Re: [Paddlewise] Remember me?

Thanks for the welcome back, guys & Jackie. The list seems just active 
enough for my likings, and the posts still very worthwhile. I hope I can 
match the standard.

_at_PeterO: Thanks for the offer of updating the Who's who. I'd be much 
obliged; I'll add my info below. It's good to see that you're still 
maintaining this list.

a) NAME:
Niels Blaauw
<image: http://www.nibla.nl/tmp/paddlewise/whoswho_me.jpg>

b) CONTACT:
niels BOAS nibla DOT nl

c) KAYAKS:
Rainbow Oasis - which is the boat you'd chose for your grandmother: 
Stable, well-tracking with a large cockpit.
<image: http://www.nibla.nl/tmp/paddlewise/whoswho_myboat.jpg>

e) SPECIAL INTERESTS:
Computer programming (Have done so professionally for 15 years, but 
still enjoy doing it)
Science (I'm passionate about factual knowledge and solid reasoning)
Technical Design (My home, boat and car are full of small inventions)

f) SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE:
shellscript, python, javascript
evolution
classical mechanics
photoshop (as you might have guessed from my picture)

g) STRONG OPINIONS:
- You don't have to paddle a tippy, non-tracking boat, just because you 
can.
- Paddling equipment needs to be either completely watertight, or as 
open as a sieve. (I HATE footrests and seats that are rotomolded with a 
single hole, allowing them to fill but not to drain.)
- For me, solo-paddling is worth the risk.

h) MOST INTERESTING TRIP:
Every first-timer, like the first time I set out on a Swedish lake, a 
Norwegian fjord or the Mediterranean.
While I love those remote places, I can perfectly enjoy myself on the 
local pond. Every once in a while it'll have a great sunset, a 
torrential downpour or a smell of spring that will turn an evening 
paddle into a magical trip.

BIO PROFESSIONALLY:
I've been a computer programmer for 15 years, before burning out in 
2000. (The millenium bug didn't crash many computers, but it did crash 
me.) Unemployed since then, and enjoying it hugely.
I consider myself a self-made-man. I have some friends, but I happily 
spend most of my time in solitude, dreaming, thinking or tinkering. I've 
had a solid technical education, which greatly helped me in learning to 
sew my own clothes, maintain and extend my home, and being able to build 
or fix most anything.

Right now, October of 2009, I'm trying to set up a one-man-company, 
based on a kayak-related invention. If I'm lucky, my invention will get 
as popular as the paddle itself. If so, I will buy up Corsica and turn 
it into kayaking paradise. If my invention fails, I'll be 3000 dollars 
poorer, but half a year of experiences richer. Building up a company 
from scratch was worth my while, even if it fails.

BIO KAYAKING:
I've started paddling at the age of 10, in the inflatable of my dad. 
Since then, I've owned my own inflatable, a double foldable POUCH and 
several plastic boats. My boats grew with my skills, while I slowly 
expanded my horizon onto large water and sea. I don't even like large 
bodies of water that much: I just like rough shorelines. I've come to 
conclude that the largest bodies of water have the roughest shores, so 
there I went.

I've been the beginners-instructor for my local kayak club for the last 
10 years. It's as fun for them as it is for me: I love watching people 
learn.
I maintain an instruction-related website, with some selfmade 
instruction videos and lots of technical information. It's in Dutch 
though, so it won't be very interesting for Paddlewise members.
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