Snow in Harfsen

Made with Path and used a fancy filter (Diana) and a tilt-shift effect to give it a more “Hipster” look.

Moved to WordPress.com

Yes, I moved my blog from a WordPress.org (The open source blogging software) blog to WordPress.com (A hosted version of the open source package). I believe that most people do the reverse, mainly because they want more control and freedom over there WordPress blog. I decided to give some of that freedom and control away, but I hope to get some excellent service and hosting in return. So I don’t have to spend time on the performance of my blog.

That other thing is that I spend too much time on my blog. And that’s great, because of al that hacking and tweaking I learned a lot about WordPress. So I recommend that to all of you, but I feel now that the time I spend on my blog is not really paying it back. I could and I am spending more time on WordPress websites of clients. I learn a lot more on those websites then on mine.

What that also means is that I don’t have to spend much time on the technic of my blog and spend more time on writing. One of my goals is to write more, especially more in English. Practicing is the best way to learn things, right?

Of course there are a few thing that I will miss.

  1. Google Analytics statistics; I’m going to miss all the advanced stats of my blog. So I really hope that some day WordPress.com will integrate the possibility to use Google Analytics.
  2. Search Engine Optimization; I’ll miss the extra possibilities that some plugins gave me to optimize my blog for search engines (and humans of course). I would love to see some more SEO options. To start with adding a Meta Description and custom SERP title,
  3. Hacking & Tweaking; Yes, I will miss the friday night with an ice-cold beer, some good old rave techno and breaking WordPress.

Maybe I’ll go back to WordPress.org in a few years. We’ll see.

Don’t know what the differents is between WordPress, WordPress.com and WordPress.org? You should read this.

Simonvreeman.com protests against SOPA & PIPA

Many websites are blacked out today to protest proposed U.S. legislation that threatens internet freedom: the Stop Internet Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA). From personal blogs to Wikipedia, sites all over the web — including this one — are asking you to help stop this dangerous legislation from being passed. Please watch the video below to learn how this legislation will affect internet freedom, then scroll down to take action.

http://americancensorship.org/callwidget

Presentation about WordPress and Personal Branding

Last friday i gave a presentation at the Eindhovense School about Personal Branding and WordPress.

I started with an introduction about myself and my story of my ‘brand’. The first SERP of Google is the most important page of your personal brand. So you have to make sure that you like what’s on that page. The best en quickest why to change it is creating new good content. Preferably on your own website.

Then i started about WordPress, the history and the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com. Of course I showed some awesome examples and recommended some premium themes, plugins and great sources to learn more about WordPress.

And after my presentation it was time for the students to get started with their own WordPress blog.
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Time Lapse from the ISS

By Michael König
Time lapse sequences of photographs taken by the crew of expeditions
28 & 29 onboard the International Space Station from August to October,
2011, who to my knowledge shot these pictures at an altitude of around 350 km.
All credit goes to them.

Shooting locations in order of appearance:

  1. Aurora Borealis Pass over the United States at Night
  2. Aurora Borealis and eastern United States at Night
  3. Aurora Australis from Madagascar to southwest of Australia
  4. Aurora Australis south of Australia
  5. Northwest coast of United States to Central South America at Night
  6. Aurora Australis from the Southern to the Northern Pacific Ocean
  7. Halfway around the World
  8. Night Pass over Central Africa and the Middle East
  9. Evening Pass over the Sahara Desert and the Middle East
  10. Pass over Canada and Central United States at Night
  11. Pass over Southern California to Hudson Bay
  12. Islands in the Philippine Sea at Night
  13. Pass over Eastern Asia to Philippine Sea and Guam
  14. Views of the Mideast at Night
  15. Night Pass over Mediterranean Sea
  16. Aurora Borealis and the United States at Night
  17. Aurora Australis over Indian Ocean
  18. Eastern Europe to Southeastern Asia at Night