Month: June 2005

Dutch ABC spotted!

At first I was quite sceptical about the existence of our (The Netherlands’) very own Alien Big Cat, but now, both photos and videos have surfaced.

Pantera, a foundation dedicated to the defence of big cats in Europe, have made it their mission to find and capture the alleged puma (which they’ve named ‘Winnie the Poohma’) roaming the ‘Hoge Veluwe’ alive. As opposed to Dutch police, who just want to shoot the animal, because it poses too great a threat to the public.

Looking at the film and pictures, to my untrained eye it does appear that the ABC is feline. However, I have my doubts about its size. The images have been taken at a considerable distance, and there is hardly anything to in the surroundings to compare the cat against.

Also, some experts have spoken out, saying that the ABC can’t be a puma, because it’s the wrong color. Love how that works: first there is no puma, because there’s no hard evidence. Now there’s evidence, but the cat’s no puma, because the color’s wrong!

Another interesting fact is that Dutch authorities are studying the video made by Pantera, to make sure they’re no fake. The same authorities that have been putting expensive personnel on the Hoge Veluwe for days, to protect the public!

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Geslaagd!

Mijn broertje is geslaagd. Hij studeerde grafisch ontwerpen aan de WDKA in Rotterdam. Zijn twee afstudeerprojecten zijn vet:

  1. Een extreem minimale huisstijl voor de Europeesche Unie, bestaande uit (bijna) blanco briefpapier, enveloppen, kaartjes etc. en een grote bos sjablonen waarmee je de dragers zelf van invulling kan voorzien. Het paspoort geeft uitleg over alle sjablonen. Mooi!
  2. Een samen met een studiegenoot vervaardigd magazine rond het thema “Rotterdam Waterstad”, welke vervolgens verscheurd is en in oranje plastic bakstenen in de Maas is gegooid. Van de actie hebben ze en video gemaakt, en is verslag gedaan in het Rotterdams stadsnieuwsblad.

Dutch Alien Big Cat

This is so cool. For a few days now, police in The Netherlands are hunting down an alleged puma on the Hooge Veluwe, a large natural reserve.

To me, being a Fortean, this is a treat. Alien Big Cats is a phenomenon well recorded in Fortean literature where multiple people start seeing a large felid in or around a specific location. Sometimes the animal is never found; sometimes it turns out to be a dog, cat or other domestic animal. And sometimes it turns out to really be a wild cat.

Whatever it turns out to be, I’m enjoying seeing this strange phenomena play out in the Dutch media, who have no clue, and seeing where the mass hysteria will take us.

(Also check out this British ABC roundup at the excellent Fortean Times.)

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Lessons learnt at Reboot 7.0

  • More play (see Flickr.com)
  • Make your software social (how?)
  • Keep things open (no gatekeepers)
  • Get blogging to work for you
  • Contribute to a new online etiquette
  • Get real
  • Take the natural reactions of the human brain into account when creating interfaces
  • Beauty isn’t just on the outside, but also on the inside

Reboot buzz

So, Reboot 7.0 has come and gone. I’m sitting here, just got back to my hotel from the afterparty at Vega. Supposedly the hottest club in Copenhagen. Lonely Planet was right about the amount of obscenely good looking and well dressed people present. Good times.

Before I go to sleep just a thought about how to incorporate at least parts of what I’ve seen and heard these two days into my daily practice as a designer. People like Jason Fried and Matt Webb really push me to become a better professional. We’ll see where it’ll go.

Also, had a lot of fun with two people from the friendly competition over at Rhinofly. Greetings to Nicoline and Jurgen!

Looking forward to seeing you again, Netherlands…

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