Ollie Bearman crashed heavily during the Japanese Grand Prix, with the Safety Car having to be deployed.
Apple's 50th anniversary is this week — and Fast Company's Harry McCracken just published an 11,000-word oral history with some fun stories from Apple's earliest days and the long and winding road to its very first home computers:
Steve Wozniak, cofounder, Apple: I told my dad when I was in high school, "I'm going to own a computer someday." My dad said, "It costs as much as a house." And I sat there at the table — I remember right where we were sitting — and I said, "I'll live in an apartment." I was going to have a computer if it was ever possible. I didn't need a house.
Woz even remembers trying to build a home computer early on with a teenaged Steve Jobs and Bill Fernandez from rejected parts procured from local electronics companies. Woz designed it — "not from anybody else's design or from a manual. And Fernandez was one of those kids that could use a soldering iron."
Bill Fernandez: The computer was very basic. It was working, and we were starting to talk about how we could hook a teletype up to it. Mrs. Wozniak called a reporter from the San Jose Mercury, and he came over with a photographer. We set up the computer on the floor of Steve Wozniak's bedroom.
Well, the core integrated circuit that ran the power supply that I built was an old reject part. We turned on the computer, and the power supply smoked and burnt out the circuitry. So we didn't get our photos in the paper with an article about the boy geniuses.
But within a few years Jobs and Wozniak both wound up with jobs at local tech companies. Atari cofounder Nolan Bushnell remembers that Steve Jobs "wasn't a good engineer, but he was a great technician. He was pristine in his ability to solder, which was actually important in those days." Meanwhile Allen Baum had shared Wozniak's high school interest in computers, and later got Woz a job working at Hewlett-Packard — where employees were allowed to use stockroom parts for private projects. ("When he needed some parts, even if we didn't have them, I could order them.") Baum helped with the Apple I and II, and joined Apple a decade later.
Wozniak remembers being inspired to build that first Apple I by the local Homebrew Computing Club, people "talking about great things that would happen to society, that we would be able to communicate like we never did [before] and educate in new ways. And being a geek would be important and have value." And once he'd built his first computer, "I wanted these people to help create the revolution. And so I passed out my designs with no copyright notices — public domain, open source, everything. A couple of other people in the club did build it."
But Woz and Jobs had even tried pitching the computer as a Hewlett-Packard product, Woz remembers:
Steve Wozniak: I showed them what it would cost and how it would work and what it could do with my little demos. They had all the engineering people and the marketing people, and they turned me down. That was the first of five turndowns from Hewlett-Packard. Steve Jobs and I had to go into business on our own.
In the end, Randy Wigginton, Apple employee No. 6 remembers witnessing Jobs, Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne the signing of Apple's founding contract, "which is pretty funny, because I was 15 at the time." And it was Allen Baum's father who gave Wozniak and Jobs the bridge loan to buy the parts they'd need for their first 500 computers.
After all the memories, the article concludes that "Trying to connect every dot between Apple, the tiny, dirt-poor 1970s startup, and Apple, the $3.7 trillion 21st-century global colossus, is impossible."
But this much is clear: The company has always been at its best when its original quirky humanity and willingness to be an outlier shine through.
Mark Johnson, Apple employee No. 13: I was in Cupertino just yesterday. It's totally different. They own Cupertino now.
Jonathan Rotenberg, who cofounded the Boston Computer Society in 1977 at age 13: People want to hate Apple, because it is big and powerful. But Apple has an underlying moral purpose that is immensely deep and expansive...
Mike Markkula, the early retiree from Intel whose guidance and money turned the garage startup into a company: The culture mattered. People were there for the right reasons — to build something transformative — not just to make money. That alignment produced extraordinary results...
Steve Wozniak: Everything you do in life should have some element of joy in it. Even your work should have an element of joy... When you're about to die, you have certain memories. And for me, it's not going to be Apple going public or Apple being huge and all that. It's really going to be stories from the period when humble people spotted something that was interesting and followed it
I'll be thinking of that when I die, along with a lot of pranks I played. The important things.
Steve Wozniak, cofounder, Apple: I told my dad when I was in high school, "I'm going to own a computer someday." My dad said, "It costs as much as a house." And I sat there at the table — I remember right where we were sitting — and I said, "I'll live in an apartment." I was going to have a computer if it was ever possible. I didn't need a house.
Woz even remembers trying to build a home computer early on with a teenaged Steve Jobs and Bill Fernandez from rejected parts procured from local electronics companies. Woz designed it — "not from anybody else's design or from a manual. And Fernandez was one of those kids that could use a soldering iron."
Bill Fernandez: The computer was very basic. It was working, and we were starting to talk about how we could hook a teletype up to it. Mrs. Wozniak called a reporter from the San Jose Mercury, and he came over with a photographer. We set up the computer on the floor of Steve Wozniak's bedroom.
Well, the core integrated circuit that ran the power supply that I built was an old reject part. We turned on the computer, and the power supply smoked and burnt out the circuitry. So we didn't get our photos in the paper with an article about the boy geniuses.
But within a few years Jobs and Wozniak both wound up with jobs at local tech companies. Atari cofounder Nolan Bushnell remembers that Steve Jobs "wasn't a good engineer, but he was a great technician. He was pristine in his ability to solder, which was actually important in those days." Meanwhile Allen Baum had shared Wozniak's high school interest in computers, and later got Woz a job working at Hewlett-Packard — where employees were allowed to use stockroom parts for private projects. ("When he needed some parts, even if we didn't have them, I could order them.") Baum helped with the Apple I and II, and joined Apple a decade later.
Wozniak remembers being inspired to build that first Apple I by the local Homebrew Computing Club, people "talking about great things that would happen to society, that we would be able to communicate like we never did [before] and educate in new ways. And being a geek would be important and have value." And once he'd built his first computer, "I wanted these people to help create the revolution. And so I passed out my designs with no copyright notices — public domain, open source, everything. A couple of other people in the club did build it."
But Woz and Jobs had even tried pitching the computer as a Hewlett-Packard product, Woz remembers:
Steve Wozniak: I showed them what it would cost and how it would work and what it could do with my little demos. They had all the engineering people and the marketing people, and they turned me down. That was the first of five turndowns from Hewlett-Packard. Steve Jobs and I had to go into business on our own.
In the end, Randy Wigginton, Apple employee No. 6 remembers witnessing Jobs, Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne the signing of Apple's founding contract, "which is pretty funny, because I was 15 at the time." And it was Allen Baum's father who gave Wozniak and Jobs the bridge loan to buy the parts they'd need for their first 500 computers.
After all the memories, the article concludes that "Trying to connect every dot between Apple, the tiny, dirt-poor 1970s startup, and Apple, the $3.7 trillion 21st-century global colossus, is impossible."
But this much is clear: The company has always been at its best when its original quirky humanity and willingness to be an outlier shine through.
Mark Johnson, Apple employee No. 13: I was in Cupertino just yesterday. It's totally different. They own Cupertino now.
Jonathan Rotenberg, who cofounded the Boston Computer Society in 1977 at age 13: People want to hate Apple, because it is big and powerful. But Apple has an underlying moral purpose that is immensely deep and expansive...
Mike Markkula, the early retiree from Intel whose guidance and money turned the garage startup into a company: The culture mattered. People were there for the right reasons — to build something transformative — not just to make money. That alignment produced extraordinary results...
Steve Wozniak: Everything you do in life should have some element of joy in it. Even your work should have an element of joy... When you're about to die, you have certain memories. And for me, it's not going to be Apple going public or Apple being huge and all that. It's really going to be stories from the period when humble people spotted something that was interesting and followed it
I'll be thinking of that when I die, along with a lot of pranks I played. The important things.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Mr Mikage (ミスター御影） posted a photo:
In this fantasy drama from Brazil, a gay actor and a closeted politician discover a mutual passion for the same fetish
Here is an erotic thriller from Brazil that finally suspends realism and plausibility to keep its eroticism in play right up to the startling final moments; there is an unexpected strain of the bizarre and soap-operatic.
Matias (Gabriel Faryas) is a handsome young actor in a stage company specialising in dance and physical theatre. Jealous of his boyfriend and fellow cast member, Fabio (Henrique Barreira), who has landed a role in a big new TV show, Matias sneakily tries to get an audition as well.
Continue reading...The fortunes of a single family are entwined with the turmoil of the 20th century in this ambitious, gothic-inflected debut
This gothic-inflected saga has received much attention in Europe for its quirky and confident take on 20th-century Hungarian history. It is sobering to reflect that its author not only has no personal memory of the end of communist rule in eastern Europe, but that he wasn’t even alive when the twin towers fell. Born in 2003, Nelio Biedermann is among the first wave of gen Z writers of fiction and Lázár is his debut novel.
The opening pages introduce us to a world straight out of gothic fable. In an isolated manor house by a forbiddingly dark forest, a strange-looking baby is born. This unearthly child, Lajos, is fated to carry forward the family name of the Lázárs, a noble dynasty with an alarming tendency to go mad, die violently, or both. Meanwhile, in another wing of the house lurks the baron’s older brother, Imre, who is barred from the baronetcy by reason of insanity.
Continue reading...New agreement delayed amid home secretary Shabana Mahmood’s demands for more interceptions of dinghies
A renewed deal between the UK and France to stop small boat Channel crossings has not yet been signed, with a day to go before the current one expires, raising questions about whether people smugglers will be able to act unimpeded from later this week.
Rishi Sunak and Emmanuel Macron announced the previous £468m deal on 10 March 2023, weeks before it came into force. The UK pays two-thirds of the cost of policing France’s northern border and the current agreement expires on Tuesday. Discussions on it began last July at the 37th UK-France summit and British officials travelled to Paris last week for another round of talks.
Continue reading...Fibremaxxing is everywhere, and most of us should eat more roughage, but your gut won’t thank you for overloading
Fibre has replaced protein as TikTok health influencers’ macronutrient du jour, with “fibremaxxers” urging followers to pack as much roughage into their diets as possible. But is the sky really the limit?
“In theory,” says Dr Emily Leeming, a dietitian at King’s College London and the author of Fibre Power (out in May): our ancestors may have eaten up to 100g of fibre a day, but that’s far beyond what most modern guts can tolerate.
Continue reading...Pregnancy, contraception and menopause to be covered
Groundbreaking changes an ‘incredibly welcome’ step
Female athletes are to benefit from a major breakthrough in insurance cover for pregnancy, contraception, menopause and other health conditions, as part of the implementation of recommendations in the Carney review.
The Women’s Football Taskforce commissioned Loughborough University – announced recently as the world’s No 1 university for sports-related subjects for a 10th consecutive year – to work with leading insurance providers and brokers to ensure female athletes are offered appropriate support in their insurance coverage.
Continue reading...
Een heldenrol voor politiehond Goofy afgelopen weekend. Het dier vond een mogelijke autodief, waar de Schiedamse politie naar op zoek was, in het riet. Twee verdachten zijn uiteindelijk door zijn inzet aangehouden.
De leus van de Houthi’s – “Dood aan Amerika, dood aan Israël, vervloekt alle Joden” – is geen losse kreet, maar het ideologische visitekaartje van een beweging die inmiddels een groot deel van Jemen bestuurt. Daarmee schuift een openlijk antisemitische strijdleus op naar het centrum van de geopolitiek, via raketten in de Rode Zee én de woorden op hun vlag.
Van rebellenleus tot staatsmotto
De Houthi-beweging, officieel Ansar Allah, begon begin jaren 2000 als Zaidi-sjiitische opposiebeweging tegen de Jemenitische regering en Saoedische invloed. Na de Jemenitische burgeroorlog controleert de groep nu de hoofdstad Sanaa en grote delen van het noorden. In die periode adopteerden de Houthi’s een eigen vlag met de volledige slogan: “Allah is de grootste, dood aan Amerika, dood aan Israël, vervloekt zijn alle Joden, de islam zal overwinnen.
Die leus is zichtbaar op spandoeken, in demonstraties en in officiële communicatie en wordt door aanhangers ritmisch gescandeerd. Volgens onderzoekers is het geen randverschijnsel maar een centrale pijler van de Houthi-identiteit, sterk beïnvloed door Iran en Hezbollah.
Wat zegt die leus precies?
De slogan combineert klassieke anti-imperialistische retoriek (“dood aan Amerika”) met expliciet religieus gekleurde Jodenhaat (“vervloekt alle Joden”). Anders dan kritiek op Israëlisch beleid richt de tekst zich niet op een staat of regering, maar op “alle Joden” als groep – de kern van antisemitisme.evolve.
Religiewetenschappers wijzen erop dat dit wereldbeeld de problemen in de Arabische wereld neerlegt bij één vijandig complot van Israël en het Westen. De leus fungeert daarmee als simpele uitleg voor complexe crises, en legitimeert geweld als religieuze plicht.
“De Houthi-leus richt zich niet op een staat, maar op ‘alle Joden’ – precies wat antisemitisme definieert.”
Waarom je dit nu moet weten
Sinds de Houthi’s vanaf eind 2023 en 2024 schepen in de Rode Zee aanvallen, staat diezelfde leus ineens midden in de internationale veiligheidsagenda. Westerse regeringen, waaronder Nederland, bestempelen de beweging als bedreiging voor de vrije doorvaart; tegelijk marcheert een beweging mee aan tafel (of in de media) met een vlag waarop letterlijk de vernietiging van twee landen en een bevolkingsgroep wordt geëist.
Voor het debat in Europa wringt dat extra: hoe ga je om met actoren die intussen óók worden gepresenteerd als “anti-imperialistische verzetsbeweging”? De Houthi-leus maakt pijnlijk duidelijk dat “solidariteit met Palestijnen” in deze context vaak gepaard gaat met een onversneden, religieus verpakte haat tegen Joden wereldwijd.hungarianconservative+4
Het gerechtshof Amsterdam heeft besloten op de derde en laatste zittingsdag in de zedenzaak tegen Ali B nog een getuige te horen. Dat werd maandag duidelijk bij aanvang van de zitting.
De advocaten van Ali B hadden donderdag in hun pleidooi verzocht om Danny Ellinger, de voormalige partner en manager van Ellen ten Damme, te mogen horen. Het hof heeft hiermee ingestemd, omdat het een belangrijke getuige is en de verdediging hem nog niet eerder heeft kunnen verhoren.
In 2024 werd Ali B veroordeeld voor een poging tot verkrachting van Ellen ten Damme. Dit zou zijn gebeurd in Marokko rond de opnames van een tv-programma.
AMSTERDAM (ANP) - Universal Music Group (UMG) behoorde maandag tot de winnaars op de Amsterdamse beurs. Het platenbedrijf achter popsterren als Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift en Harry Styles gaat voor 500 miljoen euro aan eigen aandelen inkopen om aandeelhouders te belonen. Het eerste aandeleninkoopprogramma van het bedrijf onderstreept volgens het bestuur van UMG het vertrouwen in de strategie en groei op lange termijn. Het aandeel steeg bijna 3 procent en was daarmee de sterkste stijger in de AEX-index.
De algehele stemming op het Damrak bleef terughoudend door de aanhoudende oorlog in het Midden-Oosten, die de vijfde week is ingegaan. De AEX noteerde kort na opening van de markt 0,1 procent lager op 959,20 punten. Vrijdag sloot de hoofdindex 1,1 procent lager, ondanks het besluit van de Amerikaanse president Donald Trump om de staking van de aanvallen op Iraanse energiefaciliteiten te verlengen tot 6 april.
AMSTERDAM (ANP) - Ali B is maandagochtend gearriveerd bij het gerechtshof in Amsterdam, voor de derde en laatste zittingsdag van de inhoudelijke behandeling van zijn zedenzaak. De rapper, die terechtstaat voor twee aanrandingen en twee verkrachtingen, arriveerde rond 08.45 uur. Hoewel er veel pers aanwezig was, wist de artiest grotendeels onopgemerkt de ingang van het gerechtshof te bereiken.
Het Openbaar Ministerie heeft in hoger beroep 2,5 jaar cel tegen Ali B geëist voor twee verkrachtingen en een aanranding. Op de slotdag reageert het OM op het pleidooi van zijn advocaten, die hebben gepleit voor vrijspraak. Ook krijgt Ali B het laatste woord.
Het hof doet op 7 mei uitspraak.
Met 3.500 euro netto per maand kun je in een flink aantal Europese landen heel prettig leven, vaak comfortabeler dan in Nederland, zeker in Zuid‑Europa en delen van Oost‑Europa. De “beste” keuze hangt vooral af van klimaat, taal, zorg en of je dicht bij Nederland wilt blijven.
Hoe ver kom je met 3.500 euro?
- In landen als Portugal, Spanje, Griekenland en Kroatië ligt een comfortabel pensioenleven vaak rond 1.800–2.600 euro per maand voor een stel, inclusief wonen (buiten de duurste hotspots).
- Met 3.500 euro heb je daar dus ruimte voor een goed appartement of huis, regelmatig uit eten, reizen, privé‑zorg en wat extra luxe.
- In duurdere landen als Frankrijk of Malta wordt 2.500–3.200 euro genoemd als richtlijn voor een comfortabel leven; 3.500 euro geeft daar lucht, zeker buiten de grote steden.
Top‑kandidaten met jouw budget
| Land | Waarom prettig met 3.500 euro | Aandachtspunten |
| Portugal | Lage kosten (Algarve vaak comfortabel met 1.800–2.500 p/m), goed openbaar zorgsysteem (SNS), veel zon en grote expatgemeenschap. | Portugees leren helpt enorm, wachttijden in publieke zorg, populaire kuststeden worden duurder. |
| Spanje | Comfortabel leven voor veel gepensioneerden vanaf ca. 1.900–2.600 p/m, uitstekende publieke gezondheidszorg, veel keuze in klimaat en regio’s. | Grote verschillen in huur tussen bv. Madrid/Barcelona en kleinere steden, bureaucratie kan stroperig zijn. |
| Griekenland | Dagelijkse kosten laag (goed leven rond 1.600–2.200 p/m), veel zon, relaxed tempo, interessante belastingregimes voor gepensioneerden. | Zorg op eilanden/platteland wisselend, taalbarrière buiten de toeristische zones. |
| Frankrijk | Hoge levenskwaliteit, top‑zorgsysteem (PUMA), enorme variatie aan regio’s; buiten Parijs zijn veel streken betaalbaar met jouw budget. | Belastingdruk wat hoger, huizen in populaire regio’s (Provence, Côte d’Azur) flink geprijsd. |
| Malta | Relatief lage woon‑ en vervoerskosten (2.000–2.600 p/m voor stel), zeer goede zorg, Engels is officiele taal, mild klimaat. | Klein eiland, drukte in hoogseizoen, woningmarkt beperkt. |
| Kroatië | Goedkoop dagelijks leven (vaak 1.500–2.000 p/m voldoende), mooie kust, EU‑lidstaat. | Buiten steden minder Engels en beperkte diensten, gezondheidszorg minder uitgebreid dan in West‑Europa. |
Praktische criteria om te kiezen
- Gezondheidszorg: Portugal, Spanje, Frankrijk en Malta scoren hoog, met publieke systemen waar EU‑gepensioneerden na inschrijving gebruik van kunnen maken; privé‑verzekeringen zijn relatief betaalbaar.
- Taal en integratie: in Portugal en Spanje red je je met Engels in expat‑regio’s, maar voor een echt stabiel leven is de lokale taal leren verstandig; Malta heeft als voordeel dat Engels officiële taal is.
- Afstand tot Nederland: met het vliegtuig ben je vanuit Portugal, Spanje of Zuid‑Frankrijk binnen enkele uren in Nederland; dat kan belangrijk zijn voor familiebezoek.
Een realistisch shortlist
Met 3.500 euro per maand en een “prettig, zonnig en betaalbaar” profiel kom je grofweg uit op:
- Portugal (Algarve, Silver Coast, omgeving Porto): veel waar voor je geld, sterke expat‑community.
- Spanje (Valencia, Alicante, Málaga‑regio, kleinere kuststeden): goede zorg, levendige cultuur, nog steeds betaalbaar buiten de hotspots.
- Zuid‑Frankrijk of rustiger regio’s als Dordogne/Bretagne: wat duurder, maar met jouw budget comfortabel, plus topzorg en relatief kleine cultuurshock.
Als je morgen zou moeten kiezen, is Portugal voor veel Nederlandse gepensioneerden de meest logische eerste kandidaat: betaalbaar, veilig, goede zorg en een grote internationale gemeenschap, zodat je rustig kunt landen.
Career-limiting stupidity and rudeness exposed, with terminal consequences
Who, Me? The week before Easter may be a short one for many in the Reg-reading world, but that won't stop us from opening it with a fresh installment of Who, Me? It's the reader-contributed column in which you share stories of things you did at work that had interesting consequences.…