iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Maarten Hermans @mhermans.net · 11/09/2026

Je moet het voorbeeld zelfs niet zo heel specifiek zoeken. Bv. 1 op 3 Belgische werknemers beschrijft zijn job als risico voor zijn veiligheid & gezondheid, zelfs 1 op 2 indien een precaire inkomenssituatie. Dat stijgt voor iedereen behalve de betere inkomens en ongelijkheid neemt enorm toe 1/2

211

Maarten Hermans @mhermans.net · 22/04/2026

Sometimes it takes quite a search through back alleys (and patient children), but each citytrip you can find a nice piece of social-syndicalist #history ;-). In this case the location of the adoption in 1906 of the Charter of Amiens. fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charte_...

020

Maarten Hermans @mhermans.net · 02/04/2026

Today 3 Belgian universities (UAntwerpen, UGent, VUB) conferred a joint honorary doctorate on UN-rapporteur Francesca Albanese. Strong academic statement in support of a unwavering voice for international law and against the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.

0199

Maarten Hermans @mhermans.net · 26/03/2026

Personal reflection and obituary by Nancy Fraser after Habermas' death. Poignantly puts into words the mixed feelings I have looking back on what I learned from his work and my profound unease reading all the obits glossing over (the wider implications) of his later (non-)interventions on e.g. Gaza.

Habermas first lit my path as a critical theorist. I remain deeply grateful for that. But over the years the light he cast flickered and waned – until, with his stance on Gaza, it seemed to go out. Historians will eventually decide whether that stance was an anomaly or the culmination of a long process in which Frankfurt School critical theory turned into a form of liberalism that was too often complicit with US imperialism. I’m inclined to side with those who hold that Habermas at first revivified critical theory but ultimately ended it. If so, he nevertheless inspired, by his extraordinary presence and intensity of thought, many who remain committed to ‘critical theorising with emancipatory intent’ and to the democratic-socialist ideals associated with it. Some of us may no longer be Habermassians, but we learned from, with and against him what it means to keep faith with critique.

040

Maarten Hermans @mhermans.net · 09/02/2026

Two Belgian Bluesky politics & media clusters: one French-speaking to the south close to the big France cluster and one Dutch-speaking to the north towards the Scandinavian, English-speaking clusters. Seems the dimensionality reduction algo's can adequately capture our multilingual complexity ;-).

040

Maarten Hermans @mhermans.net · 09/02/2026

For Belgium there are two seperate clusters on politics and media: one more to the south and closer to the big France cluster and one more north towards the Scandinavian, English-speaking clusters. Seems appropriate ;-).

020

Maarten Hermans @mhermans.net · 08/01/2026

New article: individuals experiencing workplace bullying were at higher risk of starting antidepressant treatment within 2 years. Higher frequency of bullying exposure was associated with an increased risk of initiating any psychotropic treatment and antidepressants. #OHS doi.org/10.1017/S204...

021

Maarten Hermans @mhermans.net · 05/12/2025

New article by Susanne Wanger (@iabnews.bsky.social): collective bargaining coverage and works council presence jointly increase the amount -- and reduce inequalities -- of vacation days for German workers journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

140

Maarten Hermans @mhermans.net · 21/11/2025

🎉Celebrating 50 years of @eurofound.europa.eu: 5 decades of tripartite-backed rigorous policy research supporting trade unions, employers and governments in improving living and working conditions in the EU: www.eurofound.europa.eu/en/news-and-...

040

Maarten Hermans @mhermans.net · 14/11/2025

Proof-of-concept to try out the new #HuskyLens 2 vision sensor: object recognition using build-in self-learning classifier + LMS #ESP32 module + #micropython + servo = basic Lego brick detection ;-).

130

Maarten Hermans @mhermans.net · 18/09/2025

#Disney makes spending decisions easy, I just saved myself 10€/month in the category "funding for anti-democratic corporate behemoths". #JimmyKimmel #DisneyPlus

080

Maarten Hermans @mhermans.net · 22/08/2025

In 1981 🇬🇧 employers agreed that workers could self-certify for 7 days instead of a GP's sick note, as a 'sick note strike' in 🇧🇪 showed this reduced absenteeism. Nearly half a century later 🇧🇪 governement & employers are rolling back recent reforms that allowed for 3 days of self-certification. 🙄

232

Maarten Hermans @mhermans.net · 18/08/2025

Cru samengevat: Democrats onder Clinton kiezen voor bedrijfsbelangen (NAFTA) boven werkende klasse/hun kiezers, NAFTA maakt mensen hun job, leven en gemeenschap kapot, in gemeenschappen harder getroffen door NAFTA begint men R ipv. D te stemmen.

110

Maarten Hermans @mhermans.net · 04/12/2024

Pff, DoD-stats always hit hard, esp. once you start thinking about the likely lived experiences behind them. FYI, I was looking at the newly released ESS-data on health, UK seems to have a noticeably 'nice' gradient in widening inequality in self-reported general health :-/.

120

Maarten Hermans @mhermans.net · 28/11/2024

As long as social class is visible in the average body height, the "death of class"-thesis is quite overblow.

25728

Maarten Hermans @mhermans.net · 27/11/2024

Wooh, new ESS-data dropped! Wonderful survey-data and wonderful data-infrastructure. The result of a first dive today in the module on social inequalities in health 👇.

085

Maarten Hermans @mhermans.net · 18/11/2024

Interesting article online at Transfer looking at a the successful minimum wage-campaign by Dutch trade union FNV (@fnv.bsky.social): doi.org/10.1177/1024...

010

Maarten Hermans @mhermans.net · 12/05/2024

Employee voice or exit: new working paper finds that enacting return to work mandates in IT-companies caused a significant outflow of of employees, with more senior profiles leaving at higher rates. bfi.uchicago.edu/wp-content/u...

000

Maarten Hermans @mhermans.net · 11/04/2024

Werknemers met een precaire inkomenssituatie gaan meer werken terwijl ze ziek zijn. #ziektebriefje

011

Maarten Hermans @mhermans.net · 01/03/2024

Werken in een KMO in 🇧🇪 betekent aanzienlijk minder kans op welzijnsbeleid op je werk, rond gezondheid, veiligheid en mentaal welzijn.

000

Maarten Hermans @mhermans.net · 28/02/2024

Workers on temporary contracts generally report more work-related accidents and injuries. #OSH

000

Maarten Hermans @mhermans.net · 18/01/2024

New study on the link between asthma and weekly use of household disinfectants and cleaning products (HDCPs), adding to the literature on health risks for cleaning workers: www.jaci-inpractice.org/article/S221...

040