RSS. It’s kind of a weird acronym and people can’t even seem to agree on the true meaning behind those three letters. It doesn’t sound too sexy, but it does sort of have a recognisable logo. If you have seen this logo before and wondered what it is, well, this post is for you! TL:DR: RSS…
My music discoveries of 2016
Last years’ post was pretty popular, so let’s continue this. You know the rules, so let’s go! I’ve always had a soft spot for Conor Oberst’s (aka Bright Eyes) fragility. After a rough period he dropped a new album, with pearls like this next one. Only 3,594 views so far, we should all be ashamed….
Let’s encrypt all the things!
You may notice something different on your favourite blog. Left of the URL in the address bar there is a little green lock! This means piks.nl is now served to you via SSL/TLS. You know, https:// instead of http://. This means the connection, and therefore, traffic between you and the website is more secure, because it is encrypted. This…
Rogue One: one is enough for me (spoilers)
Sure, I am not the biggest Star Wars fan. Not by a long shot. But I do have a mild admiration for the first original trilogy, which made quite an impression on my younger self (he is Lukes’ father! Go figure). And like most people I can look past the quality of the later trilogy. So last…
Best of 2016
Best-of lists signify another year is coming to a close. People feel a need to sort and order things to make room for what is to come. Or something like that. So here is an assorted list of best new things I found in 2016. Things can be anything, as long as it was new to me in…
My Chromebook Acer C730E-C480 review
Last week Google was kind enough to provide me a Chromebook. I had been eyeing one for some time, but I had no reason why I would need one. I have a laptop, smartphone and a tablet. So what would a Chromebook add? Well, now I know. TL;DR: I love the Chromebook! The good Reasons are…
China Observations
Last week I had the chance to visit China, specifically Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Shanghai. These are my observations of China, completely biased and uninformed, for personal future reference. My conclusion after many many trips, over many years, over most of the country: Almost anything you want to say about China is true. — Kevin Kelly…
Snapchat
Snapchat is everywhere these days. And with everywhere, I mean a lot of people are talking about it like it’s some sort of elusive enigma only the young kids are able to tune in to. The digital equivalent of high pitched notes. What makes it so hard to grasp, what’s different about it and what’s important…
Ubuntu on Windows
Today’s big news is that Microsoft has made bash available on Windows 10. No container, no virtual machine, no recompiled sources: Here, we’re talking about bit-for-bit, checksum-for-checksum Ubuntu ELF binaries running directly in Windows. This opens up a world of possibilities. A world also previously within reach alas be it with lesser solutions. This means being able…
Trump – The Art of the Deal
In 2004 I picked up this book about Donald J. Trump. Published in 1987, it is a story about the then just 40 year old’s’ insane real estate successes. And I was genuinely interested. From what I knew then, Trump was the poster child of decadent 80’s Manhattan mega fortune makers. But around the same time his TV show…
My January timeline
I’ve always loved timelines. Visually seeing where things are in time resonates pretty strongly with me. This love goes back to my earliest memories of the dentists’ office where a huge year-round calendar hung on the wall. It had 12 distinct vertical columns and every day had its own little box. Maybe it’s because of the physical…
My music discoveries of 2015
Most end-of-year lists are compiled of songs from that current year. That’s fine and all, but great music is timeless and you might discover things later, so my list will be a bit different. These are things I discovered last year, some old some new. I don’t use Spotify or other streaming services. I keep my ears open, read…