Categorie: Overig
Founder talks: Jeroen Westerbeek
Last year they sold almost 10,000 watches, they planted one tree for each watch sold and next to that one of the owners was also still studying. This is the story of the company called WoodWatch, of which one of the founders, Jeroen Westerbeek, studied econometrics in Groningen. In this article I will tell you about him, about his company, and how he combines this with econometrics. How it started The company WoodWatch was founded in 2013 by three friends who were all studying at the University of Groningen. One of them is Jeroen […]
4 minuten
Leugens
“Wat een mooie tekening kind!”, “Schat je ziet er prachtig uit”, “Alles gaat goed met me” of “Tentamen gehaald met een 7”. Zo nu en dan een beetje overdrijven of een leugentje om bestwil daar is niemand echt vies van. In elke taal, in elk land, bij elke cultuur, of je je nou als man of vrouw of iets daartussenin identificeert, iedereen liegt. Uit onderzoek van de Universiteit van Michigan blijkt dat de meeste mensen geen gesprek van tien minuten kunnen voeren zonder een leugen te vertellen. Vaak zijn deze leugens van een altruïstische aard […]
A world without money: happiness or affliction?
Almost every person in the world has thought at least once about the idea of a world without money. But since there does not truly exist a place where money is non-existent, it is very hard to imagine how a world without money would look like. How would you feel when we had a world without money? Would it make me happy, or would it feel like I live in one big communist world where everyone is equal? Would I feel more free without the burden of having to earn money, or would I wish […]
4 minuten
ARTificial intelligence
A recent study has shown that in coming years global labour markets will undergo major transformations. This will be due to the so called “Fourth Industrial Revolution”, which is caused by companies looking into the possibilities of machines and algorithms. The study prognosticates that in 2022, 42 percent of all jobs will be performed by machines, while at this moment this percentage is 29. Jobs that are most likely to disappear are those consisting mainly of paperwork and those of the less educated. The study states that jobs based on human skills such as creativity […]
8 minuten
Names in a box
This is one of the most difficult riddles I have ever encountered. It does not require a lot of mathematical skills, but you certainly have to have some intuition in solving riddles. This riddle is called “The 100 prisoners problem”. Do you have what it takes to solve this challenge? Problem 100 prisoners are given the chance to be released from prison. Their names will be put in 100 different labelled wooden boxes. These boxes are labelled with the names of the prisoners, but the name in the box is never the same as the […]
3 minuten
Productiever studeren
Exams… the period leading up to the exams is one in which time seems to fly by even though the work never seems to be finished. Now there are only a few days left before the exams and the amount of things you still need to do is much higher that you would have hoped. Because of this, it is important to be very productive in these last days. But how can you be more productive? And how does your productivity increase, biologically speaking? – Esther Valkonet
3 minuten
Of keys, codes and quantum computers
Imagine you are working on a top secret project and you have to send a message containing confidential information concerning the project. How can you make sure the message won’t be read by any other eyes than those of the addressee? A message that changes itself when read by anyone who is not supposed to, sounds like everything you need. Is this the future? No. It already exists. The quantum computer brings not only this, but also many other incredibly useful possibilities. What are quantum computers, and how can they shatter our present-day digital defences? Encryption Digital security, […]
5 minuten
New Year’s resolutions you can accomplish
New year, new me, right? Did you already think of some New Year’s resolutions or did you think it was better to not start with this trouble to prevent yourself from disappointment? I don’t blame it on you if you chose the second option, because research has shown that 80% of the New Year’s resolutions have failed by the second week of February. This is because people don’t set realistic goals or don’t even start. To help you I listed 5 New Year’s resolutions that are achievable and will give you more energy and less stress. Ready […]
3 minuten
De Chinese huizenmarkt
Door een enorme huizenmarkt boom in China zijn de afgelopen jaren de huizenprijzen in China enorm gestegen. Hoewel het erg moeilijk kan zijn om een bubbel te identificeren, hebben veel mensen een vermoeden dat hier een bubbel ontstaat. Er wordt veel verwezen naar de ghost cities van China. Dit zijn leegstaande miljoenensteden, die vanuit ons oogpunt erg zorgwekkend kunnen zijn. Maar zijn deze ontwikkelingen eigenlijk zo erg als het doet vermoeden? De regering van China komt vaak zeer controlerend over. Hierdoor is de knoop doorhakken bij moeilijke keuzes vaak makkelijker omdat politici zich meer kunnen […]
5 minuten
“Aan jou de keuze”
Een dag zit vol met allerlei verschillende keuzes, dat weten we allemaal. Keuzes die je elke dag moet maken, makkelijke keuzes over kleine dingen, zoals welke titel ik voor mijn artikel kies, keuzes die niet vaak voor komen en grotere gevolgen kunnen hebben, bijvoorbeeld een studiekeuze, keuzes waar je lang over na moet denken of keuzes die je haast onderbewust weet te maken. Dat je zo veel keuzes maakt op een dag realiseer je je niet altijd. Het alsmaar groeiende aanbod van films op Netflix en daarbovenop de steeds groter wordende markt van streaming websites […]
Fingerprints and the path to catching criminals
Do you often realise that during your whole day, while doing whatever you are doing, you leave marks on everything you touch? Probably not. Luckily, most criminals do not either. Most people know about fingerprints, but many underestimate the technology that is available to handle and analyze them. Thinking that partial or overlapping prints cannot be traced back to them, criminals often make the mistake of leaving fingerprints at crime scenes or on objects, handing over important material to the police. How are those prints deciphered and translated into useful information? What does a […]
5 minuten
Can computers beat a coin?
Computers do what we tell them to do, if you know how to operate them. That is why computers play such an important role in our lives. However, sometimes we want a computer to just do something we cannot predict: to generate (a sequence of) random numbers. Random numbers are useful for a large variety of purposes, such as encryption, simulation and sampling. Now when you think about it for a moment, you may wonder how a computer can generate a purely random number by itself. Is it not possible to predict the numbers if […]
5 minuten