GPX en GPS: Gebruik de juiste kaart! (Dutch)

GPX + Travel + Navigation Apps + Dutch

Wanneer je routes deelt met anderen, of routes van anderen gebruikt, is het belangrijk om de route te controleren, en de juiste kaart te gebruiken!

Tom Tom Go App (Android) / Tom Tom Routeplanner (web) Navigation Issues

GPX + Travel + Navigation Apps

In my initial turn by turn Android app search I found MRA Navigator to be the best. Tom Tom Go almost made it, but failed in sight of the finish. I was wondering what was happening, and decided to dive a little deeper. And maybe it would pass this time?

(On the fly I found a way to edit Garmin / MRA Routeplanner generated files in the Tom Tom Planner web app. Yes, this is going to get a little nerdy.)

MRA Navigator app settings / MyRoute-app (Android)... and a bit of MRA Routeplanner

GPX + Travel + Navigation Apps

The MRA Navigator app (MRA Next? oh whatever) is thus far one of the few apps that passed my 'smart waypoint skipping' test.

It's not perfect, but it works!

Turn by Turn Navigation for Touring - Looking for the Better App / Smart Waypoint Skipping

GPX + Travel + Navigation Apps

Obviously, there won't be something like 'the best' app, as everyone has a different goal and wish list. But after looking at so many websites and apps I still found it impossible to pick out the right app.

One thing I knew though: it needed some sort of smart waypoint skipping.

So I decided to simply test a few different apps.

Google Maps - Using Coordinates

Travel + Navigation Apps

Did you know Google Maps can use coordinates instead of addresses? And navigate between them? That's handy to share a location without an address, like a parking area, or just a tree in the middle of a meadow, next to nowhere.

GPX naar Google Maps (Dutch)

GPX + Travel + Navigation Apps + Dutch

Gisteren heb ik gekeken naar een aantal PC en online gebaseerde tools, en daar hoort natuurlijk Google Maps ook bij. Google Maps is gratis en navigeert erg goed, maar wil je data uitwisselen met iets anders, dan heeft dat wat aandacht nodig... en werkt het uiteindelijk amper, helaas.

GPX Bestanden en Programma's voor de PC (Dutch)

GPX + Travel + Dutch

GPX (GPS eXport) files zijn log-bestanden / route-bestanden (in XML formaat) en worden vaak voor wandeltochten, fietstochten en auto tour-tochten gebruikt.

Deze post gaat over mijn voorlopige ervaringen met software en hardware, en dan met name onder Windows. (Al zijn de helft van de tools web based 😏)

Rick Partlow - Drop Trooper 1 - Contact Front

Audiobook Review

Your typical, macho, space marine novel, but it's readable.

The obligatory bootcamp scenes aren't overly extended, and the techno babble is within limits and believable. Meeting up with an older woman is something you rarely see in these kind of stories, and the enemies - though still faceless - aren't outright evil, just... culturally and biologically different.

AI maakt solliciteren gemakkelijker en recruiters overbodig (Dutch)

Column + Wallpaper + AI + Dutch

Zie de afbeelding hieronder, door iemand ergens 'gevonden' op het internet, en geplaatst op LinkedIn met de stelling dat AI het hele proces van het zoeken van banen tot het vinden van de juiste kandidaat 'zoveel beter maakt'.

Maar is dat eigenlijk wel zo?

AI Makes Job Applications Easier and Recruiters Superfluous

Column + AI

See the image below, found by someone 'somewhere' on the internet, and placed on LinkedIn stating that AI would simplify the whole process from searching for a job to recruiting the right candidate.

But is that the case?

Creating Shortcuts to Batchfiles in Windows 11

Windows

Why make things easy... You can only create links to .exe files now on Windows 11, but there's a way around that as well. It just takes a little effort.

Here's how to create a taskbar shortcut to a batch file in Windows 11:

Top Network Security Security Cheat Sheet

Datatalk

Found on LinkedIn.

Click on image to enlarge.

More cheat sheets... (Maybe I should add some 😏)

Disney+ - Shogun 2024 - Episodes 1, 2 & 3

Series Review + Shogun + Disney+

It's 2024 now, and there's a new Shogun in town (excuse me the pun). Shogun.

I review a lot of older stuff, so it's time to do something more up to date 😇 It's not completely fair to call watching two episodes of Shogun a 'series review', but, well, let's say a review of two episodes is still a review 😏

The Typewriter

Music + YouTube

The 1950 Typewriter by Leroy Anderson is by itself unique and crazy.

In 1963 Jerry Lewis used it in the movie Who's Minding the Store.

Over the years there have been multiple performances by real orchestras and other... enthusiasts.

And some of those are great. Try this one.

De Meest Gevaarlijke Auto Ooit - De 2024 Volkswagen Golf MK8 (Dutch)

Column + Dutch

Nou ja, misschien niet de meest gevaarlijke auto ooit... Die 'eer' gaat waarschijnlijk naar de Ford Pinto, de Mitsubishi Spacestar (da's een raar verhaal, maar wel de auto met de meeste doden in de US), en de Reliant Robin.

Maar nu dus de Volkswagen Golf MK8. Man, wat is dat een gevaarlijk ding.

Appleseed

Anime Review

With four movies and a thirteen episode television series many of us must have caught at least a glimpse of Appleseed. Or at leats of one of it's main characters: Briareos. Aka bunny-ears... Just kidding 😇

Stitchers (2014)

Series Review

How about diving into other people's minds... Could be fun, right? Here's the 'slip into someone's mind' 2014's Stitchers which I would rapidly exchange for a remake of VR5.

In Stitchers the main character gets 'stitched' into the memories of dead people, helping to solve crimes (typically, ttrying to find out the reasons why those people died). It's a procedural, after all...

Wallpaper - Vuur Kat (Dutch)

Wallpaper + Dutch

Deze is getekend door mijn dochter, en werkt geweldig als wallpaper op een telefoon, maar ook op een normaal scherm.

Wil je deze afbeelding ergens anders voor gebruiken, neem dan even contact op.

Klik op de afbeelding om te vergroten / Meer wallpapers

Joshua James & Daniel Young - Legacy of War - First Encounter / Enemy Lines / Invasion Force

Audiobook Review

Another space opera, and unfortunately it fails in the typical areas of science and logic. The story might have been a lot better with a little more work on the technical aspects.

Here are more of my usual gripes with much of the SF Space Opera and Military SF out there:

Casey White - Silvertongue

Audiobook Review

Last year I was (trying to) do a review per week, and haven't kept to my schedule when 2024 started... So, let's use a week or two to catch up. First target: Casey White.

Casey White is an independent self publishing author, with a number of novels to her name. I can't figure out how many, as there are multiple authors with the same name / alias 😎

How to install Windows 11 without a Microsoft account and / or TPM

Windows

In the past you could install Windows 11 with a local account. These days? Not so. You MUST create a Microsoft Account to install Windows 11. That's... ridiculous. Can't even install a PC anymore without an internet connection.

How to avoid being Microsoft's Bitch... Or: adding and managing Local Accounts on Windows 11

Windows

My deepest apologies for the choice of words, but today was one of those days where I have been literally yelling at my computer screen for at least ten minutes. All thanks to Microsoft.

And today, my local accounts suddenly disappeared.

Bedrijfseconomische Omstandigheden - Hoe ontslag een lachertje is geworden dankzij de Vaststellingsovereenkomst (Dutch)

Dutch

In veel landen is ontslag de gewoonste zaak van de wereld. Maandag ben je aan het werk. Dinsdag verteld je baas dat je kunt gaan, en Woensdag sta je op straat.

In Nederland is dat iets beter geregeld, maar niet veel... En werkgevers maken er dankbaar misbruik van, omdat het een gemakkelijke manier is om ongewenste werknemers weg te werken.

Ikea Ivar Door (Hinge) Mod (104.530.72)

DIY + Ikea

Ikea has a new (?) product called a 'door', also known under the catchy nominator '104.530.72' 😎

Actually, they have two versions. I have used the rattan version here. Both though are not of a quality that would warrant the price. (40+ bucks, Ikea? Seriously?)

JBL Live 670NC Headset - Broken & Dead

Review + DIY

If this was a review my advice would be: don't buy. Sorry, JBL, but you screwed up. The headphone itself is nice, *mostly* well made, with unfortunately one essential flaw: it broke down, most likely due to a design or manufacturing mistake.

Thanks JBL... 100 euro down the drain.

Wallpaper - Dual Monitor - Druppels (Dutch)

Wallpaper + Dutch

Soms is een simpele wallpaper alles wat je nodig hebt, zoals deze waterdruppels voor een dual-monitor setup.

Klik op de afbeelding om te vergroten (meer Wallpapers)

 

Secomber Rescan

RPG

My old Secomber maps were scanned 20 years ago, using a handscanner. It was about time I rescanned them, especially after finding other Secomber maps.

Click on any of these images for a larger version.

Secomber Redux

RPG

20+ years ago I created some maps for Secomber, a small town in the Forgotten Realms. I didn't pick the place at random. I selected it because it is known but not well documented thus allowing the DM lots of freedom. It's also close to a lot of interesting places.

I'm planning to revisit the old document and expand on it, so in preparation I googled a bit...

Chrome 2023 Refresh and Profile Colors

Datatalk + Chrome

I like to differentiate my Chrome profiles by different tab colors, but the 'Chrome 2023 Refresh' enforced pastel colors on us poor users. I had not spotted that yet, but when I made a profile change, I suddenly couldn't select my original color again. Instead, we now have 'themes' that don't do what I want...

But it's fixable... for now...

VR.5

Series Review

Outdated. Old fashioned. Geeky, nerdy, cult.

And yet, in some ways, this old one season series is lots of fun. Sidney Bloom is a telecoms technician with a talent that allows her to creep into someone else's mind, entering a kind of 'virtual reality'.

Read more...

Netflix - Arcane

Anime Review

It’s based on a computer game, but it has (fortunately) little to do with the game (besides borrowing characters and background).

Synopsis: two sisters survive in a world with lots of contrast between the rich and the poor. When a heist fails, the oldest sister goes to jail, and the youngest one goes… crazy.

Wallpaper - The Scientific Railgun Clones

Wallpaper

I wrote about A Scientific Railgun some time ago, and here's the matching wallpaper. (If you understand the concept, this image of many a clone gets a lot darker!)

Click on the image to enlarge, or check out any of the other featured wallpapers...

Apple TV – Silo

Series Review + Apple TV

I haven’t read the Hugh Howey novels this series is based upon, but this first season was highly enjoyable to watch. People locked in a silo-like vertical arcology need to survive on limited resources. However, there is a secretive group active in the background, controlling (and using) more advanced technology, and things might not be quite as they seem.

Now and again a little predictable - but worth a watch.

2023

Wrapping up 2023, and Welcome to 2024!

The image to the left takes you to the home screen which lists all major topics.

To search this blog you have to use the desktop version of this blog.

This link will show all 2023 posts.

After reviewing last year's targets I concluded that I didn't accomplish anything his year... Seriously?!?

Countdown to 2024 - Nine Writing Tips Before Christmas - #1 - Write a Lot

Countdown + Writing

The final tip on the final day of 2023 is very straightforward and way too obvious: write a lot. Write some more. Read a lot. Write again.

After a while building sentences becomes something automatic. You'll reach the stage where you'll effortlessly find the right words to describe the scene in your mind. This just takes practice. So write a lot, read a lot, then write even more.

Note: using a decent keyboard and some blind typing helps a lot here!

Countdown to 2024 - Nine Writing Tips Before Christmas - #2 - Shock Yourself And Your Reader

Countdown + Writing

Shock yourself and your reader.

What's the most exotic, outrageous thing your character would do? Would he / she really do it? Does the story lend itself to that? If so, create a situation where your character would do exactly that... the impossible, the unthinkable, the illogical (not from the character's point of view, mind you).

Countdown to 2024 - Nine Writing Tips Before Christmas - #3 - Character Sheets

Countdown + Writing

In general I don't see much use for extensive character sheets. I even tend to skip as much of world building as I can get away with. I did find it useful to make a small char sheet for my main cast. Not to flesh them out and delve into their deepest secrets and hidden background.

My reasons are much more ordinary: I don't want to get caught out.

Countdown to 2024 - Nine Writing Tips Before Christmas - #4 - Switch Off That Brain!

Countdown + Writing

Don't overthink. Or from a broader point of view: don't brood. Don't whine. Don't worry.

Advice is what it is: an opinion of another person. Listen to them, learn from them, but don't depend on them.

It's an odd dilemma: you must learn from others, to avoid their mistakes, and to improve your own work. On the other hand you must develop a spine. (Yeah, that's a little harsh, but read on...)

Countdown to 2024 - Nine Writing Tips Before Christmas - #5 - Do the Math!

Countdown + Writing

We're past Christmas, and a couple of days away from New Year's Eve. And so I think it is time to combine mathematics with the art of writing:

It's easier to add than to subtract.

Removing a plot line, a character, a chapter or a scene, all of that is way harder than adding something.  Anything. (Especially adding spelling errors is easier, but that's not the point.)

Write short. Concise. Focused. You can always expand later.

Video Encoding - H265 vs NVidia Enc vs CPU vs 1080p vs 720p vs...

Datatalk

Goodie. There are so many (good) video codecs these days that it is hard to pick one... Or not?

There are some very decent explanations of the different formats on the Internet... but, as usual, I just had to figure it out and see for myself 😇

Countdown to 2024 - Nine Writing Tips Before Christmas - #6 - Bang It Right The First Time!

Countdown + Writing

Use a (real) keyboard.

Don't write on your phone. Instead, use a real keyboard (and a real screen). A tablet (with an external BT keyboard) will work, but nothing beats that big piece of screen real estate in front of you.

If you can afford it, go big. 27", or even 2x 27" or some ultrawide thingy. And don't forget you'll be editing as well! If you use an editor (as in: a person, not the software 😏) it can be nice to show the editor's and your own version side by side.

Countdown to 2024 - Nine Writing Tips Before Christmas - #7 - Making a Scene

Countdown + Writing

You're stuck.

In the countdown to 2024 I'm sharing a bunch of the most obvious tips with the poor victims that landed on this blog. Hey! You're one of them! So, what should you do when you want to write but you're stuck?

Close your eyes...

Jessica Brody – Save the Cat! Writes a Novel

Writing + Book Review

After Janice Hardy's Plotting Your Novel I had to get this one as well, as it has a great reputation and addresses similar topics... though it's quite a different book and concept in the end. 

This book uses the ‘beat sheet’ approach used by Blake Snyder to create and improve tv- and movie-scripts. Following a specific script or method might be your thing, or it might not, so I approached this book with a bit more caution.

Countdown to 2024 - Nine Writing Tips Before Christmas - #8 - Write What the Reader Wants

Countdown + Writing + Wallpaper

Tip number 8 is so obvious that it hurts. And it hurts doubly so, because it effectively means that you have to sell your soul.

Write what the reader wants.

... but that's unfair! Should you shelve your dreams and go low and commercial?

Countdown to 2024 - Nine Writing Tips Before Christmas - #9 - Write readable

Countdown + Writing

Actually, it's nine hints before the end of the year, but this sounds better 🤔😁

Matt asked me for nine tips... Hmmm... So, here's number 9:

Write Readable

... but that is not a tip. That's the same thing I tell everyone.

A.J. Hackwith - Hell's Library - The Library of the Unwritten

Audiobook Review

Books about libraries will always have a special place in the SF / Fantasy reader’s heart. In most novels featuring libraries these ‘arcane’ (in the most loose sense of the word) collections of books allow access to other places or alternate realities. I think my first encounter was via Pratchett’s librarian, but there are many more.

So, here's another one to add to the list 😏

USB-C / Thunderbolt / USB4 / USB-C Docking Stations

Datatalk

I needed to figure out what kind of USB-C cable I needed for a docking station, and then things got complicated really fast 😁

So, did you know that you don't need high speed cables if you want to connect (multiple) monitors over USB-C? Or that different combinations of adapters, cables and devices offer different charge speeds because they negotiate -- if they're all new enough, of a decent quality, and have a chip? Read on...

Janice Hardy – Plotting Your Novel

Writing  + Book Review

I've recently bought some books to become a better writer, and some of those were Janice Hardy's.

At 300 pages this one’s a bit bigger, and of the three Janice Hardy books I’ve picked up this one feels the most like a real ‘text book’, something to study. You can actually buy a companion ‘work book’ to work out the questions at the end of each chapter, but you don't really need it.

Writer's Block - The Sequel

Writing

I strongly believe there is no such thing as 'writer's block'. (I do believe in procrastination though.) 

But if there is, then the only cure I know of is writing bad poetry. Preferably so bad your brain tries to crawl out through your ears from pure terror.

Let's have another go at it... 

Here's a new ditty, and after that my umpteenth attempt to translate a (horrible and disgusting) Dutch one...

Lauren Dane - Goddess with a Blade

Audiobook Review

A hardboiled detective / supernatural investigator femme fatale, doing her thing in Sin City? Promising…

Or, perhaps, not. Few action scenes, some romantic stuff, cock sucking, more access scenes, repeat ad nauseum. If you like sex scenes in your books, sprinkled with some Vampire hormones then go and read this. I gave up after a couple of chapters. Explicit sex scenes every other chapter just ain’t rocking my boat. If it’s yours then there are at least 5 sequels to work your way through.