denjames

MSU's Acafella's

2008-06-27T23:08:00.003+02:00

these wonderful guys bring us a wonderful rendition of hallelujah, the leonard cohen song that worked so well for jeff buckley... as fits a acapella u group, this one's straight from the dorm hallway or something... nice carpet, guys, and great stage

fix you

2008-01-24T23:31:00.000+01:00

its been a while since i last blogged sth... rather than mowning about the latest train frustrations, i want to make sure you are updated on probably one of the best live performances ever.. enjoy..

bahnhove

2007-02-01T20:39:00.000+01:00

we have a new pub in hove, since today.. they choose the very appropriate name 'bahnhove', as it is located in the old train station building.. i hope they will serve coffee in the morning, when all of us hove-livers wait for the train that is always late..

office

2006-09-15T00:12:00.000+02:00

found some funny office videos: david brent sharing his views on the microsoft values, and handing ideas on 'realising your full potential'.. apparently, this microsoft uk ordered video material recently found it's way to the net without microsoft wanting it.. the two 20 minute clips were filmed in 2004, after ricky gervais had said his 'david brent' character had retired, never to appear again in public.. microsoft obviously are annoyed, and are now figuring out how the viedo made its way to the net..
(via kogeler)

microsoft belux: scoble #2?

2006-09-08T23:47:00.000+02:00

bruno, the general manager of microsoft in belgium and luxemburg, today announced on his blog that he has resigned from the company.. reminds me of scoble: two of the most inspired microsoft bloggers have now changed hats, which may sound a bit sad but probably is like music to the likes of mini and co.. i sure hope for mr segers that he's a L68, so he won't have to bother about the finances for a while..

hp - the sequel

2006-09-08T23:34:00.000+02:00

last may, i as going crazy with the 'help'desk of HP..
it now appears hp is going crazy itself, at least it's board is..
check out stories about hp's ethical way of running a board/company..
who invents that kind of stuff??
(hinting at teh time when 'HP invent' was still a mantra)

beta blogger? no thank you!

2006-08-29T20:07:00.000+02:00

blogger is giving me a hard time: when using firefox, i'm constantly re-directed to their beta-blogger page, which automatically logs me in on a new empty blogger dashboard.. on the blogger homepage it says to pay attention to the url: when it starts with beta, you'll go to the beta application.. (ok, seems logical).. however, my firefox does not allow me to log into www.blogger.com, as firefox (or blogger?) automatically redirects to the beta site..

google is forcing me to use ie to allow accessing my blogs? i don't get it..

of course, help on this topic can probably be found somewhere, buried well behind another set of google/blogger registrations.. however, i should not have to use the help file: it should be obvious from square one!! and why the heck can't i link my old blogs in my beta-profile? why would i ever want to switch? this new release better be worth all the trouble of using ie again.. blogger will have to improve their communication in order to keep up with all the newbies around..

denjames

book-a-take

2006-08-14T22:53:00.000+02:00

my kid's come up with a wonderful solution for the unpronounceable dutch word bibliotheek, which translates into the unpronounceable 'library'.. since we're taking books back and forth from this building, why not call it a 'boekentheek', closely related to the endangered 'videotheek' but then for 'boeks'.. it works in english as well - see title - so i think it' s a great find..
this should reduce the frustration with young readers around the world, who hesitate to ask their parents for a round trip to the public house of books, because of their fear to get stuck in a stammering 'librewery' or 'bibbel-ibbel-joebel-teek'..

increase the literacy in the world, start with simplifying the words for the literature institutions
well done, kiddo!
daddy

open letter

2006-07-17T22:39:00.000+02:00

i like pam's letter to CXOs, as guy pointed out: it's very recognisable.. she's an interesting lady..

it's been a while

2006-07-08T23:11:00.000+02:00

so i know, but it feels good.. to catch up, i'd like to share that
- scobleizer has left the evangelist team, well, micro$oft alltogether. his exit interview is now online at channel 9;
- mini has gone on a break after his commenters started to get vicious, and some of his wildest dreams start to get implemented: since 18/05/06, no more curves at ms;
- some colleagues got married, some babies were born/announced, some people have left us too soon (again);
- our 'number two' is growing, fast, and yes: we're taking less pictures than we did the first time around;
- we've found a new architect to build the house of our dreams - not so long ago, it almost became the house of our nightmares.. at least it evolving in the right direction now;
- i got a new boss last may - who officially does 'functional coordination', not 'hierarchical supervisory' since he's stationed in london (and i'm not ;) ;
- my new boss resigned from the company earlier this week, even though we'll work together until september something - he's found a new challenge;
- we've enjoyed a great family vacation at the seaside.. to be repeated..
- they've announced yet another spelling revision.. whatever.. for me, citroen should be written sitroen, so we actually don't need 'groene boekjes' or 'wordlists' and so
- did i mention that people got murdered for no apparent reason??
- i'm looking for a spot to try my trombone again.. and some fellows to try those acapella songs again.. mind you: these searches have been going on longer than the current blog exists, and initiatives in those areas have been even less frequent..

that should do it, no?
back in .... august?

cheerio,
denjames

labour day

2006-05-01T15:49:00.000+02:00

today, so we all sit at home, enjoying a 'dolce far niente'..
do jobless people get to celebrate this day as well?? (or do they go to work for one day?)
apart from changeing some diapers, making an extra episode of 'the worlds best sjokko', arrangeing the tickets for our concert of Verdi's Requiem in two weeks, and playing with the three girls in the house, i wasn't planning on doing much today.. or tomorrow for that matter..
and what's more: they finally announced summer to start later this week.. zoo here we come!..

poor joe

2006-04-18T23:28:00.000+02:00

we live in a small country.. every once in a while, you're confronted with that in an unexpected way.. now take the news that is headlining today at the country's 'best' newspaper-website..

the brutal murder on a seventeen year old over his mp3 player is obviously quite alarming, and press is all over 'the story'.. the kid - named joe - got stabbed in the brussels central station a few days ago..

with joe's name all over the articles and updates being published this week, maybe the paper should modify the reference to the survey 'there's only one' on their same front page.. some 'plaatsvervangende schaamte' for the (web)editor in chief of this newspaper is in place here.. is this country simply too small to put someone with brains (or respect) in this type of powerful media positions?..

for those who cannot check the references in Dutch: it starts like this "The Rose? Poor Joe? or Mia?".. indeed, there was only one of those, and he sure didn't have that much luck.. farewell, joe

(won't you be our) number two

2006-04-15T13:52:00.000+02:00

joe said that 'me and number one are through', but that's not what i wanted to say here: won't you be my number two in this case should rather read like 'won't you please come out, and join us.. we are waiting you know' ... ;)

just like the bigger sister, number two is taking its time.. as long as everything is as OK as it seems to be, we don' really mind.. but it sure is quite a test for our patience (and curiosity!!)

gdjè?

2006-03-23T23:15:00.000+01:00

gdje eta ulitsa
gdje etot dom
gdje eta djevuskha
shto ja vliu blon

mnje raskazhi, ti maja
mnje raskazhi
dalina, dalina, dalina ma ja

are you a victim of the gauss

2006-03-08T23:12:00.001+01:00

similar to 'the curve' at MSFT, **insert company name here** abides by the rules and shortcomings of 'the gauss'.. letter day today, so the question on everyone's lips today was: are you a victim of the gauss / have you been gaussed today?
another similarity with MSFT: the gauss is as confidential as is the curve, though a reality in each and every business group, big or small.. so, even though it affects everybody group-wide, very little is offically known about it among the bulk of the staff, leaving ample room for speculation and (educated?) guesswork..
after a couple of years inside, i have learned that questioning the outcome of the review process is a. not appreciated and b. doesn't change a thing.. so if you're a victim of the gauss: you're bound to be in (a?) good company..
cheers,
denjames

earthsurfing

2006-03-08T23:12:00.000+01:00

strange that i hadn't thought of it earlier, but yesterday i visited the small uk town again where i've been hanging out with my isifa friends.. a stroll in the park, a tour around campus, went up and down the streets where my italian and american friends used to cook the most delicious suppers.. the cafeteria of the polytechnic university next door that i'd discovered much too late, and only thanks to a german ladyfriend.. their choice of salad and sandwiches was so much wider, and tastier than our own.. the library where isifa spent half of it's time, and thanks to which most of us had better marks than in our hometown university.. the on-campus waterstones bookstore, the lecture halls where we used to be indulged in shakespeare's plays' analysis.. the smaller discussion rooms, where i was more focused on the french connection than on victorian literature.. the pubs that used to close by eleven.. the liquor store, and the chicken-takeaway (imagine a frituur, but then for chicken only!) the beverly shopping centre, the jazzclub downtown where we went dancing on thursday evenings, with live music..
at such moments, i truly adore the possibilities of google earth.. in only 20 minutes, i have relived the best parts of half a year among a bunch of uk nobrains and the best collection of italian and american friends one could possibly hope for.. thanks for the great evening..

billg on channel 9

2006-02-15T22:14:00.000+01:00

microsofties around the world will be gowing soft indeed over the coming days: billg, ms_head_puppetmaster, features in the most recent channel 9 video..

together with mini, channel 9 is doing what the software developer's hr department couldn't establish for years and years: change the atmosphere, create and stimulate communication within the geeky ms world, run a lively debate and get open and honest feedback.. every company of respectable size knows these kinds of problems, even those with a lot of cash at hand.. channel 9 and mini try their best at showing why they love their employer.. how bloggers and websites can make a difference...
(fyi: i was the 1640th person to watch the interview, only 13 people had commented)

denjames

quote - steve

2006-02-12T23:14:00.000+01:00

a quote i found on thankyousteve, under wednesday, January 18, 2006

"You can't just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they'll want something new." - Steve Jobs

enjoy daily quotes from the apple crew..

disclaimer for my muslim friends

2006-02-08T23:50:00.000+01:00

never will i make fun of or insult (sounds a bit like 'sultan' inversed, doesn't it?) my northern-african or middle-eastern friends.. in fact, i will never make fun of anyone or anything at all, because i'm not capable of producing funny or ironic reading material, let alone insulting jokes.. which reminds me: why does mrs henin-hardenne always wear a cap? (my sick jokes-making and insulting-type colleague would continue as follows: and why does she still not have kids?, but i would never do that, off course!)

three nuns are going to heaven.. arriving at the gate, peter says: 'before you can enter paradise, you all have to answer a question'.. ok, so there goes non number one..
'which of these gazillion ladies here in heaven is eve'.. 'hmmm, that one' she says, 'because she doesn't have a belly button'.. 'very well' continues peter, thunder and lightning, angels sing, and hup-paaah the non goes in.
peter questions the second non: 'which of these quadrubillion men here is adam'..'that's not so difficult, it must be that man there' nonber two says, 'because he doesn't have a belly button either!'.. jackpot again, angels sing, thunder, lightning, enter non.
a little more afraid than the second non, the third one approaches peter.. 'what did eve first say when she met adam?' he asks.. 'oooh, that's a hard one', she says.. thunder, lightning, ....

another month gone by

2006-02-08T23:24:00.000+01:00

didn't blog for a month, what a relief i can still do that without feeling too guilty..
ongoing negotiations with an orchestra coordinator, with a construction worker, with some architects, with some auditors, with my bosses and some project leaders have kept me awake over the past few weeks.. (look ma, no adjectives in the previous sentence! my god, i could have qualified these people very, well,... creatively!) and, oh yes, the growing FranzFerdinand and non-sleeping daughter with an everlasting cold take up their fair share of daddy-attention as well (day ànd night)..

many things made me very unhappy over the past few days, so here's some good things to encourage the positive thinking on 'ze internets':
so happy that my kids are not begging in the street like i saw the turkish/romanian(?) kids do today in the brussels shopping streets around my work.. my babygirl makes the best air-pancakes miles around, with lots and lots of imaginary sugar on top that doesn't damage your teeth!! one of my colleagues finally got that position in hr he was aiming at for years, and i will soon get a coach-ee to do some of my surplus tasks..
great that my toddler stopped running last week, when i cried my lungs out in the parking lot where she almost examined the effects of a head on collision with an suv .. a colleague got a premature kid 'ella', but only six weeks early.. i remember the panic around when things started to go wrong months and months ago.. great that ella only came now, and not october last year.. all the suffering from mom and dad paid off - their kid is ok..
after a year and two months, i am now officially the person with the most experience in my group - and i still often wonder what i'm doing.. i love it when going to work doesn't mean falling into a routine..
i'm so proud that i got an email saying i wasn't really a frequent contributor to the city blog of my hometown - for me that means i got my priorities right.. also, it made me feel wanted as a contributor..
i still don't use capitals, too many brackets (such as here, where in fact i didn't really need them), and, yes, sooo many comma's (again!)..

back to the bad news: is already a quarter to twelve, and i still need to do the dishes for a week.. so long..
denjames

hp - fionaaaaah!!!

2006-01-05T23:36:00.000+01:00

why is hp suffering, a short analysis by denjames..

let's say, you buy a calculator.. manual is in a wrong language - would you consider french to be a language? ;) - so you contact the helpdesk, via the weblink marked on the back of the calculator...

in my head, i imagined it would go roughly like this:
me: webform/email: please send me a manual in english, thanks
hp: package in the mail: there you go, thanks for trusting us so much that we're allowed to calculate for you

in reality, it went like this:
me:

Select a problem area. | product information request
When did you purchase your product? | Jan 2005
What is your serial number (SN)? | cn31500006
If there is an error message, please specify. |
What is your model/product series number? | hp 12c platinum
Please provide the exact problem description. | user guide provided with my calculator is in french, please send me the english version at -- address -- etcetera

hp: (automatic email reply)
Thank you for contacting HP Total Care; please do not reply to this
message. This reply was automatically generated by our e-mail system
confirming receipt of your message.

We are dedicated to providing quality responses to our customers in a
timely manner. All messages are handled in the order received, most are
responded to within one hour.

If you have submitted an e-mail inquiry that is not related to technical
support for a particular product, we will forward your message to the
appropriate organization within HP. To locate the appropriate online
help for your product, please use the following Web site located at:

http://www.hp.com/go/assistance

If you are interested in finding out how your HP consumer products could
be affected by Microsoft's release of Windows XP Service Pack 2, please
visit http://www.hp.com/pond/windowsxp/index.htm.

Once again, thank you for contacting HP Total Care. Delivering total
support for all of your HP products.

hp: Hello James,

Thank you for contacting HP Calculator support for North
America and Mexico. Unfortunately, we are unable to
provide technical support outside of our distribution
region. Please contact the technical support team in your
country for assistance.

http://welcome.hp.com/country/us/en/wwcontact.html

Additionally, I will forward your message to the Master
Distributor for your region. Someone from the regional
support team in your area should contact you within the
next ten business days.

Thank you again for contacting HP Calculator support. If
you have further questions, please contact your local
support.

Sincerely,
Larry
HP Total Care

Our advice is strictly limited to the question(s) asked and is based on
the information provided to us. HP does not assume any responsibility
or liability for the advice given and shall not be liable for any
direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages in
connection with the use of this information. Always back up your data.
For more information, including technical information updates, please
visit our Web site at http://www.hp.com/support.

Original Message Follows:
-------------------------

hp e-mail support

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
hp: Dear Mr. BXXXX,

Thank you for your message. I am your local support assistant.

We can provide you free of charge with an electronic version of the manual.
You can find it at the following website:
http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c00363319.pdf

As for a printed version you can contact your local distributor in Belgium and ask for a command.
It is the company:

DISTEC INTERNATIONAL SA
Karenberg 2
1932 Zaventem
Email: info@distec.be
Tel.: +32-2-7126219

I hope that this information will help you to resolve the issue you have.

In case of any other questions please do not hesitate to contact me for more information.

Thank you for your attention.

Best regards.
KatXXXXXXX MikXXXXXXX
HP calculator helpdesk

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
hp: (same person as message just above, some odd 20 days later)

Thank you for contacting HP calculator support for French speaking
countries in Europe.

As for your problem, I would recommend you to contact your reseller and
ask for an eventual exchange of the manual.
Or, you can contact with your request your local distributor in Belgium.
It is the company Distec International:
Tel.: 02 712 62 00
Mail: info@distec.be

As, we are not able to sell you a hard copy of the manual directly from
our support centre.
Anyway, we can provide you with an electronic version of the manual in
English.
You can find it at the following website:
http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/bpia5184.pdf

I hope that this information will help you to resolve the issue you
have.
In case of any other questions please do not hesitate to contact me for
more information.
Thank you for your attention.

Best regards.

KatXXXXX MikXXXXXX
HP calculators helpdesk
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
me: i call the number (two different numbers mentioned above...)
=> voicemail with a third, changed number for distec

me: blahblahblah all over again:
distec: you can print it from...
me: no thank you, i need a consise booklet, not 500 sheets of A4 paper
distec: ok, we'll send you one

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
me: i call the number four months later, still no booklet arrived: blahblahblah all over again
distec: you can print it from... all over again
me: no, last time you promised me you would send it, in english as a manual, not as 500 sheets of A4 paper
distec: oh, in that case, let's take your address ...
(again!)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>
today: package in the office: 500 sheets of A4 paper, in dutch... now there's some good train reading...

"thanks for contacting HP total care"?? total care?? too much marketing studies?? do you people know what total care means?? did you wash my car or something?? i think not!!!!
"Thank you for contacting HP Calculator support for North America and Mexico"?? what?? i filled out a webform, weirdo's.. you directed it somewhere, not me..
"how your HP consumer products could be affected by Microsoft's release of Windows XP Service Pack 2"?? my calculator?? really?? infected by micro$oft??
"Thank you for contacting HP calculator support for French speaking countries in Europe."?? what?? French speaking countries in Europe?? apart from some eurocrats, nobody speaks french in this country, leave alone the country itself!! some people speak a walloon variant of it, but should that categorise the country as a whole to be french speaking?? would i not have selected some language option on the support website if i wanted to be insulted to be an inhabitant of a french speaking country??

fionnaaaaahh!! come back!!!!

result: for hp: at least 500 euro's spent in help desk support staff time, for distec: minimum of 200 euro's on help desk focus, three and a half euro's for mailing half a ton of paper from the walloons to brussels,
me: one unhappy customer, a mailbox full of hp crap..

i'm ok!!

2005-11-08T23:53:00.000+01:00

just a small post for my american friends: i am ok!!

paris, france is at least a hundred miles away from where i park my car,
in fact, france is another country alltogether! no need to send food or hamburgers through dhl, money is always welcome of course.. the neighbourhood is not on fire, and we still have electricity..

proms - een nieuwe wereldvisie

2005-10-28T12:39:00.000+02:00

zo hoor je het ook eens van een hoofdsponsor..

Never ending story
steeds diezelfde show,
Land of hope and glory
en Robert Groslot

...

Mozart en zijn kornuiten
't kan hier ook erudiet,
(en) als we luid genoeg fluiten,
hoor je die violen niet.

De nieuwe wererld: platte commercie, komische humor en bittere ernst..

reorgs - how to set your bonus target

2005-10-27T23:21:00.000+02:00

are reorgs ever really about making things more efficient, or are they rather intended to destroy all basis for comparison? more often than not, they appear to justify setting new baselines, so top management can have a fresh go at that bonus target?
reorgs are a way of life at **insert company name here**.. one of my colleagues, after returning from a 6-month pregnancy leave, had to go through x reorgs in her email.. top management reorg, divisional management reorg, departmental management reorg, ... the only people not reorg-ing are the little shrimp at the bottom of the sea, doing the, well, ground work.. (god i love comma's!)

it's probably something universal, though: divorce is also kind of a reorg, no?

John Walker, the microsoft fortune teller?

2005-10-27T22:51:00.000+02:00

another must read article on microsoft by John Walker, dating from back in 1997

small quote, to get the main idea of it:

The technological frontier will not close, but it will be somewhere other than the PC software business. In terms of my 1989 nanotechnology screed, I think PC software is moving from the "Oh Wow" to the "Oh Well" stage. Microsoft may succeed in continuing to grow by diversification into media ventures and plush toys: but will see revenues from PC software transition from exponential growth to cyclical performance tracking the overall economy which is typical of mature industries.

i sure as hell don't spend another eurocent on updating my microsoft software.. in fact, not even upgrading the free software: had another go at firefox today.. makes me happy.. really, what are the features you effectively use in excel-whatever-the-newest-release compared to the 97 issue? 'trust me', excel is by far the most important tool for my daily job, so i do use many of the features, and i should know what i'm talking about.. (in a way, that makes me sad, i know..)

where is your company going today??

2005-10-27T22:19:00.000+02:00

the microsoft insider 'mini-msft' seems to be frustrated with largely the same as many of my european acquaintances are:

I want those who have screwed up to be shown the door. I want those who have done an excellent job this past week to be told, "Hey, that's a great job!" vs. their manager holding their tongue, aware that the curve might trend their report downward. I want folks to speak their mind and help start putting forth proactive change. I want VPs and GMs to go without the new big pay-raise incentive bonus until after everyone else have been given reasonable compensation. I want less VPs and GMs. I want a flattening of all organizations with a goal, within the next few months, to remove one layer of management cross-company. I want a corporate efficiency-cop that people can bring in to help streamline their org.

this post on where microsoft should be going reminds me of initiatives launched at a random broekseele employer.. effective spending, working together, client focus,... all sound nice.. however, it is my personal feeling that persons cannot be made to spend effectively, to work together, to be client focused if it's not in their mindset from day 1.. sure, you can steer it a little bit, improve and optimize, but if your not a believer at the bottom of your heart, you won't become one after having followed some expensive courses..
ranting again, sorry.. i'll continue anyway, selecting some preferred examples randomly..

effective spending..
is about shutting down your screens and killing the lights when going home, it is about respecting meeting starting and ending times, having a meeting agenda and sticking to it, it's about having the right tools and accesses for the right people at the right time.. it's not about sharing a server between three or four applications, ordering less pens and pencils, and certainly should not translate into cutting back on the social spending allowance or training budgets..

working together..
is about respecting everyone's input, understanding reciprocal constraints and procedures, about caring about personal problems and making sure colleagues feel at their best when being at work.. about freely sharing ideas and laughs, not wanting to score in other people's domains just because 'it was your idea in the first place'.. unfortunately for some, it is not just another project to get yourselves in the spotlight, be it through brochures and newsletters, games and expensive lunches, or simply a footer at the bottom of your emails..

client focus ..
is about picking up a ringing phone (indeed, not just YOUR ringing phone), leaving updated voice messages or out-of-office messages for foreseen absences, and arranging such messages for your colleagues for unforeseen absences, it's about knowing where the limits are, so that you do not create expectations you know cannot be met.. alas, it is not about telling your client that he is indeed the most important client in the world, but it is behaving like he is.. it is not just about external clients, but also about internal clients..

for normal people, this may all be obvious.. for many colleagues, however, this must be quite a shock.. read the microsoft-man post above, to find many more examples from microsoft world..

denjames

PS: how can you make sure your own staff cares about your clients, and about effective spending, and about working together? make sure it is treated like the most important customer in the world by your own HR division, make that the compensation is right (not simply 'market benchmarked', but also in line with management's compensation), and appreciate all feedback you get, rather than punishing employees for it, and you shouldn't do too bad..

value of my blog

2005-10-26T21:10:00.000+02:00

peter from forret, who you remember most likely as the organiser of the first brussels bloggers dinner, has put a USD value estimation on belgian blogs.. with a little help from his friends at technorati and this Blog Value Estimator prepared by Dane Carlson..

My blog is worth $2,258.16.
How much is your blog worth?

this illustrates my previous point that blogging is not a mature market in belgium yet: if i can appear in this top 60 of belgian blogs, without spending too much time on it, it should be a piece of cake to make it to the top 10 (no offense, dear top-tenners!) when putting a bit more effort into it..

well, i'm enjoying it for as long as it lasts, 'cause peter has launched a call for more help with his categorising effort.. soon we'll be having half of skynetblogs populating the top 3,000, and it'll be bye bye for denjames.. my dear rikea is probably there to stay, and likely to go up (now that he's showcasing the movable type 3.2!!)..

promsfacts@standaard

2005-10-21T11:04:00.000+02:00

belgian newspaper de standaard lists some outdated (2003) numbers on the proms.. that should be updateable, no?..

UPDATE: for once, standaard has appreciated the concert! peter vantyghem's article is 'du jamais vue' for DS

promsfood

2005-10-16T10:59:00.000+02:00

a good crew needs a good dinner.. and breakfast, and lunch.. Rock The Pots takes care of that, with a smile, and a joke..

promspectie

2005-10-15T19:50:00.000+02:00

several people doing prospectie at the proms - scouting if you will.. yesterday featured a lady from a leading belgian television network, producing a reality show... they might do a season on the proms next year, someone came to assess whether the event was chaotic enough to fill thirteen weeks of television with interesting conversation, cliff hangers, and proper action every once in a while..
today, we have a class of sign-language interpreters.. each year, proms does one show where sign language interpreters appear on screen, to allow the - partially - deaf audience present that special evening to enjoy the music as well..
later this week, we'll be hosting german press, having a peak preview at the event that will tour germany - under a slightly modified form.. roger daltry will be top of the bill, midge ure from ultravox will join in germany as well.. holland will have seal, and so on and so forth..

press, in the meantime, are quite univocal about this year's edition: orchestra and choir are greatly appreciated, and so are safri duo and mr proms.. ace of base seem to be less attractive to the professional press, but the many fans don't mind.. well, it's a combination of different tastes and likings, no one can do good for all..

promsblogging

2005-10-14T21:20:00.000+02:00

blogging, live from the proms.. with Mr Music John Miles taking care of the musical backdrop, i'm updating you on this year's edition of the proms.. we've just had the sparkling danish Safri Duo, percussionists with both classical and rock repertoire, in good tradition of the proms.. special guest for tonight still has to appear on stage, but I can still tell you it is.... the gorki man Luc De Vos.. the first one to be blogging this, i'm sure...
media covering this include 'de rode loper', vtm, vrt, atv, nieuwsblad, standaard, gva, ...

tune in for more scoops as the proms move further into their heavy tourschedule

dress rehearsal

2005-10-14T01:08:00.000+02:00

tonight we had the dress rehearsal for the Proms, which is officially starting tomorrow.. special guest was there, all the usual faces from the production crew, old friends, some newer ones too.. lot's of last minute items to take care of, will keep promotor and production occupied for the best part of tomorrow as well (in fact, today).. Carl (Huybrechts, the MC) told me he felt good about the show, when watching the blokes from safri duo do their thing.. John (Miles, mr Proms) was enthusiastic as well, as he mostly is.. me too, i'm going to enjoy tomorrow - well, tonight..
see you there?

denjames

2005-10-10T00:39:00.000+02:00

to take that perfect picture...

2005-10-10T00:36:00.000+02:00

proms is starting end of this week. looking forward to that.

blog dinner in broekseele

2005-10-09T22:52:00.000+02:00

met some interesting people on the blog dinner last friday, saw lots of good ideas, technical tips and hints, and ate too little spaghetti.. thanks, guys, for an enjoyable get together with geeks, uebergeeks, hobbyists, my brothers, an old university companion, regular blogging mums and dads... without wanting to repeat myself: blogging is so big, yet still so small (in belgium?, flanders?).. as a modest explorer in the 'real' blogosphere, i could freely sit around the table and share my views with the few blog-professionals around, without being attacked, ignored or alienated..

as my colleagues did, i'll refer you to lvb for the pictures, even if they're not all as flattering (but indeed, luc, without the flash they preserve more of the real atmosphere).. pascal's presentation was the most brainstormy-interactive one, filled with concepts and sites yet unknown to me.. the microsoft man was maybe more commercial, but also quite technical for a novice like myself.. lvb's presentation can be found online, so see for yourself! coolz0r seems to be apologising for his thoughts, but what i saw was a lot of enthusiasm for his domain.. we'll probably see more of this guy's new hobbyproject soon

all in all, happy i could make it, and enjoy the positive vibes from my blogging concullegas.. denjames

vocab update

2005-10-06T22:13:00.000+02:00

several times a day, i feel surrounded by the most hilarious kind of emptiness, produced by a malignant set of neo-consultants, uttering little less than endless bullshit.. unfortunately, the kind of communication practised by these colleagues is very contaminating.. more often than i like to admit, i end up expressing myself in utter gibberish-sounding hermetic **insert company name** concepts..

or, as another blogger put it on the webiste above:

I am considering initiating action toward your organization on the basis of copyright infringement on my last twelve RFPs. I'll have my people call your people.
— Paul Z.

ever needed to greenlight a business case for an upcoming roadmap prioritisation committee, considering depreciation, manday effort capitalisation, non-staffed and staffed contingency? or to issue an educated guess based, partially mandays extrapolated (using year to date average manday rates?), actuals financial reporting for a business model implementation committee? already sat on a capitalisation compliance committee? lucky you.. some people really thrive on this vocab, and can hardly express themselves any longer towards 'external people' in a somewhat enjoyable fashion.. let's hope i'm not becoming one of these people ..

thanks for pointing me out whenever i seem to be practising to get there..

crowd intelligence

2005-09-30T23:15:00.000+02:00

read the wiki, mr employer at **insert company name here** .. not listening to your experienced staff is a mistake that comes at high a price, see examples of columbia disaster, nine-eleven, and the past plan top down excercise.. need I say more?

google earth

2005-09-30T23:10:00.000+02:00

to illustrate one of my favorite sayings:
a picture paints a thousand words..
in the below example, replace '1,000' by '4,000 +', and 'words' by 'airplanes'..
compare reading about it to seeing it.. type 'allied airstrip, tucson', and be amazed..

also, i tend to get lost when driving to work in brussels (therefor i normally commute ;) google earth, however, does not only tell me how to drive, but also shows me the main buildings i should pass by as long as i'm going the right way.. my preferred route passes by nato in evere, hp, bordet train station, then haachtsesteenweg, to end up next to the botanique..

but also: look into the pope's backyard, bejing's forbidden city, palm trees in the gulf, the white house surroundings, space shuttle outside NASA.. takes your mind off of work for a minute ..

hét boek - thé book

2005-09-27T22:11:00.000+02:00

indeed, not a book, the book.. that's the ambitious title of a fat white pile of paper i nearly fell over in the library the other day.. written by geert lernout, a clerk in antwerp university - my promotor indeed.. i originally intended to publish a review of the book here, so i took it home and started reading.. after 10 pages i was bored to death, and after 120 pages and three extensions in the local library, i'm now giving up.. having learnt nothing worth remembering, and having fallen asleep on every other page while riding the train to work, i now return this blatant waste of good trees to the library.. where it may rest in peace and soon get lost between the shelves..

that 'a short history of the book' soon be reduced to 'an even shorter history of the book', amen..

PS: funny he should write this

Textual critics tend to become very excited about the presence or absence of a comma while remaining blissfully unaware of the fact that these obsessions are shared by an extremely limited group of people.

here, as all he ever said about my thesis was something about a comma missing..

blogdinner

2005-09-27T00:33:00.000+02:00

am attending..

reading about my dinnerdates for the day, and am happy to see that few of them really post on a daily basis.. blogging is big.. blogging is still small, really.. whatever..

some really do get frantic about what they write - i'm being positive here, read it as passionate if you will.. others simply dump some links, or have no coherent blogging-tactics (just like myself ;) some never update certain pages (business, luc, really?), some only blog in languages that hardly x% of europeans can understand (that's a joke, my francophone friends ;), some publish pictures, and others don't.. blogging used to come under different names before, so it appears: scrap books, diaries, portfolios..

'do the following blog-types exist' is really what keeps me busy lately.. (well, for a small part of the day that is.. the other part is mainly finance, work related):
family blogs (where aunts and uncles unite with nephews and nieces, brothers and sisters), business blogs (where insider trading and company secrets are the flavor of the day), tour blogs (for the upcoming sessions of the night of the proms, blog someone?), ...

aiaiai, il y a des bloggeur francophones qui vont venir je vois.. allez, c'est bien, je commence mon cours de francais demain.. et je mekskuze deja: je naime pas trop les accents (ni graves, ni egus), ni les sesedilles.. as i said on luc's blog today (sorry luc), i'm indeed an anti-spelling germanist (meaning that i couldn't care less about the groene-boekje correctness, grammaire 2000 correctness or what do you have..) (i'm more of a haakskes [brackets] germanist, and a comma one, too (very much so, even)).. and a product of flanders: i tend to mix languages freely into a big denjames soup.. [referring to 'denjames' is not my sick pluralis majestatis kicking in: two year olds still tend to refer to themselves with their own name, rather than saying me, myself or i.. and yes, so does my two year old.. so mummy and daddy babble in third person as well from time to time..]

well, that's for now.. who am i having this dinner with?

2005-09-12T23:31:00.000+02:00

Hip Hip Hip - Hoera

zon zon lieve zon

2005-09-08T08:20:00.000+02:00

kwou dat ik je pakken kon
kzou je vriend'lijk willen vragen
blijf toch schijnen alle dagen
lieve zon ga nooit meer weg
wil je dat beloven zeg?

Or, as Dorien puts it, "papa zingen zon?"

And she'll mimick half of the words along once you get going. It's a must-see, at the next family event, for sure.
Other candidates are the evergreens 'broeder Jacob', which in her case - technically - should be 'father Jacob', and 'On a big mushroom' (yes, at her age...)

It will be clear that she'ss lightened up our life for the past two years now, and also that you urgently need to take some dutch classes if this is too much gobbledygook for you..

so busy - so happy

2005-08-18T23:28:00.000+02:00

not sure whether this blog is supposed to be positive:: still kind of mixed feelings about all of this spilling your guts on the internetz::

on the one hand, i'm happy that it has been a while since i last updated this page.. so many blogs out there, so few people who really produce interesting read.. me, i am aware that i only publish blabber.. happily so: a young father, planning to build a house, exacting job, should not have time to publish daily, as that would imply either one of three above is not being taken seriously..
on the other hand, i'm publishing today, so either i have nothing to do or i did some great time management today (or i went to bed way too late).. probably the last.. if you ask my soulmate:: definitely the last..

for a great quote, illustrating the undescribable respect and overwhelming love parents feel for their kids, learn some dutch and visit blogsaland.. had to share that, you know..

also:: new Ingvar Kamprad booklets are out.. what will your kitchen look like next year?
cheerio,
denjames

indecent proposal?

2005-06-09T22:30:00.000+02:00

shall i compare thee to a summer's day?

(=> no thank you!)

shakespeare is a man of all times: this phrase has been sitting in my head ever since summer announced itself with the first glorious rays of sunshine last april/may.. looked up the full poem and fell for the guy for about the hundreth time now.. (and, trust me, i do not often fall for guys.. i'm more the anne hathaway kind of person)

su2pergroups

2005-06-09T22:12:00.000+02:00

never been a big fan of any supergroups.. couldn't really care for the umpteenth beatles, stones, u2, prince or other album.. i like songs, rather than bands, so i have as many favorite performers as i have favorite songs.. have been envious of those that were/are addicted to one band only though: chiara and her Bono, fien and her mano negra, gwen and her Prince, karim and his Michael J.. man could these people talk for hours about their passion - or at least, that's what you'd think when you see them enjoying their music..

in recent years, i have had the privilege - thank you - of working at a lot of shows, mostly the mass events surpassing the 15,000 audience mark.. i have noticed how much i like seeing the stage before and after the show, but not during.. as soon as the music'd start, i'd go sit on a chair, somewhere backstage, not to be bothered by the ''spectacular light shows''.. just like listening to the radio really..

well that's what does it for me.. makes me happy, so: anyone a backstage ticket for u2 tomorrow??.. i'll let you go watch the show, done deal..

denjames

amelie

2005-05-14T18:12:00.000+02:00

next to being the name of my daugther's doll, amelie is also a great movie.. good enough to feature in my top 10, and to buy on DVD.. so to the fnac..

fnac: 22 euros and a bit, for the normal version with little extra's.. that's a lot of money.. anyway, i wanted it so i got it.. on the way home, quickly checked wether mediamarkt also had this version.. they didn't: only the special edition, with an extra DVD full of documentaries, audio comment, storyboards, games etc.. for 10 euros less than the normal fnac product..

makes you wonder why fnac is in financial difficulties: they scare away their audience by shameless overpricing..

went to fnac to bring back my expensive, low-extra-feature copy of amelie.. why? they asked.. because i already had a copy.. (forgot to mention that i got it afterwards only, but hey, what did you expect).. twice as much fun, for half the price.. (not in fnac)

haiku - the variations

2005-04-13T20:12:00.000+02:00

shutdown and restart
or log-off and re-logon
helpdesk, lesson one

want to try?
or to enjoy?

haiku

2005-04-13T20:11:00.000+02:00

shutdown and restart
again, shutdown and restart
windows, all year long

2005-04-04T22:46:00.000+02:00

one ray of sunshine, and antwerp goes crazy for an ice cream...

2005-04-04T22:35:00.000+02:00

G for great!!

2005-04-01T13:53:00.000+02:00

google seems to be going crazy.. log on to your gmail account today, and you'll notice that the server space you are allocated is increasing steadily, with a mailbox space counter on the homepage running higher all the time.. at lunchtime today, mine was at 1260 MB, which is an awful lot.. great, by the way..

what is great also: broekseele is finally a broek again: we 're almost drowning in sun and summer-clothing in europe's HQ.. I'll die drowning this way any time of day.. CU

2005-03-25T10:37:00.000+01:00

**new** Labello PINK.. your smile will colour the horizon..

gmail accounts, anyone?

2005-03-24T13:42:00.000+01:00

really? you all have one? you're sure? can't use an extra invite or two? keep me posted..

blogzem avey!!

2005-03-24T13:22:00.000+01:00

had quite a few remarks on my blog lately.. which was peculiar, since i never posted as little as i did just now.. but then again, that's also what most of the remarks were about.. anyway: it makes you think: the less you blog, the more people will promote your blog as a must see - or, in my case, a must update.. me thinks that GOOD!!

**insert company name here** has been busy, laying off some of the most unproductive, changing the scenery for some of the more experienced, but most of all: keeping the environment unstable.. no rancho relaxo there, my friends..

other events in denjames' world: doubled my DVD collection in just one day, through a promotional stunt organised by flemish magazine knack.. played out some banks against one another, to offer me the best mortgage on the market.. and we have a winner, with a quote of 10% lower than the one given by my personal banker.. which leaves the question why to bother getting a personal banker, if any mainstream bank will try so much harder to give you the best deal.. we have a popular saying in the belgian supermarket world that goes 'you have to earn them, every day'.. too many commercial institutions take your loyalty for granted, and forget to go the extra mile to give you, their long time customer, the added value he /she is looking for.. what a mistake to make..

cu, denjames..

2005-02-11T22:22:00.000+01:00

..koopliedenstraat..

2005-02-11T22:21:00.000+01:00

..stay!..

2005-02-11T22:18:00.000+01:00

..atomium..

howz that..you didn't tell us??

2005-02-08T23:26:00.001+01:00

so many great events recently, about which a normal blogger person would say: now thàt would make an interesting read for my virtually non-existant blog audience.. so what did i do: right: not spend the time to tell you guys and girls about all of these miraculously delicious bits of life.. only the bush-person, yep, he got me to blog you again.. did i already tell you about the ugly cars his security people drive? like, when was this ford taurus designed? before the concept of cad/cam? before style, taste or common sense were invented? (same era as the b-master himself?)

let's quickly make up for the missed events, in a slightly higher tempo than could otherwise be expected..

less than a year after being hit by a car, my aunt has not only awoken from a serious coma, she has also recovered so well, and has learnt lot's of stuff which you and i don't even need to think about anymore when doing them.. last week, we celebrated her coming home party, it was fant-tas-tic to see her, surrounded by her many friends who have supported her, in thoughts and / or in actions.. she was visibly a happy person, i was really moved and impressed by the strenght this woman has in her..

after 35 years in the firm, a colleague of which people feared was 'lost' outside the company walls, celebrated his retirement in the company restaurant.. never before have we seen a drink so well catered with snacks.. so many people who wanted to give their colleague a warm goodbye, did not expect the man to say during his speech that 'he was and is a happy man'.. his motto 'carpe diem', did not go unnoticed.. he spoke some truly honest and kind words, and i'm sure even his adversaries will respect him for so much wisdom in a single speech..

the interior of the broekseelse library has been redone, so you can actually have a seat now when reading your favorite magazine..

sooner than expected: a new niece in the family!! cute little baby! beautiful, simple, and recognisably flemish name.. proud father (tired mother..)

i recently re-discovered the unsurpassed 'kinderen voor kinderen' songs (especially the early years!! teddy bear, rik, kerst ezel, tietenlied, kom je straksje bij me spelen).. thanks you guys, illegal providers of such sweet childhood memories..

at the last company ball, some 10 days ago, me and my 1890 party-mates enjoyed a private (1.5 hour!) concert of miss axelle red, pregnant as dew drop, vibrant as ever.. those sexy moves.. the purple piano.. the excellent table we had..

enough for today.. what the hell, enough for tomorrow also! goodnight from denjames

it is coming to town..

2005-02-08T23:26:00.000+01:00

you may have read about it in your local newspaper, or maybe a regional television channel popped this in a five-minute news-of-the-day loop.. it is coming to town, the bush-man is visiting the capital of europe, and we'll all be there to enjoy his holy illiterateness to mess up traffic for three days in a row.. routines are as follows: *insert company name here* visitors should submit, more than three days before the first day of *his presence*, a copy of their id, drivers licence, etc etc.. all staff will receive a memo, stating that they work - well, for most of us that is actually true - in the *insert company name here* building.. no document, no access, no work.. no pay?
so, here's where moving out half of our staff to the broekseelse suburbs pays off a first time..
rumour goes the bush-man will bring some 2,000 crew, filling up all three major hotels next to our building.. - de morgen only estimates some 700, but they have never been too strong in getting numbers right - ..all major construction works will need to stop for three days, and all traffic will be completely shut down..
finally an event i can blog live.. not from the convention centre, but still..

2005-01-03T21:50:00.000+01:00

..skyline..as seen from **insert company name here**

happy nju jea

2004-12-31T12:23:00.000+01:00

to all..
my nju: jeaz resolution: keep blogging as rarely as today, so every new blog's a surprise (even to me).. what do you say? what can some more blog words do when people are suffering in south east asia as they are since the floods? did anybody in the us of a hear about this, or is the internal bush -driven media still not aware of what's happening 'abroad'..

happy military budget increase to all of you, a good echelon spending and plenty of health care cuts ... keep on praying people, he was sent by GOD himself, wasn't he..

2004-10-19T22:22:00.000+02:00

proms 2004

bush bulge frenzy

2004-10-14T23:50:00.000+02:00

denjames doesn't quote a lot, but here's one anyway:

Anonymous said...
Watching President Bush answer questions in the third presidential debate, I saw some possible support for the theory that he is receiving the answers through a wireless connection. When he spoke about his faith and his wife, he spoke normally and the pitch of his voice naturally varied with the emotion he wanted to convey. It is clear he was not repeating what he was told at these points. However, when he was answering more technical question his intonation was awkward and he paused in strange places. He was speaking as if he didn’t really know what he was saying.

During these more policy or technical answers, the pitch of his voice didn’t really vary as it would normally vary in a sentence. In addition, he would pause at awkward moments such as when he said “increase the border (pause) patrol.” Pausing between border and patrol is not very natural. The two words are used pretty much as a single unit. It is kind of like “Weapons of Mass Destruction.” The entire phrase functions as a single syntactic element. You are not likely to say “Weapons of Mass (pause) destruction.” There were several examples of these awkward pauses.

If someone were telling him the words to say, it would make sense that he might just say them with no intonation and pause at random places. This is by no means evidence, but it is somewhat suspicious. There may be a cunning linguist out there who has more to say on this subject.

don't you just love the way the 'internets' makes information available so fast, so elaborately, so shamelessly.. not really fond of all that 'anonymous', but hey, if you live in the country with *freedom of speech* as most of these anonymous do, you better watch out for the secret service.. funny how that abbreviates to ss.. for those who don't get this, maybe type 'hitler+ss' in google, and learn..
proud to say that i'm a linguist, and that the above quote is about the best evidence yet produced that something strange is going on in the presidential debates, to say the least.. also see bushwired, bushbulge and the likes..

goodnight, and don't let the echelons bite..

antwerpen

2004-10-08T23:30:00.001+02:00

read this

"The shortest way between two points is under construction"

here. Don't know whether he made that up himself, but denjames thinks its funny..

ze missterrie of ze pistoleekes

2004-10-08T23:30:00.000+02:00

friends, foes, readers, bloggers, surfers, it has been found..

the quest for the grale in the form of a recipe can safely be ended, ze missterrie of ze pistoleekes is no longer a missterrie to me, regardless of what rooien bizon has to say about that..
it appears pistoleekes should be conceived as small loaves of bread, but to be prepared with cold water rather than half warm.. also, you should kneden the deeg much longer, because of the cold water, and because you're dealing with pistoleekes..

is that clear? now why didn't you just tell me so before?

thanksyouwell,
denjames (bij GMAIL puntje KOM)

djee-meel

2004-10-06T22:14:00.001+02:00

so, denjames [at] djee-meel is being tested by myselves..
what would i say to the google-boys should i meet them in the hallway (or the train for that matter)..

i'd tell them to speak to the blogger guys, as 'gmail' is currently missing from the standard spell-check-dictionary-pop-up-window that i love so much.. [ok, just added it..] surely 'google', 'gmail', 'blogger' etc should not be replaced by 'googol' or 'blocker' and they should know that; i was quite surprised this wasn't foreseen..

the 'save as draft' thingie launched today was clearly on the top of my list, as i kept on sending files to 'me'.. they beat me there, which is perfecto of course..

and for the blogger guys? tell me how i can find back lists of blogs, by other means than listing books i never read or clicking the randomising 'next blog'..

guys, are you there? let me know if you need further feedback..

denjames

wake up..

2004-10-06T22:14:00.000+02:00

ahhaaatjens,
you may think, where has he been..

not all too difficult: organising some gmail access, getting a transfer to another division of our beloved **insert company name here**, trying out this year's version of the flu, breaking my beloved camera, seeing off my grand dad on his final trip.. nothing to post about really..

and you, what have you been up to??

ciao,
denjames

2004-09-21T10:52:00.000+02:00

a royal beach...

us elections

2004-09-21T10:51:00.000+02:00

us people out there: make up your mind, and vote sensibly this time.. help michael defeat his enemy.. the world will be grateful, and so will i

its back

2004-09-21T10:08:00.000+02:00

feels good, not to have posted for a while and not feel guilty about that at all.. shows that i do control myself in some ways.. then again, it also shows i have been enjoying (yet another) brief holiday, far away from computers and tinternet..
have not been sitting still, though.. my home now runs a small network, and the family members were equipped with brand new gmail accounts.. currently on sick leave, which allows for some minor updates on the blog ;)..

bye for now..
denjames

denjamie

2004-08-30T23:59:00.000+02:00

denjames' sjokko is online as of today.. please learn dutch, and read all about the world's best sjokko

2004-08-18T21:24:00.000+02:00

Antwerp by Evening

Unconditionally Guaranteed for Life

2004-08-13T00:11:00.000+02:00

you don't see that a lot anymore these days..
when i was looking for a job - some time ago, when there were still more around - i wanted to work for whatever company who would offer products or services with such an approach: be the best, go the farthest for the customer, try the hardest.. sony vaio laptops was one place i really appreciated for that, among few.. knowig how demanding i am myselves, how much i want out of a product or service provider, i wanted to commit - through an employer - to deliver such service..
a few years along the line: not easy to find such products.. in fact, I'm quite happy this blogger guy mentions this, just to know that customer satisfaction still exists.. **insert company name here**, employer of yours truly, is getting lost in 'keeping focus', 'client focus initiatives', 'client satisfaction surveys', 'employee surveys', 'action plans' and more of that cr**..

to end on more positive note, let me try to list the few things of which i am so positively happily suprisingly satisfied you should know about it: the bugaboo, digital canon ixus (400), all of the babybjorn stuff we have, dell flatscreen, toshiba laptop(1994!!!, still going ok for the office applications, on win'95), marks and spencer shirts (i bought the last ones before they closed all of their shops in belgium - the collar, those sleeves!!), a 'kitchen devil' knife, my giant samsonite travelling case..
i sincerely hope these products will support me for a few years longer, as i don't even have a clue whether they are indeed guaranteed for life - i kinda hoped i never have to find out...

don quixote

2004-08-12T23:12:00.000+02:00

gettin' old?

2004-08-12T22:54:00.000+02:00

denjames is gettin old.. so fast..
proof #1: today my soulmate and me got us a braun electric toothbrush.. on dentist prescription, that's true, but still.. electric toothbrushes are not supposed to be bought by people under at least 40.. you're supposed to have the energy to do the brushing yourselves.. anyway, our dentist says those brushes are more efficient; effective if you want.. she's over 40..
proof #2: tomorrow's my soulmate's birthday - how much more in the face can do you want it..
proof #3: for a birhtday present - i can tell you that already - i've found a new electronic radio alarm for which the clock part - and this is the freaky bit - is guided by radio waves, so you never have to manually set it right whenever the 'ploñ' gives in, or when summertime (daylight saving time) switches from one to the other.. all the charm of sleeping too long because you had an electricity failure somewhere during the night: no more excuses! setting the clock one minute too far so you had to hold the button for another 23 hours and 59 minutes just to get it right (those japanese made sony things never seem to have a 'rewind' button for those 'one minute accidents') - all over..

funny that it are these home appliances which have been around for years that make me realise i'm gettin old.. rather than me trying to keep up with new technology - mp3, blogs, homeworking through VPN, digital canon IXUS, GPS systems on a bycicle.. maybe it's because it's the kind of technology that my parents use, toothbrushing away.. never thought i'd become such a parent.. so fast..

ciao

lovers

2004-08-04T23:38:00.000+02:00

[v] blogsaland

2004-08-04T21:47:00.000+02:00

no more pollution of denjames.. for vlomse posts, please now also enjoy a trip to blogsaland

more than words

2004-08-02T23:17:00.000+02:00

sentences..

(vrij vertaald: meer dan woorden: zingen!)

2004-07-28T23:32:00.000+02:00

mijntje en nijntje

ze wedder

2004-07-28T22:52:00.000+02:00

finally.. summer's arrived in the city of bruxelas, were **insert company name here** has put up it's desk and computer storage place where i go to every day.. happy i'm not expelled to bangalore, or what was the name of our new site again.. for those selected / appointed to transport their brains to bangaleud as from september: they don't have a brussel bad, or a zuidkermis.. saw the beach today, kermis is planned for friday evening.. life is beautiful, people are happy and caipiriña's a plenty..

some acts of management efficiency: nothing but meetings today, one timing more strict then the next one, tempted to go out into the sunny streets between havenlaan and the royal palace.. someday, i may become the official bruxelas sandwich lunch guide, spotting the coolest walks, best sandwich stores, and funkiest coffee houses.. last week, i visited a maybach store on zavel by coincidence, to name but one of the many surprise visits featured in my guided walks.. (the audio guides are in preparation, now don't get pushy!)

for the concert lovers among you, i **do** boterhammen in het park, ab, turn and taxis, botanique, passage44, and many other selected places for public performances..
for the sandwich and / or coffee addicted: sandwiches can be ordered 'faites maison', coffee house selections are accompanied by personal opinion on waitress dress code (free of charge)..

for specific requests, please send me a quick note.. at your service..

sausalito man

2004-07-26T23:08:00.000+02:00

thought i'd give you blogsters a picture of myselves, in sausalito harbour.. at least it's really me, and the boats shown are really not mine.. for those who like this little village: you are so right.. for those who have never been there, but would like the same experience in the €-zone: go to portofino, cinque terre or venice, probably some of the most satisfying places on earth.. for those of you who may never get to venice: go to vegas, they have a real venice, too, only its cleaner and road conditions are better.. for those who may never see the strip in vegas: see movies such as leaving las vegas, or oceans eleven, which should give you a good idea of the place.. ocean's eleven's plot reads very much the same as the italian job, which starts out in venice.. now that's a coincidence, right?

terra cotta

2004-07-26T23:01:00.000+02:00

action plan

2004-07-26T22:06:00.000+02:00

in order to attain my SMART objectives, i should focus on the deliveries in my various action plans, so that by target date, two days ahead of deadline, and two weeks before implementation date of my proposed quick wins, but after first provisional signoff date, i have a clear commitment from the stakeholders or actionnees from which i am dependant.. i should also take care not to commit on projects to which my MD investment would be of little added value, especially if payback is over two months.. i'd best scrutinise the defects appearing on my ctqs through a thorough root cause analysis, rather than a ballpark estimate of the underlying actors..
in the short term: words to use are challenger (mind the french pronunciation!), sponsoriser, and focusser.. further more, be sure that you have 'a working plan', in which the various 'actionnees' are clearly input..

blogs-analysis

2004-07-24T00:55:00.000+02:00

small side effect of the daily job: analyse analyse analyse, even the blog put up for fun..

here we go:
* lay-out did not get much attention yet.. a pity, but hey, life is short..
* frequency of posting: irregular, but a couple of times per week as a good average
* size of blogs: varying, from too long to too short
* style of blogs: none whatsoever, which i see as a positive point.. i like to think i can still surprise myselves by using yet another style - or no style at all - depending on the post..
* finally a medium were i don't need to put capitals, and were i can finish my sentences with .. good i got that uni degree in langkwuage and litteratjur then..
* as many topics as i have blogs, (apart from the genuine, and the pistolekes, and the business critic on ** insert company name here **), so no need yet to start categorising my thoughts..
* what if someone would really read all that stuff - should i pay for the medical expenses incurred?

keeping the dream alive

2004-07-24T00:53:00.000+02:00

a threefold stroke of genius
- the name of the group: 'freiheit' immediately links to not being free at all.. in germany, it surely calls back memories of the ddr (but then, oh irony, the full name used to be münchener freiheit, which is just about the richest city in former western germany...)
- the real close harmony in the first couple of bars is like a spoonfull of the worlds best sjokko on your tongue
- the lyrics of this song themselves, and a very 'plastical' title - which makes me think of the way that also 'a picture paints a thousand words', well this title does, too

tonight the rain is falling,
full of memories of people and places..
and while the past is calling,
in my fantasy i remember their faces..

the hopes we had were much to high;
way out of reach, but we have to try..
the game will never be over,
because we're keeping the dream alive..

no need to hide, no need to run,
'cause all the answers come one by one..

pistolekes

2004-07-24T00:43:00.000+02:00

as you all swamped me in feedback on recipes to make overheerlijke pistolekes - thanks you guys, i love'd that - i found a book in our local library that should provide me with a somewhat offical version of the pistolekes formula.. if any mom, grandmom or mother-in-law has ever successfully seduced you with pistolekes of her own creative bakery-experimenting, you may still forward such historic receptje to denjames..

casual fridays

2004-07-23T21:05:00.000+02:00

we used to have casual fridays.. to cut a long story short: we don't have them anymore.. (well, strictly speaking, we still do.. but then again, we now also enjoy casual mondays, tuesdays, wednesdays and, oh yes, véry casual thursdays..)

now for the long story: what's that problem denjames has with casual fridays? let me take you back in time, to a time when casual fridays were still something people were cheerful about on friday mornings (for some it even started late thursday evenings!!).. it was back in those days, when internet access still had to be signed off by your division head, and when you still had access to the one magical email address through which you could send a note to all of your colleagues in one go.. (some wiseguys had added "for business purposes only" to the address, just to make sure it wasn't abused...) before business cards for everyone, and free seating areas for the staff, before the restaurant was opened to commoners.. enfin, more than three years ago..

in those good old days, you did not stand before your wardrobe for half an hour every morning: a shirt, a tie, and one of those three greyish suits was all you needed to get ready for work.. during the lunch break, you could easily go for job interviews, because nobody would notice your formal dress.. during summer, you could distinguish the interns and students from colleagues or contractors.. you see: it were much simpler times for a guy like me..

but then, that fatal day end of june, an HR representative used the generic email address (for a business purpose of course):

the results from our 'casual dress fridays' being positive, we are glad to announce an extension to the entire week for the duration of the summer period: starting monday, july 3, 2000 and ending friday, september 1, 2000.

In smaller letters, they addeda small caveat:

as a company we must ensure that our professional image and attitude are not compromised

followed by some guidelines, and then

we count on your diligence to ensure that your attire is appropriate at all times for our professional environment

as you may have sensed in your smallest toe (that's an expression were i come from), HR would not stop there, oh no..

"smart casual" dress - extension of test up to year-end
during the summer we tested the "smart casual" dress policy on a continuous (all week) basis...

and then they extended it to year end, as promised in the title of their little document..
The real defeat for local formal dress dealers came somewhat later in the same year:

it has been gradually introduced, treated to a big applause (sic), and finally commonly accepted: the casual dress.. this dress policy stood the test without downgrading the high standards of our company.. that's why ** insert employers name here ** will continue its casual dress policy..

need i go on? some situations from current corporate life:
in the morning, you choose which t-shirt may/may not fall within HR definition of "smart casual".. a shirt with vertical print, as was fashionable lately, would HR be offended? those designer sports shoes, of which you would not think they were sports shoes (and if you ran down the street with them would be ready for recyclage?), would they pass the judging eyes in the morning elevatorride together with members of the management team?? when going for lunch , will i dare to look down the elevator buttons (to press the 0), when a steep valley disguised as a summer dress tactically positions herself between me and the button board? (i'm not often suffering from vertigo, but some dresses make me want to check my parachute, just in case my eyes start falling ...)

at the end of this summer, why not give the formal dress a short revival? it'll give you girls an opportunity to show off those pretty blouses and skirts only worn during the annual company ball, or to learn you it boys how to iron a shirt.. it'll give the shoe-repair-men a wonderfull incentive, and in the evening when you get home and take off your tie, you know your working day has ended.. relax.. blog.. surf.. think about which shirt to wear tomorrow..

ciao raga

procrastinating

2004-07-19T23:03:00.000+02:00

even though that is not what i did today, current post will need to find its way under the pejorative 'procrastinating' title.. it used to be the favorite of my isifa-colleagues, so as an honour to them i must have at least one post under this magical word..

two thousand ideas popped into my head today.. so exhausting.. when i saw our brand new minister of foreign affairs drive by - busy on his cell phone, as joesoewal!- i thought 'must drive Porsche Cayenne S' someday.. (confusing ideas with hopes and dreams here, you'll see more of that happening) then, only briefly after spotting one of belgiums most powerful men, i thought 'need to get some take-away coffee from that wonderfull place where they have all that designer food and the delicious desserts'.. which i consequently did.. yes, you have to give mr de gucht that: he has absolutely no effect on people at all, except wanting to forget him asap.. a small excerpt from his website today:

Dank
aan al mijn kiezers : alle 159.332 voor het Europees Parlement,
alle 70.884 voor het Vlaams Parlement.
Het sterkt me in mijn intentie om te blijven ijveren voor een liberaal, degelijk bestuurd Vlaanderen en ik verzeker u dat ik daarvoor mijn beste krachten zal blijven aanwenden.

so he takes up a position in the ... yes indeed: federal governement!!... (you have just won a test drive with his tax-payers Porsche Cayenne).. redelijk.. onverzettelijk.. my foot..

other randoms things today

a bomb alert in antwerp train stations.. nothing on the news, of course, this only affected thousands of commuters, it's not as if another political nobody did an **exclusive** statement about a flower shop they opened today.. for those who were lucky enough to have noticed: small kontich station today saw the simultaneous visit of several trains, amongst which a TGV, a double decker intercity, several interregional and other trains banned from entering berchem.. it must have been the first time since the inauguration of platforms number 3,4,5 and 6 back in the 1920 s that these tracks were actually used.. don't you just love the spontaneous and creatively opposite messages spread through the speakers of adjoining trains whenever such random things happen..

felt strange today, maybe through overdose of delightfully strong takeaway coffee, or absence of colleagues, or hungry feeling waiting in train too long, or lacking focus..

aaaaargh.. 'lacking focus'.. must.... open ..... post...... on ..... management....... blahblahstuff........
(and i know where those things come from):

"dear students, near the end of this one-month long, hyper-expensive management course in the pictoral surroundings of corporate verweggistan, please remember the following expressions, so people back in your respective companies will actually think this training has actually trained you at something: 'this meeting is lacking focus', 'can we continue this discussion off-line', and 'let's increase the roadmap'.. from previous attendants to this overrated course, we have learnt that this is the part that they will actually use.."

so much for the office - let's continue this discussion off-line, shall we, because we are lacking focus here..

so?

2004-07-14T23:47:00.000+02:00

i never said i would be a regular poster, so why does post-post-post pop into my head.. articles i read say this may happen after a couple of years.. but two weeks.. the fear to write words that will be public, even with hardly anyone knowing they are there..

does google employ psychiatrists to look into this type of side-effects of their creations? (or should i say 'blogger?') there are so many things you can investigate - what if i were at university again? i sure wouldn't be so difficult anymore to choose a thesis subject.. Shakespeare did alright, you won't hear me complaining.. but this blogging? a whole new genre in literature, how often does that happen? the endless research possibilities..

and a whole new vocabulary.. tried the spell-checker those whizzkids built into this blogger-tool: guess which words popped up as unknown: google, blogger, blogging.. how crazy is that? it's not in the dictionary, or what? so, did i learn them these words? or is a private spell-checker now kept at google-building for denjames only?

i l*o*v*e* evolution, but i don't always get it..

ciao

Inspiration

2004-07-14T23:39:00.000+02:00

is a pretty thing..
pretty annoying when thoughts go faster than your fingers can type..
pretty beautiful when the thought of "writers' block" alone paralyses you..
pretty frustrating when it's absent..

so many ideas, so little time

or wasn't i going to be philosophical today?

blogging software

2004-07-12T23:27:00.000+02:00

almost two weeks old now.. not too many blogs, as i've just being enjoying some olli daiz.. as most of my potential readers are.. flemish guys and girls, enjoying the wet summer yet?

documenting myself on the blogging thing, i came across some more experienced writers.. oh my god.. is everybody designing a proper piece of software to run their website? cockfights about whether to use MovableType or wordpress.. the basic idea i got after a couple of hours touristing these blogs was: either the website has performance issues, one is redesigning it, they just did a transfer from this platform to that one and are still experiencing some bugs.. my goodness: is computer hell unavoidable when blogging? the endless list of add-ins, snippets of code, scripts to use or plug-ins to develop is probably needed to generate more of these fantastic ideas and stuff like the google and the blog and the hover image and the rasterbators... but the wining about all of it is so tiring....

try molly's website for example.. next to her pieces on gender, she goes on forever on whether or not her publishing company will be pleased with her using this or that piece of software to structure her thoughts.. it may not be a good comparison, but let me offer it anyway: dear molly, do you think all factory workers of porsche's go home in a shiny 911? of course not, and i don't think their bosses will be upset either..

hope this helps :)

denjames

free toilet guide

2004-07-10T12:26:00.000+02:00

now there's a promising title, i hear you think..

well, it's an interesting idea as well.. [please research whether it was launched before -- i know you blogger-community-people do that type of stuff, try to find who was the first to launch an idea] let me not worry about that for the moment and go on explaining what i'd expect to read under such an entry

how often does it happen to you that, right in the middle of a shopping spree with the misses, you suddenly have to go, urgently.. !{ as she has already spent most of what you've made in the last four months, you think 'what if my finding a bathroom shouldn't cost me another euro on top of the visa for today?' aha! if you'd browsed my website before leaving for the city or shopping mall, you'd know where to go!! pee for free, now there's a slogan!

just to give you an idea:

In Antwerp
* there is a public mensroom on the groenplaats, the giant square next to the cathedral (not too far from FNAC or Bilbo, two of my favorite destinations..)
* near the Schelde, go to the second street behind the city hall, where you can find the alternative cinema.. as the cinema bar in the basement also has toilets, which are not visible from the bar, you could quickly pop in and not have to drink something (which is quite unusual for cafes: normally, they only let you pee whatever you bought at their own bar)
* all university buildings and public libraries, even polytechnics feature well maintained equipped installations for your comfort..

get the hang of it?

now, for some general tricks and hints:
in almost all of the world, you could try to locate universities, schools, tourist offices, official buildings where no entry pass is needed (in the USofA: forget it...), such as public service buildings for taxes..., hospitals, waiting areas for medical practices

of course, the list is endless, but when you're in a hurry, best to have some alternatives (i know that goes for me, anyways)

my pleasure..

genuine - exhibit 2: isifa

2004-07-05T23:32:00.000+02:00

got a call yesterday.. from an italian friend celebrating a mutual friends' wedding that day.. too many kilometers from where I was, as I should have been there..

genuine..

we go way back, we happened to be in the UK during an Erasmus exchange at the same time.. with a group of friends, we felt very connected, and hung out all the time..

even though he was probably very 'droenk' yesterday (partying all day long.. on an a sunday, indeed, as they do at italian weddings..), and even though it had been a while since we had spoken, we understood each other very well..

life goes on after university.. some people find a job, some are forced to perform X months of 'service', others keep procrastinating as they did on university, others start teaching.. some people move to spain, some to a boat cruising half of the world, some go to india to undergo a different culture and learn to appreciate the things we all have and never dare to question..
some people vanish into a kibboets, never to be heard of again.. intelligent people holding umpty degrees in all types of sciences, only to get stuck with a lousy job in Pays Basque or South Africa, far away from home and the ones they care about..
some try to cheer up children in hospitals by dressing up and performing magic.. some start at the bottom of the food chain in an international supermarket company or an international settlement house.. some get married, some get children, some simply don't and enjoy that just as much..

but they were all so genuine.. people you can count on..

life goes on, but it is worth looking back from time to time, remebering those who have made your life so much more valuable.. so much more fun.. so much more raga, fuffa, giobba, galiba, ...

thanks you guys, for being genuine..

genuine - exhibit 1: Klein Jowanneke

2004-07-02T23:42:00.000+02:00

anybody familiar with Klein Jowanneke? you should read his columns somewhere (suggestion: zone03).. in this weeks' issue, De Wereld Is Veranderd, he starts like this:

Waarom stemmen de mensen op het blok; een afdoende verklaring door Klein Jowanneke, helder uiteengezet in elf punten.

my guess is: he'll bundle the columns and get them published before the end of next year.. if he's not: Jowanneke, bundle your columns, and see they get published before the end of next year!! now, if he does not, you may actually have to move to antwerp to read about his adventures in zone03 every other week..

Klein Jowanneke: genuine!

sjokko

2004-07-02T23:11:00.000+02:00

as I am currently owner of the recipe for the worlds best sjokko, I would still be looking for ways to create the worlds best pistolekes slash sandwichkes.. these two combined would allow for the worlds best Sunday morning breakfasts to be held on a pillow near me..

ask you mum, your pastry-chef, your friend who's following a catering evening class.. I promise to send you a specimen of the above mentioned worlds best sjokko..

for those in the US of A or the UK: sjokko freely translates as peanut butter, but then with chocolate.. if you don't know what pistolekes are, you cannot help me anyway.. (thanks for considering, though.. I appreciate it..)

olli daiz

2004-07-02T22:56:00.000+02:00

finally, some olli daiz.. busy period coming up, lots of stuff planned for a couple of days.. caring, shopping, thinking, designing, cooking, you name it..

writing - I almost forgot..

so when did blogging get this popular? asset der zelfs inde kliks overebbe!

ever suffered from a writers block because you had so many IDs you didn't know where to start? painfull.. time passes by so quickly..

blah blah 200.000 blah blah

2004-07-02T00:00:00.000+02:00

jobs they wanted to create.. I don't think I saw a deadline next to that number when politicians in expensive suits announced it with pump and circumstance.. a course on six sigma anyone?

a couple of months down the line.. confusing messages: **insert provider here** cancels IT projects because it cannot find the required staff - not even through consultancy houses..

you don't read about that in press-releases..

+ 01/07/04°

2004-07-01T23:47:00.000+02:00

ever noticed how closely good news and sad news are related.. how people meet in hospitals for good and bad reasons.. how news about the birth of a baby and the death of a (grand)parent often reaches you only minutes apart..
extreme emotions are so difficult to deal with: what do you say to a friend, if you're not sure whether he's crying from sheer happiness or sadness..

I'm happy to have met Laure and Sam today.. sad to hear from Bompa..

with you guy's (what's there to say?)..

Integendeel!

2004-06-30T23:28:00.000+02:00

a couple of weeks ago, we enjoyed yet another election in our small Kingdom.. for those newly elected that didn't study linguistics: let me give you a hint or two..

when being interviewed, keep in mind two expressions that will save your day
1: the journalist makes a statement that does not look positive towards you / your political party
=> always begin your answer with 'on the contrary' [integendeel], and then say something completely meaningless (or at least something that cannot be verified)
2: you are halfway through your answer
=> throw in a couple of 'on top of that / and to take it even further' [bovendien] and then continue to say something completely meaningless

this seems to work for 80% of your predecessors: a small example could look like this

Q: your party seems to have lost a lot of votes compared to the last elections?
A: on the contrary!, in the village of Deurne-West, we have gained almost 2%! and on top of that, it is not the quantity of the votes, but rather the quality of the votes that matter to us..

glad I could help!

D'ohbert

2004-06-30T22:53:00.000+02:00

even though my soulmate does not approve of it, I admire Dilbert.. incredible how this mirror of daily office reality smashes in your face - it's the best cartoon since Biebel.. from time to time, I realise that I'm starting to behave just like the pencil drawn egos by scott adams.. forced by higher powers commented on in my favorite newspaper..

some trendwatchers commented recently on how traditionally spear-point technology companies have become administrative burdens, and traditional administrations have evolved into creative and imaginative employers.. whereas five years ago you could still make fun of government personnel falling asleep during their morning commute because they lacked challenges, they now simply earn more money, go home early, ride the train for free, and don't suffer from ulcers after every semi-annual 'appraisal-process'.. guess who's laughing now.. D'oh..