On October 25th, Bear experienced a major outage due to a failure in its reverse proxy, which caused custom domains to time out. The author discusses the increasing threat of various types of web scrapers, including AI scrapers, m...
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Hi I'm Herman Martinus. I'm a maker of things, rider of bikes, and hiker of mountains.
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6.2PIRACYKILLS
2025-10-03 • software art marketing sketching and drawing 3d printing
The author discusses their software project JustSketchMe, a 3D modeling tool for artists, and addresses the issue of piracy surrounding it. They noticed that many people search for cracked versions of the software, which led them ...
The post argues that the rise of automated interactions and malicious bots is transforming the internet into a more dangerous space, necessitating increased vigilance and privacy.
The author critiques current social media platforms for prioritizing engagement and advertising over genuine connections. They argue that these platforms have become addictive and detrimental to relationships, proposing a hypothet...
The blog post discusses the financial arrangement between Alphabet and Apple, where Google pays Apple $20 billion to remain the default search engine on Apple devices. It critiques Apple's commitment to user privacy, suggesting th...
This blog post discusses the importance of password hygiene as part of a series on digital hygiene. It critiques the unrealistic portrayals of hackers in movies and emphasizes that compromised passwords are the most common vulnera...
The author shares a cautionary tale about nearly sharing sensitive API keys due to misplaced trust, highlighting the need for verification in online communications.
The author discusses the issue of web scrapers inadvertently DDoSing public websites and shares a creative solution involving a Markov chain babbler that generates junk data to distract scrapers. The post details the author's expe...
The post explores the impact of AI content and audience size on discoverability in the Bear platform, advocating for equal visibility for all bloggers.
The author discusses the decision to change the licensing of the Bear software from MIT to the Elastic License due to issues with code forking and competition. They express the emotional impact of seeing their work copied and the ...
The author announces a trip to Japan and reflects on the value of traditional, multi-generational Japanese businesses, emphasizing the dedication to craft and the importance of slow, consistent investment over time. They contrast ...
5Miscellaneous updates
2025-09-19 • social media technology travel the bear microconf
The author shares updates on upcoming travel to Istanbul for Microconf, discusses responses to a previous post about social media platforms, and addresses feedback regarding the Bear license update. They mention various social med...
The author reflects on the excessive time people spend on their smartphones, particularly highlighting South Africa's high average usage. They express a desire to live a more intentional life, free from distractions caused by smar...
This blog post discusses the importance of digital hygiene, particularly focusing on email management. The author emphasizes that email serves as a crucial online identity and workspace. They share their personal strategies for ma...
The author reflects on their recent trip to Istanbul for MicroConf Europe, a conference for bootstrapped founders. They arrived early to explore the city, appreciating its historical significance and beauty, despite some negative ...
The author discusses the importance of regular exercise, emphasizing its role in enhancing lifespan and overall well-being. They present a thought experiment calculating the return on investment (ROI) of exercise, suggesting that ...
This blog post discusses the importance of managing phone notifications to cultivate a healthier relationship with technology. The author shares personal experiences and practical strategies for reducing distractions, such as remo...
A curated list of reliable physical and digital tools that the author values for their effectiveness and minimalistic approach to purchasing.
The author discusses the cold weather in South Africa and the different types of heaters available. They explain the mechanisms of conduction, radiation, and convection, and the efficiency of different heaters like quartz bar, fin...
The author discusses how readers of his blog reaching out to him when they are in Cape Town has opened up a new avenue for meeting interesting people and potential friends. He also sees it as an opportunity to solicit feedback and...
0The Great Scrape
2025-03-26 • cybersecurity ethics web scraping and crawling
The text discusses the unethical practice of scraping vast quantities of data from the internet to train language models, causing unintentional DDoS attacks and negatively impacting content hosts. The author shares their experienc...
0The sound of silence
2025-02-11 • meditation self-actualization silence
The author discusses the importance of spending time in silence and with oneself, highlighting how it has helped him solve complex problems and lead a calmer, more collected life. He shares his intention to spend more quiet time w...
The Bear Manifesto outlines the commitments and vision for Bear, a blogging platform, ensuring it won't shut down, sell, or show ads. It is built to last, with a succession plan in place and a legal structure as a PTY LTD. The foc...
0Active rest
2025-01-20 • hobby projects craftsmanship leisure work-life balance
The author discusses the negative effects of spending too much time in front of screens due to knowledge work, and the importance of engaging in hobbies and crafts as a form of active rest. They share their personal experiences wi...