On the same night the sophisticated MySpace Application Platform was released to developers, Facebook announced an important forthcoming development that should make FB apps a whole lot less annoying. Let the Platform Wars begin!

Maybe I soon might unspam Facebook emails and eventually even login to Facebook again. [via Read-Write Web]

Every entry with a club (♣) in the tile now links directly to the linked post/article.

If only I could figure out how to get the (custom field) URL in my feed now. Yes, NetNewsWire ² users are spoilt. :P

All credits go to iStudioWeb.

1. Still powered by the Automattic joint in GPL version
2. FeedDemon for Windows users

More at My Damn Channel².

1. If you manage it to sit through to the end
2. Use the left sidebar nav for all the videos

I like the lightweightness of Chyrp and will consider using it for further blogs¹.

Do not forget to admire the Chyrp site design, play around some with because there are many gorgeous factors in the site design!

1. Chyrp has a WordPress importer.

And no, I don’t have Bootcamp installed. Have I become a Macnerd?

Still, I’d love to play some Gothic 3¹

1. The fact that I just invested almost $300 in a new graphics card seems totally irrelevant after 3 months of Leopard. If it weren’t for the huge memory footprint.

I am going to import quite some stuff from FMIMIF and SerialRecidivism² here and then I must confirm my drunk reputation, so I can post more drunk entries.

Rambled enough, off to work.

1. Although I always have loved and missed this design
2. I have no clue yet what to do with that awesome domain

A rhythm without pressure, no pressure to publish, next to an at least 60h/week job. I think it’s time to push this Cutline2.0 mod to another level and add some more features to the entirely CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) based skin¹.

1. And a 3 Column version maybe?

Here’s hoping for a better 2008, until then… fuck most of you.

Sincerest wishes and a better 2008 to all of you. :)^{3 4}

1. Except for my last.fm and flickr profile. Take a hint if you’ve been deleted at last.fm.
2. Will be active over the next 96 hours
3. Btw, does this feed still work?
4. Also, most profiles have been deleted or won’t be active anymore next year. Namaste.

The bad thing? Too many damn stalkers proclaiming they don’t follow the blog. How would they know then?

Just FYI. Heather’s a great person. Typicalredhead is an idiot who needs to realize she’s isolated and come to the 21st century. Stephanie? She’s a waste of time and drama queen¹. All fits in the Miss Ann theory (you also might want to follow these URLs if you’re into stalking people who love to sit at their window and stalk the neighbours).

All that because almost two years ago I refused to give her my snail mail address to send me a friggin’ ‘I’m internet famous’ lighter. *Yawns*

And to make fun of the knowledge of someone who runs a server… go figure. A stupid index.html does not prevent a blog from still continuing. Obviously I count on the obvious suspects to make sure this entry hits virality.

I’m off to dating limbo now and awaiting to see who calls themselves friends and passes on the URL. :D

Too bad I only cybered with one, the typical redhead when she was that proud to be playing and get busted on her twitter stream. Silly cow. And she even didn’t manage to break out for Joe either? Any other assholes that want to be dragged in this stream²?

Let the comments flow. My Stefanie flame in spring had 37 comments. I deleted the entry. Go ahead, spam my inbox!

Btw, Stephanie… don’t go complaining there might be more, just because you got an email of a dater with addy williget…@…. I told you it was me, I apologized, still you went drama queen because of your dating past. Go figure how many men you, who actually might have liked you, scared away. You went ballistic. Get a gripe. And enjoy your iPod Nano 8GB. :)
Oh wait, there actually _IS_ more. Anyone who’s interested can come over here and I’ll gladly show my pay check. Thus obviously involving a publication on respective drama blog, with public apology.
Interested? You’re welcome. Just do not forget the public apology and no I won’t pay your trip over here, but will pay your return flight³. Together with the publication of the picture/photo of your fucking shameful face when you see my pay check. Fun times, I promise you. ;)

Addendum: Donna, let’s be honest and face things. If it weren’t for the Steve Miller tickets you would call Steph a drama queen and idiot too. Just remember how fast you were on the ball to pitch her design drama. Even faster than I was. She’s an idiot and you know it, but she sends you nice stuff. Does that make you an idiot too?

1. I wished that post I deleted still was online
2. I purposely forgot to mention all the whiny gaggless who commented on that post, Note: I might have left out some URLs… go ahead, give me areason to link to you too. ;)
3. Yes, that’s a promise. Any of the drama queens will admit you I’ve always send them what I promised.

these skin and bones twits today just wish they were half as sexy as the real pinups

— Lucy, 11.26.2007 on Dita vs. size 0.

Twitterific or Twitterfox? Which is most sexy¹?

1. I know out of all, most sexiest is the Dita background.

I always miss the best things. Luckily people hint me about them enough. Maybe some day I’ll actually even care about everyone’s opinion. Maybe some day I’ll even look for what they write.

Until then… although it’s not the best track on their latest album, here’s some for all of you.

Honestly… I’ll really care…

…some day.

Really, I promise!

The Foo Fighters, The Pretender Lyrics¹.

Keep you in the dark
You know they all pretend
Keep you in the dark
And so it all began

Send in your skeletons
Sing as their bones go marching in…again
The need you buried deep
The secrets that you keep are at the ready
Are you ready?
I’m finished making sense
Done pleading ignorance
That whole…defense

Spinning infinity, boy
The wheel is spinning me
It’s never-ending, never-ending
Same old story

What if I say I’m not like the others?
What if I say I’m not just another one of your plays
You’re the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?

What if I say I’m not like the others?
What if I say I’m not just another one of your plays
You’re the pretender
What if I say that I’ll never surrender?

In time our soul untold
I’m just another soul for sale… oh, well
The page is out of print
We are not permanent
We’re temporary, temporary
Same old story

What if I say I’m not like the others?
What if I say I’m not just another one of your plays
You’re the pretender
What if I say that I’ll never surrender?

What if I say I’m not like the others?
What if I say I’m not just another one of your plays
You’re the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?

I’m the voice inside your head
You refuse to hear
I’m the face that you have to face
Mirrored in your stare
I’m what’s left, I’m what’s right
I’m the enemy
I’m the hand that will take you down
Bring you to your knees

So who are you?
Yeah, who are you?
Yeah, who are you?
Yeah, who are you?

Keep you in the dark
You know they all pretend

What if I say I’m not like the others?
What if I say I’m not just another one of your plays
You’re the pretender
What if I say that I’ll never surrender?

What if I say I’m not like the others?
What if I say I’m not just another one of your plays
You’re the pretender
What if I say that I’ll never surrender?

What if I say I’m not like the others?
(Keep you in the dark)
What if I say I’m not just another one of your plays
(You know they all… pretend)
You’re the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?

What if I say I’m not like the others?
(Keep you in the dark)
What if I say I’m not just another one of your plays
(You know they all… pretend)
You’re the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?

So who are you?
Yeah, who are you?
Yeah, who are you?

1. Note to self: I need to start a lyrics blog. Until then other serial recidivists will do the job, but I don’t want to stick Adsense on that blog :S

Akismet is like women/partner. You might not want it, but you need it. :S

Me, 11.24.2007.

I’ve made errors in life. I made huge errors in life, nevertheless there are things I’ll never understand. Things like people choosing popularity above friendship.

Here’s a thing… Mrs. Anne¹ and I never got on, rather we never really tried to get on well enough to become ‘real’ friends… but I am sure we mutually know we both respect each other and AFAIK, Mrs. Ann is one of the best, most loyal friends anyone can ever imagine.

So why would this fucker ever try to get offensive?

Friendships survive no matter what happens… and conflicts get sorted out behind the scenes (or not) but not dragged in to the public. Which was why I was against his post in the first reason.

Yea no matter what… I might make many errors in life, and that post being one of them. But friendships, they survive everything, no matter if they are publicly known or just a matter of respect.

I’m glad I’m no popularity whore anymore, a wanker who’d do everything for stats.

And popularity.

1. Go look for the URL yourself

]]>

I just was looking at my CV and wondering how I’d fit Video, and hopefully by the end of next year, my first REAL, and not job related crash course to have all the legally required courses, certificates to be in a certain position, in.

Then I fired up Photo Booth, to take a new picture. Damn, I need a haircut¹!

1. And a shave

Friends.

No words.

Discover the awesome Dutch Anouk, who wrote most of her best stuff before she was 24. To listen to most of her stuff, visit the Anouk videos on last.fm.
Lyrics of The Dark (Urban Solitude, 1999) here.

I actually wanted to keep this blog, since quite some already¹ drama free. But sometimes, one just can’t.

So there’s a post which upset me. Thoroughly upset me.

At first, I thought it was totally inappropriate to post that entry… especially to leave it open to the distant, unknowing and mainly only feedlurking relating blogging mob.
But there is more. There is a case of uncovered truth involved in this matter. And after months I was confronted with this case… again. Let me introduce you to the case by a part of my comment I left at Avi’s: I’m the young guy from England.

If you don’t like this, yes I plead guilty and admit I was an adulterer, but things sometimes happen. And they happen for a reason.

If a partner looks further, whether online or in real life, it means there’s something wrong. Something missing.
I will not quote here from a long email conversation I had with Mr. Roscoe some weeks ago, or maybe just slightly, but I will try to cover my, hopefully as objective as possible, story here. A timeline in which I neither want to hurt any of the parties. Not Mr. Roscoe, not my ex-fiance

And because I am going to share things here, more than I usually do, things I’ve only shared with fewest. People who I consider real friends, people whose hand I’ll shake someday, distance or not, I’ll also stick this entry in my mini-bio.

More after the jump. But before the jump… if you sense drama… be warned, comments are closed and if you don’t like that… fuck off. Now.

Last year around Christmas, the period in which every lonely person becomes a little lyrical, I started contact with a lovely woman. I had been reading her blog for months… and although no one could explain it, there was something. But more even, I was recovering from a constantly returning emotional train wreck. And work took the best of me.

Our contact soon evolved. Within only some days we had discovered we shared a lot, but also that we really wanted to discover each other as a person. You know… the usual shit.

But she was married. We both we’re aware of this, but luckily, around five thousand miles helped us, saved us from the temptations that might be.
Our contact intensified. Over chat, in IM. Soon she bought a webcam, a webcam for friends. Of course she needed an excuse, friends, to buy this webcam, but did I know how deep problems were. I’ll be honest with you: this woman who soon would change my life had, unconsciously, told me that she wasn’t satisfied in her marriage during our first chat already. I’m a good reader, listener even and never forgot that line.

And we came closer. The whole internet palette passed, we were in each other’s mind all day long, as soon as possible we tried to spend time together online and something grew. Over text message, over email, in IM, over Skype. You might have the wildest imaginations now, but go fuck yourself.

Obviously there was the moment of naughtiness, but it all wasn’t as wild as you would love to think it was.
I knew nothing then. Nothing else then that I was discovering a woman I found awesome and she would change my life. I knew nothing what was going on… nothing sensational in her life, except that she had loved to enjoy more cuddliness in her marriage. And somehow, this cuddliness was a thing which seemed to grow in our contact. Even if I was not dangerous. Even if I was around 5k away.

Then it happened. She and her husband had their birthday. He thought there was no reason to celebrate, especially not because they were trying to save for a not affordable house². I pushed her to convince him to do something together, she at least wanted to go eat out together. It was a special day and although she wasn’t satisfied in her relationship, it meant a lot to her.
They went to eat out. I felt lonely. Until my cell phone rang and I received several pictures of her³. On their 14th. I won’t lie, obviously I felt flattered. More even, this was the moment I broke, I totally lost my heart.

Soon the unthinkable happened. We got engaged. It was unexplainable, but it happened. And we both wanted it.

It felt great, it was the best period of my life and everyone saw a total new Franky. Even at work. But this commitment meant a lot. Not only did we have to bridge distance, there was more: a marriage at her side and a horribly suffocating no-compete contract at my side. Plus the green card situation for me. But latter didn’t really bother me, because I had enough of contacts to arrange a new, not location based professional future for me. An online future. A new train wreck soon was born: Blogexplosion. And the sale of Blogexplosion. To me (and my partner).
Things moved on and we were really looking towards a future together. We had a blast. Again not as wild as many pervs might think, but mentally we became one every day more. And we would reach our future. A future together.

And then, the bang happened. He doubted things… and one day, totally based on suspicions, asked for a divorce. His suspicions were right.

By now I knew a little about him, but in both her and his honor, she always defended him and admitted she also made errors. Does this, her love for everything he had done, his suspicions, take away from the fact that he was a brownbeater?

Someone who could perfectly give her a guilt feeling about not spending enough time cleaning the house (and that although she’s a proud OCD’er?), more even that he used the family pressure some years ago after she had become the victim of domestical abuse, filed a complaint against him, only to drop this complaint under the pressure of his family.
Honestly… I didn’t care… about him. Only thing I saw was this wonderful woman I had discovered, had fallen in love with and was engaged to now.

Hell were about to break out now. I knew enough about him to realize he was going to be a psychological tormentor, using all the tricks of the trade to save his worthless future. Worthless because he was the minor earner in the family and worthless because every emotionally mature woman would quickly discover his character. She was aware of everything, but she really loved him.

Nevertheless she asked when I would be there. I needed two months to get out of my contract, find the financial possibilities to buy me out of my $200k no-compete contract and find a successor for me, which was a condition for me to be allowed to leave.
Within the following days, panic ruled. From my side, because we were alone. Her and me, and that was about it. She lived a closed life, with hardly any friends, except a husband who was physically very arrogant in those days, this resulting in tea accidentally falling on her before going to work and more even, him to show up at her work place⁴, bang on the desk when she didn’t notice him immediately, all followed by the obvious verbal abuse.
I received a text from her that he had taken away her computer and was going to have it analyzed by a friend, searched for evidence. We decided not to react on his provocation and await the result, because other things were more important.

I resigned, called my accountant and we made an emergency plan about how to buy me out. How could I financially allow paying exactly the same sum as my yearly fee was, except that sum was higher than 2 years of fees, because my fee was before taxes. But there were more important things: we had to find a way to give her support of people who cared about her, even if there was no one around, except for online friends.

This is where I have to admit something. I said I wouldn’t quote from the long, gentleman alike conversation I had with the wordly smart script writer. But some lines just are too great to skip.

Oddly enough, the computer issue in April was mostly a ruse. I found nothing because I didn’t really look. I had hoped I would get a truth from it in her fear, but she opted to gamble and it paid off for her as I ended up extremely apologetic for suspecting her of anything. Bought flowers, kissed her behind for weeks and weeks. That is the only reason our marriage appeared to be back on the right track.

A psychological warrior. Sweet.
But I must be honest, this is when I lost. This was when she wanted to give her relationship, her marriage, her love for Mr. Roscoe another chance. Because no man could ever come this close to her than he has and still does, but most of all, because she was open to his affections and finally… also because she was afraid to lose her son.

There is no doubt that the many years they both have lived together, shared both good and bad times, deep roots have grown. Roots which go deeper than anything and those years deserve to be respected. I was tormented. From one side, I saw someone I loved become happy again, find and enjoy those little moments in life again. Can someone want something more? From the other side, because I lost the woman I loved.

Our contact staid for some more, but both we started to distance from each other and all while this I made some errors. Allow me to give myself the bonus of being ‘the sad guy 5k away’. Sadly, not that long later our contact totally got sour and soon ended. I take all (most) blame for this, but it was an inevitable thing which would have happened anyway.

She felt for his ruses, flower, kisses from the back and a shortly acceptable, loving life.

But the good times didn’t last. Soon she was seeking contact with another person, who had supported her during the earlier shitstorm and some day the shit hit the fan again.

Again, there are stories from domestical abuse. Being smacked against the wall and being dragged through the room by the hair. And she has long, lovely, hair. That surely has hurt.

Obviously, as can be read at Avi’s entry, he ignores everything, everything relating to getting physical and she, having lived a yearlong life of mental oppression is still ready to give him a chance. Give him or is obliged to give him a chance? Remember, this is the guy who got physical more than once. There is no such thing as minor domestical abuse. This is the guy who oppresses this lovely and caring woman with his mental superiority. The guy who remembers everyone about all the good he has done for her 15 years ago. Things we have to respect him for, but life moves on and things can’t count emotionally in all day life for life. It’s like in sports: in many sports arts many teams were really succesful 30-40 years ago, England even became soccer World Champion in 1966, but where are those teams today? How are their performances? Do we care about the past 15 years later?

No, those are only memories. Memories from the past.

And so is love life. Things can be great for a while, but if they disappear, life goes on and love fades out.

I hate to admit it. I don’t care what happened after me. I don’t care that things went wrong either. I have sufficient of great, personal, memories. Moments I’ll never share with anyone else than I originally shared them with. But I’ll admit that I am a sucker and daily think of what could have been. Yes there are many questions, but I try to only take the great times with me. And those, I miss them now.

Ranted enough now. There are only two more things I want to say. One to her, one to Mr. Roscoe.

To him: you have made many errors and no things we don’t know, reasons you hide behind, cover your ass with, can excuse your abuse, both physically and mentally. You know you’re wrong, and if I’m correct 5 times now you have agreed on counseling. Only once you really went on with it, until one day you thought you didn’t need counseling. You know her, you know what she likes… and it’s a game you master. If that’s the only way you can prove yourself, you’re a sucker.

To her: if things have happened and repeated regularly, whether it was you looking somewhere else or you being the victim, this means something. Consider them and most of all, be honest with yourself. Get the fuck out there. NOW.
Things will only continue to repeat themselves and you’ll never break out, at least not before having been the victim and who knows how many more people will some day consider to send the local police to check upon you. I know I wasn’t the only one months ago. I know not that long ago several other people wanted to do this to. You have more places to go to than you accept yourself. You have more friends to rely on than you accept. And they are not just ‘virtual people’, I can think of many people who are ready to open their house for you. Break out without money? Screw that, money is no problem in life, it’s just an excuse. Many people would and will help you, even financially. Me in the first place. An iPod is nothing, freedom is everything.
But only you can make that step. And you better make it instead of pushing your close friends away. And trust me, after months of no contact, I don’t count myself a close friend, but friendship never dies. It’s your call, Heather.

Comments are off, this is my private journal. Hate it love it, I don’t care. People I care about know how to reach me. For no matter what. I also can be reached over Skype if things are REALLY important⁵. You got my info.

Go away now.

1. Except for the obvious implicit hit outs
2. His income is way too unstable
3. Keep your pants on, nothing you’d wish to see
4. Which is run by his father, her FIL
5. I except my new cell on Friday

I need a decent camera for a video degree I was accepted for. Yes for a VIDEO (!) degree¹.
All in all, thanks to some awesome references from my former employer², I will be able to condense almost 2.5 years of classes in just one year, hopefully resulting in a (crash) degree, enough to create fun art and maybe even be accepted by the better video art studio. Sadly this just means another busy, non-stop year. The fourth year in a row.
I need a holiday.

I don’t expect another Alfred Hitchcock, Bill Viola (Bill Viola PR image) or even Luis Buñuel (still image from Un Chien Andalou, a Luis Buñuel-Salvador Dali coproduction) in the make here, but if… it be so. :D

Anyway, the reason of this post is that I need a decent digital camera now. I already have invested in a kick ass camcorder, but still need something to take photos. Decent photos.
But I’m bored of reading reviews, being indecisive.

My eye has dropped on two cameras, both high level personal use cameras, but no professional SLRs. Nevertheless I want a camera with tons of extension possibilities, allowing me to get really into photography if some day I might be bitten by the virus. But I certainly don’t want the camera to be as expensive as the camcorder³.

This is were you join the party come in. I can’t decide. I’ve read hundreds of reviews of both models and don’t know which one to order. I will aim to become a professional in visual arts, main focus on video, video composition.

Both Nikon D80 and Canon EOS 40D are solid cameras. Their resolution should be high enough to be subliminally mixed into 1080 HD video cuts. But anyway, after this month of complete conversion to Apple, they are all I want to spend. Even though a Hasselblad camera IS tempting.

But I’d rather get a new car. Better even, I might first pay off finish my actual lease deal. After all those expenses and a year without any regular income an upgrade from Z4 M to M6 looks rather out of range.
Maybe I’d better go for a C1 or something slow like that, allowing my driving license to recover some.

Also… all the spending last 3 weeks, obviously means no Christmas presents for me this year. Maybe a panoramic lens or zoom, but nothing special. *sigh*

So what do you think? Nikon D80 or Canon EOS 40D?

1. Admitted, I also will also take some supplementary photography classes and the obligatory, much needed Photoshop and Aperture classes
2. And also his former awesome fees and our ongoing external consultant deal
3. This is the camcorder I got. HD was a requirment for the classes. Bastards.

Embracing failure is a fundamental lesson of good design and one that is not taught nearly enough

— Shigeru Miyamoto (Nintendo) on failure.

Sometimes I just wish a failure wasn’t always that hard to cope with, nor was the lost time.

Intro pages should be forbidden. Totally. Especially for online stores.
Then again, it IS a damn funny one¹.

1. They still seen to smoke great stuff in the Netherlands

Melting chocolate bunnies. With weird colours.

The rules are simple: I put the self-timer on 2 seconds, push the button and try to get as far from the camera as I can.

Running Away From The Camera. More at muggezifter’s running away from the camera set on flickr.

I’ll share a fact about Chad.
Chad reads every word of a software user agreement, and usually seeks legal counsel before (if ever) agreeing to the terms of service. So far he has spent over eighteen thousand dollars in attorney fees and has yet to install Firefox.

— John Mayer on his sound engineer

I finally ordered a new phone. After more than a week without phone.

It’s black.
It’s a touchscreen phone.
It’s got a camera on board.
And many more.

And it’s even Mac compatible.

Best of all… I can stay with T-Mobile and don’t have to start supporting O2’s crap network… with EDGE.

It’s everything the iPhone wants to be: unlocked, 5MP camera, 3.5G and many more.

It’s a LG, the LG Viewty.

I bet she hates me now.

Most original tattoo ever. Read the full story here and view the complete photoset at flickr, especially the connected dots version.