141. Hank Dussen, a gnarled man
I.
Iâm reading Martin Brilâs collection Heimwee naar Nederland (Nostalgia for the Netherlands). In it, the columnist erects little monuments to those parts of the Netherlands that we are increasingly in danger of forgetting. Take the Zuiderzeestraatweg (the name alone!, writes Bril). âIt once ran right alongside a sea that hasnât been there for years. It was once a narrow strip of cobblestones, with a railway line running alongside it. Now it is a road used mainly by local traffic, a road that has not lost its function, but which no longer has any grandeur. Just a road, like any other.â
Bril drives through polders, past villages and towns with names such as Oldebroek, Bontebok, Hank and Dussen. At the junction, âalways say Hank Dussen out loudâ, he writes. âA gnarled man in high rubber boots, a shag smoker with stubble and a pick-up truck, a bachelor with hands like coal shovels, favourite food: brown beans.â
Bril writes about places where the station has disappeared but where there is still a âStationsstraatâ and where the cafeteria is still called ât Wisseltje. Sitting on a bench, he makes up whole stories about the people he sees strolling past. Or dogs. âElvis is wagging his tail. He doesnât give a thought to climbing the stairs. The funny thing is: the dog actually looks a bit like Elvis, too. Not just his coat colourâthat deep, glossy blackâbut also his muzzleâit has a pouting quality, and at the same time something ironic, as if heâs pulling everyoneâs leg.â
Capturing the quirkiness. A treat. Martin Bril at his best.
II.
Arc Raiders is a particularly refreshing game, because a striking number of players donât behave like jerks. If you come across someone in the dystopian online world, the first reaction (usually) isnât to shoot each other down. Instead, you open the microphone and shout: âFriendly! Donât shoot!â
In Arc Raiders, the Earth has been taken over by dangerous robots. Humanity has retreated into underground cities. To survive, so-called raiders must go above ground to gather resources. That is exactly what you do as a player: search for materials, shoot robots and hope that other players show you mercy.
Itâs basically every man for himself. Youâre free to start a firefight in the game, but in my experience, players usually manage (in solo and duo mode) to leave others alone. Sometimes impromptu teams form and brief conversations take place. People help each other to complete missions, and strangers hold the lift open for one another so that everyone can escape the killer robots.
Of course, there are also players who open fire straight away. Or who say they wonât shoot and then do it anyway. Thatâs all part of it; it keeps you on your toes and keeps the tension palpable. This is the sort of game where everyone experiences their own story with every match, because you never know who youâre up against and so anything is possible.
But the prevailing friendliness struck me. Online games where people are armed arenât usually known for their friendly players. It probably helps that the aim of Arc Raiders is never to make life difficult for one another. The robots are the common enemy â the enemy of your enemy is quickly your friend.
- - -PS.
After almost three years, music is once again ringing out from the basement of Radioheadâs Nigel Godrich. For his From the Basement series, he invited Geese to perform an excellent live set lasting over half an hour.
- - -Malicious software is nothing new. In 1988, Brandpunt featured a report on infected copies of the game Leisure Suit Larry, which destroyed computer files. Incidentally, the item is more about the vulgar game itself. With interviewees who resemble satirical caricatures. A delight.
- - -Rafael van der Vaart doesnât have an email address, he admits in de Volkskrant. âIâm not really into technology. Well, apparently emailing isnât that complicated, but Iâve never got round to it. That sort of thing was always done for me.â Whenever they ask for his email address, he fills in his wifeâs. And he immediately ticks all the spam boxes.
A handy guide for when youâve forgotten how to use the internet for fun.
Cargo ships are hugely polluting. Thatâs why sustainable solutions are being devised, for example at Delft University of Technology, where they want to return to the power of the wind. Not with huge sails like in the old days, but with rotating poles: rotor sails.
- - -Why do new films actually look so fake?
- - -And while weâre on the subject: why canât people just watch a film to the end without checking their phones?
- - -Youâve just read blog post â141, written during the week of 17 to 23 November 2025. Subscribe to my newsletter and youâll receive it in your inbox every Sunday for free.