Projects That Sparked a Lifelong Passion (EN)

Klik hier voor de Nederlandse verise (NL)

From a young age, I have been an enthusiast when it comes to technology. This enthusiasm and passion for computers were present in me from a very young age. Because I knew more about computers than my mother at that time, she decided to seek help from a friend who owned their own computer shop. She asked if I (8 years old) could spend an afternoon there every week to learn. That was absolutely fine, and it was there that I laid the foundations for the knowledge that I now carry with me everywhere.

In this section, I describe the 'projects' from that period (up until the start of my 'serious career' in high school). Unfortunately, many of those projects have been lost over time.

I had to search thoroughly, starting from old to new. If I come across more projects later on, I will add them directly to the timeline.

Sepp's App

At the age of 12, I had a brilliant idea: building an app for my primary school. After a nerve-wracking proposal to the principal, who was naturally enthusiastic (and a tad skeptical ;)), I started working with my limited knowledge. Every free moment after school was spent learning 'Xcode.' After six months of learning and building, the moment finally arrived: the launch of the Wakersduin app. A simple app containing all the information I could gather from the website.

Unfortunately, it was released under my mother's name, as I didn't have a credit card at the time :P.

For myself, this was a fantastic project. I remember well how happy I was that I hadn't given up. It wasn't a sophisticated app, but it worked, and I had completed it. That was what I found most important. I also remember quite vividly the amount of unwanted attention it attracted, which was a bit less enjoyable...

I also ended up in the school's weekly newspaper:

And that also caught the attention of our local news (even a radio interview 😅):

Unfortunately, I couldn't find the original radio interview and article anymore, though.

Repairs & Soldering

Throughout the years, I've also helped many friends and family with repairing, upgrading, or installing equipment. While all of this was interesting and enjoyable, one project stands out in my memory: it was the first time I had to solder extensively. That was the moment when I truly learned how to solder properly, thanks to Marek from Maptec ICT.

It involved flashing the (NOR?)NAND chip on a PlayStation 3 to get it working again.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find anymore projects. If there are any other projects that come to mind from this time, I'll add them immediately! And you can also find today's projects here ;)