Readme.txt.

In days of old the readme.txt file has been the trusty companion of all kinds of binary information. It’s goal? Informing users with critical information before they use the file. Not quite the “M” in the RFTM, but the R in the RTFR: Read the Fantastic Readme File. Consider this the Readme file to Knightwise.com explaining the who, the why and the how of this website.

Why.

Perhaps that is the most important question of all, isn’t it: WHY. The answer is simple. The Knightwise.com website exists to “Let technology work for you”. While technology slowly consumes all civilisation on planet earth it is important to remember who is boss, the man or the machine. This might sound terribly obvious, but every day we are governed by technology. An insidious ping on our smartphone disturbs a quiet moment. Hours of daylight (and starlight) are wasted on formatting a particularly stubborn word file … or you have to take on an extra job at the local burgerflipper just to afford that fancy gadget that is all the rage. This is why that one single line is so important: Reminding us that technology is there to enhance the human condition and that we should be aware how slippery the slope is from being a “super-user” to becoming just another biodrone.

How.

This site is riddled with stories. From well versed opinions to random rants. Articles, Podcasts, Pictures, Blogposts. All of them filled with a drive to find out new ways to “Tune tech into your way of life”. And over the decades my life has been both the inspiration from which (and the killing grounds where) the ways I deal with technology have come forth. I’m not an armchair philosopher, financial analyser or tech journalist. My personal reality is where these stories spring forth. Peruse these pages and watch grand ideas slam into reality at sublight velocities. See me triumph, fail, and come back on something I swore I would never do again. Just like technology, life evolves. So with words, pictures and sounds I share my digital reality, my wisdom and my flaws. I’m only human (but then again, so are you, I hope).

It’s all about making connections. I’m flattered that you might take the time to read this, but knightwise.com is not about the clicks, the views and the visitor numbers. As one of the ground-zero podcasters in 2005 I’ve been asked so many times: Have you ever thought about making money out of it? The answer is no, and I don’t want to. This is not a business venture. Knightwise.com is about making connections.

Connections between challenges and solutions, between technology and humans, but most of all between humans and other humans. This place wants to be a community, not a concert. Tailoring to small clique of people who make a real connection with technology and with each other. Getting to know each other, sharing knowledge experience and insights. (and having a good laugh at my expense) Knightwise.com links back to the early mindset of the digital innovators: Working with machines to enhance the human experience, using the internet to share knowledge and make valuable connections. It’s a place for learning, sharing and most of all, forging friendships. 

It’s not about me.

For me Knightwise.com is a playground. A place to experiment, to express myself. To share my creativity on a blank digital canvas without having to wonder about a brand, a focus group and a market. It’s a place where I journal to listen to the echoes of my voice on a screen. I’m not in it for the money, the views or the lolz. But if I don’t do this, I might explode.

It’s a manifesto.

Call it what you want, but hours of voice and video recordings, thousands of articles and quite a few images might be viewed as a “manifesto”. I doubt that i’m smart enough to ever write one of those, but it IS a way I view the relation between the hardware, software and wetware. I promise that all words written are my own and I don’t let an LLM do it for me. If you take the time to read or listen, I must take the time to write it … on my own. 

Oh and erm … Knightwho ?

Who is Knightwise? Well I’ve been in the digital profession for over 3 decades now and have a background in human sciences. This has always driven me to understand how both computers and humans are “wired” and how I can find ways to bring them closer together.

KnightWise is a handle I picked over 30 years ago, the hard translation of the Dutch word “Ridderlijk” (With a Knightly attitude). It stuck and has become a name to me just like the other one I have. The domain name was free and the rest is history.