GrefTek's Word

Well, using this blog was fun but I now have a new blog at web-log.nl (site from ilse media, where I work). Go visit me there sometime. (It sure looks nicer than this one ;))

Just one word of warning: the blog is Dutch.

http://greftek.web-log.nl/

Me and a colleague of mine were having a little chat session and in a discussion on communication we came to the debate whether violence was a form of communication as well. We came to the following comclusion:

“ Kicking the shit out of someone”:
A physical, direct form of non-verbal communication in which the sending party is capable of adequately communicating existing discontent to the receiving party, by means of transmuting mental stress of the sender into physical pain of the receiver.

You really can come up with some funny definitions if you try hard enough. ;D

Met grote verbazing heb ik de afgelopen paar dagen kennis genomen van het incident waarbij de tasjesdief Ali El B. werd doodgereden door zijn slachtoffer, een 43-jarige vrouw. Hetgeen mij verbaasde was niet zozeer het feit dat zij hem doodreed, maar de grote 'rel' die daarna ontstond. Blijkbaar is het een groot onrecht als een crimineel een slachtoffer wordt van zijn eigen slachtoffer.

Waar ik echt niet tegen kan is de slachtofferrol die hij krijgt aangemeten. Als hij zijn tengels had thuisgehouden was er niets gebeurd. Hij koos om iemand van zijn eigendom te ontdoen; hij koos een tasjesdief te zijn. Vervolgens zijn er mensen die praten over onrecht en hoe hij dit einde niet verdiende. Tasjesdief zijn is toch geen beroep verdomme? Wat is de volgende stap; moeten we een vakbond voor draaideurcriminelen en kruimeldieven oprichten, hun gereedschappen belastingaftrekbaar maken? Kom nou... als dat het geval moet zijn mag van mij dit ongeval als beroepsrisico worden beschouwd.

Frits Wester, RTL4 Reporter

As most of you Dutch already know, the annual news quiz is the center of a scandal. Apparently the winner of the show cheated; he had received the answers to the questions before the quiz started. For more detailed info, check the article on NU.nl (Dutch content).

Now I always respected and somewhat liked Frits Wester as a reporter; he periodically has a guest appearance in the radio show “Stenders Vroeg Op” on Yorin FM. I think he has a great sense of humour and his comments on the going-ons in 'political' The Hague. But with the accusations and after seeing the quiz last night myself I am pretty sure he was cheating. In fact it was so obvious you'd almost think what the man was thinking when he punched the buzzer after having heard 2 words of the question. So for now I will go with the assumption that

The question that lingers with me is 'why?'. Why does someone risk his reputation on a TV game show? Can winning be so import that it is worth putting your image in the scale? Cheating at the news quiz is trivial, because it's not something one wins a lot with, but it is wrong in principal and it does reflect on one's character. One might even wonder how Frits is going to function after this little ordeal, because this incident might completely ruin the man's credibility as a reporter and stigmatise his public figure. Is the gain really worth the risk?

Or maybe it will not affect him at all. We are all now pointing fingers to mister Wester but who of us hasn't cheated on one occasion or another. In his case it's a big deal because it was on national television. The man is human therefor also subject to stupidity and/or weakness from time to time. Even though it's not good and it certainly isn't very considerate to at least the other 2 players in the finals of the quiz, I think it would be pretty hypocrite to outcast him as a reporter.

But what still baffles me is: how on earth can you make it that obvious he was cheating? Anyone that has ever cheated at a test or in a game knows that actions so obvious are going to be questioned. Looking at him on the TV he did seem edgy, so he might have been just nervous and 'revealed' himself unwillingly. But even so it would be tremendously clumsy or utterly stupid.

Well, yesterday I was able to pick up my new car. Second-hand as well, although it doesn't shine any less because of it.

My new Toyota Starlet, a little younger this time (from '96). It features driver airbag, start breaker (anti-theft device), a Radio/CD player with removable front and (last but not least) a sunroof.

This puppy really drives nicely and feels a lot better to handle than my old car. Steering is a bit more firm (and a lot heavier, but I like that actually) and the engine just sounds a lot better (16-valve instead of 12). Fair's fair, this one is probably a lot better than the old one. The car also looks a lot better from the inside. And I got to hand it to the previous owner and the dealer I bought it; they really took good care of it.

Well, yesterday I had a pretty serious car accident and I can safetly say that by a miracle nobody got hurt. (Well, except for my car that is)

Some idiot decided to shift into the lane I was (almost) in on the freeway. He came from behind and was going way too fast. I saw him suddenly looming up and tried correcting. Unfortunately my car has pretty sensitive steering; I oversteered slightly which send me in an uncontrolable skid. Somehow I managed to got from the middle lane to the most inner lane before I hit the rail, without involving any other cars. Speaking of dumb luck. The asshole that caused all this drove off happilly and unscathed. This all happened at around 75Mph / 120Kph, the legal speed limit.

My cute little Starlet is 'proper fucked'; the left front wheel had almost completely come off, the transmission box was leaking and the nose of the car had been shortened by a good 4 inches on one side. I couldn't even push it to an escape ramp so I was blocking one lane of traffic.

I know for myself I had absolutely no fault; I had looked in all proper mirrors, looked in the blind spot (the place you cannot see through the car mirrors very well) had signaled, while I was shifting lanes. Someone just speeds and isn't paying attention can easilly cause accidents like this and it severely pisses me off.

Poor little Starlet. Its last feat was keeping me safe in the crash, which it did very well. I will miss you. :'(

Because this doesn't seem to have hit the international press yet:

Great anti-terrorist action in The Hague

THE HAGUE - During an action from an arrest team in The Hague three officers where injured by an explosion from what sources call hand grenades. The incident took place in the Antheunisstraat (=street). The wounded officers are however not critically injured. The arrest team came in action at the request of the national (police)detective organisation. The police has closed of the immediate area surrounding the building. It's still not certain whether an arrest was made.

In the mean while airspace over The Hague has been declared no-fly zone. This is what the spokesman of the police stated this morning.

Around 08:00 a man was being taken away out of the Antheunisstraat. The man, only dressed in underwear was escorted into a police van by two officers wearing body armour. Whether this concerns an arrest is uncertain.

According to the people living in the direct vicinity the police action started at 02:30. "We were woken by a flash and a loud bang", according to J. Trijsselaar who lives one block away. At 03:00 a second explosion was heard and around 03:30 we heard gunfire.

The police has closed off most of the city area. Police in body armour are diverting the traffic at the closed off areas. All trams are diverted as well.

The police want to question everyone leaving the immediate area. According to eye-witnesses the police is stopping cars leaving the zone. After they talk to the driver and note the license plate the drivers can continue.

The BBE (Bijzondere Bijstands Eenheid = Special Assistance Unit) of the Marine Corps has been involved as well. They are specialised in anti-terrorist actions such as hijacking, hostage situations and other terrorist activities in the Netherlands. The marines on location were described to be heavily armed.

The BBE functions as an extension of the special unit of the police for performing such arrests. Next to that it gives support to the BSB unit (Brigade Speciale Beveiligingen = Brigade Special Security) of the Royal Military Police Corp.

The current BBE was founded in 1973 as a Close Quarter Combat Unit. Its inception was the direct result of the terrorist attacks in the 1970's and the hostage-episode at the Olympic games Munich in 1972.

Article roughly translated from NU.nl (dutch)

Today is about a week ago Theo van Gogh was brutally murdered, which was the cause for me to write a rant on religious fascists. It seems a lot can happen in a week's time. In the mean time Moroccans took to the streets in protest of the violence, Islamic communities spoke out against this form of terror.

Result? Numerous fires started at mosques and a bomb explosion at an Islamic school. I guess some right-wing extremist movements didn't take too long to use the death of Van Gogh as an excuse for something they probably have been longing to do for a long time. Not very surprising as violence usually begets violence, but it was something I had silently been worried about. I am seriously wondering what Theo would have thought if he knew what was happening in this formerly innocent country.

Personally I am just baffled by the utter stupidity of these actions. Maybe I am just not getting it but how is going to terrorise the Islamic community in the Netherlands going to make things better? All it will lead to is more violence, more polarisation, more ignorance and misunderstanding, more hate. Do we really wish to make our beloved country a second Israel? Do we really want to be afraid to get on the bus in the future, not sure whether a fanatical idiot will blow it up?

To those responsible for the recent acts of violence: Wake the fuck up! What happened to Theo van Gogh as horrible but to lash out blindly at a community that is largely not responsible for this act of violence is sheer and utter ignorance! You are hurting our society by just provoking more violence and hate. We need to stop this vicious circle right here, right now!

What I am really afraid of is what this society will turn into if this circle isn't broken. Even if the violence will end it would be a cold and hateful society I wouldn't want to be living in. Instead of the multicultural and relatively tolerant country of Holland I'd be living in a second Yugoslavia, where fear and hatred dictates the actions of its residents. Not only would I not want to live in such a country but I'd be ashamed to call myself Dutch.

Well, I haven't responded in quite some time, partially because I am busy and partially because things have been going pretty well for me. Last weekend we had a nice little LAN party at my place with a lot of friends coming over. (Pictures can be found here) And to be honest, I tend to write more when I am angry or frustrated.

Unfortunately that is what I am right now.

Last tuesday Theo van Gogh, a well-known person in Holland was brutally murdered in what later proved to be an act performed by another deluded idiot that thinks killing in the name of Allah (or God, or Iaweh) is perfectly OK. This act of violence is a direct attack on the freedoms we have in this democratic peaceful nation.

Incidentally I was a 'victim' as well. As a result to Van Gogh's death the website of NU.nl was unreachable for a period of time and I was sent out together with a colleague to fix the problem. I spent 2 hours freezing my ass off in an air-conditioned server area placing new caching servers to get the site up and running again.

Frankly, I don't really know where to start on this subject. On the one hand I damn the witless coward for putting the Islam into a bad daylight yet again, a religion followed by a few of my closest friends. I hope this event will not lead to further polarisation between different ethnicities or religions in Holland; I am very proud that the majority of the people living here have been able to co-exists peacefully for so long, only to be rudely disrupted by a small group of people who deluded themselves into thinking that murdering in the name of Allah is justifiable.

What pisses me off more is that these people have come to my beloved country to prosper and flourish from the wealth it offers. How much is it to ask to at least respect others and their way of life? How much is it to ask that they adjust enough so that they can really be part of its people and contribute to this society. Apparently it was too much for them.

Of course I shouldn't be surprised; anyone who is so narrow-minded he could look through a keyhole with both eyes at the same time is probably going to be dumb enough to understand the principles of democracy or lacks the wit to engage into debate; that is 'verbal combat', to speak in the tongue of these people, although I am not sure if they understand the 'verbal' part. Just the fact they need to quote parts of the Koran (ripping them out of context) tells me that they are too stupid to think for themselves. Furthermore resorting to violence to 'win' the conflict is very much a sign of weakness.

In a way I am wondering what the hell these fanatical idiots are doing in our beloved country. If you are so appalled at us, why stay? We are not forcing you to stay. In fact, I'd really appreciate it if you'd sod off and play Jihad somewhere else. Even more so I would like to issue the following personal statement:

“If you don't like what I say, argue with me. If you can't, then shut the fuck up. If you think you can bully me or threaten me into silence, GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY COUNTRY. If you don't believe in democracy, GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY COUNTRY. If you preach hatred and resort to violence, GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY COUNTRY. You clearly don't belong here then.“

On a side note, “Jihad“ means something like “great struggle“, which implies a personal “battle“ or struggle. In the purest form of the word it does not mean “Waging war on the infidels”; it's just that the intolerant religious fanatics make it their “great struggle”.

I'd like to finish this rant for now by stating that I think it is a crime that such people steal oxygen from the honest and good people, who really deserve it.

Maybe I will write some more at a later time; right now I need to concentrate on my work.

I'm having a 'friday afternoon' mood on a monday morning.

Interesting tidbit. When I went to work today I was 'treated' with a case of car meets truck AND tree. The car was flipped over, and badly dented, axle was broken, and the driver was being tended to by a couple of paramedics. Apparently the truck pushed the car of the road, running it into a tree and it flipped over to the other side of the road.

It's times like this I wish I had a digital camera with me. Not because I am such a sensation seeker, but because it's a good reminder how vulnerable you are in traffic. Maybe then some of the idiots on the roads will think twice about pulling stupid stunts that can cost their lives or the lives of others.

You know, I never thought I'd ever say this but I am missing exercise.

Last Saturday a friend of mine and me went swimming. For me it was the first times in 1,5 years since I even got myself wet in a pool. Indeed we both had a good time just being in the water and getting some exercise done.

At the end of the swimming session I felt great! I really enjoyed being in the water again after so long. But I did notice that I am horribly out of shape. For someone who used to be on the fast track and swim quite frequently I had surprisingly crappy stamina. Aside from that I am starting to look like I am pregnant. ;)

I don't believe in New Years resolutions; in general they're excuse to try something good or stop something bad once a year and decide you will try next year as soon as you fail. But if I'd would like to make one, it's getting more exercise. Sunday I got my dumbbells out of the closet and started training my arms again for a bit. I will try to make an effort to use them at least 10 minutes every day and do some extra push- and sit-ups. And more swimming from now on as well. ;)

The gameserver I have has just been protected in the best way possible...

I have installed a 'watchdog' process. ;)

This is just terrible... Since that last boardgame of civilization I have been utterly hooked up on Civilization II again!

Part of me thinks it's just pathetic on how I long to play CivII every single moment that I got. On the other hand, I realise how much fun I have playing it so I don't feel too bad. I guess it's not terrible as long as I don't make my sweety-pie a Civ-widow. ;)

It's Monday again, but I feel surprisingly good this time around. I'm actually feeling more energetic than before. Maybe it has to do with one of my co-workers having a day off. :D

Well, today is D-day; my contract gets extended, although I don't know for how long and what other issues might be playing as well. It sounds weird but I am slightly nervous; I haven't been with or seen any of my fellow ITers at the company I work for. Then there's the fact I had a few 'run-ins' with the guy of administration. In a sense there is this dark cloud hanging in my mind over my position there and I just can't shake it off. Ah well, it will go about its course I reckon.

Last weekend I had a lot of fun playing Civilization, the board game. Me and a couple of friends gave it to a friend for his birthday but I hadn't been able to play it yet. Last Saturday was D-day. It's been a while since I've had so much fun playing a board game. I mean, this was more than just a game; we're talking real negotiation and politics here. It was also the most peaceful game of Civ I've ever played. In the end I was the big loser, although I could have cheated everyone and take the victory. But it would probably have lead to a revolt. ;) As a result of this gaming pleasure I spend my Sunday playing Civ II most of the day.

Ah well, for once I don't have anything to complain about really. Let's see how long that lasts. ;)

This is my 3rd week of debugging the W.I.E. application and I am really starting to get tired of wading through this piece of !@#!@# code.

Why oh why are so many coders unwilling to write their code in an OOP model? It feels like I am dealing with a group of masochists that simply refuse to see the goodness the OOP model can bring in your life.

For the uninitiated I have ripped a little bit of info from whatis.com, which explains everything nicely.

Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a programming language model organised around "objects" rather than "actions" and data rather than logic. Historically, a program has been viewed as a logical procedure that takes input data, processes it, and produces output data. The programming challenge was seen as how to write the logic, not how to define the data. Object-oriented programming takes the view that what we really care about are the objects we want to manipulate rather than the logic required to manipulate them. Examples of objects range from human beings (described by name, address, and so forth) to buildings and floors (whose properties can be described and managed) down to the little widgets on your computer desktop (such as buttons and scroll bars). 
Source: TechTarget

So what's the big fuss about OOP then? Why is it better than the procedural way? Well, for starters, it's not always 'better' than procedural; it largely depends on the situation you are in. But OOP does have a whole bunch of advantages that are most often overlooked. Here's my favourite two.

First of all, organising everything into objects is more natural to the human than it is to simply process logic. I can more easily explain how the code behaves based on models rather than logic, because people are used to work with objects; you interact with objects everyday. Using the example of a car I can explain to an utter n00b how objects work in code.

Secondly, your average bit of OOP is a lot better to perform maintenance on than procedural code. With procedural code, you basically will have to go through a large piece of code and follow the 'logic'. If you aren't the original author of the code chances are you will be staring at code for a long time. And even if you are the author, chances are you will be staring a long time at the code if it has been a while since you last looked into it. Since behaviour and characteristics of objects are stored in a single 'class' (a class is sort of the generic blueprint of an object) problems revolving around such an object are most often easier to locate.

Especially the latter is something I really appreciate... and miss, in cases like this where I am going through someone else's 'logic'. Hacking into the code just makes it look broken and ultimately makes it harder to maintain. If it wasn't for the fact I need to fix this short term issues and need to spend time on other projects as well, I would have already rewritten this piece of code from scratch.

There simply isn't a good excuse for writing any decent-sized application in an OOP model. It's not like learning the OOP is hard but it requires some effort, which is apparently a bit too much for some developers. Of course you have a choice to do it one way or another, but to me not coding in a good OOP model is the equivalent of shooting yourself in the foot in the long run. And you don't have to bother asking me to debug it for you, either.