Should be cool even for non-biologists...
Check out these paristoid wasps!
Sunday, 24 October 2010
Monday, 23 August 2010
Website update!
Finally found some time to try and improve my professional website. I mainly re-organised, but also added a page on software reviews (in a sort of blog, I guess). Other projects on the way will provide more detailed information on polyploid evolution. Have a look if you want. Since it is a project in progress, I am ready to receive tips, especially regarding the links among the different pages and the browsing experience you have.
Comments very welcome (thanks Joe, you are my only fan).
Comments very welcome (thanks Joe, you are my only fan).
Friday, 20 August 2010
Nostalgic website still floating around the web...
Hmm, good old times... Would be fun actually to be able to save this somehow, but I gues at some point this will disappear into a black hole in cyberspace. For now, still fun to look at though... Our daughter when she was veeeeeeeery small.
Click here to access destiftjes.tripod.com
Alas, if anyone has a tip to store this (locally or online) for the future (or forever), please let me know...
Click here to access destiftjes.tripod.com
Alas, if anyone has a tip to store this (locally or online) for the future (or forever), please let me know...
Wednesday, 4 August 2010
Pleasures of life... bureaucracy...
You know that feeling. You need to go to the bathroom, but you can´t, for example because you are in a bus. Frustration, discomfort: you know you will simply have to cope with it for the time being. But then once you have finally found a place to let go of the cropped up liquids in your bladder: yessssssss! That is gigantic pleasure, satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment.
Today my car tax was due. Of course, paying tax is never pleasant, but the Portuguese system has a way of me never walking a way without a feeling similar to the one I described before. Unlike in Britain, where the tax is simply debited from your account which leaves you with a hollow sense of robbery, the Portuguese system of cashing in gives one a strange sense of achievement. So how does it work? Well, first you find out more or less by accident when the tax is due. No reminders in the mail, simply common knowledge that on the anniversary of the registration date of your car´s license plate (so not the date you purchased the car). If you are late, a fine is the consequence for your ignorance. Alas, I was lucky enough to find out on time. A good start, but only the beginning. Then you have to find out where to pay, which in my case was simple as this was the office where I had already spent plenty time waiting for other bureaucratic purposes. Frankly, this scared me a little, because my previous visits had not always been successful, and the infamous words "Não pode ser!" echoed in my mind. So it took me a few days to gather enough courage to drive down to the city center and pay Finanças a visit. Once in I got a number (push letter J to be admitted to the right queue) and the wait began............... until after just less than two hours my number -J046- was called. I had my NIF ready (Fiscal number), and proudly handed my car documentation. Whatever the clerk responded, it was not "Não pode ser!" and I got a nice document confirming my payment. Yessssssss! And I walked out of the office with this great sense of achievement that comes with sailing the system. It lasted for the day.
Today my car tax was due. Of course, paying tax is never pleasant, but the Portuguese system has a way of me never walking a way without a feeling similar to the one I described before. Unlike in Britain, where the tax is simply debited from your account which leaves you with a hollow sense of robbery, the Portuguese system of cashing in gives one a strange sense of achievement. So how does it work? Well, first you find out more or less by accident when the tax is due. No reminders in the mail, simply common knowledge that on the anniversary of the registration date of your car´s license plate (so not the date you purchased the car). If you are late, a fine is the consequence for your ignorance. Alas, I was lucky enough to find out on time. A good start, but only the beginning. Then you have to find out where to pay, which in my case was simple as this was the office where I had already spent plenty time waiting for other bureaucratic purposes. Frankly, this scared me a little, because my previous visits had not always been successful, and the infamous words "Não pode ser!" echoed in my mind. So it took me a few days to gather enough courage to drive down to the city center and pay Finanças a visit. Once in I got a number (push letter J to be admitted to the right queue) and the wait began............... until after just less than two hours my number -J046- was called. I had my NIF ready (Fiscal number), and proudly handed my car documentation. Whatever the clerk responded, it was not "Não pode ser!" and I got a nice document confirming my payment. Yessssssss! And I walked out of the office with this great sense of achievement that comes with sailing the system. It lasted for the day.
Friday, 30 July 2010
Monday, 19 July 2010
The grass has germinated...
Real grass, not the commonly smoked Dutch version of it...
And we have sown the first veggies...
Healthy life, here we come...
And we have sown the first veggies...
Healthy life, here we come...
Thursday, 8 July 2010
And we are connected...
After lots of very fancy technological tricks (pic on left) our home is now literally connected to the world... Now we wait for our stuff, our container is at sea by now and hopefully this (pic on right) will not happen...
Saturday, 3 July 2010
Wednesday, 30 June 2010
Saturday, 26 June 2010
Windows 7 Home Premium in any language you like!
Haha!
If you have trouble understanding your computer, i.e., you literally don´t speak the language of the installed windows version: try this!
http://xaueious.wordpress.com/2009/08/22/changing-installed-language-of-windows-7-home-premium-pro-from-en-us/
Even though microsoft would like you to buy the full version, this simple program does the trick....
Good luck!!
If you have trouble understanding your computer, i.e., you literally don´t speak the language of the installed windows version: try this!
http://xaueious.wordpress.com/2009/08/22/changing-installed-language-of-windows-7-home-premium-pro-from-en-us/
Even though microsoft would like you to buy the full version, this simple program does the trick....
Good luck!!
Friday, 25 June 2010
Orange.co.uk broadband
Grrr....
Even after you leave them they still try to force you to call their expensive helpline. They charged us the hidden "cancellation without mac code fee". I was pretty angry about this hidden small-print fee in the first place - it basically squeezes out 25 pounds for cancelling even if you have been a customer for years - but worse, they charged it to us twice.
Thanks for being a loyal customer despite our appalling service!
Even after you leave them they still try to force you to call their expensive helpline. They charged us the hidden "cancellation without mac code fee". I was pretty angry about this hidden small-print fee in the first place - it basically squeezes out 25 pounds for cancelling even if you have been a customer for years - but worse, they charged it to us twice.
Thanks for being a loyal customer despite our appalling service!
Tuesday, 22 June 2010
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
Friday, 11 June 2010
Pfff....
Okay, a week in Portugal and we're not at step closer to having a home, have explored the health system though (don't ask). Not even close to getting work done...
Thursday, 27 May 2010
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Saturday, 23 January 2010
Happy 2010!!!
The start of 2010 was on the cold side. But rumour has it that things will warm up from May onwards. To be continued...
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