iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Corn fields, anyone? Being inspired by last week's post, I gave maze design a try. It was quite fun to do, and I already gathered some learning points for a potential next try, but feedback is always welcome! #maze #puzzle

A maze with the word maize, just because I can.

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

I never really thought of mazes as puzzles. The book The Puzzler, by AJ Jacobs made me reconsider my stance. I'm still not sure about them as puzzles, but some really are pieces of art! These are by David Millar (aka The Griddle) and Michelle Boggess-Nunley. Go look them up!

A recent maze by Dave Millar, aka The Griddle, with 10 segments connected by openings in the walls and tunnels in the middle. More at thegriddle.net

A recent maze by Michelle Boggess-Nunley, with a route going over and under walls in an almost Escher-like cityscape. More at
www.BoggessArt.com

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

It has been a while, but 800mL of cold drip coffee has been made! This is with beans grown on the slopes of Kilimanjaro. Flavor tests soon.

Coffee being brewed very slowly: the 800mL takes close to 4 hours to drip through.

The full cold drip tower at the very start of the brew.

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Unbelievable, but today is the day I found Bookstor in The Hague. A lovely book store with an amazing selection. But also: a great, cozy coffee shop with very good coffee. The combination is heaven.

A cozy corner with a couch and an espresso, next to a book shelf.

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

I work a lot with (and on) AI. Still, Claude did just impress me when I fed it a character based puzzle, on an image even. Here's the image. Can you find out what Claude suggested should be the first step?

The first inner page of The GCHQ Puzzle Book II.

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Another full week of immersion in AI and medical technology for first year med school students has passed. This was the third year in a row meaning almost 1000 students have now followed the program. I feel exhausted, but also accomplished and proud.

The starting screen of the Grande Finale event.

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Very nice to see the new logo and tag line of the Institute I work for at LUMC. I identify with this, more so than with the department name (an organizational level in between me and the Institute, interestingly).

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Look at that! I got a DIY #terrarium for Father's Day! It also has a cute little Ficus Ginseng tree, so it is also a bit of a bonsai. Very cool!

The moss, fern, fig and another plant I forgot the name of in the terrarium.

Another view of the terrarium after building it.

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

The little critters did their jobs. The house beside the tree is also covered with cotton-like stuff and moths....

A moth close up. White with little black dots.

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Spooky tree. Also, poor tree, as I think it's sick? #Tree

Spider web-like rag going all along a tree, very dense.

Details of the tag at the start of branches. It's silk or cotton-like.

Main branches are also completely covered.

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

That's a rather infinitesimal discount, I'd say.

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

The role of teachers is rapidly changing. One aspect that will stay is being the inspiring motivator. There's only one way to convey passion for a topic, and that is being on fire yourself. I hope to do just that and believe that this is what makes teachers forever valuable. #academicsky

Me fake teaching my colleagues at Health Campus The Hague, with clenched fists and a broad smile.

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Lecturing to dozens of astronomy students, and catching up with people I last saw when these students were still in elementary school. Good fun.

The lecture room from the back, and the other two teachers upfront.

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Vivaldi Recomposed, by Max Richter. The concert was led by the fantastic violin soloist William Hagen. It was amazing!

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

Electrically self-sufficient for the warmer half of the year!

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

Dug out the roots of a cheap supermarket Christmas tree, not expecting much. Pleasantly surprised to find a well developed root system and some potential for pretty surface roots in a #bonsai. I hope I didn't kill it by taking too much of the roots out. Pruning and wiring soon to come. #prebonsai

The tree in its original plastic pot, before any work

Repotted into a bonsai training pot with proper soil and some cute roots visible.

View from the other side. I'm afraid half of the tree needs to go. I need some new tools for that...

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

Post a pic you took, no context, to bring some zen to the feed.

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 14/01/2026

Zijn deze aantallen serieus? Kun je dan niet net zo goed niks doen?

Een nieuwsbericht over militairen die naar Groenland gaan: "Noorwegen stuurt twee militairen" en "Duitsland stuurt meer dan tien militairen".

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

Well from that same site.... And sure, put your money where your mouth is, but still: at least they explicitly state they have different views.

A statement from many Lamy: LAMY celebrates creativity, imagination, and inclusion. The views of the author of the Harry Potter series do not represent those of LAMY or its employees.

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

Headline: the Netherlands is a popular destination for Americans leaving the US. This picture has just a tad too many stereotypes. Also: it's only marginally more than in the previous decade, and not even 10k people, I'm sure most are going elsewhere.

Headline: the Netherlands is a popular destination for Americans leaving the US. The picture shows a family of three. There's way too much food and a very obvious can of Coca Cola on the table.

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Waarom zie ik hier alleen maar opties mét de VVD, terwijl dat de grootste dwarsligger in het verhaal is? 🤷🏻‍♂️

Vier opties voor coalities in NL, van NOS.nl

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

Reassembled! A.k.a. the "before" picture I forgot to take.

The fully assembled Nautilus puzzle box.

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

I've had this puzzle box in possession for a few years now, but finally gave it a try! Nice challenge, with some fun little twists and turns. Good thing: I have two more! This was the Cluebox Nautilus by iDventure, bought in a kickstarter (along with two others). Now to reassemble!

Cluebox Nautilus by iDventure, fully disassembled.

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

This is quite a fun tabletop escape room experience. They come in English, too!

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

Is this a check to see if I can order one more beer?

A pin machine, with a very odd order of the numbers:
978
431
506
2

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

I'm pretty sure Gemini didn't see this equation millions of times in training.

A huge multiplication, executed correctly by Gemini.

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 24/08/2025

Ok, that juniper "after"-pic deserved an upgrade.

Redo of the before and after styling of the juniper, my very first pre- bonsai!

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 24/08/2025

A #bonsai weekend. I did some styling on nursery stock Hinoki Cypress and a pre-bonsai Chinese Juniper, and obtained a Japanese Black Pine (Kotobuki) styled by professionals.

Before and after of the Chinese Juniper.

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

One more pic of the trunk, from the other side. Because I can. #bonsai Still trying to see what I can/should cut...

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 16/08/2025

There it is! Pre- #Bonsai number 1. A juniper with nice trunk movement. Work will be done soon. First I need to think about what I want for this tree and not let it die in the meantime. I bought fertilizer, scissors and wire. The shop closed an hour after I arrived, which probably was a good thing.

A potential front view of a pre-bonsai in a plastic pot.

View from another angle of the same pre-bonsai juniper.

A more detailed view of the trunk movement.

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

The Little Book of Bonsai might well propel me into a new hobby. #bonsai

The Little Book of Bonsai by Jonas Dupuich, an excellent introduction, or so I heard.

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 03/05/2025

I guess you do have a choice in how you frame the cry baby's birthday party.

Two news headlines about the parade on Bad Orange Man's birthday. The Guardian says "US army plans for a potential parade of 6600 soldiers on Trump's birthday", Fox says "Trump to host military parade to celebrate army's 250th birthday, honor active-duty service members veterans"

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

Oh look at that new daily companion! A Paper Republic Portfolio, AT.

A petrol blue notebook with my initials and two ribbons: brown and orange.

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

You must by fucking shitting me, Facebook. When I get back home, I'll make work of permanently leaving.

A Facebook post, that I didn't ask for, telling me how generous and charitable Elon Musk is. What a fucking joke.

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

Apparently we need to explain even to the IMF (a body that is supposed to understand economics, presumably) that if your essential motive is to make a profit, that it is rather impossible that we can "serve the best interests of society". The two sentences directly contradict each other.

An abstract from the IMF website on the definition of capitalism. Reading literally: Capitalism is often thought of as an economic system in which private actors own and control property in accord with their interests, and demand and supply freely set prices in markets in a way that can serve the best interests of society. The essential feature of capitalism is the motive to make a profit.

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

Frankly, I have no idea why this isn't headlining in the Netherlands. This seems like a huge deal to me.

Washington Times news article stating: Trump signs executive order allowing only the attorney general or president to interpret the meaning of laws.

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

I bought this one just past week. I'm on the same path, I'm afraid...

Shin-ryoku ink by Pilot in the color iroshizuku: forest green.

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

I swear, a teaching portfolio (in Dutch) can just be written by ChatGPT. When they ask wide-open questions, I can give vague answers!

ChatGPT fills out one of my questions with great detail!

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Marcel Haas 🟥 @harcel.bsky.social · 27/12/2024

Didn't necessarily expect this to happen. And indeed, it didn't.

LinkedIn notification saying that Pamela Anderson mentioned me in a comment.

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