This page was last updated in 2002 and is of historical interest only. See here for my current website.

Welcome to
Martijn's Y.A.E.D.*

* Yet Another Ego Document

Groningen, my hometown.
Göteborg, Marie Strega's hometown.
My way of living:
"Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want, so they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want."    Margaret Young
My way of being:
"My passionate sense of social justice and social responsibility has always contrasted oddly with my pronounced lack of need for direct contact with other human beings and human communities. I am truly a 'lone traveler' and have never belonged to my country, my home, my friends, or even my immediate family, with my whole heart; in the face of all these ties, I have never lost a sense of distance and a need for solitude..."    Albert Einstein

Welcome. My name is Martijn Dekker. I live in Groningen, Netherlands, Europe. For those who are wondering about my first name, containing the typically Dutch "ij" combination: it is pronounced rhyming with "fine" and "sign".

For those who are interested, here are some pictures of me and my dear SO, Marie Strega.

Interests include computers (programming; communicating with people via the Internet and BBS systems), music (passive only), and graphic design. I have been working/playing with computers for thirteen years, and have been on-line for about seven years.

I am interested in following the world news and the various political and sociological developments. However, I do not take what the media say without a grain of salt. The Internet is a wonderful medium to also hear alternative views on what's happening, and in that way it does empower common citizens to hear other than mainstream views and thus form an opinion of their own. Here are some links you should check out:

Now some words about me: I have never been a very social person; especially in groups of people I do not get by, and even in one-to-one interaction I need a concrete topic to keep any kind of conversation going (i.e. I can't do smalltalk, which is talking about nothing). In addition I can hardly stand being touched, and I can get very perseverative on one particular topic that catches my interest. I am also a very concrete and visual thinker, and have trouble reading social cues. People have always perceived me as odd, eccentric, etc. In late 1995/early 1996, I found out that I have a neurological disability called Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism that is not immediately apparent. This certainly explains why I've always felt like an alien, and after meeting others like me via the Net, I feel not so futile and isolated now.

The following articles appeared in Computer World:

Also, please meet some of my friends... :-)


SOS privacy PGP Now!

A selection from my bookmarks... (hardly changed since 1996 - sorry)

Links I find interesting:

Radio Netherlands, the short-wave channel, with RealAudio broadcasts.
NRC Handelsblad, the newspaper I read.
The Times, London.
VPRO, my favourite Dutch broadcasting corporation.
MSX Resource Center, about my first love.
About This Particular Macintosh, about my second love.
Albert Einstein Online, biographic info, etc.
The Disability Rights Activist, good and very practical.
Institute on Independent Living.

E-mail is welcome at:

martijn@inlv.org


Last updated: 08-Jun-2002 | URL: https://www.inlv.org/martijn/
All contents of this site Copyright © 1996-2002 Martijn Dekker, Groningen, Netherlands.
Unauthorised distribution or reproduction forbidden.