100 Dagen on A.J. Elsinga

Energy from the sun? Use solar panels!

Wed, 20 Sep 2017 08:57:24 +0000

The sun is the largest renewable source of energy on earth. There are many applications in which ‘our’ sun functions as an energy source.

Converting sunlight into heat

One of the applications is converting sun rays into heat. Sunlight heats your home through floors and walls. The sun can also be used to heat water. The sunlight is converted into heat using a solar collector. A heat exchanger then transfers the heat to an insulated water tank/reservoir, where the heat is stored so that it can be used later.

What are we eating today? Chicken Tandoori

Tue, 19 Sep 2017 23:00:00 +0000

Today we are eating tandoori chicken.

Tandoori is a sauce that has been used in India in various forms for thousands of years. It is a mixture of yogurt, ginger, garlic, pepper, cumin and Garam Masala. The word tandoori comes from the Hindi word tandoor, which means clay oven.

Your help in your search for comfort

Mon, 18 Sep 2017 20:09:38 +0000

You no longer have to go to an expensive hotel or a spa to experience comfort for yourself. If you search the internet you will quickly find a number of definitions of comfort:

“What is comfortable and pleasant”
“A feeling of ease and satisfaction of physical needs, completely free from pain or anxiety”
“Comforting, strengthening”
“State in which one is without anxiety, fear or shyness”

But what does this actually mean?

Information while you wait

Wed, 06 Sep 2017 08:00:35 +0000

To wait. Everyone hates it. And then you also get a hold music that you don’t want. Wouldn’t it be nice if, instead of music, you received information specifically applicable to you?

Some things cannot be arranged over the internet, or are easier if you call the supplier or service provider. The disadvantage of this is that in most cases you have to wade through a lengthy menu.

‘Press 1 for your subscription, press 2 for technical questions’. ‘Press 1 for your invoice, press 2 for..’ etc. etc.

“Will you marry me?”

Tue, 05 Sep 2017 08:00:41 +0000

If there’s one thing that screams Valentine’s Day, it’s a marriage proposal. Anyone who has already found love or every retailer sees it as an attempt to make more sales. It’s a completely different day for anyone who sees anything in romance. Finally you can tell your secret love the truth. Now it’s time to surprise your partner even more.

I did that last year too. After a number of weeks of preparation and amusement, not to mention nerves, the high word was finally out. I asked her in the middle of the dance floor. I even got down on my knees. Boy, exciting, indeed.

How do you start your own webshop?

Mon, 04 Sep 2017 08:00:20 +0000

After helping friends start a new online store last week, I thought it would be fun to explain this whole process. How can you start your own webshop? It is not complicated in itself, but you have to take your time. You have quite a few choices to make.

The Plan

One of the most important steps. What are you going to do? How are you going to do it? Are you going to reinvent the wheel yourself, or are you going to attend knowledge days? The Chamber of Commerce , among others, has events about starting your own webshop. This is not an unnecessary luxury

What is home automation

Sun, 03 Sep 2017 08:00:33 +0000

You regularly see the term home automation on TV in programs such as “Eigen Huis en Tuin” and “House Vision”, but what exactly is home automation?

When you analyze the term you arrive at an electronic house. The term “home automation” is a combination of the words “domus” and “electronics”. Domus means house in Latin. Literally it means the control of electrical appliances in a house/building by electronics and IT.

Events: Parties? Or dire necessity?

Mon, 28 Aug 2017 07:00:24 +0000

This coming week the virtualization world will be all about VMworld. VMworld is the event for (VMware) virtualization adepts in Las Vegas. Besides the fact that VMworld is known for big announcements and a large exhibition floor, professionals also know it for its fun parties and networking events. You often hear, especially from those who don’t go or their managers, that they are only parties at VMworld and similar events. But is that so? And is that so bad?

Step-by-step plan: How to start your own blog?

Sun, 27 Aug 2017 17:04:37 +0000

You want to show a little more of yourself, perhaps you have asked yourself: How do you start your own blog? Well, I can tell you that it’s not that difficult at all. It’s easier than writing texts for your blog.

To start a blog you need a few things:

Inspiration
Willpower
Time

Yes, but, you might say, that’s not all I need, is it? No, that’s right. In addition to the above things, you also need technical resources. The most important thing is a place where you can post your thoughts or blogs.

Where do I get my royalty free images from?

Sat, 26 Aug 2017 13:11:53 +0000

Images are important for the appearance of your website. You may have seen that I do my best to use matching images with my blogs, without them being very obvious.

You may wonder: ‘Where do you get your pictures from?’.

Well, that has been quite a search.

Aren’t pictures on the internet free?

Um, no. Not everything on the internet is free. You can of course simply use Google images to find images and photos and then use them. The people or companies whose pictures often don’t like this very much: After all, they have done their best to make beautiful pictures. Very often they have hired illustrators or photographers for this. And you simply grab those images to use on your own website, without paying for them. I can imagine that they are not happy about this. When they find out, in most cases you will quickly receive an email or letter from a lawyer ordering you to stop using the materials in question.

What are we eating today? Chicken Madras

Tue, 22 Aug 2017 07:27:00 +0000

Today we are eating Chicken Madras.

Delicious, Chicken Madras. Ready in 20-30 minutes.

Ingredients

12 pieces of chicken (legs, wings, buttocks)
50 grams of butter (or oil);
3 tablespoons of sunflower oil;
1 pepper;
1 large onion;
2-3 peeled tomatoes;
1-2 tablespoons of curry paste (preferably Madras);
200 ml yoghurt;
1 apple;
water;
pepper, salt;
Basmati rice.

Preparation method

In a pan, brown the chicken all over in butter and let it cook until done (about 20 minutes).
In the meantime, cut the pepper, the peeled tomato, the onion and possibly the ginger and garlic into small pieces and stir-fry in a wok over high heat for 5 minutes in the sunflower oil. Then add the curry paste and stir-fry for a few more minutes. Extinguish with some water.

Grootegast, where is it anyway?

Mon, 21 Aug 2017 19:54:25 +0000

I often get asked where Grootegast is located. Some people know a few places near Groningen, but Grootegast doesn’t ring a bell for them.

Grootegast is an independent municipality, and in 2019, it will merge with Leek, Zuidhorn, and Marum to form the municipality of Westerkwartier. The name is quite logical since the region was already known as the Westerkwartier, and we even have our own dialect called Westerkwartiers.

Looking at the map of the Netherlands, you can see that Grootegast is located in the north of the country. And as you hopefully know, the Netherlands is in Europe.

Football, politics, religion? Not in a business…

Sat, 19 Aug 2017 11:16:39 +0000

A long time ago, my then coach/course leader gave me some good business advice. Don’t talk about football, politics and religion in a conversation if you expect anything from your conversation. If you just want a nice discussion, then nothing stands in the way of talking about football, politics and religion.

To this day, I still think that’s good advice. Topics such as religion, politics and football are generally charged topics. Everyone has his or her opinion about it. You may be lucky enough to make a comment that elicits the opposite emotional response from your conversation partner. Whatever you wanted to do together, now you can forget it.

From lease car to own car

Fri, 18 Aug 2017 21:06:54 +0000

It is not easy when you have been driving lease cars for years and you suddenly have to buy your own car again. Well, the buying itself is relatively simple: You hand over money and you are the proud owner of your own car. Yet there is more to it than the financial transaction.

Quest

There are several places you can search.

Western Quarters

Wed, 16 Aug 2017 07:00:53 +0000

When some of our friends read this they will probably say: See, you just speak Frisian. Well, that’s not entirely true, but you can’t convince them of that. A good language or dialect also includes a national anthem. And also singers who are not afraid to sing in the dialect. But let’s start with the dialect.

The Westerkwartiers (Westerkertiers) is the Groningen dialect that most closely resembles Frisian and is spoken in the Westerkwartier.

BBQ and fire belong together

Tue, 15 Aug 2017 07:00:19 +0000

I don’t know why it is, but BBQ and fire belong together. Most barbecues I’ve been to often involve a fire: a fire pit, a fire bowl, and if not available, a fire pile.

How it happens, I have no idea, but there is always fire involved. Even at the very first barbecue we had at our new address, the fire could not be left out.

During the ‘house warming’ we organized a barbecue for friends. While we were still busy with the preparations, a truck stopped in front of the door. I was already starting to get a little suspicious. You can expect the craziest things from our friends. The driver loaded something onto the tailgate and lowered it. It wasn’t until I got closer that I could recognize it. A pallet with all firewood. A cubic meter in total. Kind regards from VMGuru .

Do you want to relax? Then go diving

Mon, 14 Aug 2017 07:00:15 +0000

I have many hobbies. Friends say I have too many hobbies. I wonder if that’s possible. Maybe you can’t do everything as often as you would like. That doesn’t mean you don’t like it. Sometimes it’s fun just to be busy with something, like diving for example.

I really enjoy diving. The preparations, the dive itself, and the period afterwards. Not that I do it very often at the moment, in fact quite the opposite. Due to some ‘personal characteristics’ I do not think it is very responsible to dive at the moment.

I was shy. And now?

Sun, 13 Aug 2017 10:54:49 +0000

I really sympathize with children and adults who are shy. I know better than anyone what it is to be shy. When we moved earlier, the neighbor across the street even thought that my mother only had three daughters. She had never seen me; I didn’t come out. I don’t know if you’ll ever really grow out of this, but you can certainly do your best.

When people don’t know me that well, I sometimes say that I am shy. They think that’s strange. ‘You shy? You don’t come across that way at all, I would never have thought that.’

Autumn begins

Thu, 10 Aug 2017 20:10:38 +0000

Well, it’s not that far yet, but every now and then you could say it’s autumn. Delicious. The wind howls around the house. The rain patters against the windows. Secretly, autumn is quite a beautiful period. After an occasionally warm summer, it’s time to enjoy yourself again.

After spring, when everything that seemed dead for a long time comes back to life, we had a wonderful summer. There were many warm days, sometimes even tropical days. We also had quite a few showers, which might have made you think it was autumn already.

Choice stress? Or: A guide to making choices

Tue, 08 Aug 2017 07:00:02 +0000

It seems paradoxical. You have more to choose from, but you are less happy with what you have chosen. Nowadays we have much more choice, more than before. Yet we are not necessarily happier with all those choices. I too wasn’t very happy with all those choices when I picked out [my headphones]/sennheiser-momentum-m2-iei/. Even though I knew what I wanted, I wondered if I was making the right choice. It seems the more choices we have, the more unhappy we are. Is there nothing that can be done about this stress of choice?

Addicted to the internet? Or the basic necessity of life?

Mon, 07 Aug 2017 07:00:35 +0000

Am I addicted to the internet? I don’t believe it. I use it for everything, I could hardly live without it. If you look at it that way, I’m addicted to the internet. Anyway, then I am also addicted to oxygen, food and drink.

We can no longer do without the internet for many things. Without internet, life comes to a standstill. At least for me. No access to the internet means that I can no longer do a lot of things and that I no longer know anything about a lot of things.

Our own Hendrik Jan: Robomow

Wed, 02 Aug 2017 11:00:30 +0000

The time has finally come. We have our own Hendrik Jan, er Mo, or a Robomow robotic lawnmower. At the time this article is online, he has probably already completed his first round.

Earlier I mentioned that we have a robotic lawn mower wanted to have. Yesterday the time had finally come.

We had collected all the necessary information on the internet. So we already knew it was going to be a Robomow. We had also already decided that we were not going to do the installation ourselves. We wanted to make sure it was going to work. And also that it was installed relatively quickly. We eventually ended up with the men of De Gazonmaaier from Haren. They were indicated by the [Robomow] website ( https://robomow.com/nl-NL/products/ ) as a sales point, service point and installation dealer. We had already selected the type. We used Robomap to determine the size of our garden. This is done based on a satellite photo of our garden.

Woodworking

Tue, 01 Aug 2017 18:48:58 +0000

I started woodworking a while ago. I have to say I quite like that. Some things aren’t really great, but it’s different from just worrying about your head all day.

In the meantime I have done and made all the necessary things.

I finished a piece around our heat pump
For the attic I made a floor over the air circulation pipes
I created a ‘[PrintStation]image src="/images/posts/2017/printstation.jpg", with space for the printer and two Ikea bins
I also have a BBQ table made
Wood needs to have room, so I have also made some kind of wood support/wood cupboard in the meantime

Steampunk keyboard

Actually, it all started with the idea of making a steampunk keyboard. What are you saying? A steampunk keyboard.

Follow your heart. Or: How do I become happy?

Mon, 31 Jul 2017 17:57:23 +0000

Every now and then I get a taste of my own medicine. The same goes for the comment ‘You should follow your heart’.

As a man/consultant/architect/technical account manager, I know very well how others should do it. If you are not comfortable with your work, listen to your heart. Your heart often knows exactly what to do. It is then a matter of following your heart. The same goes for love, education and other relationships. But most of the time we don’t want to listen to our hearts. There are so many good reasons and bad excuses why we stay where we are.

Do you remember where you were when... Do you remember?

Fri, 28 Jul 2017 19:42:30 +0000

Important events… ‘Do you remember where you were when…’ For example, most people still remember what they did on September 11, 2001 or where they were. That day will be etched in your memory. There are other events: the birth of your child, or the death of a loved one.

At least I know where I was on September 11, 2001. I was sitting in my attic room behind the computer. I was surfing the internet aimlessly when the phone rang.

Quantifiable self: Measuring is knowing?

Thu, 27 Jul 2017 21:58:12 +0000

In IT it is very common to want to measure everything that is loose and fixed. If you know what’s happening, you can at least manage it, right? The same also applies to us humans. The more we measure, the more we can adjust. If you know how much or little you exercise, you could choose to exercise more. If you know what you eat and how it affects your weight or your energy, you can make a different decision next time. Eating something different, for example. They call it quantifiable self.

100 days of blogging - progress after (almost) 25 blogs

Wed, 26 Jul 2017 21:38:12 +0000

I’m almost there… So at a quarter of the 100 blogs. I know, a quarter of a hundred is 25 blogs, but still. This is now the twenty-fourth blog.

When I look back at the first twenty, I can already draw some tentative conclusions.

I started very enthusiastically. Yes, really! That doesn’t mean I blogged every day, but still. If I counted correctly, I now do an average of six per week. Not quite what I wanted to do, but there are still more than zero.

Nice at the hairdresser

Fri, 21 Jul 2017 11:46:52 +0000

I still go to the hairdresser, even if I don’t really have to. Tineke could just as well do it with the clippers. Still, I choose to take a trip to the hairdresser once every few weeks.

Strangely enough, it is a kind of social happening.

I usually choose to go on a Friday. Nice and early in the morning. When you come to the hairdresser, coffee is usually ready. You can sit down in a chair while enjoying your coffee. Since it is still early in the morning, it is not very busy yet. You can still exchange a word with the hairdresser.

How to make a BBQ table? Let summer come now

Thu, 20 Jul 2017 20:34:26 +0000

Nowadays I am working with power tools and wood. I make things that I find useful or need. Examples are door stops, a cabinet where my printer can stand and offers space for two Ikea storage boxes, and a workbench. And now also a BBQ table.

BBQ table

We have had a Weber Smokey Joe Original 37cm for a while now. In itself a great barbecue for the two of us, if it weren’t for the fact that it is on the ground.

Birthdays

Tue, 18 Jul 2017 11:26:12 +0000

Do you also enjoy birthdays? Nice to catch up with everyone.

Some birthdays fly by. Just when it starts to get fun, everyone leaves. Other birthdays just don’t seem to pass by.

For a number of people, the birthday is fairly traditional. At exactly eight o’clock everyone is at the door. Coffee, pastry, ding dong, the bell rings again. The same people are always a little later and expect that they will also get a cup of coffee and a pastry. I am one of those myself.

Phantom Vibration Syndrome

Fri, 14 Jul 2017 10:52:48 +0000

Huh? You clearly felt your phone vibrate. And you don’t even have it with you. It’s a bit like yesterday when you felt your phone vibrate, without any new message or email.

Apparently I’m not the only one experiencing this phenomenon. There is even a name for this phenomenon: Phantom Vibration Syndrome.

What is Phantom Vibration Syndrome?

Phantom Vibration Syndrome is the phenomenon where you ‘feel’ that your phone is ringing, but this is not actually the case. Even if you don’t have your phone with you, you can suffer from this phenomenon. Studies have actually been done on Phantom Vibration Syndrome. Some of these studies show that almost eighty percent of people with a smart phone sometimes experience phantom vibrations.

Phone is the most antisocial object in a long time

Thu, 13 Jul 2017 10:47:42 +0000

You undoubtedly recognize the following: Suddenly your conversation partner looks at his or her phone and seems to have completely forgotten about you. Or you are talking to someone and suddenly the phone rings. Without saying a word, the other person answers the phone and gestures for you to wait a moment before talking.

What do you do in such a situation? Are you recording him anyway? Do you let your voicemail handle it? Do you let the phone continue to ring so that both you and your conversation partner become slightly irritated by the phone? Do you see out of the corner of your eye how your phone slowly vibrates towards the edge of the table?

So much blogging..

Tue, 11 Jul 2017 22:37:34 +0000

‘Why are you even doing this? 100 days of blogging? What’s the point? Do you want a public diary? Why do you actually want to write?’ I received back from a good friend last week.

The answer was actually not that difficult at all. I just want to write.

Way back in the day, in primary school, we once had a poetry competition. Almost everyone in the class participated, including me. I even won a prize. Unfortunately, I don’t know what anymore. Maybe the piece will come up; I still have almost all my school supplies, probably this too.

Robotic mowers and mulching

Mon, 10 Jul 2017 22:27:50 +0000

I’ve said it before, but we’re almost going to buy a robotic lawnmower. Good thing, too. I don’t really hate mowing the lawn, but I can imagine that I’m going to hate it. I think 800 m2 of grass that you have to mow once or twice a week gets boring quickly. In principle it already does that.

That is why we have decided that a robotic lawnmower will be available soon.

Internet advertisements, annoying? Or necessary?

Sun, 09 Jul 2017 22:20:59 +0000

You can hardly open a website anymore without being bombarded with advertisements. Almost every site has advertisements. And that can sometimes be very annoying.

On some websites it seems like a sport to place as many advertisements as possible. Because of the advertisements it is sometimes difficult to find the real information. These advertising parties often participate in this as well. The advertisement is then indistinguishable from real information. Before you know it, you’ve clicked a button that you thought would take you to the next page, but actually opens a page with even more advertising.

Holiday spread, a curse or a blessing?

Sat, 08 Jul 2017 22:05:24 +0000

Was it so clearly noticeable to you too? The school holidays have started again!

Or as the VID indicated:

This weekend the VID expects a lot of traffic on the roads due to a combination of holiday exodus, events and work.

Many people are already going out on Friday. They mainly have to deal with crowds around Schiphol and on roads towards our Eastern and Southern neighbors.

Well, that was clearly noticeable yesterday. A quick dinner in Rotterdam with colleagues. It took me around four hours from Grootegast to the Kop van Zuid in Rotterdam. The section in Rotterdam perhaps went the fastest.

Help desk? Or actually provide services!

Thu, 06 Jul 2017 21:58:53 +0000

Is it my imagination or does a ‘service desk’ or ‘helpdesk’ feel less and less service-oriented and helpful? Unless you post something about it on the internet, in which case you will suddenly receive help quickly.

Almost every self-respecting company or government department nowadays has a help desk, service desk, telephone support, or whatever they want to call it. The idea is that people can get help solving their problem via a telephone number or email. This way you don’t have to go back to the store with your product to get help if you don’t understand it, or if it doesn’t work as it should.

Wired or wireless network, what should you choose?

Wed, 05 Jul 2017 14:56:50 +0000

Nowadays you can connect almost all devices wirelessly. This seems very easy and in itself it is. You don’t have to pull wires where you want your device. I think the disadvantage is that you have to ‘share’ the air with all other devices that want a WiFi connection, with all the consequences that entails.

What exactly is WiFi?

WiFi stands for Wireless Fidelity, which is a nod to High Fidelity or HiFi for audio. The terms wireless network, wireless internet or WLAN are often also used. Ultimately, WiFi is a Wireless Local Area Network, which means that it is a wireless version of a local network, or in other words a wired network of computers.

Troubleshooting: how to solve your problems in nine steps

Tue, 04 Jul 2017 21:42:58 +0000

I have been working with various computer systems for quite a few years now. I got my first computer when I was in elementary school. I belonged to the MSX fanbase. Early on, I realized that not everything always worked the way it was supposed to. The trick was figuring out what was going wrong and why. If you know what is going wrong and why, you can at least fix it.

Working distraction-free, who wouldn't want that?

Mon, 03 Jul 2017 21:34:46 +0000

Sometimes you hear the deadline approaching. You know you still have so much to do. Then an email arrives that you quickly read. Then you need to check how many new messages and likes you have on Facebook. Quickly check Instagram to see which new photos have been posted. And before you know it, another day or evening has passed, while you could have spent this time better doing what you wanted to do. And now?

After hard work it is a well-deserved rest

Sun, 02 Jul 2017 21:26:06 +0000

Sunday rest day today really lived up to the name. We finally had a day of rest. As you may have read here and here Tineke and I have gone through quite a few boxes in recent days. We finally moved most of my mother’s stuff to Grootegast.

Even though we had already selected the necessary boxes in Kornhorn, we still had a lot left over.

The hall was full of boxes for a while. You get quite tired of going up and down stairs in one house and then doing the same thing again in the other house.

WiFi in the garden, a necessity

Sat, 01 Jul 2017 21:57:01 +0000

It sounds exaggerated, but I like having WiFi in the garden. I can enjoy the sun and write an article or answer my email at the same time.

The first time we sat on our new terrace, the WiFi range was somewhat disappointing.

We have a terrace at the very back of our garden. This terrace is in the sun for most of the evening. So nice to sit there in the evening with a drink and the laptop.

The big clearance

Fri, 30 Jun 2017 22:20:33 +0000

Today the time had finally come: After two years we finally had a clean-up at my mother’s house. They always say that if you haven’t looked in a moving box in a year, you can throw it away. Well, if you’ve lived in a mobile home for a while, I don’t think you should fall under this rule. That doesn’t mean I can’t clean up.

Tidying up books

When we moved to the mobile home temporarily, we already got rid of a lot. Of course not everything, because you think you will need it again. Just like the book below.

Attic preparations

Thu, 29 Jun 2017 23:05:23 +0000

Well, the time has finally come: Tomorrow we’re going to have a big clean-up.

While our house was being built and we lived in the mobile home, we stored our belongings with both mothers. Now that we have lived in our home for almost a year, it is time to rigorously go through our things to see what we really want to keep. After all, we’ve barely used a lot of stuff in the past two years.

Mowing the lawn

Wed, 28 Jun 2017 20:13:40 +0000

As you before could read, I only mowed the lawn the first evening I was supposed to blog. Since we don’t have a mowing robot yet, and the grass has to be mowed the first few times with the ’normal’ lawn mower, it takes quite some time.

In the meantime I have mowed it twice: The first time not too short, that seems not to be allowed. The advice was to only mow it when it had a length of about 10 cm and then not to mow it shorter than 4 to 5 cm.

A new blog every day... so not

Wed, 28 Jun 2017 19:33:54 +0000

Well, that didn’t go exactly as planned. The deadline for day 2 has already passed, even worse, day 3 has already passed. I finally decided to start blogging daily, but it has been quiet for two days now. That wasn’t quite the intention.

It’s not that I don’t know what I should blog about, I have plenty of topics. But somehow other things were more important, or at least, took more priority.

Day #1 – The start of my 100 days of blogging

Sun, 25 Jun 2017 22:33:09 +0000

There are various techniques to get people to your site and blog, such as advertising and linking on link pages, but the most important thing is regular blogging.

Because I regularly find it difficult to blog something, I have decided to force myself into action by writing a blog every day for 100 days.

100 days of blogging

I blog often, but 100 days of blogging is not nothing. I don’t say that because I give myself permission to not make it work. No, I say it because I know how much effort blogging takes. At the moment I blog more or less regularly for VMGuru and ConoScenza . This takes quite a lot of energy.