iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 5h

Now wait until the US Midterms are done and you’ll be able to reuse that picture with just “Russia” replaced by “the USA”.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

I’d like a Poutine but, alas, I’m not in Quebec right now. #poutine

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

A blonde beer in a chalice glass?! Come on Mr Prime Minister, you can do better! 🍻 this being said.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

No special effects? My Dude, you know that “2001: A Space Odyssey“ predates that ad by a full 4 years, right? You think it didn’t contain any special effect?!

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Spontaneous quote to change the front tires on the GLB from the official Mercedes-Benz concession: €573. For -2- 18” tires. The old Italian guy who owns the nearby tire shop since before I learned to drive will do better. As he’s always done.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Ah, so that when they lose the Midterms they will be able to pin the fact they never arrived on a Democrat-controlled Congress “blocking” the allocation of money!

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Now to play John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom!”

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Now for the big question: which rum did you go for?

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

At first I was going “Ew!” then I saw the dragon’s eyes and realised “Oh wait, it’s consensual!”. And I don’t kinkshame.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I can relate to this. For most of my adult life I’ve bemoaned the fact that I have a “baby face”. It’s only now, at almost 53, that wrinkles and white hair at my temples have given character to my face. And yes, facial hair could’ve been, as for you it seems, the solution. Wife disagreed to it 🥲.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

But the prompt, ergo the intent, is done by a human person with their whole life experience behind them. And the ability to refine the result, should it not meet their expectations. I do not mean to argue that AI is art or anything similar. Just that it can be used as a tool for that purpose.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I disagree. There are as many definitions of humour as there are cultures, or even sub-cultures. Some revel in the absurdity of things, or even in some kind of surrealism… which is impossible to experience firsthand by its very nature. You can’t define “true humour” actually.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

And now I want to see Bugs emerging from a battered Peugeot 403, dressed in a mastic raincoat, slightly hunched over, going “Ermmmm… what’s up, doc?”

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Re-read your comment then. Last sentence “Because of the terrorism, of course.” Did you state any other reason? Did you provide nuance? So, pray tell, how could I have guessed your intentions? I didn’t “badly misread” your comment. You wrote it poorly.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Square dance? In PE? I… the US is weird. I’m sorry but I just can’t. Square. Dance. In PE.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Imagine having elected the guy who: - locked the car doors - started the alarm - got earplugs for him and his buddies - and asked you to thank him for the great sound he’s making you experience. Then imagine the whole parking lot wondering what’s wrong with that guy.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Never had that experience here in the EU. Go shopping for a new car, select model, colour, options, get a quote with my old car taken into account… then “Will you be paying upfront or would you like to discuss financing options?” “Let me wire you the money.” “Very good. Please sign here.”

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

No. It’s to prevent money laundering and tax fraud. ‘Cause if you buy a €10K Rolex Submariner or a Hermès Birkin with dirty cash, you’re able to resell it immediately for -at least- the same price and get clean money in return. Nothing to do with terrorism.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

My main point is that I like to age beers (not all of course, a selected few). And if they’re in a can (airtight container, no light whatsoever)… well you can’t do that.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

That I don’t deny. And I could see a cat going feral on an inflatable copycat. I just prefer it if people -say- from the onset “This is AI”. This being said I know it’s difficult nowadays to spot an AI-generated picture… so you just repost it because it’s funny.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Been working in Cybersecurity for almost 10 years now (out of the near 30 I’ve been in IT). You can’t imagine how scarily accurate some models can be by now, and how frigging fast they get better an better. Voice cloning, for example, gets a pitch-perfect copy of your voice through a 10 sec sample

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I appreciate you taking the time to explain the context of your job environment and the actual reason behind your opinion. Too many people just go “It’s disrespectful against the interviewer” and drop it at that. So thanks. And yes in your context, I do understand and agree.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I don’t know. When I see how many people apply for EPSO competitions each time there’s a reserve list being opened, I wonder if it’s not something people are really considering. I mean, just considering the job stability, health insurance and retirement scheme, it’s quite up there…

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Looked a bit into it so not to look like an absolute beer snob. Lots of IPA’s (which I personally dislike), one Belgian style witbier, mostly US-based brands (I don’t diss on the US beer scene, by the way, it’s a vibrant one)… Still, nope. I can’t get the appeal, even with science backing you.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Yeah there are some keyboard warriors here going on with such lists. Been placed on one for posting a funny pic of Kash Patel engaging in the famous “Spider-Man upside-down kiss” with a goat, even though I had said beforehand “It’s AI and I know it’s bad”.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Latest reputable news report in my country speaks of a 28 years old researcher named Daria Chipilova in Irkoutsk dying of a pulmonary form of the plague, and at least 200 people placed in forced quarantine. www.lesoir.be/774792/artic...

lesoir.be

Une scientifique meurt de la peste, des centaines de personnes placées en quarantaine

Elle travaillait pour l’Institut antipaludique d’Irkoutsk, où elle aurait contracté, selon les médias, une forme pulmonaire de la peste à la suite de la rupture d’un tube à essai.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

For this year’s Halloween, might I suggest kids dressing up as “Cost of living” or “Fuel prices”?! “Smiling Jared Kushner” and “Perpetually Angry Stephen Miller” are to be avoided for fear of being assaulted the moment someone opens their door, of course. #Halloween

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Weird road pattern in the background… weirdly parked car… one wooden blade wider than the others on the house front… AI?!

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I was more like a Renault kind of guy back in the day. My very first car was, after all, an R5. Well, a royal blue GT Turbo II, yes. But an R5 nonetheless 😅.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Oooh, nice black Le Creuset cocotte!

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

If it doesn’t have an impossibly jerky gearbox on the dashboard (with just a speedo on it and nothing else), windows that tilt and a suspension that makes you feel like you’re going to roll (yet it never does), it’s not a 2CV. Had to drive one of the latter “Charleston” models once. URGH!

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Et tout le monde qui oublie la « saillie humoristique » du père Le Pen. Mais si, vous vous souvenez? « Durafour crématoire! ». Ah. Ah. Ah… (tentative de faux rire crispé).

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Nice pour btw. The foam ratio is just so good-looking. Sláinte chugat!

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

A clean and nicely taken care of 2.2l Z3 feels like a potentially very good oldtimer in a few years. Those early MX-5 are reaching impossible prices, so this might be the next best thing.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Conversely, I don’t want to see “tower style” burgers anymore as well. Those impossible skyscrapers of meat, cheese and bacon (with some veg thrown in for measure) held by a knife or a BBQ spike, that are impossible to eat if you’re not able to dislocate your jaw.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

“Soon in your supermarket to tout the benefits of his policies, President Donald J. Trump! His booth will be located between the cheese and diaper aisles!”

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Ach, FRAU DOKTOR blocked me. I am so, so sad… not.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

“I am better than you because I am a DOKTOR!” is all I hear. Thanks for confirming my bias. Buh bye FRAU DOKTOR, enjoy your ineptitude and irrelevance in today’s society.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

The rest? Occupy the space. Move, don’t stay static. Anecdotes are always loved. Hydrate. A lot. Breathing exercices do help. DM me if you want more tips. Speaking in public can be tremendously fun.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Been an IT trainer from 1997 to 2002. Then a public speaker from 2010 until today within the European Parliament. People come to listen to you. Remember that. They want to hear from you. Also, it’s an act. You’re on a stage. Developing a “stage persona” helped me a lot at the beginning.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Heineken is from the Netherlands. Should be “Nee”, not “Nein” Yes it ruins your (awful) rhyming. On purpose.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

The list of my achievements in IT is long enough to get proposals to be a speaker at several IT conferences… every year. The people I’ve caught are at a high level enough that their names have been mentioned in national newspapers. But I won’t name them. There’s no need. I know who I am. Do you?

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Oh not for me. I’m not the one continuing to try to prove “a lot of people respect me”. I’m insecure? Bless your little heart… I was just trying to show you I have nothing but respect for my wife to choose me as her husband. Btw, I’m the lead IT Forensics specialist in the European Parliament.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Aww, bless your little heart sweet child. It’s now obvious you know -nothing- about beer culture by that reply alone. One specific beer, one specific glass. If you don’t know that basic fact, then please go back to drinking Bud Light or Heineken. That’s all you deserve.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Anyone who considers beer in a can a good beer can kiss my tushy, meaty Belgian Gluteus Maximus. In three different languages.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

No. That one is something I never want a robot to be involved in. They’ll produce uniformly tasting beer archetypes and take the joy of discovery and and experiment out of it. Scratch that, I actually actively refuse for a robot to get involved with cooking, actually. It’s an art after all.

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Oh sorry. “Frau Doktor”. Lest you feel even more offended. /sarcasm

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Eric Van Goethem @evgo7311.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Oh you’re playing the “mysoginist card” now?! “Ach, the bad man is pissed that a woman is competent, woe is me!” Herr Doktor, you’re sorely mistaken. I loathe everyone who boasts about their credentials equally. And for the record: my wife’s an accomplished lawyer with three degrees.

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