The long expected end of old-fashioned television, television watched on a television monitor, has arrived in my house. Two days ago the receiver for digital television broke. Probably it’s still under guarantee, but it was reason enough to end the subscription to Digitenne.

I took the subscription only to watch the cycling on Belgian television. But even for that it is not worthwhile anymore. To be honest, I simply hardly ever had or took the time to relax and watch a full race. How much I enjoyed Robert Gesink riding in the Deutschlandtour (2007), Paris-Nice, the Dauphine and the Vuelta! yes I did, but what I saw where snippets, bits and pieces, fastforwarding the videotape.

The rest of the channels mostly bring rubbish. What’s worthwhile to watch I can see online. There are no public English, French or German channels in the Digitenne-subscription.

I will go for another experiment: getting my dose of watching cyclingraces through the internet. I go for the clips at Studio Sport, for the bits and pieces uploaded on Youtube, I hope to find torrents with full races (tips anyone?), and maybe even pay for some at cycling.tv.

Hey, and I’ll watch them on the Eee Pecee.

Give me a cheap laptop with wifi. Just for typing text, checking e-mail, reading. I do not need 200 gigabytes for storage (I have seperate harddisks), I do not need fancy programs. I want a text-editor and long battery-life.

With the current trends — like the 100-dollar laptop — it seems that finally the market is catering to my desire…

But then for once, behave accordingly… you think. (Except for books I hardly ever buy unnecessary things. I do not need a new computer).

L. said: ¨Why don you buy one of those mini-laptops? You can even install OSX on them. Take mobile internet, that’s also just 20 euro’s a month now. It’s just what you need¨

Yesterday I bought an Asus EEE PC. The smallest one. I am writing this post on it.

It’s incredible. It’s ridiculous. F. said: “But it’s a toy!”

It feels like a cheap toy. But the cheap toy is so powerful that it just delivers all you need, fast internet, listening to internetradio, watching television, all the websites. Everything is there. Weighs less than a kilo.

I am sure it is much more powerful than I now realize. It has a full Linux-installation and KDE. It’s a while since I used Linux, and the ASUS-launcher that is built on top of it is yes easy to use. Yet it closes off clear access to everything else. (Actually just somewhere on the last page of the manual there a sentence that tells you how to open a terminal from the launcher). So I haven’t figured out how to install new software, and even haven figured out yet where the simple texteditor lives. The computer has OpenOffice, but I prefer a simpler editor for typing. Because I tried out pico in the terminal, and saved a text, and then opened that text by clicking the icon the simpler editor started – but it’s not part of the Asus-gui. No idea where it is.

Of course I checked out how to install OSX. I must say I am a bit daunted by it. It’s something for people who like to spend an evening or two tinkering. I will leave it. Linux is also fine.

There is another reason for not installing OSX.

I thought this Eee Pecee would be for typing, and for on the road. (That will be so good. No spinning harddisk, just all cheap stuff, light and small, not luxurious at all. It means carrying it around without any worries).

But actually, this computer foremost ressembles a portable transistor radio. When cooking you take it to the kitchen to have a bit of music. Or you sit down to watch the news in between. (It’s a radio with television and internet-capabilities). Or to Skype. (It’s a telephone too).

It’s like a radio because the wireless connection is the center of this machine.

So no OSX because a lot of the ‘internet television’ works so much smoother under Linux compared to on a Mac. And the screen is actually quite nice to watch clips fullscreen.

A-and, typing on the small keyboard is okay for me (I have small fingers).

At the moment my blog is only recording my bike rides. Excuses? No.

But do check out this: The Complete Arista Recordings of Anthony Braxton, published by Mosaic, 8 cedees, classic stuff: http://destination-out.com/?p=205.

Zondagmiddagrondje, 16.30 – 18.30. Nog een dag prachtig nazomerweer, zon, iets meer wind en een paar wolkjes, 20 graden. Had wel langer willen fietsen, maar verkoudheid zit me nog steeds dwars. Toch is dit ook wel een mooie reeks: 4 dagen op een rij, steeds een ander lusje.

Marcusstraat – Amstel – Ouderkerk – Nes – Uithoorn – Vrouwenakker – De Kwakel – Vrouwentroost – Aalsmeer – Aalsmeerderbrug – Oude Meer – Amsterdamse Bos – Kalfjeslaan – Amstel – Marcusstraat

Zaterdagochtendrondje. Prachtig nazomerweer, temperatuur oplopend naar 20 graden, onbewolkt en nauwelijks wind.

Marcusstraat – Weespertrekvaart – Gaasp – Weesp – De Horn – Naardermeer – Visserijpad – Ton Storkpad – Vecht – Muiden – blokje Muiderslot (brug open) – Diemerpark – Ringdijk – Marcusstraat

Vrijdagmiddagrondje, 15.30 – 17.15. Prachtig en rustig nazomerweer. Warm en een beetje noordenwind. Rustig gereden en van de zon genoten.

Marcusstraat – Schellingwouder brug – Durgerdam – Uitdam – Zuiderwoude – Broek in Waterland – ‘t Schouw – Zwarte Gouw – Schellingwouder brug – Ringdijk – Marcusstraat

17.45 – 19.05 Ronde Hoep, heerlijk nazomerweer, oostenwind, laagstaande zon, 16 graden (maar voelde warmer).

Zondagmiddagrondje. Prachtig weer. Eerst zonnig, later ook wat wolken. Lekkere temperatuur. Perfect nazomerweer – behalve dan dat het overal druk was met mensen die eropuit trokken (bij Spaarndam stond het verkeer zo vast dat je er zelfs met de fiets niet door kon – behalve dan wanneer je je fiets boven je hoofd optilde en tussen de vastgereden auto’s doorliep). In Amsterdam was het autovrije zondag: daarom 2x door de stad gereden. Op de heenweg verzeilde ik achter de tramremise bij het Olympisch stadium: ik was daar nog nooit geweest.

Marcusstraat – Churchilllaan – Stadionkade – Plesmanlaan – Sloten – Badhoevedorp – Lijnden – Boesingheliede – Vijhuizen – Cruquius – De Glip – Groenendaal – Leyduin – Aerdenhout – Kraantje Lek – Brouwerskolkpark – Overveen – Kopje van Bloemendaal – Duin en Kruidberg – Driehuis – Velsen-Zuid – kanaal – skiheuvel – Spaarnwoude – Spaarndam – Brettenzone – Westerpark – Nassaukade – Amstel – Marcusstraat

Zaterdagochtendrondje. Vroeg. Om tien uur met vrienden naar Enschede voor het Gogbot-festival. Wilde toch een rondje fietsen: 8.45 – 10.00. Lekker. Zonnig.

Marcusstraat – Ringdijk – Diemerpark – Muiden – Vecht – Weesp – kanaal – Diemerbos – Diemen – Weespertrekvaart – Marcusstraat

F***. Why.

Last saturday the dead body of David Foster Wallace was found in his house.

So this is all what remains. His words. Infinite Jest. (Spent 3 months reading that book, early 1996, and it made a lasting impression).

(I see the news just today. I should’ve seen it earlier – so many messages in the wallace-mailing list. I am sad for him. I am sad that we will not see any DFW-prose in the future).

Here’s some remembrances: http://www.edrants.com/remembering-david-foster-wallace/