Derek Vandivere
@vandivere.net
Ex American Dutch guy living in Amsterdam. Professionally, an enterprise architect. Recreationally, spends too much time making vegetarian food, playing jazz and classical trombone, and tending to the cats.
Posts mainly stuff about Amsterdam
Posts mainly stuff about Amsterdam
I suspect the snob who wrote this opinion piece hasn't had to sell tickets.
Snippets? Apps? Visuals? Why classical music should stop trying to be pop
Snippets? Apps? Visuals? Why classical music should stop trying to be pop
Classical music’s blessing is also its curse: you’ve simply got to pay it attention. Plus: No wonder Rossini was an Olympics hit – he invented disco
www.theguardian.com
February 11, 2026 at 3:06 PM
I suspect the snob who wrote this opinion piece hasn't had to sell tickets.
The American century is pretty much over, it seems. @robxlii.bsky.social, this reminds me a bit of the conversation we were having about paper checks vs. online payments...
pluralistic.net/2026/02/11/p...
pluralistic.net/2026/02/11/p...
Pluralistic: Europe takes a big step towards a post-dollar world (11 Feb 2026) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
pluralistic.net
February 11, 2026 at 2:02 PM
The American century is pretty much over, it seems. @robxlii.bsky.social, this reminds me a bit of the conversation we were having about paper checks vs. online payments...
pluralistic.net/2026/02/11/p...
pluralistic.net/2026/02/11/p...
Read #11 for 2026: King Bullet by @richardkadrey.bsky.social
The penultimate book in his LA noir punk body horror grand guignol series. Great stuff (only $2 this month), but you don't want to start with this one.
www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/b...
The penultimate book in his LA noir punk body horror grand guignol series. Great stuff (only $2 this month), but you don't want to start with this one.
www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/b...
Book Review: King Bullet, by Richard Kadrey - Lightspeed Magazine
It's never easy to wrap up a series, but reviewer Chris Kluwe tells us why Richard Kadrey nails the finale of his Sandman Slim tales.
www.lightspeedmagazine.com
February 9, 2026 at 8:23 PM
Read #11 for 2026: King Bullet by @richardkadrey.bsky.social
The penultimate book in his LA noir punk body horror grand guignol series. Great stuff (only $2 this month), but you don't want to start with this one.
www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/b...
The penultimate book in his LA noir punk body horror grand guignol series. Great stuff (only $2 this month), but you don't want to start with this one.
www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/b...
Read #10 for 2026: A Burglar's Guide to the City, by Geoff Manaugh
Really fun discussion of architecture from a burglar's perspective. A bit more of a collection of essays than a throughline through the book, but a fun little book nonetheless.
burglarsguide.com
Really fun discussion of architecture from a burglar's perspective. A bit more of a collection of essays than a throughline through the book, but a fun little book nonetheless.
burglarsguide.com
A Burglar’s Guide to the City
Persona
burglarsguide.com
February 9, 2026 at 8:52 AM
Read #10 for 2026: A Burglar's Guide to the City, by Geoff Manaugh
Really fun discussion of architecture from a burglar's perspective. A bit more of a collection of essays than a throughline through the book, but a fun little book nonetheless.
burglarsguide.com
Really fun discussion of architecture from a burglar's perspective. A bit more of a collection of essays than a throughline through the book, but a fun little book nonetheless.
burglarsguide.com
Read #9 for 2026: Death's End, by Liu Cixin
The final book in the Three Body Problem trilogy. Couldn't be a much bigger plot. I like SF written from non-Western perspectives, but could have done without the odd smattering of misogyny.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death%2...
The final book in the Three Body Problem trilogy. Couldn't be a much bigger plot. I like SF written from non-Western perspectives, but could have done without the odd smattering of misogyny.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death%2...
Death's End - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
February 9, 2026 at 8:50 AM
Read #9 for 2026: Death's End, by Liu Cixin
The final book in the Three Body Problem trilogy. Couldn't be a much bigger plot. I like SF written from non-Western perspectives, but could have done without the odd smattering of misogyny.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death%2...
The final book in the Three Body Problem trilogy. Couldn't be a much bigger plot. I like SF written from non-Western perspectives, but could have done without the odd smattering of misogyny.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death%2...
Didn't expect to come across a 16th century picture of JD Vance at this exhibit.
February 5, 2026 at 8:02 PM
Didn't expect to come across a 16th century picture of JD Vance at this exhibit.
I did not expect sackbuts at the Rijksmuseum opening!
February 5, 2026 at 7:23 PM
I did not expect sackbuts at the Rijksmuseum opening!
Last tickets available for our children's concert in #Amsterdam this Sunday - a visual theatrical piece based on the Ring cycle about a bike bell trying to find its cycle! How much more Dutch of a story could you have? No spoken dialog, so no Dutch language needed.
tramharmonie.nl/concertagend...
tramharmonie.nl/concertagend...
RingRing • een muzikaal sprookje – Amsterdamse Tramharmonie
tramharmonie.nl
January 29, 2026 at 10:57 AM
Last tickets available for our children's concert in #Amsterdam this Sunday - a visual theatrical piece based on the Ring cycle about a bike bell trying to find its cycle! How much more Dutch of a story could you have? No spoken dialog, so no Dutch language needed.
tramharmonie.nl/concertagend...
tramharmonie.nl/concertagend...
Read #8 for 2026: A Little Hatred, by Joe Abercrombie
Audiobook - honestly not sure if I slept through any, cause it didn't feel 20 hours long. Great epic fantasy.
firstlaw.fandom.com/wiki/A_Littl...
Audiobook - honestly not sure if I slept through any, cause it didn't feel 20 hours long. Great epic fantasy.
firstlaw.fandom.com/wiki/A_Littl...
Client Challenge
firstlaw.fandom.com
January 24, 2026 at 7:26 PM
Read #8 for 2026: A Little Hatred, by Joe Abercrombie
Audiobook - honestly not sure if I slept through any, cause it didn't feel 20 hours long. Great epic fantasy.
firstlaw.fandom.com/wiki/A_Littl...
Audiobook - honestly not sure if I slept through any, cause it didn't feel 20 hours long. Great epic fantasy.
firstlaw.fandom.com/wiki/A_Littl...
Read #7 for 2026, Big Sky by Kate Atkinson
Another one I read because my mother in law had me check it out for her. Perfectly fine Northern English crime story.
www.goodreads.com/book/show/43...
Another one I read because my mother in law had me check it out for her. Perfectly fine Northern English crime story.
www.goodreads.com/book/show/43...
Big Sky (Jackson Brodie, #5)
Jackson Brodie, ex-military police, ex-Cambridge Consta…
www.goodreads.com
January 24, 2026 at 7:23 PM
Read #7 for 2026, Big Sky by Kate Atkinson
Another one I read because my mother in law had me check it out for her. Perfectly fine Northern English crime story.
www.goodreads.com/book/show/43...
Another one I read because my mother in law had me check it out for her. Perfectly fine Northern English crime story.
www.goodreads.com/book/show/43...
Come see birbs in the Hague!
🐦🪶 12 February – 7 June 2026 - BIRDS – Curated by The Goldfinch & Simon Schama
We can’t imagine life without birds. They symbolise freedom, beauty and love. But birds are also pets, a source of food or hunting trophies. What does our relationship with birds tell us about how we treat nature?
We can’t imagine life without birds. They symbolise freedom, beauty and love. But birds are also pets, a source of food or hunting trophies. What does our relationship with birds tell us about how we treat nature?
January 21, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Come see birbs in the Hague!
Unexpected brochure from the pharmacy: "Boys and house explosions: talk about it" #amsterdam
January 21, 2026 at 2:28 PM
Unexpected brochure from the pharmacy: "Boys and house explosions: talk about it" #amsterdam
Says the guy who traingulates more than the Clintons, threw trans folks underthe bus, and just kissed Ben Shapiro's ass. But hey, one of his employees trolls Trump on Twitter!
Gavin Newsom over Europese leiders.
‘They look pathetic.’
‘They look pathetic.’
January 21, 2026 at 12:34 PM
Says the guy who traingulates more than the Clintons, threw trans folks underthe bus, and just kissed Ben Shapiro's ass. But hey, one of his employees trolls Trump on Twitter!
Read #6 for 2026: Leonard and Hungry Paul, by Ronan Hession
My mother in law wanted me to check out, hadn't heard of it so I read it. Should be about how kindness and gentleness can change the world, seemed more to be about passivity to me. Did not resonate.
www.goodreads.com/book/show/48...
My mother in law wanted me to check out, hadn't heard of it so I read it. Should be about how kindness and gentleness can change the world, seemed more to be about passivity to me. Did not resonate.
www.goodreads.com/book/show/48...
Leonard and Hungry Paul
In this startling debut, Ronan Hession tells the story …
www.goodreads.com
January 20, 2026 at 1:31 PM
Read #6 for 2026: Leonard and Hungry Paul, by Ronan Hession
My mother in law wanted me to check out, hadn't heard of it so I read it. Should be about how kindness and gentleness can change the world, seemed more to be about passivity to me. Did not resonate.
www.goodreads.com/book/show/48...
My mother in law wanted me to check out, hadn't heard of it so I read it. Should be about how kindness and gentleness can change the world, seemed more to be about passivity to me. Did not resonate.
www.goodreads.com/book/show/48...
Sometimes I wonder what the hell is wrong with my fellow Dutch people. Today in @parool.nl Het Parool: How many days in a row can you wear a pair of socks, actually? I can only assume that Maarten Moll has some stanky feet.
www.parool.nl/echt-waar/ho...
www.parool.nl/echt-waar/ho...
Hoeveel dagen kun je dezelfde sokken dragen? ‘Ik wist niet dat mensen dat echt deden’
Zweetvoeten kunnen leiden tot bacteriële klachten. Is het dan beter om wollen sokken te dragen? En is het überhaupt hygiënisch om sokken langer dan een dag te dragen?
www.parool.nl
January 20, 2026 at 10:07 AM
Sometimes I wonder what the hell is wrong with my fellow Dutch people. Today in @parool.nl Het Parool: How many days in a row can you wear a pair of socks, actually? I can only assume that Maarten Moll has some stanky feet.
www.parool.nl/echt-waar/ho...
www.parool.nl/echt-waar/ho...
Next up, paleontologists discover fossilized Marlboro Reds in the same stratum as a T Rex.
January 19, 2026 at 6:15 PM
Next up, paleontologists discover fossilized Marlboro Reds in the same stratum as a T Rex.
I give you an article in the Guardian featuring my wife talking some bollocks about a painting of a bull:
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
‘Bigger and lower’: bull in Dutch painting once had much larger testicles
Experts at the Mauritshuis in The Hague believe Paulus Potter toned down The Bull to respect 17th-century sensibilities
www.theguardian.com
January 15, 2026 at 3:28 PM
I give you an article in the Guardian featuring my wife talking some bollocks about a painting of a bull:
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
Reposted by Derek Vandivere
RULE BRITANNIA RULES THE WAVES
January 14, 2026 at 7:08 PM
RULE BRITANNIA RULES THE WAVES
Almost every meeting I have starts with "Wait, are those....real?"
January 14, 2026 at 2:50 PM
Almost every meeting I have starts with "Wait, are those....real?"
The world is going to hell, democracy is at risk, but at least if you live in #Amsterdam you can volunteer to help out in the upcoming municipal elections. Many employers around here even give you free time off to do volunteer work!
mijnstembureau-amsterdam.nl
mijnstembureau-amsterdam.nl
Browse Happy
Online. Worry-free. Upgrade your browser today!
mijnstembureau-amsterdam.nl
January 13, 2026 at 9:51 AM
The world is going to hell, democracy is at risk, but at least if you live in #Amsterdam you can volunteer to help out in the upcoming municipal elections. Many employers around here even give you free time off to do volunteer work!
mijnstembureau-amsterdam.nl
mijnstembureau-amsterdam.nl
I really enjoy listening to science podcasts, because I get to learn about topics that aren't my area of expertise and the search for knowledge is one of those things that makes us human.
Today, for example, I learned that "regurgitalite" is a word.
www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks...
Today, for example, I learned that "regurgitalite" is a word.
www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks...
Jan 10: A discovery in dino vomit, and more… | CBC Radio
Groundwater loss is causing sea level rise, doubling down on doubt can help you doubt less, spotting a primordial black hole in a strange galaxy and looking for viral hiding spots to find a cure for t...
www.cbc.ca
January 11, 2026 at 8:38 AM
I really enjoy listening to science podcasts, because I get to learn about topics that aren't my area of expertise and the search for knowledge is one of those things that makes us human.
Today, for example, I learned that "regurgitalite" is a word.
www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks...
Today, for example, I learned that "regurgitalite" is a word.
www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks...
Read #5 for 2026: Trustee from the Toolroom, by Nevil Shute
I'd never heard of it; mother in law asked me to check it out for her so I read it as well. Delightful 1960 competence porn!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trustee...
I'd never heard of it; mother in law asked me to check it out for her so I read it as well. Delightful 1960 competence porn!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trustee...
Trustee from the Toolroom - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
January 10, 2026 at 9:47 PM
Read #5 for 2026: Trustee from the Toolroom, by Nevil Shute
I'd never heard of it; mother in law asked me to check it out for her so I read it as well. Delightful 1960 competence porn!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trustee...
I'd never heard of it; mother in law asked me to check it out for her so I read it as well. Delightful 1960 competence porn!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trustee...
Read #4 for 2026: The Painted Veil by Somerset Maugham
Somewhat hamepered by social and racial prejudice, but an incisive look at relationships and flawed human beings. Feels like a sort of transitional novel between the Victorian and modern eras.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pai...
Somewhat hamepered by social and racial prejudice, but an incisive look at relationships and flawed human beings. Feels like a sort of transitional novel between the Victorian and modern eras.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pai...
The Painted Veil (novel) - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
January 8, 2026 at 12:23 PM
Read #4 for 2026: The Painted Veil by Somerset Maugham
Somewhat hamepered by social and racial prejudice, but an incisive look at relationships and flawed human beings. Feels like a sort of transitional novel between the Victorian and modern eras.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pai...
Somewhat hamepered by social and racial prejudice, but an incisive look at relationships and flawed human beings. Feels like a sort of transitional novel between the Victorian and modern eras.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pai...