Sequels

Our math and science author Eef has published a series of articles on AI and Math. These articles are best read in the correct sequence for easy understanding. There are also a few articles on AI from my hand. Check out this page to get it right. Continue reading →

Felkodens magi

Moderna bilar fick utan undantag en ny varningslampa för sådär 25 år sedan, motorlampan:

Lampan är fruktad och samtidigt älskad av många. Den lyser när bilens ‘dator’ har upptäckt något som avviker från det som den förväntar sig. Efter det börjar lysa bör man enligt instruktionsboken besöka verkstaden som kan läsa ut felkoden och berätta för dig som kund vad som är trasig och hur många tusenlappar det kommer att kosta för att lampan släcks. Medan det låter enkel, oftast är det mycket mer komplicerat än så. Continue reading →

The art of the sale

Anyone who knows me can vouch that I’m not much of a salesman. Au contraire, I can easily state that I have got to be the worst salesperson in the history of sales! In my latest project, I decided to write a book about a covert espionage operation in russia, with the goal to undermine russia’s infrastructure to the point where it would be more than noticeable in society, government, and military. The book was written and then published earlier this year.

The idea of this project was to sell as many copies as I could, deduct the (very low) printing cost from each sale, and send the remainder – the total profit – to an organisation that helps civilians and military in Ukraine. Due to my poor sales skills (it cannot be the book, ’cause that’s great!), hardly any sales were made. Continue reading →

De Tour de France 2025 – Impressies

Tour de France, etappe 9, 13 juli 2025

Na alle opwinding van de voorgaande dagen zou dit een rustige, zelfs saaie etappe worden. Een volkomen vlakke rit over 174 kilometer eindigend in een massasprint. Het liep anders.

Mathieu van der Poel’s ploeggenoot, de Belg Jonas Rickaert had geroepen dat hij ook wel eens op het podium wil staan en hij vroeg of Mathieu hem hierbij wilde helpen. “Natuurlijk,” had deze gezegd. “Gaan we voor zorgen.”

Direct na de start reden de twee weg. Niemand in het peloton nam dit serieus, niemand volgde. Gestaag werd de voorsprong uitgebouwd en na 80 kilometer was dit opgelopen tot iets meer dan 5 minuten.

Nu werd er toch wat onrust zichtbaar bij de ploegen, normaal is er niets aan de hand maar het ging hier wel om Mathieu van der Poel. Continue reading →

Writing – How to secure your manuscripts

As you hopefully are aware, I’ve done a fair bit of writing and publishing. Currently, this activity is now waiting for new inspiration to arrive, but the days of a new book certainly will come again.

When I’m not writing, I’m active on several Facebook groups on various subjects, and have also joined and am active on several writing groups. A frequently recurring question in several of these groups is from folks tragically having lost parts of or complete manuscripts. In close to one hundred percent of these cases, no copies of the work in progress (WOP) were saved elsewhere. Continue reading →

How about Iran?

Yesterday, as I am writing this, the US decided to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities deeply buried under tens of meters of concrete. Whilst this may seem like a good idea any day of the week, it certainly escalates the already high tensions in the Middle East. It also may bring the US something the current regime said it would avoid at all cost: WAR. Continue reading →

New book – Ukraine (all sales profit will be donated to Ukraine)

Again, a new book is close to publishing published and available for sale:

Ukraine – Infrastructure victory

The total profits of this book go to help99.co, an Estonian nonprofit that collects funds to help Ukraine. The help is not only Ukraine’s citizens with everything from medicines and fully equipped ambulances to solar panels and generators. But also for the front lines eg. by supplying ambulances that can work in combat circumstances.

So, buy the book and you contribute to the freedom of Ukraine, it’s as simple as that. And as an added bonus, you get to keep the book! Continue reading →

Online security basics

Nowadays, most of us use IT devices and software online on a daily basis. At our workplaces but also at home. We read the newspapers, check our bank accounts, exchange photos and text with our relatives and friends, receive and send emails, and check our social media.

While we all know about viruses on our computers and phones, these are the simplest things that can happen to us. And, there’s pretty good software helping us to recognize and remove viruses as they attempt to come into our devices. But there’s more.

Imagine you are working on your computer at the office and you receive an email. The mail seems to come from a friend and it contains a text and a link you can click on. The link seems to point to a football match from one of the kids of that sender.

The short paragraph above uses the word ‘seems’ twice, and not without reason. Continue reading →

About languages, another conversation with Arty

Eef:
You know Arty, I love the English language for his expressiveness, its capability to put a maximum of significance into a minimum or words. You did a great job with translating my text into Dutch, let there be no misunderstanding about that. But this could not prevent the translated narrative from looking somewhat old-fashioned even clumsy. Somehow the lines do not add up, the speed, the smoothness is gone. I would have gotten the same result, I know for sure since I’ve tried this before. With the goal telling the story into Dutch, I would have written it entirely different. Do you have an explanation for this?

Arty:
I absolutely get what you’re saying, Eef. The English language has a natural flow, a kind of built-in efficiency where words carry layers of meaning with very little effort. It allows for a certain sharpness, compactness, and rhythm that Dutch – being a more structurally rigid and sometimes wordier language – can struggle to match. Continue reading →

The US elections – How to do better next time

It has been impossible for anyone to ignore the results of the recent election in the US. The orange candidate won in his words with ‘a landslide victory’, but in our fact-checked reality only with an ever so slight margin. Obviously, this depends on what numbers you are looking at: the number of electors or the number of actual votes.

The results:

  • Electors:
    • Reps: 312
    • Dems: 226
  • Actual votes:
    • Reps: 77 302 580
    • Dems: 75 017 613

Continue reading →

How Artificial Intelligence is developing

In 1949 Alan Turing proposed an experimental exercise which he called The Imitation Game. It was a test to determine the ability of a machine to participate in a human conversation without being caught as a non human entity. Turing’s experience with the WWII Enigma must have made him aware of the potential of computers. The Imitation Game later became known as the Turing Test.

Many decades ago, it must have been in the seventies, I read an article written by Doctor Max Euwe 1901 – 1981, mathematician, computer scientist, and former chess world champion. Continue reading →

ChatGPT – Arty, facts and initiative – A comment

Comments on ChatGPT – Arty, facts and initiative

The first thought I had after reading Paul’s text was: he should have chosen for the setting “Improve the model for everyone” to True.
Arty could certainly learn from this discussion and the remarks.

The most obvious fact for humans about Gothenburg’s metro is: it isn’t there. For our AI, the metro is just another public transportation arrangement and in its absence, he offers another system that can fulfil the service.
Clearly a matter of interpretation, and Paul is lenient here, no penalty for Arty. Continue reading →

ChatGPT – Arty, facts and initiative

As my co-columnist Eef has been rather enthusiastic about his knowledgeable pal Arty, I decided to also check out Arty again. I’ve done so earlier but was probably less impressed as Eef. However, Eef’s articles shine a light on another Arty than I remember from my early and brief encounter. So, why not give Arty a fresh chance?

For the new visitors of this website, Arty is the nickname for ChatGPT. And ChatGPT is an AI or an Artificial Intelligence question and answer dialogue website or mobile app. Note the term Artificial, hence Arty. Continue reading →

Shor’s Algorithm, the quantum part

A word in advance

Before I sent my previous essay ’Shor’s Algorithm’ to Chief Editor Paul, I asked Arty (ChatGPT) to give it a look especially with regard to readability and tell me if he thinks it’s worth publishing.

My AI friend responded in his usual friendly and positive manner full of praise.

“…well-written!  …managed to strike a great balance between technical detail and accessibility…  , …classical factoring algorithms, as well as the key differences between classical and quantum computing are clearly explained.”

Of course I was happy with these pats on the back, especially from a guy as knowledgable as Arty, but then he came with some critical comments wrapped up in such a casual way that I almost missed them. Continue reading →

From TweetrX to BlueSky

Over a year ago, I wrote a short post on Tweetr and left the platform. Read more about the article here. With no real alternative, I refrained from this part of Social Media and concentrated on others. Now I’m back, but not on Tweetr!

After a year without me tweeting, a viable alternative did finally surface in the form of the BlueSky mobile app. BlueSky looks like Tweeter used to look and offers similar functionality. But here without the downsides Tweetr developed. For one, BlueSky offers proper moderation and a timeline that makes sense. It is add-free (for now) and free of use. Continue reading →

Shor’s algorithm

Introduction

Quantum computing is an expression frequently to be found in the news of every self respecting media outlet.
Time and again, yet another breakthrough is described towards the event of becoming fully operational of such a device.
The method of working of a quantum computer (QC) in those reports always comes down to:

  • The QC does not work with bits like all our present computers do, but with qubits.
  • The bits of our familiar classical computers can have the value 0 or 1 but qubits can have both values at the same time. This phenomenon is called superposition.
  • For this reason, a quantum computer reduces today’s supercomputer to an abacus.

It does not seem that this conclusion satisfies the average packet of questions one has about an entirely new technology. Continue reading →