About

Born and raised in the Green Heart of Holland, I now live in the beautiful town of Wassenaar with my small family. I work in the city of The Hague as an Advisor at the Ministry of General Affairs, which is a beautiful bicycle ride away.

Work

I have been involved in website development since 1996, which was quite early in the history of the internet. My background in Multimedia Design provided me with a strong foundation for working in the online world. After gaining experience, I took the leap and established my own company. Subsequently, I transitioned into a consulting role, allowing me to work with a diverse range of clients, including small, medium, large, and multinational businesses. I also had the opportunity to collaborate with government and semi-government organizations, which further expanded my expertise.

Initially, my focus was on web standards, particularly HTML and CSS. Through dedication and practice, I became highly skilled in these areas, and my talent was even recognized when I won a medal in a web design competition. As time went on, I broadened my skill set to include other interconnected domains such as online communication, content management, design, usability, security, accessibility, architecture, and project management.

Currently, I am employed at the Dutch Ministry of General Affairs, where I provide guidance on information security and privacy. In this role, I advise on best practices and ensure that we meet the necessary standards for both functionality and protection against potential threats. It is a challenging and fulfilling position that allows me to apply my extensive experience and knowledge in the field of web development and general Information Technology.

Play

I've always been drawn to visually engaging hobbies. It all began with building websites for enjoyment, and then I ventured into the world of photojournalism for a local news outlet back in 1999. The years I spent capturing stories through my camera lens truly captured my heart and fuelled my passion for photography.

Recently, I've also taken a keen interest in DIY projects. When I'm not occupied with house projects or enjoying precious moments with my son, you'll often find me deeply engrossed in the pages of a good book themed around Science Fiction or History.

The website

This website has existed in some form since 1996. It started out as a plaything on a server of the Economics faculty of the University of Amsterdam. Currently, you're looking at revision 14 of the design. We've come a long way.

In its long life, it has been a simple HTML2.0 site and a flash presentation. It once had a style switcher, and has been plain HTML until 2002. That's when the news system was first introduced. In 2004, it was one of the first websites to fully validate as XHTML 1.1. Applications like the photo albums were added, and some applications quickly died. Like the link log and the blogroll. I like to keep development organic.

Currently, the website is running on the latest version of WordPress. I built a custom theme, since I like semantics, performance, and control over my own code. I'm using GitLab to maintain my template code, with a runner configured to automatically publish changes to the website.