Monthly Archives: February 2006

Watersnoodramp 1953

Flood of 1953

February 1, 1953: the Netherlands were hit by a storm tide. In the regions of Zeeland, Zuid-Holland and western Noord-Brabant this disaster claimed over 2000 casualties and some ten thousand cattle were killed. National and international relief measures were begun immediately.

Nearly two thousand people died and more than 150,000 hectares of land were flooded. People soon became aware that something had to be done, and very, very quickly.

Geschiedenis TV – Watersnood 1953

1 februari 1953 brak de storm los. Een ramp van historische proportie. Click door naar http://www.geschiedenistv.nl

Polygoon Journaal 1953

Eerste deel van een extra Polygoon journaal over de Watersnoodramp en Zeeland. Beelden van de kust bij ‘s Gravezande, Katwijk, Noordwijk en IJmuiden, overal zijn door de springvloed duinen en boulevards vernield. Ondergelopen spooremplacement van Rotterdam en water in de dijken van Zuid-Beveland en West-Brabant. Vernielde huizen en boerderijen. Geredde mensen in een opvangscentrum krijgen eten en kleding.

Polygoon Journaal 1953 (dutch)
Ben van Meerendonk pictures of Dordrecht

Website of the Deltawerken.
The Dutch modern protection against the sea.

    Posted in General Interest, Innovation & Knowledge Economy | Comments Off

    WordPress 2.01, time to upgrade?

    wp2.0

    We have been waiting a while with even considering upgrading 2.0, since we read for example here and here that the number of unknown bugs in new beta versions were with 2.0 much higher then normal. There were even downgrade tools from 2.0 to 1.5 ! Especially many of the old plugins where not competible (which is a pain) .

    So.. with the release of 2.01, is now the time to upgrade ? We think the wiki meta integration is a must, looking at the bugreport now and further plans, I think it’s time.

    Ps. did you know about the WordPress Maps [here, here and here (incl. competitors)] or the relation between 1.5 Strayhorn and 2.0 Duke?

    update: another one.

      Posted in General Interest | Tagged , | 2 Comments

      Google OS, how long will they deny

      Google OS, how long will they deny they are making one? Google has Goobuntu, a Google Linux OS version of Ubuntu they use at their office. Again it has been confirmed. Come on, don’t let MS down, bring it up that OS competition, we dammit need it.

      See TheRegister, Digg, Slashdot, Google Blog

        Posted in General Interest, Gossip, Innovation & Knowledge Economy | Comments Off

        Digitale Leeuwen van Tawhied

        Hofstadgroep logo

        Een analyse van het gehanteerde internetgebruik van internationale terroristische organisaties en de Hofstadgroep

        De afgelopen weken heb ik mij verdiept in de literatuur over hoe terroristische organisaties het internet hanteren voor hun organisatie doeleinden. De bevindingen heb ik gespiegeld aan de manier hoe de Hofstadgroep het internet gebruikt. Deze analyse is gestoeld op de literatuur en de internetpagina’s die ik daarover gevonden heb.

        Dit essay is een onderdeel van het vak Politieke Antropologie dat ik gevolgd heb aan de UvA. Ik wil benadrukken dat ik niet alle literatuur heb gebruikt voor dit essay. Er is natuurlijk veel meer te schrijven over dit onderwerp, maar voor een essay geldt natuurlijk de kunst van het weglaten. Voor geïnteresseerden in het onderwerp raad ik de jihad sectie aan van de Sociologie faculteit van de UvA. Hierop staan veel links naar additionele literatuur.

        As subject for my Political Anthropology course at the University of Amsterdam I made a survey about how international terrorist groups use the Internet. I then looked at how the alleged Dutch terrorist organization “De Hofstadgroep” uses the internet. My findings are only published in Dutch but for further reading I suggest Weimann, G. (2004) www.terror.net: How Modern Terrorism Uses the Internet

        (more…)

          Posted in General Interest, Politics, Science | Comments Off

          No-blowing Sign-post stolen

          sign A what kind of sign-post in Holland???

          That’s not going to last, must the private collector have thought, when he stole yesterday night this first dutch “n0-blowing allowed” sign-post in Amsterdam. Why don’t they use existing laws as forbidden to hang around or no smoking area? The difusion of signs and rules just makes it all more confusion and prossibly not even supported by law.

          update: 3 times stolen now, city council decided to sell signs for 90 Euro: 360 requests already !

          blow
          the election of design signs (neighbourhood site with more information (dutch)

            Posted in General Interest, Politics | Comments Off

            Cars as WiFi spot

            hotspot

            Internet on the move for the masses, image this for large public events, no attena installments (which normally takes days of preparation and space), just 10 rented WiFi cars.

              Posted in General Interest, Innovation & Knowledge Economy | Tagged | Comments Off

              We are too sick of it all

              hmmm As you may noticed we do not write about the big cartoon discussion. It is all a bit to complicated and political to write an easy to read article about it. In sort we are too sick of it all to join the hype. I support the Danish people, whatever your opinion about the cartoons you can’t blame a nation for the drawings of one cartoonist. I want to stress that I understand that linking Mohammed to terrorist or depict him as a pig is not decent. But in a democratic country we settle matters at the court not in state organized protests in front of embassies.

              (more…)

                Posted in General Interest, Politics | Tagged , , | Comments Off

                1606 – 2006 Netherlands Australia (update)

                Netherlands - Australia 2006 In spring 1606, the VOC sent a ship from Batavia to map the unknown areas south of the Dutch Indies and to find new trading partners. The ship was called Duyfken. The ‘unknown South Land’ that it visited as the first European ship, was Australia.

                The year 2006 marks the 400th anniversary of Dutch contact with Australia. Both in Australia as well as in The Netherlands special attention will be paid to the wide ranging and friendly ties between the two countries.

                In both countries an extensive program of activities will be organised. For example exhibitions, scientific symposia, and exchanges in the field of sport, culture and science are scheduled.

                (more…)

                  Posted in Dutch, General Interest | Tagged | 2 Comments

                  Free Speech Maniacs

                  Free speech maniacs
                  www.rall.com, cartoon found on: Retecool.com (posted by Kris)

                    Posted in General Interest, Humor, Politics | Comments Off

                    Interactive Panel

                    Interactive Panel, old aquitance. Still cool tool. See also, which is related.

                      Posted in General Interest, Innovation & Knowledge Economy | Comments Off

                      No blogging for Olympians

                      2006

                      No blogging for Olympians, free speech? no way!

                        Posted in General Interest | Comments Off

                        No cure, no pay

                        Dutch lawmakers have tried very hard to avoid getting a “no cure, no pay” system, which I think is a good thing. However, latest news reports that some lawyers still try to achieve a dutch construction which does the same (dutch) . Not a good thing.

                          Posted in Dutch, Politics | Tagged | Comments Off

                          Blitz against Iran’s nuclear sites

                          Site in Iran
                          Iran’s controversial nuclear site in Bushehr

                          Strategists at the Pentagon are drawing up plans for devastating bombing raids backed by submarine-launched ballistic missile attacks against Iran’s nuclear sites as a “last resort” to block Teheran’s efforts to develop an atomic bomb.

                          Central Command and Strategic Command planners are identifying targets, assessing weapon-loads and working on logistics for an operation, the Sunday Telegraph has learnt.

                          Source: www.telegraph.co.uk [via]

                            Posted in Politics | Tagged | Comments Off

                            Eindelijk, eindelijk, eindelijk, …

                            Test alle peuters op taalproblemen

                            ROTTERDAM – Consultatiebureaus moeten alle peuters van twee jaar screenen op taalontwikkelingsstoornissen, zodat ze zo nodig al op hun derde hulp kunnen krijgen. Hierdoor kan het taalniveau van 10.000 kinderen zo opgevijzeld worden dat dit op hun achtste niet meer onvoldoende is.

                            De screening kost 2 miljoen euro per jaar extra, maar het voorkomt wel dat jaarlijks 2500 acht-jarigen in het speciaal onderwijs terechtkomen.

                            Bron: www.nu.nl

                              Posted in General Interest, Innovation & Knowledge Economy | Comments Off

                              Movie in pdf

                              pdf video
                              Make your own movie in pdf. We wrote shortly ago that 3d was possible in pdf, however that is different from embedding a quicktime film. Very cool, its called a vogbook apparently.

                                Posted in General Interest, Innovation & Knowledge Economy, Webtech | Comments Off

                                Ultraman heerst

                                ultramen

                                UltraMan, retro men from the sixties! All episodes now here.
                                I guess that the Beastie Boys got the song intergalactic from this Ultraman battle, brilliant. [via]

                                  Posted in Art & Design, General Interest | Tagged | Comments Off

                                  Stickam

                                  stickcamJust the other day I talked about why there wasn’t an easy free public hoster of something like flash vlog or flashmeeting. It would be a must for noobs that have no time, skill or availability to use software to vlog (video-lifelog), camcast or IM cam chat with both mac and pc. Guess what..
                                  Launched today: Stickam.
                                  Although Q2u.nl webcams are brilliant, stickam does all of the above easy and free. Also does it work for mobile and you get 500 mb for extra with that! Lifelogging and Vlogging was never easier. [via]

                                    Posted in General Interest, Innovation & Knowledge Economy, Webtech | Comments Off

                                    Instant Cane Toad Evolution

                                    canetoadsCane Toads are a pest in Australia.

                                    To make matters worse, Nature reports that they have evolved during their 70 years in Australia by getting longer legs. Yes, now this pest is spreading even faster and further!

                                    Evolution..

                                    Just like that.

                                      Posted in General Interest, Science | Tagged | Comments Off

                                      BBC podcast

                                      BBC starts a podcast experiment. Nice.

                                        Posted in Webtech | 1 Comment

                                        Math that cannot be proven

                                        zo
                                        Mathematicians increasingly use computers in their theories. However, checking computer proofs is much harder and difficult. Now there are mathematicians that request a not 100% certainty proof to become accepted as proof by referees, because computer proofs make judgement otherwise impossible. Another argument they put forward is that this would make the science more human. Since when was give up! an option in science?

                                          Posted in Innovation & Knowledge Economy | Tagged | Comments Off

                                          Cartoon Riot..

                                          Sure not to miss a thing with a google map.

                                            Posted in Politics | Comments Off

                                            1,073,741,824 megabytes

                                            Ok, even if you are skeptic, such a harddrive within 5 years for 750 dollar? Lets make a bet..

                                              Posted in Innovation & Knowledge Economy | 1 Comment

                                              Book of numbers

                                              bookofnumbers

                                              sort of monty python art.. (via)

                                                Posted in Art & Design | Comments Off

                                                Phantom Cosmonauts

                                                erAmerican space disasters are pretty well known, like the Challenger disaster or the re-entry failure of the Colombia.

                                                Russian cosmonauts deads however have never had much media attention, till only recently.
                                                Rumours have it that even the first man in space died, thus not making the books.

                                                But there is some information online

                                                  Posted in Reading | Comments Off

                                                  Globalisation not so global?

                                                  coke

                                                  Research by Goldman Sachs finds that in terms of sales, large US-based companies are no more global than they were a decade ago

                                                  [read more at smart mobs]

                                                    Posted in Science | Comments Off