Stephan
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thetraveller.bsky.social
Stephan
@thetraveller.bsky.social
560 followers 480 following 490 posts
I am a traveller (not necessarily in a geographical sense) who seeks, observes … & occasionally finds.

I am a programming software tester, studied physics, survived cancer & live at the seaside. I love the ocean and go swimming a lot – in winter, too.
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thetraveller.bsky.social
Not much to see during today's afternoon swim 🌊🏊‍♂️🌊 – a bit foggy, 8°C in the air, 9°C in the water.

#OpenWaterSwimming #NorthSea
A calm North Sea on a foggy day. A steel railing and stairs lead into the water.
November 10, 2025 at 5:32 PM
thetraveller.bsky.social
#Inktober2025, Day 31: Prompt word: #Award

There you are: The 31-Inked-Drawings-in-October award you deserve. 🏅

Kaweco fountain pens & paper, de Atramentis & Kaweco ink
#Inktober
In a star-like form with rounded tips is the text '31 Inked Drawings in October Award'. The text in written around a circle and in the middle of is is an ink drawing of a Kaweco fountain pen nib. A red stamp show the date 31.10.2025
October 31, 2025 at 4:34 PM
thetraveller.bsky.social
#Inktober2025, Day 30: Prompt word: #Vacant

A table at one of my favourite cafés, so vacant it doesn't even have a background. 😜

Kaweco fountain pens, de Atramentis & Kaweco ink
#Inktober
A black & white drawing of a vacant table in a café. A red stamp includes the date 30.10.2025.
October 30, 2025 at 5:46 PM
thetraveller.bsky.social
A clear case of 'harumph'…
The good news in the bad news: My optician could put the glasses in another frame, so I still have glasses over the long weekend (tomorrow's a public holiday in my state). Phew.
The two halves of broken spectacles lie on a wooden desk top.
October 30, 2025 at 2:50 PM
thetraveller.bsky.social
#Inktober2025, Day 29: Prompt: #Lesson
An extract from a real physics lecture about electro-optics from the mid-nineties.
It explained light-induced absorption… until the day I examined a crystal that didn't follow the model.

Stabilo fine-liners, Kaweco fountain pen, de Atramentis ink
#Inktober
An extracted image from a physics lecture about electro-optics shows the energy band model and two 'centers', (rare) energy levels between the conduction and valence band of certain crystals.
October 29, 2025 at 7:32 PM
thetraveller.bsky.social
#Inktober2025, Day 28: Prompt word: #Skeletal

Feeling reduced today, kind of matches today's prompt word.
And the solution too: The skeletal formula of d-glucose, a sweet solution. 😜

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucose

Kaweco fountain pens & paper, de Atramentis & Kaweco ink
#Inktober
The skeletal formula of d-glucose drawn with blue ink. The molecular formula is C6 H12 O6. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucose A red stamp shows the date 28.10.2025
October 28, 2025 at 6:00 PM
thetraveller.bsky.social
#Inktober2025, Day 27: Prompt word: #Onion

A tribute to Sir Terry Pratchett:
Some cards of 'Cripple Mr. Onion' left on a table…
I prefer the German name 'Leg Herrn Zwiebel rein'.

Kaweco fountain pens & paper, de Atramentis & Kaweco ink
#Inktober
An ink drawing of playing cards, with the classic suits diamonds, clubs, hearts, and spades plus four more suits 'axes', 'roses', 'doves', and 'tridents' A red stamp show the date 27.10.2025
October 27, 2025 at 7:03 PM
thetraveller.bsky.social
#Inktober2025, Day 26: Prompt word: #Puzzling

Math time! A (to me) fairly puzzling result in complex analysis 🧩

Kaweco fountain pens & paper, de Atramentis & Kaweco ink
#Inktober
A result from complex analysis: Given a curve γ = exp(it), t in [0, 2π], then the curve integral over f(z) = 1/z is: ∫(γ) 1/z dz = 2πi
October 26, 2025 at 4:38 PM
thetraveller.bsky.social
#Inktober2025, Day 25: Prompt word: #Inferno

Close enough to a black hole => Inferno ☄️🔥🎇
More on the topic ➙ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwarz...

Kaweco fountain pens & paper, de Atramentis & Kaweco ink
#Inktober
An explanation of the Schwarzschild radius, with examples of some objects. For the Sun ≈ 3 km, for Earth ≈ 9 mm, for me ≈ 1,3 10^-25 m
October 25, 2025 at 6:25 PM
thetraveller.bsky.social
#Inktober2025, Day 24: Prompt word: #Rowdy

Felix 'Rowdy' Miller never understood where his nickname came from… 🤪

Kaweco fountain pens & paper, de Atramentis ink
#Inktober
An ink drawing of a confused and surprised looking pigeon. Text next to the drawing reads: "Felix 'Rowdy' Miller never understood where his nickname came from…" A red stamp shows the date 24.10.2025
October 24, 2025 at 6:48 PM
thetraveller.bsky.social
#Inktober2025, Day 23: Prompt word: #Firefly

Float like a butterfly, shine like a firefly. ✨😃

Kaweco fountain pens, de Atramentis & Kaweco ink
#Inktober
A schematic (and probably not very accurate) drawing of a firefly. A red stamp shows the date 23.10.2025
October 23, 2025 at 5:31 PM
thetraveller.bsky.social
#Inktober2025, Day 22: Prompt word: #Button

A button… wearing buttons. ☮️☯️

Kaweco fountain pens, de Atramentis & Kaweco ink
#Inktober
An ink drawing shows the a circular button that wears two bottons, one showing a yin-yang symbol, the other a peace symbol. A red stamp show the date 22.10.2025
October 22, 2025 at 4:55 PM
thetraveller.bsky.social
#Inktober2025, Day 21: Prompt word: #Blast

I had a … blast hatching this. 💥

Kaweco fountain pens & paper, de Atramentis & Kaweco ink
#Inktober
The word "BLAST!!!" is written in comic style, apparently illustrating an explosion of something. A red stamp shows the date 21.10.2025
October 21, 2025 at 5:41 PM
thetraveller.bsky.social
#Inktober2025, Day 20: Prompt word: #Rivals

Don't be rivals, be(come) friends.

Kaweco fountain pens & paper, de Atramentis & Kaweco ink
#Inktober
The words 'Mattis' and 'Borka' cross each other. The word 'Mattis' is hatched in blue, 'Borka' in red. The overlapping areas a in violet.
October 20, 2025 at 5:58 PM
thetraveller.bsky.social
#Inktober2025, Day 19: Prompt word: #Arctic

My Geography lesson of today: The Arctic Circle moves northward. 🐻‍❄🧭
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic

Kaweco fountain pens, de Atramentis ink, Hahnemühle paper
#Inktober
A schematic ink drawing of the Earth showing only the equator, the Earth axis, the poles and the arctic circle. Words explain that the Arctic Circle currently moves northward at about 14,5 m/year with a current latitude of 66° 33′ 41″ N. Overall it moves about 2° in 41.000 years.
October 19, 2025 at 3:10 PM
thetraveller.bsky.social
#Inktober2025, Day 18: Prompt word: #Deal

The deal of today: 1:30 hours of swimming time for 4 €. 🌊🏊🏻‍♂️🌊
Before going there, I went #OpenWater #Swimming in the #NorthSea @ 9°C .
Thankfully, the water in the pool was warmer than that: 27°C. 👍😃

Kaweco fountain pens & paper, de Atramentis ink
#Inktober
A photo shows an ink drawing of a receipt of a public swimming pool that lies on a wooden table. The drawn receipt is a bit crumpled. On the paper is a black Kaweco fountain pen that was use to draw the receipt. A red stamp includes the date '18.10.2025'
October 18, 2025 at 2:12 PM
thetraveller.bsky.social
Swimming 🌊🏊🌊 at 9°C in the water.
Sunny plus nice blue sky & ocean ➙ 😀😃😄

#OpenWaterSwimming #NorthSea
A very calm North Sea is under a clear blue sky. The colour of the water is blue, too. The horizon is marked by buildings on Hallig Nordstrandischmoor. In the foreground is a grassy area and an open air-shower. A small wooden bridge leads to a steel railing that allows easy entry inti the water.
October 18, 2025 at 1:56 PM
thetraveller.bsky.social
#Inktober2025, Day 17: Prompt word: #Ornate

An ornamental ornate. Or is it an ornate ornament?
None of the above? Either way: Enjoy & have a great weekend!

Kaweco fountain pens, ink & paper, de Atramentis ink
#Inktober
A flowery ornament surrounds a red stamp with the date '17.10.2025'. The ornament is made of spirals with coloured leaves on them.
October 17, 2025 at 6:12 PM
thetraveller.bsky.social
#Inktober2025, Day 16: Prompt word: #Blunder

Blunder, also known as debacle, fiasco or error.
Therefore: Do not try this on your (Unix-like) OS.
Really: DON'T!

Kaweco fountain pen & ink
#Inktober
An ink drawing of an index finger hovering over the enter key of a key board. Above this a command line is shown that reads 'rm -rf /'. Do not enter this in a Unix-like OS. A read stamp show the date '16.10.2025'.
October 16, 2025 at 5:20 PM
thetraveller.bsky.social
#Inktober2025, Day 15: Prompt word: #Ragged

Tattered and torn, ripped, frayn and worn, jagged, rough and notched… today is typography day.

Kaweco fountain pen, de Atramentis ink
#Inktober
An ink drawing of the word 'RAGGED'. The letters are tattered and torn, but (more or less) readable.
October 15, 2025 at 6:24 PM
thetraveller.bsky.social
#Inktober2025, Day 14: Prompt word: #Trunk

Broadly speaking, a/the trunk (in software development), is the main line of changes in history.
In modern software development the following approach is often used for branching: Don't.

Kaweco fountain pens, de Atramentis & Kaweco ink
#Inktober
A colour ink drawing shows how a 'trunk' is used in software development, together with branches.
October 14, 2025 at 5:12 PM
thetraveller.bsky.social
#Inktober2025, Day 13: Prompt word: #Drink

October, time for a hot beverage. ☕️

Kaweco fountain pens, de Atramentis & Kaweco ink
#Inktober
A schematic ink drawing of a mug containing a hot steaming beverage. A red stamp in the middle of the mug's side show the date '13.10.2025'
October 13, 2025 at 4:37 PM
thetraveller.bsky.social
#Inktober2025, Day 12: Prompt word: #Shredded

A contour drawing of a pile of… shredded wood parts.

Kaweco fountain pens, de Atramentis & Kaweco ink
#Inktober
An ink contour drawing of a pile of shredded wood parts. The ink is a light brown. A red stamp show the date '12.10.2025'
October 12, 2025 at 2:52 PM
thetraveller.bsky.social
#Inktober2025, Day 11: Prompt word: #Sting

Since I went swimming today in the North Sea (water 13°C, air 14°C) I felt like inking something marine.
That said: In this part of the ocean I've never seen any rays.

Kaweco fountain pens & paper , de Atramentis & Kaweco ink
#Inktober
An in drawing of an eagle ray that can (if it feels attacked) sting. The ray is only drawn as a contour only and the background is hatched in various blue tones.
October 11, 2025 at 6:11 PM
thetraveller.bsky.social
#Inktober2025, Day 10: Prompt word: #Sweep

Time for a technical topic: Cleaning up a directed graph using "Mark & Sweep" ❎🧹
See, for example ➙ www.geeksforgeeks.org/java/mark-an...

Kaweco fountain pens, de Atramentis & Kaweco ink

#Inktober
An info graphic explains the "Mark and Sweep" algorithm to remove nodes that are not reachable from the root node of a directed graph.
October 10, 2025 at 5:15 PM