Category Archives: Paul

What defines a book?

Catchy title this time. What collection of paper leaves, containing printed text, glued together, counts as a book? Any notebook will easily fill these requirements, as does a handwritten pre-Gutenberg Bible, a brand new handwritten copy of the Tora, and any analog copy of ‘Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance‘ (Robert M. Pirsig). The obvious point of discussion is the notebook. Yes, it does match the requirements as the other books I mentioned, but is it therefore considered a book?

What does Wikipedia have to say about what a book is: Continue reading →

Advanced parasitic draw diagnosis

We have a new article in our series Car Electrical Systems, which reviews a controversy in the diagnosis of parasitic draws. Depending on the vehicle and the problem that particular vehicle faces, the method of how to tackle the problem differs. Choosing the correct method is crucial for a successful diagnosis – pick the wrong method, and you’ll be replacing perfectly good parts while not solving the issue at hand. Here are some clues:

Just pull fuses?
Parasitic Battery Draws
Classic vs Modern Approach Continue reading →

Dawit Isaak – 2026

Ni har kanske läst om Dawit Isaak förut, på denna sida eller ute på internet. Om inte, läs gärna upp om honom här eller här.

Nästa år, 2026, har Dawit tillbrinad hela 25 år i Eritreansk fängelse – och detta utan rättegång! Det är den famösa svenska tysta diplomati som har pågått lika länge. Den verkar gå ut på att sakta påtrycka landet politiskt för att få det att göra som Sverige vill, i detta fall att Eritrea ska släppa Dawit Isaak. Med jämna mellanrum tas den upp i nyheterna igen och påståss att framgånger har gjorts. Trots denna insats, och 25 år senare, sitter Dawit fortfarande fast.
Notera att Sverige under den tiden har haft olika regeringar varierande från centrum-vänster till centrum-höger politisk riktning.
Continue reading →

YouTube och bil elektriska diagnoser

Jag fick nyligen en fråga om min serie kring bil elektriska diagnoser. Frågan var om det fanns några bra kanaler på YouTube man kan följa för att lära sig mer om ämnet. Själv följer jag  ett antal kanaler redan under några år, men det kan vara bra att lista de för andra. Det gör jag härmed. Kolla gärna denna länk.

Ukraine – A short history

Perhaps, as I did, you wonder about the modern history of neighbors Ukraine and Russia, like:

  • How did Ukraine become a sovereign country after the USSR fell?
  • What agreements for the sovereignty of Ukraine were signed over the years?
  • How did these agreements work out?
  • Why can’t Ukraine and Russia just trust each other and sign a peace treaty?

I’ve tried to summarize all agreements on peace and sovereignty that Ukraine has been involved in with Russia since the fall of the USSR…

Continue reading →

Development software development

Cryptic? Let me explain: As a carpenter needs a hammer and a saw to build anything, in order to develop software, a software developer (aka computer programmer), needs tools for software development. Of course, today’s carpenter uses a nail gun and a circular saw, preferably battery-driven – there is progress and development even in the tools of a trade. Similarly, tools for software developers have evolved from simple text editors to advanced dedicated programs supporting every finesse of the programming language to be used. Sometimes these tools are free, in other cases you have to subscribe to them.

However, sometimes the development of these tools stalls or grinds to a complete halt. This can present a real challenge for its users. Continue reading →

Windows 11, or rather Linux?

My computer of choice is, has been for a long time, and probably remains to be for the forseeable future, a 2008 Lenovo X220 laptop. Yes, I’m aware that it is rather oldish.  When it was new, it must have been a beast of a machine, and likely sported quite the price tag. Today, close to 20 years later, it is still a fast laptop. It boots in under a minute and shows no delays in loading files or web pages. Of course, it came with a spinning hard disk when new, but I swapped that out for a Solid State Disk (SSD) years ago. The internal memory was with 16Gb already up to spec, it came standard with a 64-bit processor, and it never was, nor is today, a slow machine. It ran Windows 7, then Windows 10, and then….Microsoft said NO!

Say what? You heard me, they said NO, you ain’t gonna run our shiny new W11 on that old thing! Continue reading →

Putin’s Christmas wishlist

Two days ago, from the time I write this, a peace plan for Ukraine was leaked, most likely from the White House or from the Pentagon. It didn’t reveal much detail, but from any of those sources, anything could be expected. Two days in and the contents all over the news, I can confirm that it must look exactly like the put’n wishlist for Christmas presents. And there’s nothing in it for Ukraine. Continue reading →

De fietsenwinkel

Mijn vader was er ‘een van de fietsenmaker‘. Daarmee werd zijn vader Herman van Doorn bedoeld, die in Beverwijk sinds begin van de vorige eeuw een fietsenwinkel dreef. Mijn opa werd opgevolgd door zijn oudste zoon Hennie, en daarna nam collega Cock het vaandel over. De zaak bestaat nog steeds, en verkoopt en repareert ook vandaag nog steeds fietsen.

Het pand bestaat ook vandaag nog op dezelfde locatie waar het meer dan 100 jaar geleden begon, maar is niet meer actief in gebruik als fietsenwinkel. Deze winkel verhuisde een paar jaar geleden naar de Beverwijkse Breestraat, en naar de nieuwe vestigingen in Heemskerk en de Velserbroek. Continue reading →

Alternatief voor een dure EV

Elektrische auto’s (EV’s) zijn de toekomst. Althans dat doet de overheid ons denken, en de autobranche speelt daarin uiteraard vlijtig mee. Maar is dat wel zo? Of is er ook een toekomst voor niet-EV auto’s?

Hier in Zweden kost de goedkoopste nieuwe EV rond de €30.000. Dat was een Citroën die er prat op ging de goedkoopste EV in de markt te hebben. Ter vergelijking ging de voordeligste EV in Nederland toen (2024) al voor ruim onder de €20.000 over de toonbank. En dan hebben we het slechts over de instapmodellen, de meest verkochte modellen hebben in Zweden prijskaartjes vanaf €45.000 tot tegen een ton! Wie kan zich dit veroorloven? En dan als tweede auto? Continue reading →

Zen and the Art of the Book Cover

I have good memories on reading M.Pirsig’s novel ‘Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance‘. It was the Dutch version, so I now know some nuances were lost in translation. Also, it was over 45 years ago, and with that, it is long overdue for a new read.

Covers:

If I may believe the more than a handful of accomplished bestselling writers’ groups on Facebook, I have to invest in hiring a professional to design the cover of my books. In traditional publishing, with a publisher’s house, they will take care of this as it is included in their fees. But when self-publishing as I am, the consensus seems to be to hire an accomplished artist with experience in book cover design, and let this person create an attractive cover for your book. Continue reading →