Bram Esposito

Author: Bram Esposito

  • Starry night

  • Switched from Ice to Thaw

    I finally switched to Thaw, since Ice looks unmaintained. I prefer to stay on an open-source app instead of going back to bartender after their shenanigans.

    Mac OS 26 should improve the situation somewhat. But I really would prefer an API for this class of apps, so they do not need to resort to screen-capturing and other hacks. These current apps do not feel 100% stable.

    Ice:

    icemenubar.appIce – Menu Bar Manager

    Ice is a powerful menu bar management tool. While its primary function is hiding and showing menu bar items, it aims to cover a wide variety of additional features to make it one of the most versat…


    Thaw:

    github.comGitHub – stonerl/Thaw: Menu bar manager for macOS 26

    Menu bar manager for macOS 26. Contribute to stonerl/Thaw development by creating an account on GitHub.

  • Spotted a woodpecker

    We spotted a woodpecker family in the park. Mom and dad woodpecker were feeding the woodpecker chicks

  • I tried to use AI to identify some tree seeds I found

    I found these seeds on two different locations in parks here in Antwerp. They have an interesting, solid wooden consistency so I took some home.

    I don’t know what plant they are from so today I wondered if an AI chatbot could help me identify the tree.

    I tried three different AI chatbots:

    1. ChatGPT wants me to go back to where I found them and take pictures of the tree, needles or leaves. No better suggestion than a “cypress-type conifer” on what tree it could be from.
    2. Claude was very confident. “These are acorns — specifically the caps (cupules) and fragments of acorns from an oak tree (Quercus species).” Very funny.
    3. Gemini did put in the most effort and came pretty close, suggesting it could be from a Dove tree which also has ribbed seed pods, like the ones I have here, but still very dissimilar.

    So I still don’t know what tree these pods are from. Looks like I’ll have to take pictures of the tree and it’s leaves, the next time I’m at the park 😉.

  • cycloperativa

    A drawing of a bike-parts inspired Atomium and a banner below it reading Cycloperativa

    Also read (Dutch):

    bruzz.beVzw Cycloperativa dreigt te moeten stoppen na forse huurverhoging van Stad Brussel

    Vzw Cycloperativa in de Anneessenswijk zet zich sinds 2013 in voor actieve mobiliteit en de belangen van fietsers.

  • RIP Piep

    We found a dead Coal Tit chick and named it Piep.

    We found a dead Coal Tit chick in our garden last weekend. Barely 4cm tall. Art insisted on burying it and giving it a grave. Then he collected flowers and herbs and made a cross from some twigs. Meanwhile he repeated “Oh, he had such a beautiful life!”.

    Rest in Peace, Piep.

  • Happy Birthday, David!

    David Attenborough with a Lyrebird
    David Attenborough with a Lyrebird

    David Attenborough turns 100 today.

    Attenborough’s work has always been important to me. I’ve always looked forward to new episodes from his series. From the early expeditions to Borneo, to Madagascar with the Elephant bird egg, the dinosaur series, …

    It’s not only his work, but also his attitude towards his career that inspires me.

    Going on expeditions as a hunter for wildlife for zoo’s in the early twentieth century, that was the common way to appreciate nature. We’ve come a long way, that practice is no longer accepted. He reinvented himself into a television and documentary maker specifically.

    By the start of the 21st century he did not shy away from talking about climate change and the impact of humans on nature and the planet’s ecosystems. Even when that were uncomfortable messages to bring sometimes.

    Thank you, David, for sharing and for inspiring!

  • We cycled the whole day, for 142km

    A map of our route from Antwerp, Belgium to Noorbeek, the Netherlands
    A map of our route from Antwerp, Belgium to Noorbeek, the Netherlands
    A true feat at 15 year old. But now it's time for a short break.
    A true feat at 15 year old. But now it’s time for a short break.
    Picture of a back wheel of a ycicle with a mangled rear derailleur.
    Whoops. That’s broken. Nothing will fix that.
    Duration: 8:12h Distance: 142,3km Avg. speed: 17.4 km/h Ascent: 581m Descent: 369m Max Altitude: 220m

    Ella, our daughter of 15, and me went for a bike trip today. We cycled all the way to Noorbeek in the Netherlands for a family weekend.

    It was beautiful, sunny weather, with quite some headwind, as we cycled along the Albert Canal for the largest part of the trip. Lot’s of water sports bars, industry, some woods and a gorgeous stretch between Hasselt and Maastricht. We crossed the Maas river in the city centre of Maastricht, cycled right through the shopping district and then along the Maas towards Eijsden.

    Starting from Eijsden, we had to enter the hills, and since Ella did not have a lot of shifting experience on her bike, she over-tensioned the rear derailleur and it ended in three parts between the wheel spokes. We were lucky to be close to the trip end, and family came to pick up Ella and her wrecked bike. End of the adventure.

    Despite having little time for breaks and the wind making too much noise for conversations, we did have lots of fun and made the daughter-dad bond stronger.

    Let’s do that again. But not too soon.

  • Small updates

    Made some small improvements to the photos page. Now you can click through all the photos in the lightbox at once. Try for yourself with my WordPress Photoblog plugin.

    Related: check the blog roadmap, we’re making some progress again 🙂

  • Adding an activity grid

    I have finally gotten around to adding an activity grid to this website. It shows the days of a year and a color for the amount of posts for that day.

    Just like this: