Categories for Internet

Visitors

This place is not visited by many people. I do hope i give each visitor something to think about, something to look at, something to enjoy. Something new maybe, at times. But other times i won’t.

I do have a Google Analytics counter on this website. I watch it once or twice a week. On average i’m between ten and twenty visitors a day. Sometimes a bit higher, up to fifty. Sometimes lower, below ten.

I am thinking about this counter. I do like all the things i can look up in Google Analytics. But there are many things i don’t use at all. A week ago i did a search for another solution. I came across Piwik, now called Matomo. This is a self-hosted solution with no limitations. It is still on my list of something to read and do research about.

Ii is the part where i share the visitor data of my website with Google which i am uncomfortable with. I don’t use ads, i don’t do any difficult things with the data. I simply do want an insight in the amount of visitors and where they are coming from and what they are reading.

The image below gives the top ten most visited pages of this website. The homepage is at the top. Second is my page about Björk. To my surprise. The archives and about page are coming next. Then it is The most expensive jewelry in the world. I did enjoy making this post. Did research for this, spend a long time searching and trying to find good images for this one. I can imagine why people enjoy looking at this too. Still, i do have many more interesting pages. Ooh well.

Next is my post about Alberto Giacometti. A painter i admired especially in the 80s. I’m glad people find this interesting. Still have a soft spot for his work.

Then does come one my own personal favourite posts: Scritti Politti – Roundhouse, London – 5 February 2016. A very personal post about something which might seem little to anyone else. To me it is very important. Something which to this day makes me very happy, that i was able to give these drawings to Green Gartside. I’m very happy this page is in the top ten. Good one!

True Love. Next on the list. Bit of a rambling post. Yes, about true love. In the world. Between people. In movies. And no, not for me. Not yet anyway. Still hoping it might happen someday.

Joy of Baking is a nice post about a youtube channel i have been following for years. To this day.

The contact page is the tenth number on this list. Just a bunch of information about where i have left footsteps and fingerprints.

I am still thinking about changing my analytics tool for this website. Or if i even need one. Hmm. I think i do. Too curious about the visitors.

Too curious about you.

*salute*

Published on October 4, 2018 at 6:00 by

My fault

There is no settling down without some settling for. There is no long-term relationship not just putting up with your partner’s flaws, but accepting them and then pretending they aren’t there. We like to call it in my house “paying the price of admission.”

[…]

You can’t have a long-term relationship with someone unless you’re willing to identify the prices of admission you’re willing to pay — and the ones you’re not. But the ones you’re not — the list of things you’re not willing to put up with — you really have to be able to count [them] on one hand…

People, when they’re young, have this idea… “There’s someone out there who’s perfect for me”… “The one.”

“The one” does not fucking exist.

“The one” is a lie. But the beautiful part of the lie is that it’s a lie you can tell yourself.

Any long-term relationship that’s successful is really a myth that two people create together … and myths are built of lies, and there’s usually some kernel of truth…

When you think about it, you meet somebody for the first time, and they’re not presenting their warts-and-all self to you — they’re presenting their idealized self to you, they’re leading with their best. And then, eventually, you’re farting in front of each other. Eventually, you get to see the person who is behind that facade of their best, and they get to see the person your facade, your lie-self — this lie that you presented to them about who you really are. And what’s beautiful about a long-term relationship, and what can be transformative about it, is that I pretend every day that my boyfriend is the lie that I met when I first met him. And he does that same favor to me — he pretends that I’m that better person than I actually am. Even though he knows I’m not. Even though I know he’s not. And we then are obligated to live up to the lies we told each other about who we are — we are then forced to be better people than we actually are, because it’s expected of us by each other.

And you can, in a long-term relationship, really make your lie-self come true — if you’re smart, and you demand it of them, and you’re willing to give it to them… That’s the only way you become “the one” — it’s because somebody is willing to pretend you are. “The one” that they were waiting for, “the one” they wanted, their “one.” Because you’re not — nobody is. No two people are perfect for each other, ever, period — No two people are 100% sexually compatible, no two people are 100% emotionally compatible, no two people want the same things. And if you can’t reconcile yourself to that, you will have no relationships that last longer than two months.

And you know what? It’s not going to be their fault — it’s going to be your fault.

Source: The Price of Admission: Dan Savage on the Myth of “The One” and the Unsettling Secret of Lasting Love

Published on August 17, 2018 at 6:00 by

kottke.org

Kottke.org i have been following pretty much since it started in 1998. It picks fun, serious or remarkable video’s and articles from all around the internet. I love that it is still going.

Founded in 1998, kottke.org is one of the oldest blogs on the web. It’s written and produced by Jason Kottke and covers the essential people, inventions, performances, and ideas that increase the collective adjacent possible of humanity. Frequent topics of interest among the 26,000+ posts include art, technology, science, visual culture, design, music, cities, food, architecture, sports, endless nonsense, and carefully curated current events, all of it lightly contextualized. Basically, it’s the world’s complete knowledge, relentlessly filtered through my particular worldview, with all the advantages and disadvantages that entails.

Source: About kottke.org

Two clips posted today i enjoyed.

How would English sound if it were phonetically consistent?

Poker pros replay their most memorable hands

Published on August 16, 2018 at 6:00 by

Recent tracks

Carly Simon — You’re So Vain — Scrobbling now
Carpenters — Top of the World — 3 minutes ago
Tracey Thorn — Plain Sailing — 5 minutes ago
Talking Heads — Pyscho Killer — 10 minutes ago
The Jam — That’s Entertainment — 13 minutes ago
Steely Dan — Deacon Blues — 21 minutes ago
Kylie Minogue — Especially For You (Showgirl Tour – Live In Sydney) — 25 minutes ago
Julie Andrews — My Favorite Things — 28 minutes ago
Rip Rig & Panic — Sunken Love — 31 minutes ago
Andrew Lloyd Webber — I Don’t Know How To Love Him – Jesus Christ Superstar/Soundtrack Version — 35 minutes ago
The Beach Boys — God Only Knows – 1997 – Remaster — 38 minutes ago
Wire — Mannequin — 40 minutes ago
Rick Astley — Never Gonna Give You Up — 44 minutes ago
Roberta Flack — Killing Me Softly With His Song — 49 minutes ago
Shanice — I Love Your Smile — 53 minutes ago
Julie Andrews — Do-Re-Mi — 59 minutes ago
10cc — I’m Not in Love — an hour ago
Five — Keep on Movin’ — an hour ago
Scritti Politti — Lions After Slumber – 2001 Digital Remaster — an hour ago

Data copied on Thursday 9 August around 15:28 from my recent tracks page on last.fm: last.fm/user/ellenlfs

Published on August 10, 2018 at 6:00 by

Why we make bad decisions

I watched this TED talk today. Enjoyed it very much. A clear mind, not talking too fast. Also not too personal. I don’t really like it when somebody starts with his or her own story and moves into a general story.

The video is published in 2008. Not too high resolution. It doesn’t matter too much.

Enjoy!

Published on July 24, 2018 at 6:00 by

TED

TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world.

11 must-see TED Talks

The most popular talks of all time

I do enjoy watching a TED talk occasionally. I watched some yesterday, about youth and porn. I had to remind myself these talks were about the United States. Hopefully things are better here in the Netherlands. A bit.

I also enjoyed this one about the power of vulnerability by Brené Brown which i watched over the weekend. A good story. And yes, already confirming ideas i had myself.

I do realize these talks are rather short and geared to a general public. I did a search for this and found this article and the video: We need to talk about TED.

The key rhetorical device for TED talks is a combination of epiphany and personal testimony (an “epiphimony” if you like ) through which the speaker shares a personal journey of insight and realisation, its triumphs and tribulations.

What is it that the TED audience hopes to get from this? A vicarious insight, a fleeting moment of wonder, an inkling that maybe it’s all going to work out after all? A spiritual buzz?

I’m sorry but this fails to meet the challenges that we are supposedly here to confront. These are complicated and difficult and are not given to tidy just-so solutions. They don’t care about anyone’s experience of optimism. Given the stakes, making our best and brightest waste their time – and the audience’s time – dancing like infomercial hosts is too high a price. It is cynical.

Also, it just doesn’t work.

I’m happy to see this is actually a talk about TED. I listened with interest.

Actual change is difficult. To get through to people is hard. People may like what you do, but for them to actually change something in their own life is extremely unlikely. Almost impossible.

Something for me to think about.

Published on June 6, 2018 at 6:00 by

Back to World of Warcraft

After i got my new computer, i bought the World of Warcraft Legion and battle of Azeroth update. I also bought three months of subscription. I was curious. It's been three years since i last played the official game. I enjoyed the private servers, but it is a different game from the current one.
Many old wow friends still play the game. They still are in my friends list. Yes, my guild the Wanderers is not as active anymore. Many have moved to another guild, another server. But the friends list goes over the entire game. Or rather, Blizzard games.
I play my min rogue Rada. I did use the level 100 upgrade on my gatherer Rasha, my old shaman i created in the Burning Crusade. Rada is a leather worker and alchemist, Rasha is a skinner and herbalist. I enjoy leveling them together. I also enjoy leveling my crafts. It is more complicated than the older systems. More quests, upgrades of recipes. Leather gear i can actually wear on Rada.
I try to level slowly. Take my time. Read the quests. I don't play as much as i used to. An hour or two each day.
I do love this game. I don't agree with every decision Blizzard makes, of course not. There are many lovely memories in world of Warcraft.
I'm happy to be back. And it is good to talk to my wow friends once again. 🙂
Rasha in Stormheim
Rasha's professions
Published on March 16, 2018 at 6:00 by

My Instagram

#ellen

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Me

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Emily juggling #emilybradford

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Pita bread getting better!

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Breakfast

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Tasted this wine at the shop. Lovely

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Hampstead Heath park, where I slipped and fell this morning.

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Watching tv

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Watching tv

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I just bought my present!

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Trees

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Mieke

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Muis en Mieke

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View from the Creative Factory

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Mimosa

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Still some lovely mangrove flowers left, after two weeks!

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Between Amersfoort and Utrecht

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In the train from Rotterdam to Amersfoort

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SS Rotterdam view

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Erasmus bridge

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#wijzijnopen

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Muis and Mieke

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Between Rotterdam and Utrecht

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Sun

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Lovely trees with snow

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Published on September 28, 2017 at 6:00 by

last.fm

Since 24 August 2005 i use last.fm to build up a list of most of the music i listen to. In spotify you can add the songs you listen to. My username in last.fm is ellenlfs. Nowadays i mainly use ellenpronk, but i do still like ellenlfs.

My overview page in last.fm is https://www.last.fm/user/ellenlfs. I did have many periods in which i didn’t listen that much to music. 2015 is my busiest year. In total i have 44.064 scrobbles from 1.854 artists until now.

This comes close to my overall taste, but there are differences. My favourite album of all time is Cupid & Psyche ’85 from Scritti Politti, but i’m not listening to this album as much as i used to. The previous forty years of my music listening is not in this account. Still, twelve years is a long time. I do enjoy seeing my listening habits displayed like this.

Listening History
Number of tracks scrobbled each year.

Year Number of scrobbles
2005 827
2006 3653
2007 1744
2008 508
2009 1365
2010 2364
2011 2920
2012 3643
2013 1626
2014 5791
2015 13949
2016 2797
2017 2868

My top artists
1 – Scritti Politti – 2,013
2 – Talking Heads – 1,004
3 – Steely Dan – 905
4 – Pet Shop Boys – 860
5 – Sufjan Stevens – 822
6 – Wire – 816
7 – David Bowie – 682
8 – Michael Jackson – 570
9 – Beastie Boys – 544
10 – The Beatles – 523

My top albums
1 – Steely Dan — Can’t Buy A Thrill – 440
2 – Ed Lincoln – Ed Lincoln – 391
3 – Janelle Monáe — The ArchAndroid – 378
4 – Wire — Pink Flag – 297
5 – Tracey Thorn — A Distant Shore – 274
6 – Scritti Politti — White Bread Black Beer – 254
7 – Scritti Politti — Songs To Remember – 235
8 – Michael Jackson — Thriller – 227
9 – David Bowie — The Singles Collection – 220
10 – Nick Drake — Five Leaves Left – 217

My top tracks
1 – Britney Spears — Sometimes – 136
2 – Scritti Politti — Road to No Regret – 132
3 – Tracey Thorn — Too Happy – 123
4 – Scritti Politti — Absolute – 120
5 – Janelle Monáe — Tightrope (feat. Big Boi) – 115
6 – Alessi Brothers — Oh Lori – 114
7 – Steely Dan — Deacon Blues – 113
8 – Wire — Mannequin – 112
9 – Ed Lincoln — (O Nome Dele É) Waldemar – 111
10 – 10cc — I’m Not in Love – 110

The latest songs i have been listening too (Monday 25 September 22:04)
CeeLo Green — Fuck You — 6 hours ago
Johnny Cash — Ring of Fire — 6 hours ago
The Pop Group — Snowgirl — 6 hours ago
The Beatles — She Loves You – Mono / Remastered 2009 — 6 hours ago
Kurtis Blow — The Breaks — 6 hours ago
Ed Lincoln — Balansamba Nº1 — 6 hours ago
Janet Jackson — Let’s Wait Awhile — 7 hours ago
Jacques Brel — Ne me quitte pas — 7 hours ago
Carly Rae Jepsen — Call Me Maybe — 7 hours ago
Buffy the Vampire Slayer — Walk Through the Fire — 7 hours ago

Published on September 26, 2017 at 6:00 by