I’ll take that for sure. Absolutely loooove winter. I downright detest summer. It’s too bright, too warm, sweaty, makes me irritable and I’m less productive in general.

To quote The Weeknd: I come alive in the fall time. My mood improves, everything gets cosy and comfortable. Fall and winter bring nice things like christmas, hot chocolate, gorgeous colors in nature, nice sweaters, warm jackets. Absolutely love it.

The other day I was riding home from work on my bicycle. This being the Netherlands, lots of idiots are on bikes as well.

A bike passes me on the left, with one guy pedalling at a good clip. And a second dude casually standing on the rear of the bike, with his arms crossed. As if he was standing at a bus stop.

Weirdest, most dangerous shit I’ve ever seen on a bicycle. This was a busy street at rush hour no less. I was sure I’d see the guy end up on the pavement, but had to turn off before I could witness the dismount.

If some fucker breaks into your house, kicks your dog, rapes your wife and steals your TV, you don’t ’compromise’ to let him keep the TV. You shoot that fucker right between the eyes.

Russia needs to get out, simple as that. After that, we’ll hang Putin for war crimes and put the rest of Russian leadership against a fucking wall.

The Netherlands is not the worst to live, but I for one could use a few days extra off for sure…

Sooooo build a bunker and hoard guns and ammo, then?

Yep. That’s a difficult nuance for people to grasp. Alcoholism isn’t really about the amount, it’s about your relationship to its use.

If you drink 7 beers on a random friday night, but nothing the rest of the week, you’re probably fine. But if you drink a beer with your breakfast so you can face the day, that’s clearly not a good place to be. Same amount of alcohol, but a different relationship to its use.

Basically, anytime you feel like you ‘need a drink to do X’ with any regularity, it’s time to talk to your doctor about alcohol use.

I had so many experiences like that. I was a voracious reader as a kid. I was reading books in English (my second language) about topics such as aeronautics and space exploration. I was reading far, far above the level of any classmates. And that lead persisted all through college.

Every time a new teacher would give us an essay assignment, I’d get called out to stay after class once they graded it. And they’d casually accuse me of plagiarism.

My usual response? Quiz me, right the fuck now, on any paragraph you want from that 20 page paper. And ask me the definition of any word you’re unfamiliar with. That shut them up right quick.

A large vocabulary is its own reward, but not so much when those who’re supposed to teach you are lacking in that department.

Exactly. Back in 1995, my dad could never get online. Heck, he couldn’t even remotely figure out a PC. We tried to teach him some basics like ‘click with the left mouse button to open something’, but he was downright scared of the thing. He never, ever touched it.

But ‘thanks’ to the iPad, he’s e-mailing, on Facebook, on YouTube, TikTok etc. Which also has the unfortunate effect of subjecting him to boomer brainrot. He’s now more actively misinformed than he used to be because of that fucking iPad.

We’ve made the web accessible to people who shouldn’t be on it. Because it’s hurting them and hurting society as a whole.

I’ve been online since 1995. I weep for what we lost. The web should have stayed a nerd domain. We’d have been better off as a society.

Do watch Andor. It’s not just good Star Wars, it’s ‘good TV’ in general. And I say that as someone who hates modern Star Wars with a passion. Andor’s excellent.

God yes. I was one of the first people to buy it. Back when you had to send Notch himself five bucks to play it. I was interested in the concept, but frankly didn’t think it would have much appeal beyond people who enjoy completely self-guided experiences with no set goals.

How wrong I was.

It’s been wild seeing it rise to the top of the pop culture heap, become popular with 12 year olds and eventually result in me seeing a movie starring Jack Black based on it.

It’s wild that it started with me and a handful of guys sending Notch a fiver.

Goddamnit yes. It’s why I’m very pro-gatekeeping. Because people who are new to a hobby because it got popular tend to ruin every-fucking-thing.

For example: flight simulator. That used to be an exclusively nerd domain up until the FS2020 version, which was released on Xbox. The result: a massive influx of new garbage payware and a decline in quality of established brands. While also making the sim worse in order to chase broader appeal. It’s gotten a bit better after covid went away and the normies dropped the hobby, thankfully.

Also: film photography. The popularity of instagram and YouTube ‘influencers’ got a lot of people into our hobby the past decade. It’s lead to increased gear prices, film being more difficult to get and the forums flooding with the dumbest possible questions, since these newcomers are allergic as fuck to reading manuals or watching any tutorial longer than thirty seconds. It’s also lead camera manufacturers to chase this new demographic by making their cameras shittier and more ‘instagram-friendly’. Here’s looking at you, Fujifilm and your shitty X-half.

Take it from someone who’s been around a bit: if you like a thing, keep newcomers away from it. Gatekeep it like the Berlin Fucking Wall, lest they completely fuck up your hobby.

Having experienced math, I’d choose satanism for sure.

Nah, I wouldn’t worry about that. We obviously know the difference between the US, Canada and Mexico. And here in the Netherlands, you can be assured that we would choose Canadian if possible. We love Canada.

The ‘buy EU’ trend is solely focused on US goods. If the Canadians stick a maple leaf on their exports, it’ll sell for sure.

I love French cheese. You can buy a lot of them here in Dutch supermarkets. Personally, I really like a nice soft brie. That’s considered a ‘snack cheese’, usually enjoyed on a small cracker. Also really nice in a baguette with some tomatoes, cucumber, sliced cheese….

Guess I’ll add some to our shopping list this week; might as well stimulate that EU economy in these trying times. Cheese certainly does make me smile :D

Lactose intolerance is very rare here in the Netherlands, as you can imagine. I always feel bad for people who have it, since milk and cheese are pretty fundamental to the Dutch diet.

I’m with you on giving up meat vs. cheese. I’ve gone days without meat, and could probably go vegetarian if I needed to. But vegan? Absolutely not. Cheese pizza is life. I’d sooner kill myself than give up cheese. It’s not happening.

Too… much? That’s a thing? You’re yanking my chain. As a Dutchman, cheese is my religion. We eat about 22 kilos per capita here, US is about 18. And seeing the overall state of the US, I can only assume low cheese levels are to blame.

Can I offer you a nice block of Gouda in these trying times?

I’m taking a shit. It’s either memes or existential dread, so I’m doing this.

Exactly. If someone wants or needs to avoid certain products, that’s great. There’s plenty of options. But it’s not a restaurant’s job to cater to every whim. They can’t always have everything.

I can’t have fish. My brother is allergic to peanuts. So I eat dishes without fish, he eats them without peanuts. I’m not going to ask for the ‘fishless salmon’.

The French are right. When you have fabled cuisine, lauded all over the world as the gold standard… you get resistant to change. And rightfully so.

Putain, non, is indeed the proper response to said question.