The hostage-taking of our education: Microsoft as an invisible schoolmaster
Anyone who walks around in a classroom today does not immediately see it, but feels it. Everywhere you look, Microsoft is in the works. Windows on...
Europe in digital chains: From naive control to shameless betrayal
Where the hell do I start? There's so much happening at the same time that I don't really know where to start. The European dream of freedom and transparency is about to collapse. While civilians...
Digital Sovereignty is a Lie We'd Like to Keep Believing in
⁇ Everyone wants it, nobody dares to do it Digital autonomy. Every policy paper, party program and strategic government document talks about it. Ministers call it in interviews. Members of Parliament ask questions about it....
Dodging Big Tech for 30 euros per month: That's how I built my own cloud empire.
Hills and valleys: I'll take you on my adventure to switch from Big Tech software to more reliable, European or open-source alternatives. I...
Your Internet Service Provider Knows You're Watching Porn and Makes Money From It
Your browser does not lie, your DNS betrays you Most people think that the incognito mode in their browser protects them from viewers. But that is a persistent illusion. On the...
Wetransfer, Washington and We: Why Digital Sovereignty Is No Longer a Hobby Project
Sovereignty starts with discomfort I had promised myself (and my wife) not to write business blogs during my vacation. Still, I'm here. In the French sun, with a glass...
Melting walls and entrenched thought patterns
Complaining cellars, cooking kitchens I read this article this morning: ⁇ One in three Dutch people don't find home heat resistant enough (NU.nl) And as far as I'm concerned, that's the kind of head where...
A new triangle to think about...
Hills and valleys: I'll take you on my adventure to switch from Big Tech software to more reliable, European or open-source alternatives. I...
Only on Signal: on principles, pain and digital boundaries
Hills and valleys: I'll take you on my adventure to switch from Big Tech software to more reliable, European or open-source alternatives. I...
Building Europe Itself: From Key Figures to Key People
⁇ The urgency of today: Building Digital Sovereignty Thursday, June 5th, my alarm went off at 2:30. After only two hours of sleep, I got up, packed my suitcase, drank a...
Between storm and silence: Why I'm Hopeful Today
A particularly difficult season Sometimes it is as if life is piling up for a while. In recent months, my family and I have been confronted with no less than five personal dramas in...
Digital Sovereignty: A New Course for Municipalities. Are you reading Hardenberg?
The recent news that forty Dutch municipalities are launching their own sovereign cloud environment is an encouraging sign of progress. This initiative, which stems from the Open Web concept, offers municipalities...
It is political: Insights from the Nextcloud Enterprise Day 2025
Sometimes you visit an event that broadens your view of technology, data and society in one fell swoop. Yesterday was such a day. During the Nextcloud Enterprise...
From Latte to Leadership: My Day on the Nextcloud Enterprise Day in The Hague
Morning Silence and Outlook It's early. The city still breathes slowly awake while I drink my first latte of the day at Douwe Egberts in New Babylon. Outside is shimmering...
Hello Windows, hello freedom: Why I Switched to Linux
Hills and valleys: my Journey away from Big Tech I take you on my adventure to switch from Big Tech software to more reliable, European or open-source alternatives...
⁇ Time for Action: Europe, now or never
An ethical digital future begins today The letter from seven Dutch technology companies to the House of Representatives, shared via post on LinkedIN, is no ordinary lobby letter. It's a manifesto. Sendent,...
Data on the fence – how Europe is losing its digital wool
⁇ Our data, their business model Imagine a field. On the right: Europe, where exhausted citizens in frayed clothes try in vain to stop a flow of sheep. To the...
Playing with the future of European software
A playground for digital sovereignty Imagine a digital environment in which you are in control of your own data. No ads, no hidden trackers, no dependence on American...
Free, open and unfiltered: Why you should download this Nextcloud PDF now
Hills and valleys: my Journey away from Big Tech I take you on my adventure to switch from Big Tech software to more reliable, European or open-source alternatives...
Without hassle, with direction: That's how you plan me in.
⁇ From back-and-forth to click-and-ready What if you never have to email back and forth to schedule an appointment? What if one click is enough to...
“You need to call 1200” – A tragicomedy in multiple companies
Chapter 1 – The fall of the smartphone My beautiful phone is broken. The inner screen doesn't work anymore. Don't panic: I have a warranty and a Business Extra package from KPN....
Why?
Why some data initiatives do succeed Data and IT changes rarely fail due to technical limitations. The real pitfalls are confusion, resistance, lack of direction or simply...
Nextcloud's breakthrough: The tipping point is now
⁇ Nextcloud's breakthrough: The tipping point is now "We are on the verge of a digital revolution. Nextcloud is no longer a niche – it is the future.” The latest...
Dutch Governments Embrace Nextcloud
Dutch Governments Embrace Nextcloud: A Step Towards Digital Sovereignty The increasing move from Dutch governments to Nextcloud is a promising development that paves the way for enhanced digital independence and...
Sometimes it just doesn't fit
Hills and valleys: my Journey away from Big Tech I take you on my adventure to switch from Big Tech software to more reliable, European or open-source alternatives...
Nextcloud: the Swiss Army Knife of Digital Cooperation
Nextcloud: The Swiss Army Knife of Digital Collaboration Nextcloud is not just a cloud storage service. It is a modular open source platform that can easily compete with tools such as OneDrive, Google...
Nextcloud: From Puzzle Pieces to a Oiled Machine
Hills and valleys: my Journey away from Big Tech I take you on my adventure to switch from Big Tech software to more reliable, European or open-source alternatives...
I have a partner in crime!
The search for form EduNEX began as a clever puzzle software, driven by AI. I thought this could spark a revolution in education. I've always wanted something...
From Microsoft 365 to Nextcloud: A Look Back at My Stumbling Journey to Freedom
Hills and valleys: my Journey away from Big Tech I take you on my adventure to switch from Big Tech software to more reliable, European or open-source alternatives...
No, you can't make it any easier!
We can't make it more fun, but we can make it easier. No, you can't make it any easier. Please find another marketing agency. This is the statement that I now have with certainty...
Agendas are moving towards European alternatives. That will fill your time.
Hills and valleys: My journey away from Big Tech I take you on my adventure to switch from Big Tech software to more reliable, European or open-source alternatives...
Markdown has changed my way of writing
Markdown has completely changed my way of writing and thinking about text formatting. It forces me to think simply and directly about the content and structure of my texts....
English (UK)