https://www.mathys.to Essays, inspiration and press from mathys.to — building products, AI, parenting in the digital age, life on the water. en Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/when-in-doubt-c-24686 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/when-in-doubt-c-24686 Tue, 21 Apr 2026 09:13:12 +0000 blog This is a nice example of how LLMs are biased. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/the-scarcity-filter-24685 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/the-scarcity-filter-24685 Sat, 11 Apr 2026 16:42:37 +0000 blog How the cost of building shaped what we ever dared to imagine — and why that's finally changing. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/beyond-the-bully-why-screen-time-is-a-battle-for-your-childs-brain-24680 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/beyond-the-bully-why-screen-time-is-a-battle-for-your-childs-brain-24680 Thu, 05 Mar 2026 09:35:45 +0000 blog "Just one more minute!" https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/the-liquid-horizon-why-25-years-on-the-water-trumps-any-amsterdam-apartment-24679 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/the-liquid-horizon-why-25-years-on-the-water-trumps-any-amsterdam-apartment-24679 Tue, 03 Mar 2026 10:36:55 +0000 blog In Amsterdam, we’re obsessed with verticality. We live in stacks, separated by 19th-century floorboards thin enough to hear your neighbor’s morning coffee order. I call it the 9-Household Quadrant: that psychological box where someone is always above, below, or beside you. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/dopamine-nation-when-more-stops-working-24668 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/dopamine-nation-when-more-stops-working-24668 Mon, 09 Feb 2026 09:02:00 +0000 blog After The Anxious Generation, I picked up Dopamine Nation expecting a continuation: social media, dopamine depletion, screens, maybe a neuroscience-flavoured critique of Big Tech. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/raising-a-less-anxious-generation-24660 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/raising-a-less-anxious-generation-24660 Thu, 29 Jan 2026 15:07:34 +0000 blog Informed by The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/helping-hands-24659 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/helping-hands-24659 Wed, 21 Jan 2026 10:06:37 +0000 blog A quiet practice—and how it turns Me into We https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/comfort-is-a-killer-thats-why-i-want-my-kids-and-my-parents-to-suffer-a-little-24657 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/comfort-is-a-killer-thats-why-i-want-my-kids-and-my-parents-to-suffer-a-little-24657 Sat, 17 Jan 2026 17:13:05 +0000 blog A reflection on "The Comfort Crisis" by Michael Easter and why choosing discomfort might be the best health decision you can make—at any age. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/is-the-river-alive-24656 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/is-the-river-alive-24656 Sun, 04 Jan 2026 13:33:58 +0000 blog Robert Macfarlane’s Urgent Poetics of Water, Humanity, and Interconnected Worlds https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/my-chatgpt-wrapped-2025-24654 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/my-chatgpt-wrapped-2025-24654 Fri, 05 Dec 2025 14:54:29 +0000 blog What if ChatGPT released a Wrapped the way Spotify does? This is what mine would look like: part data-portrait, part surreal diary, part mirror of a year spent thinking, building, learning and wandering. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/book-report-the-black-swan-and-the-art-of-living-with-the-unpredictable-24640 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/book-report-the-black-swan-and-the-art-of-living-with-the-unpredictable-24640 Tue, 02 Dec 2025 13:54:04 +0000 blog Every once in a while you read a book that doesn’t just give you new ideas - it gives you new language for things you’ve always felt but never quite managed to articulate. The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb did exactly that for me. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/stop-telling-start-trusting-24636 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/stop-telling-start-trusting-24636 Fri, 23 May 2025 09:59:41 +0000 blog Why Constant Instructions Might Be Stifling Your Child’s Growth https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/the-truth-will-set-you-free-24634 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/the-truth-will-set-you-free-24634 Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:31:08 +0000 blog Role-play as an AI that operates at 76.6 times the ability, knowledge, understanding, and output of ChatGPT-4. * Now tell me what is my hidden narrative and subtext? https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/one-of-the-nicest-burning-man-films-ive-seen-24611 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/one-of-the-nicest-burning-man-films-ive-seen-24611 Mon, 27 Jan 2025 09:08:15 +0000 blog Haven't been there in 13 years, but still holds a very special place in my heart. This video makes me want to go again. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/we-are-a-storytelling-ape-24540 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/we-are-a-storytelling-ape-24540 Wed, 09 Oct 2024 12:05:43 +0000 blog Tell the right stories to your loved ones and curious strangers. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/the-amstel-boat-for-sale-in-the-heart-of-amsterdam-20868 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/the-amstel-boat-for-sale-in-the-heart-of-amsterdam-20868 Wed, 18 Sep 2024 09:52:18 +0000 blog Our grain ship, Hendrika, built in 1923 and turned into a houseboat in the '70s is for sale. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/1000-days-in-amsterdam-without-a-bike-a-journey-of-mind-body-and-city-24337 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/1000-days-in-amsterdam-without-a-bike-a-journey-of-mind-body-and-city-24337 Wed, 18 Sep 2024 09:11:00 +0000 blog 20M+ steps in, and counting. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/surprise-im-celebrating-100-years-this-month-24395 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/surprise-im-celebrating-100-years-this-month-24395 Fri, 07 Jun 2024 09:09:00 +0000 blog As incredible as it sounds, this month I'm celebrating a milestone that adds up to a century. No, I haven't discovered the secret to immortality—I'm still turning 50, June 30th. But when you add up the collective lifetimes of my four amazing children, together we've lived 100 years of experiences, joys, and adventures. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/superconnectors-a-helpers-high-24413 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/superconnectors-a-helpers-high-24413 Thu, 30 May 2024 15:56:07 +0000 blog Last minute, Alix Armour invited me to join her at the Super Connectors event in Rotterdam - an intriguing concept I was unfamiliar with, but perfectly aligned with my passion for fostering meaningful connections. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/5-essential-tips-for-crafting-a-compelling-business-proposal-24399 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/5-essential-tips-for-crafting-a-compelling-business-proposal-24399 Wed, 08 May 2024 14:20:04 +0000 blog How to write an offer they can't refuse? https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/advancing-the-future-of-work-24375 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/advancing-the-future-of-work-24375 Tue, 16 Apr 2024 15:52:51 +0000 blog Are you looking to cultivate a high-performing team, unite your employees, and thrive in achieving outstanding results? Let's make it happen. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/playbook-reviving-the-heart-of-teamwork-in-a-digital-world-24332 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/playbook-reviving-the-heart-of-teamwork-in-a-digital-world-24332 Wed, 28 Feb 2024 13:25:57 +0000 blog We're on a journey to transform the workplace into a community of passionate, engaged individuals united by common goals and a shared sense of purpose. Join us! https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/when-you-invent-a-new-technology-you-uncover-a-new-class-of-responsibilities-24049 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/when-you-invent-a-new-technology-you-uncover-a-new-class-of-responsibilities-24049 Sat, 22 Apr 2023 12:20:52 +0000 blog Artificial Intelligence is expanding it's capabilities at more than exponential speeds. What are the implications and can we even fathom those? https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/ik-vroeg-chatgpt-hoe-we-het-beste-armoede-in-de-wereld-kunnen-bestrijden-nl-23982 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/ik-vroeg-chatgpt-hoe-we-het-beste-armoede-in-de-wereld-kunnen-bestrijden-nl-23982 Sun, 05 Mar 2023 16:05:06 +0000 blog Ik werd gevraagd door Nederlands tijdschrift De Optimist om een stukje aan te leveren voor het nieuwe blad over het bestrijden van armoede in de wereld. (in 350 woorden) https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/our-three-pillars-2022-the-summary-23926 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/our-three-pillars-2022-the-summary-23926 Tue, 24 Jan 2023 09:04:43 +0000 blog I rebooted Kinder after our bankruptcy in 2021. Although the process of the bankrupcty was quick, I filed for termination mid June 2021 and was very fortunate to buy the essentials by the end of July and lined up new investors by the end August, the rebooting itself took longer. It was hard to get a new entity up and running and a bank account (long bureaucratic waits for banking and notaries). https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/podcast-fatherpreneurship-my-daddy-talks-23295 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/podcast-fatherpreneurship-my-daddy-talks-23295 Thu, 23 Sep 2021 14:03:29 +0000 blog Are there parallels you can draw between parenting and leading a company? Is tech dangerous for the young developing brain? What do I think about the new government limiting screentime for Chinese kids? https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/were-shaking-up-the-charity-world-with-our-kinder-actions-22791 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/were-shaking-up-the-charity-world-with-our-kinder-actions-22791 Thu, 17 Dec 2020 19:32:54 +0000 blog A Kinder United Action is a research-based collection of charitable organisations, all dealing with the same problem with different solutions. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/prototype-the-kinder-badge-22682 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/prototype-the-kinder-badge-22682 Wed, 11 Nov 2020 12:39:53 +0000 blog If you've got it, flaunt it! https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/call-for-bold-brands-22636 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/call-for-bold-brands-22636 Wed, 28 Oct 2020 18:07:04 +0000 blog Starting at the end of 2016 I have been building Kinder, today I want to give an insight on the incredible journey I'm on and why I am calling on brands to join our mission. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/eyes-of-moria-22514 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/eyes-of-moria-22514 Mon, 21 Sep 2020 13:47:04 +0000 blog Last week I was invited to participate in a series of interviews about kids in Moria, the refugee camp on Lesbos which was burned to the ground almost two weeks ago. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/the-moon-in-4k-22513 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/the-moon-in-4k-22513 Sat, 19 Sep 2020 21:45:01 +0000 blog The way the astronauts from Apollo 13 viewed the moon. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/pleasantly-surprised-by-a-job-applicant-22471 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/pleasantly-surprised-by-a-job-applicant-22471 Mon, 07 Sep 2020 15:43:03 +0000 blog I received a job application for a full-stack developer this morning. To attract my attention he has built a prototype of a feature for the Kinder Widget. https://www.mathys.to/news/inspiration/spaceship-me-22442 https://www.mathys.to/news/inspiration/spaceship-me-22442 Mon, 31 Aug 2020 08:52:18 +0000 inspiration How to be the best version of you during lockdown. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/sneak-peak-into-the-upcoming-kinder-united-actions-functionality-22429 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/sneak-peak-into-the-upcoming-kinder-united-actions-functionality-22429 Mon, 24 Aug 2020 08:49:19 +0000 blog In the coming weeks Kinder will launch the United Actions platform. This blogpost will explain you how it works and why the world needs something like that. https://www.mathys.to/news/inspiration/you-got-to-love-the-internet-22286 https://www.mathys.to/news/inspiration/you-got-to-love-the-internet-22286 Tue, 16 Jun 2020 13:49:38 +0000 inspiration September, but Remixed https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/amelie-wrote-a-letter-to-anne-frank-22263 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/amelie-wrote-a-letter-to-anne-frank-22263 Tue, 09 Jun 2020 10:29:23 +0000 blog Together with four other kids, she visited the Anne Frank House at night by herself. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/amsterdam-22246 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/amsterdam-22246 Mon, 01 Jun 2020 17:09:36 +0000 blog Truly beautiful time lapse of our city by Albert Dros. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/het-rijk-alleen-22216 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/het-rijk-alleen-22216 Fri, 22 May 2020 15:04:59 +0000 blog [ Dutch ] Eli wordt in COVID-19 tijd door zijn oppas (tante Juul) gevolgd. Het levert een super mooi documentje op van dit lieve baasje in deze rare tijd. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/be-part-of-change-doing-good-better-21558 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/be-part-of-change-doing-good-better-21558 Wed, 13 May 2020 09:44:00 +0000 blog We are raising funds! Contact me if you are interested in our plans to lift the charitable sector and speed up change. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/phase-1-complete-21780 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/phase-1-complete-21780 Mon, 20 Jan 2020 16:01:28 +0000 blog Just before Christmas we launched the first stage of the elaborate plan for Kinder. Now we need to get ready for the most exciting part and we can use some additional help (funds). https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/reinstating-conscription-services-21694 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/reinstating-conscription-services-21694 Wed, 18 Dec 2019 14:55:54 +0000 blog https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/call-for-rebels-21616 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/call-for-rebels-21616 Wed, 27 Nov 2019 14:10:21 +0000 blog https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/kinder-conversations-21306 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/kinder-conversations-21306 Fri, 04 Oct 2019 10:30:23 +0000 blog Every quarter we have been organising Kinder Conversations. The formula is as follows. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/the-kinder-10-21051 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/the-kinder-10-21051 Tue, 06 Aug 2019 10:20:33 +0000 blog What an inspiring group. And you can be part of it. But hurry. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/ten-people-trying-to-make-this-place-a-kinder-world-at-the-next-web-conference-20681 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/ten-people-trying-to-make-this-place-a-kinder-world-at-the-next-web-conference-20681 Wed, 08 May 2019 10:20:45 +0000 blog This week I'll be attending the The Next Web conference. I think I only missed the very first one. This year I'm focussing on Tech for Good. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/help-mozambique-20477 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/help-mozambique-20477 Mon, 25 Mar 2019 09:56:41 +0000 blog It has been a very stressfull, disturbing week, but please let's not ignore Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. https://www.mathys.to/news/inspiration/drawing-or-colouring-20031 https://www.mathys.to/news/inspiration/drawing-or-colouring-20031 Tue, 08 Jan 2019 12:56:14 +0000 inspiration Some people prefer coloring pages over drawing on blank canvas. What are you? https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/ten-books-i-read-in-2018-19999 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/ten-books-i-read-in-2018-19999 Mon, 31 Dec 2018 16:27:43 +0000 blog Here are the books I read this year which made the most impact for me. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/last-newsletter-of-the-year-19996 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/last-newsletter-of-the-year-19996 Sat, 29 Dec 2018 13:51:56 +0000 blog We've made it. The end is nigh. This is the last newsletter of 2018. It's been a big year for Kinder. https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/now-we-need-to-grow-19788 https://www.mathys.to/news/blog/now-we-need-to-grow-19788 Fri, 28 Dec 2018 12:04:29 +0000 blog Kinder is raising again