Why is this blog called Nostrabramus?

Nostrabramus is a nod to Nostradamus, the man who made claims about the future and where we were heading. I'm certainly not comparing myself to him. But I do like to think about where technology is taking us, and how we want to get there.

Why I write here

I like to try everything and to run fun experiments with technology. At the same time, I can be critical and hold back. I have opinions and principles, and I find them hard to set aside.

That doesn't mean I'm always right. I like a good discussion about a topic. Before I form an opinion, I read up until I know enough about it. I care less about the hype itself, although I do find it interesting to look at and try out.

What you'll find here

Things I come across or find interesting. That ranges from wishlist finds and new AI models to technical stuff in frontend or backend. And sometimes a brain fart: a reflection, a thought or an opinion.

Each piece lists its sources and the date I checked the facts. When a piece gets too old, it gets a warning.

Did you know?

Nostradamus was really called Michel de Nostredame. He was born in December 1503 in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and died in July 1566 in Salon-de-Provence. He worked as an apothecary first and later as a physician.

The first edition of Les Prophéties came out in 1555, published by Macé Bonhomme. The book consists of quatrains, four-line poems, grouped by the hundred into centuries. There are 942 in total.

That first edition was a lot thinner. All ten centuries only appeared together in 1568, two years after his death.

The quatrains are vague and rarely carry a date. That makes it easy to quote them selectively and link them to an event afterwards. Sceptics call this retroactive clairvoyance: you only find the prediction once it has happened.

According to Wikipedia, no quatrain is known to have been read beforehand as a prediction of a specific event.

OK, yes, I'm a bit of a history geek too. Sorry.