Month: September 2015

  • Notes on the Dutch Public Transport Chipcard

    Notes on the Dutch Public Transport Chipcard

    ON THE DEVELOPMENT: “The Dutch OV-chipkaart (public transport chip card) was developed in a time when mobile phones couldn’t do much yet. It was something new back then, having a separate information carrier (the card itself) and application (the payment system). But nowadays, touching a card to a card reader isn’t necessary any more, now…

  • Thumbs up for a ‘dislike’ button on Facebook?

    Thumbs up for a ‘dislike’ button on Facebook?

    On a Facebook post saying someone’s cat died, clicking the ‘like’ button doesn’t seem appropriate. But soon now, users will be able to show their sympathies without having to write a comment. Facebook users have been asking for an “I don’t like this” button for years, but until recently, the platform never wanted to indulge…

  • Facebook’s dislike button is also about money

    Facebook’s dislike button is also about money

    “Today is a special day,” said Facebook tycoon Mark Zuckerberg during the latest Q&A session with his users. Facebook users have been asking for a dislike button for years; today, he could finally announce there’s going to be one. Or something like it, anyway. It remains unclear what this new button is going to look…

  • The Dutch government will soon know more about you than your partner does

    The Dutch government will soon know more about you than your partner does

    What were you doing last Tuesday one year ago at 8 PM? Who do you fancy? And does your current partner know? How many times have you told a lie during the past year? How many times have you had sex, and do you remember where, when and with whom? Those are just a handful…