THE WEB AND BEYOND

On thursday the 22th in the Beurs van Berlage a conferance was held. The 12th conference of Chi Netherlands (which so I heared is the second biggest) with the theme of today; mobility. Now that interactivity, user generated and a lot of communities are the latest trends, mobility is the next one. Mobile operating systems, everything mobile... which is funny... in China, the other half of the internet users 'mobile' is the standard for using the internet. Not the desktop. Interesting.

I signed up as a volunteer; after doing half hour locker-room maintenance I could run around the whole day for free. So that was nice, joining all the readings, and meeting people on the drinks, like Joost, Soocial and OpenOffice. I had even the chance to touch and play with the EEE for the first time, which was quite a big issue on the conference itself. I did not find this very renewing -as some of the *oldies* in the hall- (looking on old blog posts, See "An Organizer with Attitude", and the announcement a half year ago), but it was still amusing.

Especially because it is one of the main items of mobility, which was the theme of today. If I had the chance in China, I would already had bought one. But nevertheless, it doesn't matter, I'm waiting on the 9" version. Which is on the market right now, but not in the netherlands yet... and it's going to cost a little more (*damnit*). Maybe I would buy one in france (out on the 28th of May) this summer, when I'm on the moped again.

Some of the readings I found to vague, and could be told in like 5 minutes, without the whole governance and maintenance issues like privacy. Alright it's an issue, but I was looking for new stuff, trends, innovative things. Like on of the readings of Luminis, which has invented a system for within the 'caring' sector (for the people who are cleaning homes, and helping the disabled), which I found quite interesting, and took away a lot of problems and unnessecary administration. Their service product 'iO TouchPro' just launched and has over 5000 clients already.

An other reading of Robert Gaal (Alchemyst) was also quite interesting; he introduced the Roomware project, which is the operating system for interactive spaces. He explained some of the technological and cultural challenges, as well as opportunities to make spaces more interactive. Like with your bluetooth connection on your mobile phone is a lot more to do, as the audience experienced a live feature using the phone's in the room. Got it ? I guess not, let me explain briefly. He showed one of the systems the firm build, which was build for an experience when taking a pee. People go in the toilet, and music starts to play (it activates on your bluetooth). But you hear only one instrument, when somebody comes in the toilet an other instrument will play and joins the band. Funny.

For the fun of it; he has showed some other cool stuff aswell, like from a party of 'hyves' (the biggest community website in the Netherlands). People who were invited were asked to change their 'mobile blue tooth name' as the username used of within hyves. On the party, pictures were shown on the walls randomly, which were pictures from their accounts!

Think of privatised commercials, and all of the extra features you could bring with it. Not mentioning even the extra things that you are transmitting; like gps, infrared, wireless and RFID chips...

Top Twenty (New!) Things

Every time you go to the supermarket there are new things, maybe you won't see them but while browsing you think "ey, that's funny" or "huh, I didn't knew this". We have went to the supermarket to look for those things, and came up with the most funny products, a top twenty, enjoy.

1. Children's Toilet Paper
Well, there is a reason why I put this one on the number 1. It's just so damn funny, and stupid, and very well thought over. Why should children have there own toilet paper, what's wrong with the normal toilet paper; well they are smaller: so small and soft toilet paper is the result! It even has pictures on it and there is a special holder for it (from the same brand, next to it, very smart) !

2. The BBQ Fan
OMG! What's wrong with your breath, or an old newspaper. The funny thing: this device doesn't work on batteries and claims to be 'Eco' but c'mon ! The whole damn thing is made out of plastic !!!

3. Double Decoy for the ants
Hahaha, I laughed when I saw this one, there is now a DOUBLE decoy, with two different flavours. So if a few ants would miss the 'single' one they have now a double place to party. Such a bummer you find your friends dying inside... what's next, the Triple Decoy ?!

4. Ambipur Triple Smells !
You wonder and get agitated by the smell of only ONE ambipur ?! Well Ambipur has a solution! It's a smell which differs once in a while, so it never gets bored... people people... just open the window once in a while.

5. Princess Biscuit
Yeah pretty cool aint it, it's exactly the same as Biscuits, but these has a nice princess look and feel. Great. Where are the PIRAT biscuits?! I want Pirate biscuits!!

6. Rexona For Men and others
Yeah it's true... there are now FOR MEN adds everywhere, and even rexona has a lot more than that only to make it extra super duper cool. Also greenish and eco stuff...

7. Edet Easy Poo
COME ON PEOPLE. What a name! This is just like a small version of the big baskets you see in cafe's and bars but now smaller for your toilet because it is so much easier than a normal toilet paper holder... ofcourse...

8. Disco Lolly's
Haha! It's real! Disco Lolly's! It's like icecream which has all kinds of sparks on it, pretty cool and it probably taste nice. I've heard about but I now saw it for real, well it's an enlightment I can see *sarcastic*.

9. Breakfast Cookies
Nothing to add... you can have cookies for breakfast now. It's a revolution.

10. Senseo pad's
Did you know that at the first there were like 1 kind of Senseo pad, and now it's amazing there are over a hundred flavours, the most weird ones as well. And new things like Senseo Chocolate and Senseo Thee... which still tastes like coffee.

11. Spring Union Garlic - Flavour
It's amazing to see what kind of flavours there up to, you didn't even knew they existed like this union mixed with garlic, but the spring ones... I'm fond of these flavours though but they are getting quite extraordinary...

12. Sweet Union!
What the hell, what kind of weird sauces are there, the same as the above, there coming more and more sauces you don't know you want them, you probably want them now since you know they exist.

13. Chips!
New Chips, rough and tasty, different brand, different approach and not expensive. Nice.

14. A lot of Nuts
Well that's a new thing, somebody came up with putting nuts in a bag, but all of them, as many as possible with fruits and dried stuff in it. Great, but now all the other Nut-Brands are going mad, and so you have seen they immediatly have an own version of all kinds of different nuts in a bag.

15. Suck your baby's nose!
It exist longer than you know. I've had never heard of it, so an eye opener, and made me think of Toetanchamon, like those egypts sucking the brain out of peoples heads... well whatever... btw my mother told me in some countries the mother sucks the babies nose as well... brrr!

16. Danio Delight
Well we have a Light version, and now a Delight, haha.

17. Soup in a Bin ?
Thats funny, in my family they do there soup in a bin and in the fridge if it didn't empty at dinner, well now you can buy already in a bin. Clever.

18. Turkish Apple
Even PickWick and other tea branches are having new sorts, it's amazing to see there collection. And they are different! Out of expierence, yeah I'm a tea lover; China Blossom, Golden China, Ceylon, Forest Fruit, Strawberry and Earl Grey english tea blend.

19. New Spa Bottle
HOW IRRITATING! Spa has the same opener as the one of Evian! They finally found a solution for people lasting less long with the same bottle (the Dutch are number 1 in recycling their bottles) ! Which is irritating, because this new opener does not last that long with as the previous one.. grrr... no spa for me anymore.

20. Bob the Builder Bacon
Yeah... it's quite old fashion, but still I would like to mention it; Bacon with a print of Bob the Builder on it, still think it's great. You're not only killing him, youre also eating him.

Pinky and the Brain, Brain Brain Brain!

Well the brain training is over, so I’m back being dull again. What am I talking about? Well two months ago a friend of mine told me about this test you could do in a hospital and get paid for it. What? I’m not getting drugged, no way, and for G’s sake they sterilize you as ‘this comes with it for free’.



No, no, you are getting it all wrong! It’s fun, it really is. I did not have to take any pills, you have to do some exercises for six weeks long. Your exercises and results will be measured and put next to a group of people who didn’t exercise (and if you want to know; yes they get less money of course).

So what do you do ? Well it is training like hell, for a maximum of around an hour per week, for six weeks long and take one MRI Scan at the beginning watching Finding Nemo and at the end, watching some old cartoon about some stupid cat running after a highly intelligent mouse (you know! But I lost the name, you may hit me for that).



So you get paid by watching? Yep, and doing some of these tests, and you will be escorted by three naked nearly graduated nurses, or well almost naked… or maybe I’d imagined that. Well it’s okay we all know we are thinking every five minutes of… I’m drifting away; back to the subject. They were pretty though.


For me it was the first time doing this MRI Scan, and I have to confess; it is frightening at the beginning. I felt the first hour quite uncomfortable in this huge toilet paper holder making sounds like one of those old cassette decks you’d dropped for over a hundred times, mixed with Autechre and Aphex Twin in reverse.

The most frightening part is when it is all dark. The lights are off, you can’t see a thing and you are stuck in this machine. Your head is stuck in a barred bucket, you feel trapped in a small sewer. You have elastic bands all over you to hold you from moving. If necessary you can press the emergency button wired on your side. You are seconds away to be send out to space. Then the sounds starts. Lift off.


The whole machine, as so it feels, starts to move, like a theme park attraction. You hear multiple sounds, from the cluttering sound of a jamming cd, to the high voltage beep sound of an old television. Simultaneously, and sometimes differing in speed and wave length. Amazing. You start to focus on this ultra dolby digital surround sound. As in you are in the seat of a machine where Jodie Foster should be. You are to be send out to another world. Then somebody asked through your headphone if you are still awake.

Mongolia Booklet Preview

It is Done, the booklet I am working on for over four months now! The booklet contains out of 21 pictures with a title to inspire, followed by a meaningful script which is sometimes surprising, realistic, sad and even funny.

The booklet contains photo's from Russia and Mongolia in a chronological appearance which could use as a guide or as motivation to go to / or do a course in a foreign country, and I hope to inspire other students willing to go somewhere. Each photo is representing a motivation, but has also a story to tell. Therefore it should be a booklet which is fun to browse trough but also to study closer.

A translated example page:

you will create objectivity

you will fall back to the facts and will not be influenced by you feelings. the slaughter of some livestock and giving the bladder to the dog could be horrorfying at first sight, for the other it is essential to survive, like this craftsman stripping sheeps near Avarga Toson.

'Enlight' Pressure Cooker

The night falls again and in Rotterdam 25 creative minds with different backgrounds gather, this time the Hub, where they are received by the Pressure Cooker team and members of 'Enlight'.

It's the third Pressure Cooker event organized by the 'Nieuwe Garde' ('New Guard') in Rotterdam. The meaning of Pressure Cookers is to come with the best result within a very limited time. To be precise; create with a group of young creative’s a solution for the problem a company is facing with.

Though this time it was slidely different because 'Enlight' is in fact a codename. A new voice is emerging and will be on the market soon, and the Pressure Cookers had the pleasure to invent new promotional stunts for them!

Which resulted in a wonderfull night with a magnificent outcome, the company was so pleased with the results that some of the people who joined the evening are still in contact with them right now for some future assignments!

I've been working on the rapport and some video, which will be online soon! Though it will be... uhm kind of... censored...


For Pictures:

http://www.pressurecooker.nu/2008_Enlight/website-fotoboek/