Untimely meditations

One man's thoughts, observations and rants

Welcome to the personal blog of Joop Beris. I blog about a wide variety of topics, ranging from atheism to information security and lots in between. I welcome feedback on my articles but there are some guidelines. Feel free to share articles you like by using the sharing buttons but please give me credit if you want to share something. Also, check out my privacy policy and other legalese.

Below you’ll find the most recent things I’ve written. Feel free to check them out, leave a comment and share them with others who might be interested.

Latest posts

  • The dangers of eroding privacy

    The dangers of eroding privacy

    The dangers of eroding privacy We are living in an age where information is fast becoming the most important commodity. This has created a new class of poor people. Apart from the ‘have-nots’ we now also have the ‘know-nots’, people who are not privy to certain types of information. Because information is so valuable, lots…

  • FBI takes down Megaupload, Anonymous takes down FBI

    FBI takes down Megaupload, Anonymous takes down FBI

    Yesterday, the FBI took down file hosting service Megaupload.com, for suspected copyright infringement. Why wait for ACTA to become a reality when you can jump the gun, right? Also, this case proves that ACTA is not necessary to act against sites suspected of copyright infringement. Today, it seems Anonymous is up in arms against the…

  • So you think the Internet is free?

    So you think the Internet is free?

    So you think the Internet is free, do you? Well, think again. I blogged something last week about that. And today, Geenstijl posted a link to a great visualisation about how free the Internet is. Have a look for yourself!

  • Don’t be so positive!

    Don’t be so positive!

    Columbus wouldn’t have made it to the Americas if he had thought he’d never get there or how arduous and dangerous the trip was going to be. Einstein wouldn’t have made it out of the patent office if he had been gloomy and doubtful about his theory. And Robert Oppenheimer would never have been able…

  • ACTA

    ACTA

    This is an open letter to all those concerned, especially members of the European Parliament. Ladies and gentlemen, you are our elected representatives. You are the last hurdle the ACTA agreement has to take before it can be implemented. It is my fervent hope that you shall prove to be an insurmountable hurdle. It is…

  • Personality vs. attitude

    Personality vs. attitude

    A phrase that I have seen floating around the Internet, Facebook and such and that I find true and useful: Make no mistake between my personality and my attitude. My personality is who I am. My attitude depends on who you are. Very true indeed!

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“There are two different kinds of people in the world: those who want to know, and those who want to believe.”

Friedrich Nietzsche

Philosopher