Martijn
LightNews LightNews
banner
martijnk.bsky.social
Martijn
@martijnk.bsky.social
180 followers 440 following 1.5K posts
Dutch
He/him

Way too many interests 😅
* SW development, esp mobbing/agile/Python
* IT infra, esp Kubernetes/everything as code
* Videogames, esp strategy and Euro Truck Simulator 2
* Preserving democracy & freedom for all of humanity
* Science, esp space
Posts Replies Media Videos
martijnk.bsky.social
Sometimes, just sometimes, bugs are hilarious 😂

Trying to hook up my truck to the cargo in Euro Truck Simulator 2 somehow led to this.

It's reproducible and I have the save, so I guess I should file a report. "fixed" by quick traveling to the repair right behind this Norrfood.

#ets2 @scssoft.com
July 13, 2025 at 9:08 PM
martijnk.bsky.social
The young coots are growing up quickly. While still fluffy, their beaks are turning orange and the feathers are turning blue-gray, a big change to the red beak and black feathers a few weeks ago.
Young coot as seen through the foliage. The fresh green leaves contrast with the light blue water and the blue-gray bird The sibling of the other coot making ripples in the water. A lone stem of grass reveals where it's swimming towards, and adds more color to the picture.
May 19, 2025 at 6:42 PM
martijnk.bsky.social
No words needed 😊
Sunset as seen from the top of an apartment building. The sky is an unusually colorful mix of all shades red, pink and purple. The sun has just set and is no longer visible. The thin and stripey clouds are also unusual and add a lot of depth and dynamics to the picture. The black silhouettes of still mostly leafless trees and a few taller buildings in the distance complete the image.
April 16, 2025 at 7:16 PM
martijnk.bsky.social
Turns out these tulips look even better around sunset as I discovered yesterday.

And I saw flowers I've never seen before, called "kievitsbloem" (lapwing flower)
Pink tulip backlit by the setting sun. In the background mostly the sunset sky, and some out of focus green grass and barely recognizable yellow tulips in the distance. Two backlit orange tulips with the setting sun behind them. The orange tulips fit with the orange tones of the sky. Even the grass is a bit reddish in this light. A purple lapwing flower with its signature checkerboard leaves. In the background a group of white lapwing flowers is visible, out of the main focus White and purple lapwing flowers in the grass.
April 9, 2025 at 7:48 PM
martijnk.bsky.social
Yes, here at the edge of the city and close to the nature area it's the same.

Everything is extra beautiful in this time of year, birds too. This swan was a few days ago on the way back from the supermarket.
A swan floating in the golden hour sunlight. The water has light ripples, making its reflection distorted but in a nice way The same swan having almost a golden aura from the light of the setting sun.
April 4, 2025 at 9:18 PM
martijnk.bsky.social
One of the perks of being Dutch is that you don't need to buy tulips, because just going out for a walk is all you need to do to enjoy them 😊
Two tulips that are just about to blossom. Their leaves are still closed but you can see that they're at the verge of opening and will be beautifully red. The backdrop is out of focus grass lit by the sun, providing nice fresh green contrast to the tulip's colors A group of four orange tulips, fully opened, with yellow center, seen from above. Two bright red tulips, almost fully opened, with yellow-black inside. The inside looks remarkably similar to the colors of bees A row of four tulips. The frontmost tulip is pink and barely opened. It's the one fully focused. Behind it, two purple tulips are visible, still mostly sharp but already showing depth of field. On of the purple tulips is more open than the pink one, the other is still closed. The last tulip is the most unfocused and bright yellow. The backdrop is a combination of grass and dirt, making the image very colorful
April 4, 2025 at 8:47 PM
martijnk.bsky.social
There's your Koploper 😊
Exterior view of a Dutch "Koploper" intercity train. The photo shows strong perspective into the distance, the back of the train being lit by the morning sunlight The same Koploper train in a more sideways view. The back unit with its signature hump for the driver is clearly visible Close up of the Koploper's hump, at the back of the train The interior of the Koploper. Depicted is the first class "silence" compartment. Koplopers are the last remaining trains in the Netherlands to have a handful of small compartments besides the now common more spacious whole-wagon layout
April 2, 2025 at 6:32 AM
martijnk.bsky.social
I never expected I'd be posting photos of ordinary pigeons, but earlier today this couple made noises of curiosity while I was reading on the balcony.

Judging by their inquisitive looks they wondered why there was already a human sitting there as early as March.

But it made for nice photos 😊
A female pigeon on the edge of the roof with its head tilted sideways to satisfy its curiosity about who is sitting on the balcony below. A few strips of typical Dutch red masonry bricks are visible at the bottom, and the sky is blue with several white clouds to liven up the picture. The pigeon's neck's color gradient from gray via blue and purple to dark pink is beautifully visible. The same female pigeon, masonry and sky, but now it's even more curious and has its head forward to look down with both eyes. A male pigeon, presumably the partner of the female, sitting on the same roof edge, looking mostly forward but probably also down. Due to the different angle all the shades of gray of its wing feathers are very noticeable and photogenic. The sky is blue in this direction, no clouds.
March 23, 2025 at 10:17 PM
martijnk.bsky.social
Today's timeline cleanser are two spring flower shots I took over the weekend.

Now that the weather has cooled down again, these colorful views make me extra happy 😊
Close up photo of a couple of bright yellow daffodils taken from the grass level. Due to the forced perspective, the background is the blue sky with out of focus leafless wintery tree branches in the distance. Some thin white clouds, also out of focus, add a nice gradient to the sky color. Macro photo of a purple crocus between grass blades. In the background the golden hour sun is visible, but due to a very thin cloud layer both the sun and the sky turned mostly pastel. The sun is still more than bright enough, however, to produce beautiful contrasts on the crocus and the grass. While only the left, right and front petals are directly visible, and beautifully lit, the other petals and the style in the center reveal their presence via their shadows on the front petals
March 12, 2025 at 8:24 PM
martijnk.bsky.social
Today's timeline cleanser is a couple of domestic muscovy (or barbary) ducks near a pond.

The bright sunlight, spring flowers and fresh grass add even more color to what are already colorful birds 😊
A male domestic muscovy duck walking through the grass away from the pond behind it. The combination of the blue reflection in the water, the green grass, the white duck with gray feathers and bright red head and a handful of yellow flowers in the grass make this a very colorful picture Female domestic muscovy duck. Unlike the drake, she has a white head with the bright red only as an "eye mask". Both Muscovy ducks together in the center of the photo on the patch of dirt, looking at an approaching coot coming from the grass in the top left corner
March 7, 2025 at 6:27 PM
martijnk.bsky.social
I was able to spot Mercury (and Venus) in the sky tonight 🤩

I had already given up because every time when the weather was good, I didn't have time, and vice versa, so I'm super happy that I got the chance after all 🤗

Now I've seen all naked eye planets, and I'd need binoculars to see more.
A photo of the western sky about an hour after sunset. The last reddish and purple are still visible. A very bright Venus is visible at the top half of the sky. Mercurius is visible as a much fainter dot closer to the horizon. Below it are the city's buildings to add a little bit of ground and not just sky.
March 3, 2025 at 7:57 PM
martijnk.bsky.social
Goodnight Bluesky!

Let's close with a fitting #ETS2 screenshot 😊
Screenshot of Euro Truck Simulator 2 somewhere near Pescara on a dirt road at night. 2/3 of the image is just the vast starry night. The bottom third is pitch black because there are no lanterns kr buildings. The dirt road in the middle of the frame is brightly lit by the lights of the Iveco truck's frontal silhouette. Besides the headlights, no details are visible.
February 23, 2025 at 12:20 AM
martijnk.bsky.social
@isaac-arthur.bsky.social

All four please, I can't choose between these topics 😅
Screenshot of a vote put up by Isaac Arthur on YouTube asking for episode suggestions. The 4 options: 1. Building a Dyson Swarm from Scratch 2. Building Giant Space Telescopes 3. Orbital Arcologies: Mega Cities in Space 4. Space Probes
February 22, 2025 at 1:40 PM
martijnk.bsky.social
It's been a while since I last shared screenshots of my #ETS2 endeavors.

Time to rectify that with the transport of a JCB telescopic handler from Taranto to Livorno.

I passed two picturesque villages along the way, Valentano and Montalto di Castro.

@scssoft.com
Leaving the ACC depot in Taranto at night. The neon ACC sign is the background eye catcher with the chemical tanks dimly lit behind it. In the foreground the Iveco truck, Kässbohrer trailer and the JCB telescopic handler cargo are visible from the side, all lit by a nearby lantern. A corner of the Italian autostrada with beautiful roadside plants and flowers. They take about the entire left-bottom half of the picture. Adjacent is the highway with the truck seen in approaching direction. A car is overtaking me and another truck is visible in the distance, adding more liveliness. Approaching the town of Valentano. The truck is seen from behind, just before the sign with the town name. The town itself is dominated by pink and white houses and the church tower in the middle of the town Passing the town of Montalto di Castro. The lower right quarter of the picture is the highway, with the truck seen approaching the camera. Adjacent to the road is a small tree line, after which the rooftops of the town are visible. The church rises above the trees and is the eye catcher on the left side of the picture.
February 22, 2025 at 12:34 AM
martijnk.bsky.social
Stop insisting on a word that has a very different meaning in public conversation than in the constitution.

To answer your question: when you can PROVE that all the things they are doing have the INTENT of helping a US enemy.

Choice of words aside, it's obviously disastrous and probably criminal.
Screenshot of the definition of treason: Treason is defined in Article III, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution as committing one of two acts: **levying war against the United States** or **adhering to its enemies by giving them aid and comfort**. A conviction requires either the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act or a confession in open court[1][2][4]. This narrow definition was designed to prevent misuse of treason charges for political persecution, as was common under English law[2][4].
February 21, 2025 at 11:38 PM
martijnk.bsky.social
Today's unusually warm weather (18 degrees, two days ago it was still freezing) also made this heron decide to sunbathe on the ground instead of standing, which is relatively uncommon behavior.

It probably decided to celebrate Friday afternoon in style 😁
A heron lying down on the ground at the edge between the grass and a patch of soil
February 21, 2025 at 4:08 PM
martijnk.bsky.social
Today's timeline cleanser: geese crossing the ice.

Photos taken today during my walk 😊
A flock of geese walking over a frozen ditch between two patches of grassland. At the front a Canadian goose, followed by a group of domestic geese. 2 more Canadian geese at the back are still on the grass and about to step on the ice. Three domestic geese from the previous photo stopped at the middle of the ditch near an unfrozen patch of water. One can be seen drinking, the other two started drinking shortly after taking the photo. The other geese had already crossed and are not visible on this photo.
February 19, 2025 at 11:10 PM
martijnk.bsky.social
There. Fixed your tweet, Elon. Nuance matters.
Modified version of Elon Musk's tweet with the words [NOT] and [ILLEGAL] added, so the text becomes "If ANY judge ANYWHERE can [NOT] stop EVERY [ILLEGAL] Presidential action EVERYWHERE, we do NOT live in a democracy."
February 15, 2025 at 12:50 AM
martijnk.bsky.social
How/where can you select it? I'm feeling stupid now 🥺

This is perplexity.ai on Android.
Screenshot of Perplexity's web interface on Android. It's the main screen when not logged in. Relevant for this discussion is what is NOT in the screenshot, an option to select the language model
February 13, 2025 at 11:04 PM
martijnk.bsky.social
Went out for a walk and caught these nice timeline cleansers 😊
Two geese together walking in the grass. In the distance a ditch is visible with a coot walking along the waterline. At the other side of the ditch is some reed, which together with the photo taken around the golden hour gives a nice reflection in the ditch's water. A swan swimming in the lake showing its majestic wings. In the photo, the swan is entirely surrounded by water, but the top of the photo has some shadows from the nearby treeline for lighting effect.
February 13, 2025 at 3:49 PM
martijnk.bsky.social
Waar een wil is...
Foto van Pippi Langkous met de tekst "Ik heb het nog nooit gedaan, dus ik denk dat ik het wel kan"
February 12, 2025 at 11:13 PM
martijnk.bsky.social
While at it, I asked about the English rule.

They're interestingly enough not mandatory for you.
Screenshot of Perplexity explaining the rules regarding spaces around em dashes in English. Text: In English, spaces around an em dash are not mandatory and depend on the style guide or personal preference. Most American style guides, such as **Chicago Manual of Style**, recommend using em dashes without spaces—like this[2][4][5]. However, **AP style**, commonly used in journalism, prefers spaces around the em dash — like this[1][5]. In British English, en dashes with spaces are often used instead of em dashes – like this – especially in less formal writing[2][5]. Regardless of the choice, consistency throughout the text is crucial[3][4]. Citations: [1] To space or not to space after an "em dash"? Would this sentence ... https://www.reddit.com/r/writing/comments/3f9r6f/to_space_or_not_to_space_after_an_em_dash_would/ [2] Em Dash (—) vs. En Dash (–) | How to Use in Sentences - Scribbr https://www.scribbr.com/language-rules/dashes/ [3] When to Use an Em Dash - Grammarly https://www.grammarly.com/blog/punctuation-capitalization/why-you-should-love-the-em-dash/ [4] Should I use spaces around an em-dash? - The Grammar Guide https://prowritingaid.com/grammar/1000066/Should-I-use-spaces-around-an-em-dash [5] Em dash | The Punctuation Guide https://www.thepunctuationguide.com/em-dash.html [6] Is it wrong to space en dashes and em dashes? https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/9070/is-it-wrong-to-space-en-dashes-and-em-dashes
February 10, 2025 at 11:11 PM
martijnk.bsky.social
I didn't, but Perplexity does 🤭

One of cited sources has an exhaustive list of the rules for every symbol imaginable. Probably not useful for you but for Dutch speakers that's a great page to nerd out on 🤓

taaladvies.net/wel-of-geen-...
Screenshot of Perplexity's answer as to why em dashes in Dutch require spaces. Text: Spaces are needed around an em dash to improve the readability of a text and to clarify the function of the dash. The em dash marks a digression, an interruption, or a substantive turn in a sentence. By placing spaces before and after the dash, it is visually detached from the surrounding words, making the text look less cluttered and the meaning clearer. An exception is when a punctuation mark such as a comma immediately follows the dash; in that case, the space after it is omitted.
February 10, 2025 at 11:03 PM
martijnk.bsky.social
I wanted to post a video of this fella as timeline cleanser earlier today but I can't figure out how to post a portrait video.

Until then, you'll have to make do with this.
A swan waiting to cross the road
February 9, 2025 at 12:04 AM
martijnk.bsky.social
This also means you need to supply any texts in e.g. a screenshot that are relevant context.

Thankfully modern phones can easily convert images back to text, or it would be a ton of work for many screenshots.

Google Lens can be your friend for that, if you have the widget enabled.
Screenshot of the Google Lens widget on my own post, directly after activating. It gives the screen a blue hue and shows a few buttons for possible actions. Screenshot of the Google Lens widget on my own post again while dragging with my finger diagonally across the text, marking the area that I'm interested in, so I can copy it to the clipboard after releasing my finger
February 6, 2025 at 10:43 AM