Blog about memorable (tech) stuff by Kristof Zerbe
Three days ago, I wrote the post Geohashes for my photos about my recent use of Geohashes as a short alternative to long GPS coordinates and expressed my hope that my favorite platform, Vernissage, would support them… and I created a GitHub issue for Marcin , the developer. Three days ago… Marcin released a new version today that now supports Geohashes! \o/ My sincere thanks and deepest…
Almost all my photos contain the coordinates of where the shot was taken in the EXIF metadata of the respective file. For this purpose, my Android smartphone has a built-in GPS receiver, and I equipped my Nikon D500 with a Dawntech di-GPS Eco ProFessional 2 a couple of years ago, although I sometimes forget to switch the thing on and then have to add the location later manually in Lightroom.…
We were recently in Puck, a small town on the Bay of Gdańsk (Poland), to take a closer look at the town and the harbor. It was a lovely walk, and of course, as always, I was magically drawn to the water. I can’t really imagine a vacation without the sea. At the pier, a few water sports enthusiasts were getting their surfboards ready, and a couple were already out on the water. The wind in this…
Over the past month of July, I’ve collected 10 links for my link journal. 2026-07-06 Time-based background colour transitions with Temporal and CSS color-mix localghost.dev CSS A visual refresh with a background that changes colour according to the time of day, using the new Temporal API along with CSS custom properties that blend into each other. 2026-07-07 Publishing My Eleventy Blog to the…
In 2025, the number of people in Germany paying by credit or debit card overtook the number of cash payers for the first time. At first glance, it seems that cash (coins and banknotes) will eventually become completely obsolete here too. I’ve personally noticed this: I pretty much pay for everything via my smartphone now and hardly ever carry any cash with me. It’s so convenient, and when abroad,…
I’ve already posted most of the following photos in my first post about Sicily , but here they are all again, along with the ones I’m not using as header images. Colours and shapes… you know what I mean ;)
There are insights, vistas, glimpses and perspectives that don’t fit into any particular pattern or category. I like to call them scenes , and as photographs they always have their own charm. Here are a few of them from our trip to the wonderful island of Sicily , as the fifth part of my photo series.
For many years, what interested me most about photography were shapes and colours. People didn’t play a major role, because they didn’t fit the pattern. That has changed in recent years, and I very often press the shutter button when I spot an interesting scene. Not like a street photographer who actively approaches people to get a good shot, but more as a spectator and observer. By-catch. I don’t…
I came across Martijn’s post on Bubbles today and would like to take this opportunity to answer his question from my point if view … I can already hear you complaining that you shouldn’t use tables for layout. Why exactly? CSS is simple, stop making it hard Or: how to embrace 1997 CSS blog.brixit.nl All of us (with 40+ years under our belts) used tables in the late 90s to achieve the holy grail of…
Football today is an incredibly data-driven sport. Everything is analysed, measured and weighted, and every now and then the fans get to see a little bit of this data, such as on-screen graphics showing ball possession or similar statistics. Alexander Bogachev’s project Football Data Portraits demonstrates what can be done with this data, which are often freely available. He processes the data…
We’re currently experiencing the second major heatwave in Germany. After the 41 degrees Celsius we had a few weeks ago in June, the 35 degrees now actually feel quite pleasant. Contrary to my usual habit, I didn’t manage to get around to taking photos in Thomas’ Garden in June, so I’m now posting some new photos from July … and I think there are a few lovely ones amongst them.
Sicily is an island where, over the centuries, just about every culture in the Mediterranean has left its mark: Romans, Greeks, Arabs, Normans, etc. We didn’t spend much time exploring the history during our trip in May because it was meant to be a relaxing vacation, not a history lesson, but it’s definitely fascinating, and we’ll certainly return and visit a few more cultural monuments made of…
This is part two of my photographic review of our journey to Sicily in May. Views . And the island has so many of them – and in those two weeks we were only able to see just a few in the north. It was truly impressive – and a first for me – to come face to face not just with one, but two active volcanoes: Etna and Stromboli. Unforgettable moments in the presence of natures raw, uncontrollable…
I only take photos occasionally, even though it’s one of my great passions. Vacations are, of course, the perfect opportunity for this, although I have to make some compromises here too, because no woman who isn’t keen on photography will tolerate waiting for hours for the right moment in the long run. I’ve reached a tacit agreement with my better half that I’ll always lag a little behind on our…
Over the past month of June, I’ve collected 21 links for my link journal. 2026-06-01 clipify - A modern JavaScript library designed to enhance clipboard management github.com JavaScript A modern JavaScript library designed to enhance clipboard management. It allows users to store, retrieve, and securely manage clipboard content with advanced features like history tracking, automat... 2026-06-02…
June has just ended, and it was fun to take part in Robert’s Junited campaign, even though I had a few days with gaps and only managed to collect 29 links . For my first time participating, though, that’s pretty near optimal. Today Robert has launched the next stage: JulyReply . Now it’s not just about collecting, but about replying to posts. Just the right thing for me, since I’m feeling a bit…
You stroll around a traditional market in town, stop at a stall and have a look at what’s on offer. You’re never alone, as others are doing the same. Unless you’re in a hurry and you like people, it’s quite common to strike up a casual conversation with other stall-goers or even the stallholder. “The stand is quite busy.” “The product is rather expensive, though.” “It’s hot today, but it’s finally…
It was clear that Google’s unilateral abandonment of the quid pro quo principle of search — now effectively replaced by an AI-generated summary — poses a threat to the internet and will eventually backfire. Now there is a court ruling from Germany that holds Google directly responsible for false statements in its “search” results, whereas previously it could fall back on the excuse of merely…
Many, many years ago, my darling and I planned a long weekend in Hamburg, including a sightseeing bus tour, a harbor cruise, and all the other things you typically do in Germany’s northernmost metro area when you’re there together for the first time. Since even as a grown man, I can hardly shake off my inner child, I suggested visiting the famous Miniatur Wunderland ( Wikipedia ) in Hamburg’s…
The first settlement, known as Hammaburg , dates back to the 8th century AD. What developed over the following 1,200 years is what we know today as Germany’s second-largest city: Hamburg . My partner and I go there for two or three days every year because we simply love the city, the harbor, the nearby sea, and the city’s vibe, as well as the Miniatur Wunderland located there, which is a…