But recently, due to circumstances, I was forced to use an electric vehicle. My trustworthy diesel car was at the body repair shop after a collision, and we were given an EV as a rental.

I expected to be impressed.

Instead, I found myself… disappointed.

This Is Not About Sides

Let me be clear: this is not a political statement, nor an anti-EV rant. I am genuinely open to technological evolution. As an engineer, I admire the complexity behind electric drivetrains, battery management systems, and regenerative braking.

But technology must move forward in practical ways.

And that’s where I struggle.

Gadgets Over Practicality?

The first thing that struck me was how loaded the car was with electricity-consuming gadgets.

• Steering wheel warmer
• Seat warmers with multiple settings
• Animated light shows when locking the car
• A massive tablet-style screen for nearly everything

Let me ask a practical question:

Why do we need a steering wheel warmer at -20°C? What is wrong with wearing gloves?

Well… maybe it’s because you cannot properly operate the screen panel while wearing gloves.

Which brings me to another frustration.

The Tablet Maze

Why must I swipe through a digital maze just to switch off the seat warmer?

What happened to conventional switches?

A physical button:

• Requires no software update
• Works with gloves
• Does not distract you while driving
• Consumes no additional standby power

Instead, I had to navigate menus on a screen that resembles a tablet glued to the dashboard.

Is this progress?

Or is it design for aesthetics rather than usability?

Range: Have We Really Moved Forward?

Another question that lingers in my mind:

Why isn’t the range significantly better than 7–8 years ago?

Battery technology has evolved. Energy density has improved. Yet real-world winter range still feels like a compromise.

Why is it more important for a car to perform a “cool light show” when locking it than to extend its range by another 50–100 kilometers?

As an engineer, I would prioritize:

1. Efficiency
2. Range
3. Charging speed
4. Durability

The rest should be secondary.

The Charging Experience

We were required to return the rental car fully charged.

This morning, the battery was at 54%. Since we do not have a home charger, we had to drive to a petrol station offering “fast charging.”

What followed was… educational.

• We had to figure out which connector to use
• We had no app or charging badge
• The only option was scanning a QR code
• It took nearly 5 minutes before charging even began

I joked to my wife:

“We could have filled 60 liters of diesel, bought a hotdog, and paid for everything in the time we’ve spent just getting this started.”

The charger was rated up to 50 kWh.

After 1 hour, 11 minutes and 20 seconds, the battery went from 54% to 97%.

In that time, we:

• Went to the supermarket
• Chatted with neighbors
• Watched cars drive by
• Saw the garbage truck pass… and later pass again

It felt like watching paint dry.

The Cost Surprise

Now, here’s the part that genuinely impressed me.

We were charged for 39.589 kWh.

Total cost: 238 Norwegian kroner.

That is cheap.

We normally spend around 800 kroner per week on diesel just for commuting. You cannot drive a diesel car to work for a week at that price.

From a purely economic standpoint, EVs win. Clearly.

The Real-World Use Case

Most EV owners I’ve spoken to use their car primarily for commuting.

But when they travel longer distances, for example to Bergen (a four-hour drive from here), they often take their diesel car instead.

And that, in my opinion, is where we still stand.

Electric vehicles are excellent as commuter tools. They are economical and sort of quiet.

But as a fully practical, flexible, no-compromise replacement for fossil-fuel cars?

Not yet.

Technology Should Simplify, Not Complicate

As an engineer, my disappointment is not about electric drivetrains.

It is about priorities.

• Simplicity over digital clutter
• Efficiency over animation
• Range over light shows
• Physical usability over touchscreens

Technology should make life easier.

Instead, I felt like I was adapting myself to the car, rather than the car adapting to me.

Standing Still?

The question I keep asking myself is:

Are we progressing, or are we standing still?

Electric mobility is the future. I have no doubt about that.

But perhaps it’s time for the industry to shift focus:

From flashy features
To functional engineering.

Because innovation is not about adding more.
It is about making better.

The post Disappointed, Not Defeated: An Engineer’s Honest Take on Today’s Electric Vehicles appeared first on ZandPilooT®™.nl.

Our youngest daughter was so little when we moved that she has no memories of her life in the Netherlands. Norway is the only home she truly knows. She grew up with the language, the traditions, the humor, the quiet strength of the people, and today, she is 100% Norwegian in her behavior, mindset, and heart. Sometimes we smile when we see just how naturally she fits in. Norway didn’t just become the place we live; it became who she is.

The Meaning of a Bunad

In Norway, few garments carry as much meaning as a bunad. A bunad is Norway’s traditional folk costume, deeply rooted in regional identity. Each bunad represents a specific area, often tied to local history, embroidery traditions, fabrics, and silver jewelry. Wearing a bunad is not just about clothing, it’s about belonging.

Bunads are primarily worn on special occasions, especially on May 17th (Norway’s Constitution Day) and during life milestones such as baptisms, weddings, and confirmations.

Most bunads are largely handcrafted. The embroidery alone can take hundreds of hours. A basic “starter set” typically costs between NOK 30,000 and NOK 50,000, and that’s without the silver jewelry. The silver, often handmade and region-specific, can add a significant amount to the total cost.

A bunad holds both sentimental and financial value. Financially, it’s an investment that often lasts a lifetime and can even be passed down through generations. Sentimentally, it represents identity, heritage, and family history. It tells the world where you belong.

Konfirmasjon – A Rite of Passage

In Norway, “konfirmasjon” (confirmation) marks the transition from childhood into young adulthood. Traditionally rooted in the Christian church, many families today choose either a church confirmation or a humanist ceremony. Regardless of the religious aspect, it remains a major cultural milestone.

It is a day when family gathers, speeches are held, childhood is celebrated, and the young person steps symbolically into adulthood. And very often, girls wear their bunad for the ceremony, sometimes for the first time.

We had always intended to buy our daughter a bunad for her konfirmasjon. It felt important, a way to honor the country she grew up in and the culture that shaped her. But life does not always unfold as planned. Due to my health issues at the time, we were simply not in a position to make such a large investment.

It was disappointing, of course. Not because of the clothing itself, but because of what it represented.

A Long-Awaited Moment

This week, something special finally happened.

We were able to take our daughter to a local bunad maker, a woman who carries on the old craft traditions with steady hands and deep knowledge. Watching our daughter stand there to be measured felt emotional in a way I didn’t expect.

Without hesitation, she chose the Nordfjord bunad.

The Nordfjord region has its own bunad tradition, and interestingly, the Nordfjord bunad comes in several variants depending on the specific area within Nordfjord. The embroidery patterns, colors, and details can vary slightly, small differences that tell subtle stories about local belonging.

She chose the color variant she felt most comfortable with. It was entirely her decision. And in that moment, I saw not just my daughter, but a young Norwegian woman confidently choosing the expression of her heritage.

In a few weeks, she will return for her first fitting. The bunad maker will fine-tune the details, adjust the fit, and ensure everything sits perfectly. It is a process that requires patience, but that’s part of the beauty. Nothing about a bunad is rushed.

Blending Two Worlds

A bunad traditionally shows where you are from. For us, that question is layered.

Our daughter grew up in Norway. But she also carries roots from the Netherlands, a quiet part of her story that we don’t want to erase. So we decided to weave that connection subtly into the silver jewelry. The silver will hold small elements that nod to her Dutch background.

It feels symbolic: not replacing one identity with another, but blending them.

Because that’s what our family is. Norwegian in daily life. Dutch in origin. A mix that feels natural and whole.

Looking Ahead to May 17th

I have to admit, I am already feeling incredibly proud.

I can already picture her wearing her finished bunad on May 17th, Norway’s Constitution Day. The streets filled with flags. The sound of marching bands. Children laughing. Bunads of every region shimmering with silver in the spring sunlight.

And there she will stand, our daughter, wearing a Nordfjord bunad that represents where she grew up, with silver that quietly honors where she began.

From the Netherlands to Norway. From toddler to young woman.

Sometimes life takes longer than planned. Sometimes health challenges delay dreams. But this week reminded me that some milestones are worth waiting for.

And I truly cannot wait to see her on May 17th. in her own authentic bunad and no more cheap factory made “festdrakt” (partydress).

The post Nordfjord Bunad appeared first on ZandPilooT®™.nl.

My computing journey began with the Commodore 64 and Commodore 128. Later they were replaced by what was then proudly called an IBM-compatible PC, running MS-DOS and accompanied by what felt like a 400-page Microsoft manual.

Then came Windows 3.11, not a real operating system, but a graphical interface running on top of MS-DOS.

After that:
Windows 95,
Windows 98,
Windows 98 SE (arguably the best of its time),
Windows NT,
Windows 2000,
and Windows XP.

Anyone who used those versions probably remembers the infamous “Blue Screen of Death.”

In my opinion, the golden era peaked with Windows 7.
Windows 8 was a disaster.
Windows 10 was solid and introduced fast boot.
And now we have Windows 11.

My Early Linux Experiments

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, I experimented with Linux for the first time.

Back then, distributions like Red Hat Linux and Debian required heavy terminal use. No polished graphical interface. It felt like going back to DOS, except now it was called “the terminal.”

With limited time and a steep learning curve, Project Linux v1 was abandoned.

Later I tried SUSE Linux and Fedora Linux, which offered graphical environments. They were promising, but I couldn’t get my internet connection working due to proprietary hardware from my ISP. Project Linux v2 ended the same way.

I even experimented with FreeBSD for a home web server. Terminal-only again. Interesting, but short-lived.

Governments and Companies Are Switching

What caught my attention recently is that it’s no longer just hobbyists switching to Linux.

The city of Munich has a long history of migrating parts of its administration to Linux. Even parts of the Government of Denmark have moved toward open-source solutions.

Small businesses are reconsidering subscription costs. Larger organizations are looking at digital sovereignty and cost control. Microsoft’s push toward subscription-based ecosystems and hardware requirements is accelerating the shift.

The Windows 11 Frustration

My desktop PC came with Windows 10 and was declared “not compatible” with Windows 11 because my CPU was one generation too old.

According to Microsoft, I should have recycled perfectly working hardware, at least, this is how I look at it.

Instead, I bypassed the compatibility check and installed Windows 11 anyway. It has been running flawlessly for over half a year.

That raised a serious question:
Was the limitation technical, or strategic?

Add to that:

• Advertisements in the operating system
• Preinstalled “bloatware”
• Forced updates
• Increasing subscription pressure for Microsoft 365

It feels less like owning software, and more like renting an ecosystem.

Reviving a 10+ Year-Old PC with Linux Mint

The real turning point came with my daughter’s old Windows 8 dell desktop. It took nearly an hour to boot. Another hour to start Minecraft or even basic applications.

After backing up her files (which took almost a week), I discovered Linux Mint.

I downloaded the ISO, flashed it using balenaEtcher, disabled Secure Boot in BIOS, and installed Mint, wiping the entire hard drive, including recovery partitions.

The result?

• Fast startup
• Working Wi-Fi immediately
• No driver drama
• Minecraft runs smoothly
• No waiting an hour

A 10+ year-old machine became usable again.

LibreOffice vs Microsoft Office

Linux Mint comes with LibreOffice preinstalled.

It handles documents, spreadsheets, and presentations without subscription fees. Files can be shared with schools or businesses using Microsoft Office, and they open without problems in Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, or Excel.

For many users, that’s more than enough.

Is Microsoft Digging Its Own Grave?

In the late 90s, we jokingly called them “Micro$oft.”

Today, the joke feels less like satire and more like business strategy.

Forcing hardware upgrades.
Embedding ads into the OS.
Subscription-based productivity tools.

Meanwhile, Linux distributions are:

• Free
• Stable
• Lightweight
• Respectful of user control

Why recycle a perfectly working PC after five years?

Why push users toward unnecessary upgrades?

My conclusion: Microsoft may be accelerating its own decline, not because Linux suddenly became better (because it always has been), but because users are finally reconsidering what they truly need.

And sometimes, all it takes is reviving an old dell desktop to realize that freedom still exists.

The post Why More People Are Leaving Windows 11 for Linux appeared first on ZandPilooT®™.nl.

Democracy—literally “rule by the people”—is the system where citizens choose their leaders and influence decisions through voting, debate, and representation. Its core principles include:

1. Popular Sovereignty – the idea that ultimate authority rests with the people.
2. Political Equality – every citizen’s vote carries the same weight.
3. Rule of Law – all are subject to fair, transparent legal frameworks.
4. Accountability – elected officials answer to voters.
5. Pluralism & Tolerance – acceptance of diverse views.

A reliable overview of democratic ideals can be found at Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, a highly respected academic resource.

The 2023 Dutch Election and Geert Wilders

In November 2023, the Netherlands held a landmark parliamentary election. Populist leader Geert Wilders and his Party for Freedom (PVV) won 37 seats—the largest share in the 150-seat Tweede Kamer—marking a major shift in Dutch politics en.wikipedia.org+1time.com+1.

Despite this victory, forming a government wasn’t straightforward. Dutch systems require coalition-building, and no major party was willing to partner with PVV. Ultimately, a coalition—including PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB—was agreed in mid‑2024 under PM Dick Schoof en.wikipedia.org+3en.wikipedia.org+3en.wikipedia.org+3.

The Government Collapse

By June 2025, tensions over asylum and migration policy erupted. Wilders presented a hardline 10‑point plan on immigration. When other parties refused to endorse it, he withdrew his ministers, collapsing the government reuters.com+9en.wikipedia.org+9thetimes.co.uk+9.

This triggered:

• PM Schoof’s resignation jacobin.com+15apnews.com+15reuters.com+15.
• Formation of a caretaker government to bridge until new elections wsws.org+10apnews.com+10apnews.com+10.
• Snap elections scheduled for October 29, 2025 en.wikipedia.org+1thetimes.co.uk+1.

Coalition Parties’ Refusal

Key Dutch parties like VVD publicly stated PVV was “unbelievably untrustworthy” and refused both coalition and confidence‑and‑supply cooperation reuters.com+2theguardian.com+2reuters.com+2.

This raises an important question: if voters gave PVV the most seats, is it undemocratic for other parties to refuse cooperation?

Does This Collide with Democracy?

1. The Voice of Voters vs. Political Reality

Yes, the voters chose Wilders’s party—but coalition politics means no single party governs alone. Other parties argue cooperation might harm democratic stability or violate democratic norms.

Yet… imagine a workplace: you might not want to work with some colleagues, but you still must if that’s your job. So why do politicians get a “luxury” to reject cooperation with elected peers?

2. The Workplace Analogy

• In the office, employees must work with colleagues they may not like, for the greater good.
• Democracy demands the same mentality: public office is not personal preference but public service.
• When politicians reject partners outright, based on ideology or mistrust, they divide the will of the people.

3. The “Cordon Sanitaire” Tradition

In some democracies, mainstream parties refuse to work with extremists. The Netherlands once applied a “cordon sanitaire” to parties like Centrumdemocraten en.wikipedia.org.

However, that sets a double standard: in work life, exclusion is often dismissed as unprofessional. In politics, similar behavior is accepted—and can silence large voter blocs.

Parallels in Norway: When Governance Overrides Representation

In Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre (Labour) is President of the Storting, but some argue that he and the parliamentary majority run an agenda without engaging minority voices en.wikipedia.org. Meanwhile, high-profile figures like Sylvi Listhaug were effectively sidelined by major parties during her anti-immigration campaign jacobin.com.

The result? People feel heard—votes are counted—but not respected when governing coalitions dictate the agenda without inclusive negotiation.

Has the People’s Voice Been Disregarded?

In both the Netherlands and Norway:

• Voter turnout is high.
• Voices are loud.
• But representation falters once election results enter coalition chambers.

In essence:

• Democracy =not just voting; it’s also about compromise, inclusion, and collective governance.
• If voters feel their voices “don’t count” once outcomes become inconvenient, disillusionment is inevitable.
• Excluding elected parties signals: politics is by professionals, not the public.

Why Politicians Shouldn’t “Pick and Choose”

1. Representation – When PVV won most seats, that reflects real concerns among citizens.
2. Public Service Ethos – Like in any job, duty can clash with preference.
3. Trust in Democracy – Refusing to work with “the other side” shakes public faith in institutions.
4. Avoiding Polarization – Broad coalitions foster unity, while exclusions fuel division.
5. Equality of Votes – Democracy is diminished when some votes are treated as unworthy.

Balancing Norms and Democracy

Some exclusions are legitimate—if a party actively opposes democratic values, for instance. But blanket dismissals based on ideological discomfort are dangerous territory.

• Workplace ethic: we don’t ask co‑workers who they slept with or what they believe—just that they work.
• Nation ethic: we shouldn’t dismiss politicians if they’re democratically elected and constitutionally viable partners.

Conclusion: Democracy Is More Than Winning

Democracy is both ballot and boardroom.

• The ballot expresses voter intent.
• The boardroom (or parliament, cabinet room) demands collaboration, discipline, and prioritizing the nation’s interests above personal biases.

Workers must co‑operate. Politicians, the same. Rejecting fully‑elected parties erodes democracy.

Final Take

We must remember: democracy isn’t just a game won and closed, but a continuous process of respectful, sometimes uneasy cooperation—as ordinary workplaces show us every day.

The post Democracy in Crisis? When Voters’ Choices Meet Political Refusal appeared first on ZandPilooT®™.nl.

Stay tuned for more

The post Work in progress appeared first on ZandPilooT®™.nl.

Luckily, in the country where I live, a government representive is lobbying for a law to tightening up things for companies like Meta and Google, just like there are laws for the national phone company. That representative is also trying to take this issue to the European parliament so this will be European and not only country based.

Keeping my fingers crossed, hoping it goes to Europe. Also hoping my FB account is gone after a few days.

The post Farewell Meta appeared first on ZandPilooT®™.nl.