home

{% load i18n %}

{% load static %}

{% block title %}{% trans "About myself" %}{% endblock title %}

{% block description %}{% blocktrans %}A page where I talk about myself, what I

	do, what I (dis)like, who I am, ...{% endblocktrans %}

{% endblock description %}

{% block main %}

<section>

<p>

    {% blocktrans %}Why hello! Thanks for stopping by! As I mentioned on my

    homepage, My name is Maarten. I'm a {{ age }} years old student, and I dabble in

    a lot of things that I enjoy doing.

    Some of these things I put on display here, my website, for the world to

    see!<br />

    On this page, I talk a bit about myself, my daily routine, what I do, ...

    It's not all-encompassing, and I've narrowed it down quite a bit to the most

    important things. I plan on sharing more through my upcoming blog, but until

    that's done, I hope this is enough to keep you satisfied.

    {% endblocktrans %}

</p>

<h2 id="interests">{% trans "Interests" %}</h2>

<h3 id="hacking">{% trans "Hacking" %}</h3>

<p> 

    {% blocktrans %}It's mostly hacking/coding. It's kind of my jam. I've

        been working and playing with computers since I was a toddler, so it

        shouldn't come as a surprise that that became a big hobby form me.

        I'm doing a lot of other things as well, but they're either not really well

        enough developed to talk about, or too minor to mention. Of course, I'm not

        stagnant, so I'll be updating this as soon as it's relevant.

    {% endblocktrans %}

</p>

<h3 id="music">{% trans "music" %}</h3>

<p>

    {% blocktrans %}I don't like rap and pop music. I get annoyed by

        hearing most of it, so I try to avoid it. Especially recent popular songs can

        irritate me to no end, almost without exception. Luckily I don't get that much

        joy out of listening music anyway, so I don't feel like I miss out a lot.<br />

        I do like popular numbers from the eighties, some Eurodance style numbers,

        and ambient music. I don't have favourite numbers or anything. I just like

		them.

    {% endblocktrans %}

</p>

<!--<p>

    I have a hard time focusing, so I try to ban as much distraction

    as possible when I'm working. When I do reach a state of concentration, it goes

    very well, but I lose it very quickly, and regaining it takes a long time as well.-->

<p>

    {% blocktrans %}I'm blessed with a set of the best friends one can imagine.

    They make life just so amazing, and I hope I can also do that for them.

    I try to open myself up to others as much as possible (or at least, as much

    as I feel comfortable with), hoping that I can share my

    happiness with them as well. All in pursuit of making our world a better

    place for everyone!{% endblocktrans %}

</p>

{% comment %}

<h3 id="trains">{% trans "Trains" %}</h3>

<p>

  {% blocktrans %}I'm crazy about trains. My grandfather is a retired train

  operator, and from there I got passed on a certain love for these

  machines.<br />

  I see trains as thé solution for transportation of both passengers (day) and

  cargo (night). They're fast, convenient, large, all that while being

  ecologically only second to bicycles for transportation, and the all-out #1

  choice for public transport (provided it's reasonably used). In Europe, I hope

  that air travel will be replaced by HST travel, which would allow a lot of

  people to travel the continent easily, affordable, and ecological. Trains are amazing!<br />

  My favourite is the

  <a href="MW41PIC">MW41</a>, a

  <abbr title="Diesel Multiple Unit train">DMU</abbr> that's frequently used on

  the

  <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antwerpen-Centraal_railway_station" target="_blank">Antwerp-Central</a> -

  <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasselt_railway_station" target="_blank">Hasselt</a>/

  <a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Station_Hamont" target="_blank">Hamont</a>

  corridor. This is also the route my grandfather did, as he was stationed at

  the depot in Mol. It's a very versatile train:{% endblocktrans %}

  {% blocktrans %}<ul>

	<li>It can drive on non-electrified tracks</li>

	<li>The middle provides a big compartment for wheelchairs, luggage, and

	  (non-folding) bicycles, as well as a comfortably big toilet</li>

	<li>The top speed is relatively low (120km/h), but it makes up for that with

	a relatively high power-to-mass ratio. Combined with its low capacity, this

	  makes it an ideal train for frequent stop services.</li>

	<li>It doesn't waste an extra set of doors in the middle of the train, like

	  the MS96 does</li>

	<li>There's enough space for luggage storage, the seats all have smileys,

	  and the whole train has A/C</li>

	<li>The space is optimally distributed, which can easily be seen when you

	enter the doors at the front or back, which curve inside to give room for

	the driver's compartment.</li>

	<li>The train can be coupled to meet high demand, increasing the capacity to

	  +600 people</li>

  </ul>{% endblocktrans %}

</p>

{% endcomment %}

<h3 id="food">{% trans "Food" %}</h3>

<p>

    {% blocktrans %}I'm an omnivore, and eat everything that I like to eat. I like

        a variety of different things, but the things I like most are nicely prepared

        beef, yummy vegetables, and fish. I heavily dislike pureed food, beans

        and peas, and

        Spaghettis (and other pastas) are extremely satisfying for me to eat, because

        practically

        everyone knows how to make it, but almost every time I try someone's version,

        it's a different taste. I love how many varieties of all the pastas exist!<br />

        fries are served properly. I've seen (and sadly, tasted) the ways fries

        are prepared abroad, and it's often an insult against our national

        pride, so much so that I avoid eating them outside of Belgium.<br />

        "great" if fresh potatoes are used, they're medium sized, and well baked,

        topped off with a generous amount of (real) mayonnaise. Eating them with a

        <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frikandel" target="_blank">frikandel</a>

        makes me feel like a true Belgian.<br />

        I might eat vegetarian when an attractive option is available. That is: It

</p>

{% comment %}

<h4 id="veganism">{% trans "Not a vegan" %}</h4>

<p>

    {% blocktrans %}I'll never be a vegan and I firmly believe that veganism is not

        necessary to prevent animal abuse. Humans have lived with animals for

        centuries, sometimes even in a way that proved beneficial to both the animals and humans

        (for example: chickens, sheep, and goats provide eggs, wool, and milk, while we provide them

        adequate protection from predators). I've had chicken coops for my entire life

        and I think that eating eggs does not amount to animal cruelty, contrary

        to veganistic beliefs.<br />

        While I know that animals are abused in big farms, a system called "laws" can

        effectively stop those practices, way better than veganism. It's also a very

        radical lifestyle for most people to attempt.<br />

        That's not to say that veganism is bad; delicious meals are easily made in a

        vegan way, and within a healthy and varied diet, it's possible to be a

        lifelong vegan, starting from adulthood: due to health concerns minors

        mustn't be vegans.{% endblocktrans %}

</p>

{% endcomment %}

<h3 id="drugs">{% trans "Drugs" %}</h3>

<p>

  {% blocktrans %}I have banned recreational use of all drugs out of my life for as long as I

  can remember. This includes nicotine products and alcoholic beverages.<br />

  I do this for multiple reasons:

  <ul>

	<li>I don't believe drugs are necessary to have fun. When I'm with friends

	they may be drinking alcohol, but I enjoy my time just as much with

	  non-alcoholic drinks like sodas.</li>

	<li>Drugs are unhealthy. Most of them cause damage to organs, and can badly

        affect the body long-term. I have no desire for any of that.</li>

	<li>For social purposes, it's always easy that I am the person that's

	sober. This can be for multiple reasons; an emergency, being the driver of

	  the evening, ...</li>

	<li>Drugs alter the user's perception of, and actions in reality. I don't

	  have any need to go through that. I enjoy being sober.</li>

  </ul>

  That being said, I do see why people enjoy them, and I've read about how

  cannabis is sometimes used for medical purposes (which I would do as well

  should I need it, since that's not recreational), so I don't oppose to others

  using them, nor do I refrain from buying them if I know they will be consumed

  in moderation. I do oppose to usage that inflicts harm to others, or in

  general, forces other people to use it as well in a passive way.{% endblocktrans %}

</p>

<h3 id="studies">{% trans "Studies" %}</h3>

    {% blocktrans %}I hold an undergraduate Informatics degree from Hasselt University.

    (coloquially named UHasselt). However, nowadays I'm rarely there, since I'm

</p>

<h2 id="sports">{% trans "Sports" %}</h2>

  {% blocktrans %}Every week, I use my bicycle to commute between Ghent and the

</p>

<p>

    {% blocktrans %}I regularly add new texts to my website, or do general

    maitenance. I try to

    extract time where I can, but maintaining a website (and doing it well), is

    not always the most easy job. Different screen sizes, JS (in)compatibility,

    enforcing encryption, translating my website (which I do myself), ...

    Nevertheless, if I find a free spot somewhere, I might very well be updating

    my website. It's satisfying work to see my own place grow under my

    fingertips, albeit slower than I want it to.<br />

    Sometimes, it might seem I've not been doing anything on my website for a

    while. This might indicate real-life obligations, but might also be

    invisible changes to the source code, which are just as important as

    anything else I do around here. 

    {% endblocktrans %}

</p>

<h3 id="politics">{% trans "Politics" %}</h3>

    {% blocktrans %}I

        <li>Law enforcement</li>

        <li>Public transport</li>

        <li>Climate mayhem</li>

        <li>Freedom and privacy</li>

        <li>Human rights</li>

        <li>Digital agenda</li>

        <li>Copyright abuse &amp; reform</li>

        <li>Belgian communautarian debate</li>

        <li>Governmental &amp; corporate accountability</li>

    </ul>

    I also hold opinions on many issues, which I believe to be rational (but

    who doesn't, right?), but I don't feel attached to a political orientation, nor do I

    change my viewpoint to better align with one. I will say that <em>in

    general</em> I tend to lean towards ideas that ecological parties and pirate

    parties often espouse. But again, my opinions might differ

    drastically. Do ask me if you would like to know more, I'm all for

    explaining.{% endblocktrans %}

</p>

{% comment %} 

<p>

    {% blocktrans %}I especially

    dislike the "left-wing/right-wing" division that's currently gaining ground, because it

    portrays politics as if it were just a one-dimensional spectrum on which

    every viewpoint can be allocated in an arbitrary order. This is influenced

    by the ridiculous

    American political system that only knows two big parties, and causes people

    to cease critical thinking in favour of party alliance, to the point that a

    "democratic election" is reduced to a poisonous contest where you must

    win, rational debate be damned. Please do not refer 

    to people as "being left-wing" or "being right-wing"; many people are more

    complicated than that.{% endblocktrans %}

</p>

{% endcomment %}

<p>

    {% blocktrans %}Despite my interest in politics, I try not to bring this up

    into daily communication when it's not necessary. The reason is threefold:

    <ul>

        <li>In addition to my poor social skills, I am also a very bad speaker;

            without ample time to prepare, I have a 

            very hard time voicing my opinion in a convincing manner, even on

            issues that I (think I) understand very well. I would like to inform

            people, but if I can't talk in a convincing way, I might do more

            harm than good, so I try to avoid "live debating".</li>

        <li>Politics can be a sensitive topic. While I'd love to talk about

            sensitive issues with my friends, I don't know if the reverse is

            true, and I do not want to look annoying to be friends with.

            Therefore I try to refrain from bringing up political 

            discussions myself. However, if one of my friends were to bring it

            up, I will gladly partake, because I take that as a sign that there

            is some mutual interest.</li>

        <li>I have a website on which I can talk at length and in detail about

            these things. This also offers an easy "getaway" for friends, but

            also other people; they can decide for themselves whether they want

            to know about my opinions, without awkward social interactions. It

            also allows me to directly link to source material, correct

            mistakes, and it's an easy reference point for myself.</li>

    </ul>

    {% endblocktrans %}

</p>

<h3 id="computing">{% trans "How I do my computing" %}</h3>

<p>

    {% blocktrans %}It's what I do most, so for those interested, I

    figured I'd talk about how I do the things with computers =3{% endblocktrans %}

</p>

<p>

    {% blocktrans %}I have a reliable computer that I built myself, and a

    companion laptop through Hasselt University. Both run

    <a href="https://archlinux.org" target="_blank">Arch</a>,

    the best

    <a href="https://GNU.org" target="_blank">GNU</a>/<a

       href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_kernel" target="_blank">Linux</a> distro out there.

    I do almost all my stuff in

    <a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/" target="_blank">GNU Emacs</a>, like

    programming, maintaining my diary, working, system maitenance, and sometimes

    even browsing. I sometimes also use

    <a  href="https://neovim.io" target="_blank">NeoVim</a>.

    >80% of my work is text

    related, and terminals are just better at that than a fully fledged desktop

    environment.<br />

    Languages I prefer are

    <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C_%28programming_language%29" target="_blank">C</a>,

    <a href="https://www.python.org/" target="_blank">Python</a>,

    and (my current favorite)

    <a href="https://clojure.org" target="_blank">Clojure</a>.

    I'm trying to pick up

    <a href="https://haskell.org" target="_blank">Haskell</a>,

    which goes as well as you'd expect from a language like that. <br />

    I run

    <a href="https://lineageos.org/" target="_blank">Lineage OS 14.1</a>

    on my phone (In laymen terms: It's basically

    a cool and slim Android/Linux 7 with less Google interference).<br />

    Code repositories are <b>always</b>

    <a href="https://git-scm.com/" target="_blank">Git</a>

    repos, no exceptions. Depending on

    the project size, I use a simple dependency listing, or a recognized project

    manager like

    <a href="https://leiningen.org/" target="_blank">Leiningen</a>

    or

    <a href="http://doc.crates.io/" target="_blank">Cargo</a>.

    {% endblocktrans %}

</p>

<h4 id="website">{% trans "My website" %}</h4>

<p>

    {% blocktranslate %}

    My web server runs on

    <a href="https://nginx.com" target="_blank">Nginx</a>, and the website

    itself is built using 

    <a href="https://djangoproject.com" target="_blank">Django</a>, a Python

    web framework that's extremely well written.

    {% endblocktranslate %}

</p>

{% comment %}

I put the language section in comments because it's not completely up to date at

the moment, so I want to rewrite it. Until that's done, I'd rather just comment

it out.

{% endcomment %}

<!--

<p>

    {% blocktranslate %}

    I try to make my website available in multiple languages.

    I translate manually into Dutch, French and English.

    For other languages,

    I'm supported by <a href="https://apertium.org" target="_blank">Apertium</a>

    since November 2020, which is a free software

    machine translator. I refuse to use any

    <a

    href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html"

    target="_blank"><abbr title="Service as a Software Substitute">SaaSS</abbr></a> by

    <a href="https://stallman.org/google.html" target="_blank">Google</a>,

    which means I won't use Google Translate. Apertium is not as good in quality, but that's no

    problem for me: I only use it to do the "bulk translations", which are very

    tedious and can take

    up weeks of my time, time that I simply don't have. After the translations

    are made, I go over them manually to fix all the remaining mistakes, and add

    the

    missing details and contextual nuances (if necessary) that machine

    translators have a lot of trouble with.

    {% endblocktranslate %}

</p>

-->

<p>

    {% blocktranslate %}I use Esperanto for hyperlinks, because I want my web

    pages to be navigated in a language-agnostic way, and in those cases, a

    politically neutral, international language is best.{% endblocktranslate %}

</p>

<h4 id="sociaj-retejoj">{% trans "Social media" %}</h4>

<p>

    {% blocktranslate %}I do not have a social media account on any big platform, except for Reddit.

    That's because Reddit is one of the few platforms that respects its users' privacies enough,

    and doesn't require me to identify myself.<br />

    The other platforms (like Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, ...) all vehemently

    violate their useds'

    privacies in order to get more profits. I will not create an account on those.

    I also hope others will follow me in this decision, as being on platforms like

    Facebook compels others to do the same. An easy way to break their power is to

    refuse being used, and additionally, this makes it easier for others to act

    similarly.{% endblocktranslate %}

</p>

<h4 id="browsing">{% trans "Browsing" %}</h4>

<p id="tor">

    {% blocktrans %}I fully condemn the practice of tracking people's (browser)

        habits for financial gain without proper consent (and no, clicking "I agree"

        does not imply giving proper consent),

        and I refuse to tolerate it. That's why I often browse using

        <a href="https://torproject.org" target="_blank">Tor</a>

        to conceal my identity. You can do so likewise, even for practical purposes;

        the network is steadily gaining more speed because of the growing amount of

        people concerned with their privacy. Some offer Tor nodes that speed the

        network up and increase the security. If you really want to, you can also

        help by becoming a <strong>non</strong>-exit node (because exit nodes

        may get blocked by some websites, I don't recommend doing that 

        unless you know what you're doing).

    {% endblocktrans %}

</p>

<p id="adblocker">

    {% blocktrans %}I normally would not use an adblocker to browse the web. As much as I

    resent the use of advertisements, I understand that keeping a website up

    costs money, and advertising is an easy way to fund that, a practice of which traces

    can be found back until the Roman empire. Because their existence is not

    harmful to society either, I see no valid ethical objection to an

    advertisement on a website, and I don't want to block them. (I also don't oppose the

    use of adblockers by others: I think people have a right to decide whether they

    want to see ads or not.)<br />

    However, I do use

    <a href="https://noscript.net" target="_blank">NoScript</a>,

    which is a <em>script blocker</em>. It helps me stay anonymous on the

    internet by blocking (mostly client side) scripts that may reveal my identity.

    Unfortunately, a lot of websites have started using tracking scripts to

    trace what I see, what I do, what I surf to on the internet, and use that

    for advertising, profiling, and identifying me, which is ethically wrong.

    Because I oppose this practice, I block these scripts,

    and that often means that I don't see advertisements

    either.<br />

    There's a small annoyance to this (but I don't mind that): Some websites require some scripts to

    operate at all; therefore I have to manually pick for these websites what

    scripts to allow and which to block. The fact that these websites are

    erroneously built (i.e. they can't work without client code scripts)

    is annoying, but I don't really care that much: For some websites, that's worth it.

    For others, I don't bother and I don't read what's on them.<br />

    However, as a practical advantage, blocking so many scripts means my browsing

    is much better (which partly offsets the speed deficit caused by using Tor):

    A lot of websites load within a second for me, whereas with

    unblocked tracking, it takes easily 5-10 seconds before some webpages are

    fully loaded in. Additionally, the page gets sprinkled with ugly bars,

    elements pop in randomly and shift the page layout in grotesque ways,

    (a)social media buttons left and right, and often a popup regarding their

    use of cookies, which blocks what I want to do in the first place. What a

    terrible state of affairs!<br />

    If you think the increase in speed, security, and safety while browsing is

    totally worth clicking "Allow this script" every once in a while, then I

    urge you to install NoScript as well, and activate "Block scripts globally".

    It will make your browsing a lot better in almost every way.{% endblocktrans %}

</p>

<h4 id="free-software">{% trans "Free software" %}</h4>

<p>

    {% blocktrans %}I am a very strong supporter of the free/libre software

    movement and organizations that battle to preserve our computing freedom,

    which I regard as a human right. I go out of my

    way to find replacements for any proprietary software, and have a high

    tolerance for practical ease of use I'm willing to sacrifice.<br />

    Very seldom, I use Windows (often in an emulated environment) for some

    programs that I need to 

    run for my university courses, as annoying and terrible I might find that.<br />

    I also voluntarily help people move from using proprietary software to free

    software. I feel responsible for doing so, because I'm an informatician, and

    not many people understand these subjects well.

    If you want to try it (on your own), you can find a lot of GNU/Linux distros on the

    internet that are pretty easy for novice free/libre software users. You can

    also install them alongside an existing operating system, giving you the

    chance to make an easy transition to computing freedom (which I admit, is

    difficult when you're not used to it). For your freedom's sake, I implore

    you to give it a shot too.{% endblocktrans %}

</p>

<h4 id="culture">{% trans "Cultural works" %}</h4>

<p>

    {% blocktrans %}Although I avoid proprietary software, I take a mild

    approach to proprietary video games. This is because games

    serve a cultural/entertainment purpose, not a general/functional

    purpose. They're a form of art, so to speak. That's a fundamental

    difference from other types of software, and that reflects in how I

    experience the (lack of) freedom in games.

    I do draw the line with

    <a href="https://www.gnu.org/proprietary/malware-games.html" target="_blank">games that

    are distributed with malware</a>, most often taking the form of

    <a

    href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org/what_is_drm_digital_restrictions_management"

    target="_blank">DRM</a>.

    <br />

    However, I still think that games also ought to be free software, because

    that would also make them free cultural works.

    Proprietary games can get

    lost because of technical changes (ranging from instruction set architecture

    to a specific high-level library), making them unplayable as time goes on.

        {% endblocktrans %}

{% comment %}

<h3>{% trans "Wrapping it up // Contacting me" %}</h3>

<p>

    {% blocktrans %}I hope you liked what I wrote! The pleasure was all mine,

    dear reader =D<br />

    If you want to talk with me about anything, suggest stuff, have a laugh, say

    something nice, exchange virtual hugs, or

    anything else, I've got a couple of ways you can connect to me:

    {% endblocktrans %}

</p>

<ul class="browser-default">

    <li>{% blocktrans %}<b>Mail</b>:

        This is the most direct and reliable way to reach me (of all public

        ways). If you want to get to me through

        good ol' email, you can always 

        <a class="{{ mdac }}-text text-accent-4" href="mailto:contact_me@maartenv.be">contact_me@maartenv.be</a>.

        {% endblocktrans %}

        {% comment %}

        I have a PGP key for encryption purposes, you can download it

        <a class="{{ mdac }}-text text-accent-4"

            href="/media/main/pubkey.acm">here</a>.

    </li>

    <!--<li>

        {% blocktrans %}<b>

        <a class="{{ mdac }}-text text-accent-4" href="https://tox.chat">Tox</a>

        </b> offers its users decentralized and encrypted live chat, on a

        multitude of platforms, and is so simple, you don't even need a

        phone number or an email address or that jazz to "identify"

        yourself, which makes it awesome if you want to stay anonymous.

        Despite its young age, it's already pretty stable and fast on p2p

        connections. If you want a quick chat with me, add me using

        my Tox ID: <br />

        955F4DA92BD174FEB985D57F5283DEA0DCEE757B32E1EBFFF4F13A932D60B07884E12009E019<br />

        You can also simply scan 

        <a class="{{ mdac }}-text text-accent-4" href="/media/main/tox.png">the QR code</a>,

        maybe that's easier =P

        {% endblocktrans %}

    </li>-->

    <li>{% blocktrans %}<b>Other ways</b> to connect to me are 

        limited/reserved to a specific public. You'll probably know it when it's

        not listed here =P{% endblocktrans %}</li>

</ul>

{% endcomment %}

</div>

</div>

{% endblock main %}