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The Greater Bad-ass

https://nicolasbouliane.com/blog/greater-badass

Published: April 11, 2025 23:00

My motorcycle slips on a patch of mud, the front wheel goes from under me, I hit the ground hard, parts go flying, I get the wind knocked out of me. I catch my breath then prop the bike back up. I hammer my right pannier back into shape with a rock, secure…

Working differently in 2025

https://nicolasbouliane.com/blog/all-about-berlin-2025

Published: January 14, 2025 23:00

I have made a few resolutions going into the new year. Two of them have to do with All About Berlin. The first resolution is to work less. I am not a workaholic by any stretch of the imagination, but I struggle to fully disconnect. I got better at it in…

What's new for Berliners in 2025

https://nicolasbouliane.com/blog/new-in-2025

Published: December 19, 2024 23:00

Every January, all sorts of things change in Germany as new laws come into effect. This post is a summary of the changes that I believe will affect most of my readers. In the past, the first day of the year was a scramble to update All About Berlin’s…

A reading list for Japan

https://nicolasbouliane.com/blog/japan-reading-list

Published: November 17, 2024 23:00

I visited Japan in Autumn 2024. As is tradition, I enriched my visit with as much reading about Japan as I could get my eyes on. Below is a list of the more interesting things I have read. Japanese history History of Japan (YouTube) - A fun recap of the…

Bringing the Bürgeramt appointment finder back online

https://nicolasbouliane.com/blog/appointment-finder-fix

Published: June 6, 2024 23:00

Some time ago, I built a Bürgeramt appointment finder. It helps people get an appointment to register their address at the Bürgeramt. The tool is exceptional in two ways: it’s available to everyone for free, and it follows the rules. I worked with the city…

Cool URLs don't change

https://nicolasbouliane.com/blog/permalinks

Published: June 4, 2024 23:00

“Cool URIs don’t change” was written about in 1998 by none other than the father of the internet, Tim Berners-Lee. If you put something useful on the internet, chances are that people will bookmark your page, share it, or refer to it on their own website.…

Support networks

https://nicolasbouliane.com/blog/support-networks

Published: April 9, 2024 23:00

I had drinks with a Spaniard in Malaysia. He moved to Malacca years ago to start a tapas restaurant with his wife. As we sat by the street, watching the humid air condense on our beer glasses, we started talking about the logistics of running a restaurant…

Vodafone Germany is throttling upload speed

https://nicolasbouliane.com/blog/vodafone-throttling

Published: March 11, 2024 23:00

I am travelling in Asia. When I try to download large files from my home server in Germany, Vodafone throttles the speed to 60-150 kbps. Files that should take a few minutes to download take 2-3 hours. Through a process of elimination, I confirmed that…

Cycling across Malaysia

https://nicolasbouliane.com/blog/malaysia-on-a-bike

Published: February 29, 2024 23:00

Between February and April 2024, I have cycled from Singapore to Phuket, Thailand. I spent most of that time in Malaysia. This post is for those who a similar trip. It’s not a travel diary. {% include "blocks/_tableOfContents.html" %} The landscape If you…

Crossing Singaport/Malaysia border on a bicycle

https://nicolasbouliane.com/blog/singapore-malaysia-border-bicycle

Published: February 12, 2024 23:00

On February 10, I crossed the border between Singapore and Johor Bahru on a bicycle. This is how it went. This post is meant for people about to do the same; it’s not an exciting story. Before you go To cross into Malaysia, you must fill the Malaysia…