iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jan Ouwens @jqno.nl · 17/09/2026

My ignite session is accepted for #JFall this year! > Designing a Lego model, or how my relaxing hobby turned out to be a software project in disguise This is the story of a two-week project that took me nearly two years to complete. Somehow I will make everything fit in five minutes.

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Jan Ouwens @jqno.nl · 09/09/2026

I screen-recorded my personal favourite Outlook UI failure for you.

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Jan Ouwens @jqno.nl · 29/07/2026

Dear supermarket, why must you torture me so?

A box of eggs, fresh from the supermarket: 5 brown, 1 white

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Jan Ouwens @jqno.nl · 26/06/2026

I went to see Beat the other day: King Crimson veterans playing their 80s songs. At the end of the show it was hard not to agree with Adrian Belew:

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Jan Ouwens @jqno.nl · 17/02/2026

Here's the full-size image. You tell me! 😜 jqno.nl/images/2026-...

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Jan Ouwens @jqno.nl · 17/02/2026

My story on database schemas is published in the (Dutch) Java Magazine! Unfortunately it had to be shortened, so if you want to read the full version (or don't have access to Java Magazine), you can find it on my blog! jqno.nl/post/2026/02...

My story in the printed edition of the Java Magazine

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Jan Ouwens @jqno.nl · 15/01/2026

I just found out that my Lego model of the Tilburg city skyline was put up for sale on AliExpress without my knowledge or consent. I guess that means I'm in the big leagues now!! 😂 (It's cheaper if you go through bricklink.com BTW 😉)

Advertisement for my Lego Tilburg Skyline model, on AliExpress. It could be yours for € 53,69!

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Jan Ouwens @jqno.nl · 04/11/2025

I'll be at #JFall next Thursday! Hope to see you there!

Promo picture for my talk at J-Fall: "Less is more: reduce $ and CO₂ to improve performance 🚀 and joy 🥳", November 6th 2025, Pathé Ede

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Jan Ouwens @jqno.nl · 18/10/2025

My "smart" tv is translating YouTube video titles to Dutch and I hate it. The phrasing feels awkward. More importantly, it suggests the videos are in Dutch, which they're not.

My "Watch later", I mean "Later bekijken" playlist on YouTube with a bunch of Devoxx videos with Dutch titles

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Jan Ouwens @jqno.nl · 20/08/2025

Yes let's hide the important stuff, thanks GitHub

Screenshot of a piece of GitHub diff saying "Load diff - Large diffs are not rendered by default."

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Jan Ouwens @jqno.nl · 06/08/2025

Somehow, Microsoft Outlook has found a way to make GitHub notification mails even more annoying than they already were

Three GitHub notification mails, with the tag [SUSPECTED MARKETING] added to them for no reason

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Jan Ouwens @jqno.nl · 20/06/2025

The local newspaper (Brabants Dagblad) is now using my Lego model as a stock photo, and I'm not gonna lie, I love it

A newspaper article about how Tilburg's new mayor will be elected, with a huge picture of my Lego Tilburg skyline above it

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Jan Ouwens @jqno.nl · 17/05/2025

Just another case of me taking my hobby projects way too far: last month I had an official meeting with a Tilburg city council member to present my Lego Tilburg Skyline as a gift; today it was featured in the local newspaper 😄

Me, holding my Lego model of the Tilburg skyline

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Jan Ouwens @jqno.nl · 28/04/2025

Google Nest is pulling out of Europe for thermostats because building for European heating systems is "challenging". Quite the claim for the company that invented AI www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Blog/Supp...

Heating systems in Europe are unique and have a variety of hardware and software requirements that make it challenging to build for the diverse set of homes. Therefore moving forward we’ll no longer launch new Nest thermostats in Europe.

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Jan Ouwens @jqno.nl · 10/04/2025

Nice! It can be a dangerous hobby though. Before you know it, your home looks like this 😄

Our kitchen Lego shelf, with the Love sign, some city skylines, the Yellow Submarine, and more. There are more such places in our house 😅

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Jan Ouwens @jqno.nl · 05/02/2025

Excited to be a speaker at @amsterdam.voxxeddays.com! I'm hosting a quickie about the various (programming) languages I've learned throughout my life, and why they're all awesome in their own ways! Yes, even C#!

A Voxxed Days Amsterdam promo pic on the left, my portrait on the right with the title of my talk below it

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Jan Ouwens @jqno.nl · 20/01/2025

Happy Inauguration Day to all who, uhm, celebrate? 🤷🏻‍♂️ I thought I'd make a little #TikTok to mark the occasion!

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Jan Ouwens @jqno.nl · 18/12/2024

I did a bunch of programming this year! Too bad that I threw away a lot of the code from my most productive month of the year 😅 ( see jqno.nl/post/2024/12... ) #gitwrapped

My git-wrapped for 2024:
Universal Rank: Top 2%
Longest streak: 13 days
Total commits: 1364
Most active month: November
Most active day: Thursday
Stars earned: 886
Top language: Java
Power level: Elite class

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Jan Ouwens @jqno.nl · 01/11/2023

Preparing for an ignite session is hard, because you're limited to 20 slides, no more, no less. Yesterday I discovered I had 21, so I had to scramble to get rid of one. Today I discovered that I miscounted yesterday, so I had to scramble to add a new one 😅 #jfall

I'm speaking at J-Fall 2023! "How Java annotations work" Thu, 09/11/2023 12:45 - Ede, Netherlands

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Jan Ouwens @jqno.nl · 25/09/2023

I made a minimalistic rendition of the cast of Star Trek in Lego. And in another case of me maybe taking my hobby projects a little too far, I also made a pdf with building instructions, created a website, submitted it to Rebrickable and did the other classic 90s Trek shows as well!

A rendering of my minimalistic Star Trek cast in Lego

A Lego bill of materials for my minimalistic Star Trek set

A photo of all pre-2000 Star Trek characters in minimalistic Lego

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