a few items on monday (gifts, so i won't mention what they are until they are received by the future owners)
this morning they were delivered ... on a saturday @ 8.15 am ... let me say that again: on a SATURDAY @ EIGHT FIFTEEN in the MORNING

sigh, ofcourse i'm making the best of it and using this extra time to write something here while i'm listening to my brand new cd by Milow my good friends of "The Flash (c)" bought me last week, and thus getting more out of this new and wonderful day :)

it's just that i kinda needed the sleep, this whole week has been a sleeping disaster (waking up in the middle of the night, disturbing dreams, etc)

so next week i'm going to pay extra super special attention to sleeping and will get enough sleep for a change, i need it

LIO

2007-09-11T00:02:00.002+02:00

Hehe, LIO is a funny comic,
somehow i think i would have gone for the lion though

Update: Well it seems the comic is no longer available ...
As far as i remember, Lio emptied a stuffed animal (not a lion, but there was a stuffed lion in the cartoon) and put himself inside, so that a girl he liked would use the stuffed animal and hug him indirectly.
Why the lion? I just happened to know a girl who has a lion as a stuffed animal :)

horse and carriage

2007-09-09T22:36:00.000+02:00

another nice thing i did today:
thank you Isabelle for the ride you gave me and Joris & Goedle through the city-center of Antwerp this morning, it was fun!!
And it's certainly an idea to keep in mind !!

Although this morning wasn't particularly romantic (not at all if i might add), this post qualifies none the less as romantic idea #00003 (allright i'm almost at #10)

Annual pai-party

2007-09-09T20:43:00.000+02:00

Today it was the annual birthdayparty of the Kungfu-school and of our sifu.
As usual the menu was impossibly good for the mere €30 we paid!
sweet sweet chinese culinary highlights :)
There was a cool acrobatic performance of the unicorn-dance and several funny sketches by the older student, one sketch looked suspiciously like this one:

the only difference was that our moose took revenge :)

Absynthe Minded vs. Milow

2007-09-09T19:48:00.001+02:00

This Friday I went to a concert at the Openluchttheater Rivierenhof,
(together with Wouter, Joris, Goedle, Steven & Karo and my sister)
Absynthe Minded and Milow were playing, Milow was better, MUCH better!
Their bis-song was a translated version of Mia by Gorki, VERY nice !!

Played at Rock Werchter:

and their hit-song You don't know

Before friday i hadn't even heared of Absynthe Minded and now i know why, after Milow's happy tunes they managed to get me all down with their melancholic depressing wishy-washy music, there were nice songs, but overall i didn't like 'em

in the break between the two gigs we could enjoy the fireworks they were shooting very nearby at the annual fireworksfestival, this international fireworks contest continues for another two weeks, so friday 14 and 21 sept 2007 there will be more fireworks, the best in the world ;)
if anybody wants to go, i might have time to go so just let me know !!

This contest is an annual event by the way, something to keep in mind !!

right, i was also disgusted

2007-09-09T19:16:00.000+02:00

First of all,
Transformers started 27 minutes later than the time printed on my ticket,
27 minutes of my life wasted with commercials and trailers of movies I don't want to see
From the early days of Metropolis i remember the movies strating late, but somehow i thought that in recent times they started to show more respect for the viewers, or maybe that's because i usually went to the UGC were the movies approximately start when they are supposed to,
anyway, frack you metropolis for stealing my 27 minutes, and goodbye, unless i have some more free tickets, ill be seeing my movies at UGC

And before i talk you to sleep, there's more, some of the trailers they showed were inappropriate according to myself,
agreed i may be more sensitive than average, but the trailer of Disturbia and some other movie with mutated zombies and bruce willis in it, were in my opinion absolutely NOT suitable to be viewed by the two 10 year old children sitting in the row behind me who came to see transformers

but just now i did some searching and from the description of disturbia i translate:
"It's an uneasy thriller who doesn't hesitate to end up as a raw slasher-movie. People who don't like blood splashing aroud are warned."
And here in belgium it's rated "all ages" ...
It's probably because the age limit stopped applying for me around ten years ago that i didn't pay attention to it ... but how is it possible that such a movie doesn't have a +16 rating ...
I felt uneasy during the trailer .. i don't even want to think about what a 13 year old goes through when he sees the entire movie

waauw, i AM getting old here :-) turning 26 last tuesday apparently has it effects ;)

The good old days - Transformers

2007-08-26T23:35:00.000+02:00

I am both delighted and disgusted,
here comes the delight, the disgust is for the next post

i remeber very well playing with transformers when i was about 8 years old (and maybe a little older), they where obviously amzing and fantastic things AND you could see them on television

and for a few months now, the movie they made of it has been playing in theaters all over the wordl
today i finally went and saw it, i just had to see this movie but had postponed seeing it because of my master's thesis

i think the movie was .... supertransformitastic!!! i was completely swept away by it (and maybe just a little by megan fox... pffff), subtle references to the series and just awesome special effects!
just WAAUW, i was delighted

if you haven't seen him yet, go and see him! you have my personal guarantee that i liked it

and here you can find the theme from ye olde days
via notes to myself

i'm back

2007-08-25T02:28:00.000+02:00

waauw, somehow i found the discipline to stay away from blogging and almost from reading other blogs, to work on my master's thesis,
the deadline was 38.5 hours ago..
and i didn't make it,
which means that i'm going to work on it some more and finish it but it will only be evaluated in june 2008 ...

so or i'm going to use this year to or get an extra degree in environmental sciences or work in a lower payment level ... money isn't everything, but it sure helps to pay them bills

scary, grunt and pinks, i'll be stopping by real soon to comment my ass of so hold on to your fiery breath, health and pinkiness!

PZ

2007-07-18T13:59:00.000+02:00

Pharyngula is the blog run by Paul Myers, also known as PZ.
I started reading his blog on a regular basis around november 2005.
He describes the blog as "Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal" and if you automatically asume that a liberal is funny it's a complete and correct description.
He posts about biology and the latest insane stuff the creationist have repackaged and are trying to sell to the world once more (unfortunately their actions are welcomed by many).
His blog definitely makes an interesting read and i find myself most of the time greatly appreciating -but not always agreeing with- his viewpoints on many things.
So go and give him a try if you have the time, if you don't, here's an idea to ease the pain:
Regularly he also posts funny things that i sometimes put up here.
Starting right now (and especially foy you, you, me and you) i'm going to make a category out of it, just another place on the web were nice links are to be found.
So here you have a few recent ones (with comments ;)):

#1 I'm no expert on religion but what i personally find very disturbing are religious suicide terrorists ...
Throughout history millions of people have put their life on the line to defend protect or save their family, home, city and country. Or at times even more noble, to simply help another human being. And i obviously respect that and hope that when it is needed i will have the courage to take part in it.
But here you have a segment of people who are fighting/killing in the name of their God and don't mind dying because there's always the afterlife...
Once you believe in it, i can understand that they go through with it, it's the ones who stay behind and make the promises about the afterlife that are the real evildoers!! And they probably even have ulterior political (power hungry a-holes) or financial motives.
Anyway, here's the link
(The ending might be a little tasteless, blaming the accident on the victims is well .. a special kind of humor.)

#2 Pie doesn't have tentacles!!
Well ok .. i agree, but here's a funny story anyway :)

#3 a special kind of science...
If i tried anything even remotely like this in a paper or in the masters' thesis i'd be in BIG trouble, luckily reporters don't have to measure what they do against any kind of standards (nor common sense)

what to do with your brand new i-phone ??

2007-07-16T23:55:00.000+02:00

why not try and make something tasty out of it?

from the guys/girls at http://www.willitblend.com/, they've blended a few other things, you can go and go check it out, i didn't
personally i think it's one of the more original ways to promote a product :)
most commercials just make me feel .. well .. ashamed for the makers and for those influenced by it, but maybe also for the network stations who ultimately could maintain high standards for commercials ...

via PZ

Destination - EXTREME Japan

2007-07-14T13:11:00.000+02:00

Sadly i'm going to need too much time for the master's thesis to be able to go to Spitsbergen this summer ...
sigh,
we even had a website about our trip
But finishing my year is simply a million times more important, i really have to finish the mater's thesis, it's really sad, but it's the right thing to do

Anyway, where should you go on a holiday ??

My Score: Extreme Japan
I scored 51% culture, 61% social, 63% activity, and 69% adventure!

You want it all. The great thing is, in the Land of the Rising Sun, you can HAVE it all. Japan has a rich culture that goes back thousands of years. But did you know that along with enriching your mind, you can also get your adrenaline going? How about climbing Mount Fuji, sea kayaking around the Noto Peninsula, surfing, diving, rafting, paragilding, horseback riding or cycling among unique scenery and terrain. If you go in a group, this will give you a great chance to form relationships easily with others on the tour and having more friends around will make the whole experience all the more rewarding and memorable. You can then balance out your adventures with some Japanese theatre or exploring the exciting markets and city streets. You may have never considered such a destination, but maybe you have learned something. If you had fun dreaming about where you might go, don't forget to rate my test. Thanks!

Link: The Where Should YOU Travel Test written by thinkandcome on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

If only i knew someone from Japan to tell me where to go ... ;)

This explains a lot

2007-07-12T08:47:00.000+02:00

PZ links to this,
maybe i should print it and hang it on my wall ...

weird plants

2007-07-06T20:05:00.000+02:00

Happy Birthday Johan!!
May your life become even better than is already has been!
And thanks for the tip that lead to this post!

The movie is made by http://www.1st-ave-machine.com/
It's their project named "sixes last" and if you click on it you can choose "view quicktime"

for those who are afraid of looking for the right link on the website, here's an easy shortcut to the same footage albeit in poor quality

but eyes and rotating elements in plants ??
exobiology or computer animation ..

well eyes aren't that impossible in living things but evolving something like that in earth plants ... not very likely in any reasonable time-frame and probably a few evolutionary re/constraints are going to prevent it
but recalling the evolution-course i followed once, rotating things are quite impossible because the wires would snap: veins, nerves etc ... would not survive it

Do you want to know more? An article by Richard Dawkins on the subject

Here are a few shorter remarks about the lack of wheels in animals, but the Dawkins piece is much better.

and that's that

2007-06-28T06:31:00.001+02:00

yesterday i had the last exam-thingie, i think everything went well (the entire series) and now all that's left is the master's thesis ...
let's just say it's going to need some work, a small massive amount of mork to be more somewhat exactly precise

while i go work on it some more,
maybe you and you and you can take a look at some of Weird al Yankovic 's song on youtube, his parodies are so cool :) !!
like this one i just saw:

update: embedding has been disabled

he has much better parodies that which i euhm ... certainly do NOT have downloaded in mp3 format in my criminal past, so I well .... well i just now they exist ;)

sorry tom

2007-06-18T23:22:00.001+02:00

especially for the grunt who's not feeling all to well, some funny t-shirts that can put a smile on your face

this one's really funny if you show it to someone named tom

they have many other funny ones, these are the funniest in my humble opinion:
evolution of life painfully true
no strings eum .. true
dikfore :)
shit happens tetris is cool
beards also true
amish driving causes global warming
second amendment the best one :)

Patient is the mother of the carefull porcelain rhinoceros

2007-06-06T08:09:00.000+02:00

just trust me on that quote,
it's a translation of an aggregation of several dutch proverbs that came to be in my mind this morning, just trust me on it

especially for this post the posting category 'weirdness' was established,
want more weirdness?
try this wwweirdness
or maybe this webweirdness
or possibly even weirdness.org
some semi-random google results for weirdness,
i really really really don't have any time to check out those websites right now so unlike my other posts i'm not really taking responsibility of what may be found there, seems weird? well it is
have a nice week!

Why France is better that the US

2007-05-27T09:42:00.000+02:00

but Belgium is even better, just too small to get noticed :)

Via Pharyngula

Old forests are cut down and turned into toilet paper ...

2007-05-26T08:59:00.000+02:00

... and still all the toilets are always out of paper ...
this and many other sad or silly stuff are things we all complain about sooner or later in this amazing life.
Some of the complaints are absolutely justified and should really be dealt with, but in the mean time, why not make a song about it?
I just love the concept :)
PZ links to this: The Helsinki Complaints Choir

It's not an all to new concept (a few years at least), but it's the first time (that i can remember) that i encoutered something like this.
First i thought that maybe it was a 'normal' song in finnish and that someone had placed clever subtitles underneath it, with a different meaning (who would notice but the Finnians?)
But apparently they really are a 'complaint choir' and there are others:
Birmingham:

Canada:

and even more but you'll have to look for them yourselves
(post them in the commments if you want)
have a nice day!

be really carefull what you wish for ...

2007-05-24T23:42:00.003+02:00

One more day
a Puppy for my soul
exactly the kind of humor needed to get that previous post as most recent post
zarflax, a few post ago was also from The Perry Bible Fellowship, there are many very funny comics to be found over there
sweet irony :)
i don't get this one though ... but maybe that's because I already have an X-wing

have a very good day, every single one of you

What can I say?

2007-05-21T11:42:00.000+02:00

She's every minute of my everyday.

Next to becoming bearable, it's also almost a line from Everything, by Michael Buble, the song I woke up with this morning (thank you 4FM) and of course it's stuck in my head now.
It's nice, listen to it, if you can handle that much romantic atmosphere :)
or watch it! Apparantly Bono and Whoopie Goldberg are featured in the clip (so what? ;))

This is romantic post #00002 by the way, but putting that in the title would have ruined the rhyme between the title and the first sentence :)

ok back to reality, this must be the craziest day in months!

bye bye bad-boy-reputation

2007-05-20T12:50:00.000+02:00

You Are 74% Pure

You're pretty pure, and you have no plans on changing that.
You do have a devilish side though... and it will probably get the better of you.

The 100 Question Purity Test

but i do have plans to change at least a few things, if i'm not too busy that is

The Convenientest Truth

2007-05-19T11:53:00.000+02:00

Just now i found a parody by Stephen Colbert on 'An inconvenient truth'
An excellent opportunity to pull my post on Stephen Colbert out of the drafts and into the realm of visible posts.

Feeling down, in need of a laugh (I know i am from time to time), looking for a (short) break away from work, ...
I've already pointed out Ricky Gervais and Eddie Izzard and if you encounter any more names, there must be dozens of great stand-up comedy acts available online, give me a sign!

A minor problem with the ones i've already shown to you is that reasonably quick you've seen everything there is to find from them on youtube, googlevideo, ..
(but some of them i can watch over and over again)
If you're looking for a virtually endless supply of funny and at times absolutely hilarious videoclips..
(he/she who has the time to see them all needs to get a life or a job or a girl/boyfriend, or when you girls are tired of boyfriends, a manfriend like me ;))

I know at the moment of only one place to send you:
Go to www.comedycentral.com and search for Stephen Colbert with his show "The Colbert Report"

I think he's fairly unknown here in Belgium, some extra info:
His personality, insight and overall rightness could only lead to The Colbert Report, a half-hour nightly platform for him to give his take on the issues of the day, and, more importantly, to tell you why everyone else's take is just plain wrong.

His somewhat biggest thing is his speech at the White House Correspondent's Dinner in 2006, making fun of President Bush when he's just sitting a few metres away !
I couldn't find the whole speech in a separate movie but it's a part of this movie which contains the entire dinner.
Don't let it load completely, just jump to:
a) Stephen (begins at 50 minutes)
and b) Bush's speech with Steve Bridges (impersonator) saying what bush is thinking is also very funny (begins at 38 minutes, see this first if you'll watch both of them)
It's worthy of your time!

Evolution, or is it evilution?

2007-05-17T16:52:00.000+02:00

The Simpsons

Family Guy

South Park

Hmm, the south park movie doesn't work and i can't find a new link, too bad

Silly me, worrying about not getting STD's

2007-05-15T17:42:00.000+02:00

this kinda put's them in perspective:
sex in space

Not to belittle STD's, certainly not but well this is just ... damn
Just be careful where you put your thing in :)
(STD's = SOA's for the dutch-speaking non-native english speakers amongst my many readers)

Eddie Izzard and language

2007-05-12T15:12:00.000+02:00

Someone who can always bring a smile to my face, simply great stuff.

Practical REpost # zero zero one - Cheap books

2007-05-12T14:53:00.000+02:00

Went to the www.boekenfestijn.com this beforenoon, if you didn't already know about it and whish you could have joined me there (or just go by yourself because you actually don't like me and spend your time searching this blog for things to (ab)use against me), i'm not to blame
so I bought only one book for myself, the rest were gifts or general household usefullnessies
anyway, hurry up if you haven't already been there,it closes at 6 and tomorrow there's another chance, for next year is an eternity away from today

sigh, just to make sure: i know 'beforenoon' isn't an english word, but ist should be!! Just like beforemorning (sleepy-time) and afterevening (again sleepy-time) already are.

PILLOWFIGHT !!!!!

2007-05-05T20:18:00.000+02:00

So last tuesday there was a Flash Mob Pillowfight in Antwerp, where I of course went to, last week's post was no bluff.
I went there with my sister and Nathalie who we joined at the scene, not only was Nathalie there to have fun but also to promote herself as a candidate for miss belgian beauty (VOTE!).

Me and Nathalie, ready to fight

hitting girls ... no problem (women are people too!)

but only if they are prepared to strike back of course

my sister was very happy by the way for getting the chance to hit Axel Daeseleire, a very famous belgian actor :)

(picture from www.kussengevecht.be, by Goldface)

man i can hardly wait untill the next pillowfight!!
as soon as I know of one i will post it here so next time you can all join me :)

update:
another pic by Goldface,
my sister's left of the middle, looking down

The good old days - MacGyver

2007-05-04T07:07:00.000+02:00

Wandering through youtube i encountered this:
(don't worry, he smiles when he's finished)

yes i certainly was a fan of MacGyver, 'intelligent' en not all too violent, like programs for children should be
and i'm now looking foor the sheet music, so i can learn to play it on the piano of course

also found this

and this

you can always count on the simpsons and family guy to bring down your idols down to earth :)

One word answers - meme

2007-05-02T12:04:00.000+02:00

Via Jules,
where i went because she commented @ Grunt Ahoy!

You can only type one word answers. Sometimes not as easy as you might think. Suit up, people! Challenge is ON!! And everybody is tagged.

1. Where is your cell phone? Here
2. Your boy/girlfriend or husband/wife? missing
3. Your hair? brown
4. Your mother? Warmhearted
5. Your father? Old
6. Your favorite thing? missing
7. Your dream last night? early
8. Your favorite drink? woodberries
9. Your dream car? environment-friendly
10. The room you're in? dark
11. Your ex? forgiven
12. Your fears? intimacy
13. Where do you want to be in 10 years? Rainforest
14. Who did you hang out with yesterday? sister
15. What you're not? indifferent
16. Muffins? many
17. One of your wish list items? love
18. Where you grew up? Antwerp
19. The last thing you did? email
20. What are you wearing? Jammies
21. Your TV? flat
22. Your pet? dead
23. Your computer? slow
24. Your life? moving
25. Your mood? improving
26. Missing? Sex
28. Your car? clean
29. Your work? student
30. Your summer? adventurous
31. Like someone? yes
32. Your favorite color? Blue
33. When is the last time you laughed? yesterday
34. Last time you cried? Thursday
35. School? humongous workload

learn the rules and then break at least one ;)

update: did another one in the comments

creationist madness

2007-04-30T11:47:00.000+02:00

this is just sooo wrong on so many levels

(via Mike the Mad Biologist)

and yes, arguments like this are used in churches to convince people evolution is wrong

The conditions and timeframe of the peanutbutter jar, or anything else produced by the food industry, are nowhere near the conditions of primordial soup where life could evolve (although i bought this one thing in the chinese supermarket a few years ago that got pretty close).

And even if life would have evolved in the jar ... something no biologist that understands anything about the theory would ever consider saying ... you wouldn't be able to see it, it would be microscopically small and you'd eat it without ever knowing it (like those eight spider a year in your sleep).
So may i now suggest an in depth examination of everything found in all the stores around the globe, at x hours per item ...

sigh

here's another one (or are they joking, don't know)
that's debunked quite easily

update: why do i torture myself in watching things like this
feeling sick

Beauty - sea creatures

2007-04-30T08:31:00.000+02:00

David Attenborough rules!
"The vampire squid .. from Hell", nobody uses sentences like that only to say "bioluminescent bacteria" a few seconds later :)

via the park bench
where i took a seat thanks to N@ked under my lab coat
where i ended up thanx to PZ

sometime i feel sad, there are just so infinitely much more things to discover in blogs alone than I will ever be able to discover,
but it's ok, i'm gratefull for what i do discover
meeting real people is important too :)

Wanna hit me with something?

2007-04-28T17:29:00.000+02:00

if you're anywhere near Antwerp, Belgium, on the first of May 2007,
bring a pillow and you will have your chance, only if you're prepared to except a pillow beating in return of course ;)
a pillow, why?
because there will be a pillowfight
spread the word and see you there

update: ok i should really start spreading the adress of this blog to some friends of mine, not too many (local) readers yet

human evolution

2007-04-28T12:26:00.000+02:00

allright, nice one (scroll right)
wouldn't it be nice if some more stuff like this could be found in city's
i wouldn't mind
(and it doesn't have to be science related, just nice)

via Pharyngula

Romantic ideas #00001

2007-04-28T09:52:00.000+02:00

It's all about emotions, sharing strong emotions creates bonds between people.
Now beware, this one might not be a good idea on a first date, and it's not for the weak-minded, but for the average western european (or member of other "civilised" country) it should be a strong experience :)
so you go a restaurant and order this:

ok, maybe you won't find this in that nice place around the corner, i'm guessing you'll have to find your local koreatown/chinatown

via Pharyngula

not convinced??? apparently all you have to do to like it .. is try it

and as an extra bonus you can speak korean instantly, so what are you waiting for!

Plastic

2007-04-27T18:29:00.002+02:00

Science has found that there is 6 times more plastic by weight in some areas of the ocean than naturally occuring plankton. There is a lack of investigation on the effects on hormone disruption and the endocrine system of marine life. If there are disruptions in the reproductive cycles of certain fish for instance, this could be a devastating extra pressure on economically important fish species that are already being overfished.

So...consider the implications each time you take a plastic bag at the shop....
where does it end up .. why are we using plastic packing that lasts for decades to transport things we're going to eat within days ??

And here's a nice educational website for children on keeping the oceans clean.
http://www.keepoceansclean.org/home/

ducks, without the u and then backwards ...

2007-04-26T19:15:00.000+02:00

get's you to www.xkcd.com
i've mentioned it before,
this one just cracked me up :)
check out more of them!

update:
no really!!
check out more of them
AND don't forget to hover over the picture with you mouse, extra commentary appears!!