Title |
Abstract |
Date |
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Evaluativity: a proposal for empirical investigation
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Certain degree scales are denoted into by pairs of opposite adjectives that are asymmetric in that one is the default, unmarked case and the other is its marked alternative.
Phrases that relate two objects along a particular domain using such adjectives are often felt to be evaluative in the marked equative construction but not in the marked comparative, nor in any of the constructions using unmarked adjectives.
In this paper, several experiments are proposed in full detail that can further clarify how these evaluativity patterns are used by human subjects, so that our finest semantic theories can be informed by rigorous empirical results.
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June 2010 |
Main(PDF)
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Dependencies and their reactivations in the parser
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We have investigated how reactivation patterns observed in gap--filling can be predicted through the simple hypothesis that antecedent reactivation occurs whenever its lexical item is used innovatively. Further experiments have been suggested that can verify the predictions so as to gain a better understanding of how humans parse wh--dependencies over time.
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June 2010 |
Main(zipped PDF)
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Learning Anttila Grammars
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We have investigated a possible learning algorithm for Anttila grammars which is a generalisation of the Constraint Demotion procedure in regular optimality theory. The learning algorithm proceeds by demoting constraints that prefer candidates that never win.
The algorithm, though surprisingly effective in our quantitative simulation, proves to miss the essential interactions that Anttila grammars allow between the constraints. As such, it is a good heuristic a language learner might use but by no means an effective procedure that is guaranteed to find the suitable Anttila grammar for a set of observed data.
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Mar 2010 |
Main(PDF)
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A proposed experimental study for investigation of reactivation patterns in successive cyclic wh--movement
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This paper presents a brief review of empirical evidence for semantic reactivation of a wh--moved antecedent at the position of the trace. With the technique of cross--modal lexical priming a series of studies have found robust priming effect at these positions.
An experimental paradigm is proposed in which this technique is applied to investigate potential reactivation of the antecedent at positions where the theory of successive cyclic movement predicts the occurrence of traces.
Hopefully in the future these experimental studies will be further elaborated through recently proposed models of parsing so as to yield a better understanding of the nature of movement in syntax as well as the nature of the reactivation findings.
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Mar 2010 |
Main(PDF)
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Vowel Harmony in Lhasa Tibetan - or how to deal with exceptions
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The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of vowel harmony in Lhasa Tibetan, in which vowels raise to become more similar. This process applies bidirectionally, i.e. high vowels cause preceding vowels to raise (regression) as well as following ones (progression). Vowel harmony is of interest to phonological theory because of the following asymmetry between the two directions: long low vowels appear resistant to progressive but not to regressive raising. A further nuance arises from the fact that one type of vowel laxing feeds the raising, but another counterfeeds it.
A rule--based account will be proposed, which, although somewhat unintuitive captures the essential facts. A constraint--based (OT) approach will also be shown to account for the raising pattern using alignment constraints. However, it will become clear that there is no straightforward way to implement the counterfeeding relation of the vowel laxing.
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Dec 2009 |
Main(PDF)
Present(PDF)
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The Tibetan correlative and its counterparts in Hindi and English
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Lhasa Tibetan employs a construction dubbed the 'correlative' in which a sentence like 'If you bought that yak, I killed it' is used to mean you would express in english as roughly 'I killed whatever yak you bought'.
One might ask if we can analyse the Tibetan correlatives as English--like relative clauses with the correlative CP starting out inside the correlative DP. Under this analysis, the English and Tibetan would have the same underlying form. In English, the head noun moves to the specifier of CP, whereas in Tibetan it would remain in situ, with the correlative CP in its turn moving to a sentence--initial position.
We compare this analysis to Hindi in which correlatives are much more widely studied. We show that a simplified analysis from Hindi correlatives extrapolates to Tibetan and captures some basic facts about how these constructions work.
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Dec 2009 |
Main(PDF)
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Reasoning with Knights and Knaves: Towards an understanding of reasoning about truth and falsity
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We have seen almost two decades of research into how subjects reason to solve knight--knave brain--teasers. Rips proposed a model based on mental deduction rules in which we, as psychologists of reasoning, do not need to appeal to meta--cognition. The results were criticised by Evans and Johnson--Laird and Byrne who propose their own interpretation based on mental models and meta--logical reasoning strategies.
Elqayam, almost a decade later, calls into doubt the nature of the norm that the previous authors have presupposed to be the only meaningful norm in knight--knave puzzles. In particular, she argues the problems call for or at least justify the use of three--valued logic. My commentary is that knight--knave puzzles come with the explicit requirement of the excluded middle, which forced us to conclude that subjects who use three--valued logic are no longer solving the puzzle as it was proposed.
This is perhaps the most truthful explanation of Rips' observation of high error rates.
On the other hand, perhaps more importantly, these considerations can lead us to view these puzzles in a different way: rather as a tool that might lead to discover what subjects' conceptions about truth and falsity are.
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26 Jan 2009 |
Main(PDF)
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Paradoxes and Self-reference
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Paradoxes pose a direct problem to the definition of truth, for they make impossible the application of the T-equivalences that state that 'p is true' ought to be true exactly when 'p' is.
Tarski, Kripke (reformulated by Cantini) and Leitgeb have given different solutions, the latter two involving a notion of groundedness: grounded sentences are those whose truth value is based, either directly or indirectly, on non-semantic states of affairs, in particular these sentences do not refer to themselves.
However, their notions of groundedness are not the same. This paper is an exploration of what factors make them differ and how they could be made equal. The underlying hope is that this will clarify the nature of the idea of groundedness.
Among the particular conclusions of this paper is that only when adding both a conditionality requirement and a consistency requirement at the same time to Leitgeb's notion of dependence that the resulting set of grounded sentences becomes identical to those following from Cantini's reformulation of Kripke's notion of groundedness.
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2 June 2008 |
Main(PDF)
Present(PDF)
Palmyr(PDF)
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Lambek: The Mathematics of Sentence Structure
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In his paper The mathematics of sentence structure, Lambek's goal is to obtain an effective rule (or algorithm) for distinguishing sentences from non--sentences}. This undertaking aimed to clarify the computational side of language.
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11 March 2008 |
Present(PDF)
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The Liar Paradox in Frege's Set Theory
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This paper is meant to provide an exposition of the nature of Russell's Paradox that is meant to make clear that it is a formalised version of the principle that is expressed in the Liar Paradox --- the uttering of the phrase 'This, what I say now, is not true.' First of all the paradoxical nature of this statement will be scrutinised. The discussion of Russell's Paradox will be preceded by a discussion of Frege's definition of logical inference and his proposition for the foundations of mathematics --- in particular his concept of a Werthverlauf that was meant to bring functions into the realm of analysis of objects. Consequently, it will be explained why Russell's Paradox is crucial to Frege's undertaking. Subsequently, using elementary Model Theory in logic there will be an explanation of the modern resolution of the paradox in Zermelo--Fraenkel Set Theory. Finally, there will be a discussion of the fundamental characteristic of self--reference that is exhibited in Russell's Paradox and made impossible in the theory of Zermelo--Fraenkel.
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2 May 2005 |
Main(PDF)
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The Problem of Particular Affirmatives in Leibniz's Original Formulation of Logical Calculus
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This paper will discuss the problem of the incorporation of particular affirmative propositions in Leibniz's system of logical calculus, which was designed in such a way that all inferences could be arithmetically tested. First of all, some of the definitions of the concepts that will have to be used in this discussion will be clarified. Secondly, Leibniz's thoughts on formal transcription of logical inferences will be discussed. It will become clear that in Leibniz's original formulation the problem of particular affirmative propositions lies in the case in which not one of the two terms of a particular affirmative proposition is the genus of the other, on which assumption the assignment of products of prime numbers to compound terms relied. This problem directly reflects the inability of integers to model conceptual complexity and reflects the discrepancy between the intensional and extensional approaches to the problem. |
19 Dec 2003 |
Main(PDF)
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On the epistemological status of mathematical objects in Plato's philosophical system
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The main question in this paper is what the epistemological status of mathematical objects is in Plato's thought system, as opposed to that of objects from the sensible realm. It will be established that mathematics proceeds from axioms via previously defined rules to conclusions that depend on the choice of principles. It also becomes clear that there is the desire for an answer to the question how there can be a conception of mathematical objects in our understanding if we have never experienced them as such in the visible world. Next will be dealt with the fundamentals of Plato's epistemological theory of forms, in order to be able to find the place for mathematical objects. It will be shown consequently that Plato's conception of mathematics can be equated with the intuitions that are established before. |
19 Dec 2003 |
Main(PDF)
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On Limits and Purpose in Pascal's Wager Argument
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This paper discusses the domain of the Wager argument for believing in God, as it was presented by Pascal, and his reasons for doing so. Many people think that Pascal tries to provide a rational foundation for religion. However, in this paper it will be argued that Pascal thinks that true faith is felt only by the heart. |
30 April 2003 |
Main(PDF)
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On Scientific Conduct with the respect to the Principle of Energy Conservation
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A paper addressing the question whether the concept of energy and the fact that scientists implicitly considered it infallible in the history of science, is to be viewed as genuinely scientific or that it rather limits our physical description of the world. |
5 April 2003 |
Main(PDF)
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On Axiomatical Principles in the Debate on the Justification of Induction
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A paper concerning philosophy of science, about circular justification of principles such as induction, dealing with the question whether this is epistemically problematic or not. |
16 Dec 2002 |
Main(PDF)
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A Comparison between the reception and scientific application of Euclid's Elements in Europe and Asia.
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The struggle for the status of mathematics takes place in the 16th and 17th century and Euclid's work The Elements of Geometry plays a major role. In this essay I will discuss the remarkable events that took place around that time and I will try to shed some new light on them by comparing them with the events that took place (or noticeably did not) in Asia at the same time. In this essay, I will defend the statement that Euclid's Elements of Geometry was not as useful for the Asian scientists as it was to the European scientists. |
21 Oct 2002 |
Main(PDF)
Appendix(PDF)
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Westfall Chap 2-8
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PowerPoint presentation slides for the Presentation for History and Philosophy of Science, the History part. |
3 Oct 2002 |
Main(PPt)
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Title |
Abstract |
Date |
Download |
A Comparison of Different Formal Approaches to the Phonology of the Pitch Accent in Japanese
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Japanese is a pitch-accent language, which means it shares features of both tone and stress languages, but contradicts other aspects of both. The question addressed in this paper is what formalism best performs as a qualitative model for the representations of the speakers. This question may shed light on the mental faculty of phonological realisation as a whole, since it should in particular be able to facilitate the pitch-accent qualities of Tokyo Japanese that is under scrutiny in this paper. |
2 Jun 2008 |
Main(PDF)
Present(PDF)
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On the Distribution of the Japanese wa and ga from a pragmatic perspective
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A paper describing how the Japanese particles wa and ga, both indicating the nominative case, are distributed and how this relates to speech act situations. The theory of John Austin will be applied to this matter. |
18 Dec 2002 |
Main(PDF)
Main(PPT)
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The Attitude towards Women, Expressed in Classical Operas
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A PowerPoint presentation of my talk about the attitude towards women that is expressed in classical operas, taking Mozart's Die Zauberfloete and Beethoven's Leonore and Fidelio as examples. |
5 Dec 2002 |
Main(PPT)
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Veni, Vidi, Induxi (Ladyman Chap 1-2)
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PowerPoint presentation slides for the Presentation for History and Philosophy of Science, the Philosophy part, covering Ladyman's book Understanding Philosophy of Science, chapter 1 and 2. |
30 Oct 2002 |
Main(PPT)
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KCV Werkstuk Iconografie
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Werkstuk KCV over Iconografie. |
~2000 |
Main(PDF)
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Title |
Abstract |
Date |
Download |
Language and Vision, or the beginnings of a project
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A short presentation for a lab meeting to give an overview of preliminary results of my project with Patrick Cavanagh about implementing the Stroop paradigm using mouse trajectories as a measure, as well as some thoughts about how to link this up with questions concerning priming and the relation between language and space.
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21 Oct 2008 |
Beginnings(PDF)
Intermediate(PDF)
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Independence of Variations to Kruskal's Theorem in ACA0
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This paper will provide the explicit proofs of the independence from ACA_0 of four propositions that were set out by Smith. The propositions express the fact that particular subsets of the set of all trees are well--quasi--orderings. To prove the undecidability, the approach of this paper is to proceed from the assumption that ACA_0 does not prove CWF(\varepsilon_0) via the explicit formulation of a function psi that associates with each ordinal below \varepsilon_0 a tree from the set A, where is the subsetset of the set of trees under consideration, such that if psi(a) is embeddable to psi(b), then a is less than b --- and embeddability is taken to be homeomorphic embeddability which is, depending on the proposition, structure preserving or not.
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30 May 2005 |
Main(PDF)
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On the derivation of the discrete energy levels of the quantum mechanical harmonic oscillator
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The aim of this paper will be to provide an alternative derivation of the, crucially discrete, energy levels of the quantum mechanical harmonic oscillator. In line with Ehrenfest's Theorem, an expression will be obtained for the time derivative of the expectation value each power of the position operator X, and each power multiplied by the momentum operator P. These expressions can in turn be written in terms of the expectation values of powers of X, potentially multiplied by the P only. Thus the time derivative can be represented by matrix. The determinant of this matrix vanishes for states satisfying the time-independent Schroedinger Equation and from taking the determinant as a function of the energy of the system an expression for the discrete allowed energies can be obtained. |
25 June 2004 |
Main(PDF)
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On the interpretation of the conceptual content of the state vector on the basis of the EPR- and GHZ-experiment
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This paper will deal with the domain of questions related to the Heisenberg Uncertainty Relationship. It will be shown by a number of experiments, some merely gedankenexperiments, others completely experimentally verifiable - and indeed also verified -, that, more than as a practical limitation on the human scientific knowledge about the state of affairs of physical reality, the quantum mechanical predictions should be interpreted as implying the conclusion that the concept of property, as applied to physical entities such as particles, on the microscopic level cannot be considered well defined. The main reason for this conclusion is that it can be shown on the basis of the outcomes of the EPR- and GHZ-experiments, via Bell's Theorem, that a model which incorporates instruction sets to represent properties is impossible. |
19 May 2004 |
Main(PDF)
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On the Parameterisation of Regular Elementary Mathematical Shapes in Three-Dimensional Space
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In this paper Geometric Algebra will be applied to the problem of finding a parameterisation of elementary mathematical shapes in three-dimensional space. The examples of a sphere and a single torus will be used. It will be shown that these parameterisations can be given in both exponential and trigonometrical notation and that they are equivalent. Secondly, using the parameterisation the tangent vectors along the surface will be calculated by differentiating the parameterisation over the parameters. Finally the surface area of the shapes will be calculated by integrating the magnitude of the wedge product over the domains of the parameters. |
19 Dec 2003 |
Main(PDF)
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On the Application of Geometric Algebra in the Lorentz Transformation
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The aim of this paper is to provide understanding of the relation between the application of Geometric Algebra in the Lorentz Transformation and the conventional coordinate-based approach. The relation between the variables used in both approaches will be assessed and the relative efficiency of the Geometric Algebra will be established. The general Lorentz Transformation will be subdivided into a rotation and a boost transformation. This opens the way to write the exponent notation of the Geometric Algebra product as a Taylor series to discover the sine-cosine or hyperbolic sine-cosine alternative notation, which can successively be used to find the old notation. The power of the Geometric Algebra, it will be assessed, lies in the fact that it can solve the Lorentz Transformation without choosing any coordinate system. |
28 Sept 2003 |
Main(PDF)
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Harmonic Considerations in Musical Theory Regarding the Phenomenon of the Wolf Fifth
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In the old day's the organ and the clavecimble (an ancestor of what is nowadays called the piano or grand piano) were tuned in the way that would be harmonically desirable in the sense that the most of the smaller intervals were tuned precisely the way they are defined. However, it turned out that this yields a discrepancy in the fifth circle, which is achieved by transposing harmonic scales. In order to account for this discrepancy, clavecimble tuners would make one fifth in each octave out of tune. The organ players had to avoid playing it and composers were taught not to include it in their music. In this paper the question whether this Wolf Fifth is a physical phenomenon or a result of our theoretical definitions of the musical theory will be addressed. First some of the concepts used will be clarified in a section on the theory of sound. |
16 May 2003 |
Main(PDF)
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Profielwerkstuk Kwantummechanica, Metafysica, en de Werkelijkheid?
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A presentation about the philosophical consequences of the quantummechanical world view. Also addresses questions such as; to what extent do theoretical physics' theories imply a world view? |
~Spring 2002 |
Main(PPT)
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Title |
Abstract |
Date |
Download |
Senior Class Address 2005
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The commencement address for the Graduation Ceremony of the University College Utrecht Class of 2005. |
27 May 2005 |
Main(PDF)
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King Lear's Entrance
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A short and simple choral piece, written for the University College Utrecht Shakespeare Production of 2005: King Lear, under the direction of Madeleine Blackwell. |
5 Feb 2005 |
Main(PDF)
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Mijn Zoon
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A short story, written for the local contest "I love you Almere, I hate you." About the relationship between a very severe father and his son. |
~2002 |
Main(PDF)
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Een Woord van Vertrouwen
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For a national contest, which required the participants to write about their view of the future (in 2050 to be precise). |
~2001 |
Main(PDF)
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Ik zoek naar iets dat mijn knaps kan bevatten
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A short story, written for the Kunstbende 2001, about a journalist who feels his life is a waist and tries to find a new meaning to it. |
~Spring 2001 |
Main(PDF)
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Schaduwdal
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My largest written work so far. An assignment for the Classical Art History class in Highschool. It is a tale about faith, Platonic Ideas, love and care. |
~2001 |
Main(PDF)
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Schaduwbeeld
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For the Kunstbende 2000. A mix between a short story and a poem. About love. |
~2000 |
Main(PDF)
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Scio me Nihil Scire
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For the Young Writers Competition 2000. A short story, fairy tale, based on events in the life of the Ancient Greek philosopher Socrates. |
~2000 |
Main(PDF)
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Letter
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For the Young Writers Competition 1999. About an old man who writes a letter about what happened to him in the Second World War in a POW camp. |
~1999 |
Main(PDF)
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De Mythe van Doppales
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Written at Highschool. A myth I made up, as part of an assignment for our Art History class. A tale about love. |
~1999 |
Main(PDF)
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Title |
Abstract |
Date |
Download |
The Soul of the Spot
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A short movie mixing a number of pictures that I extracted from the Utrecht Gemeentearchief to fit into the framework of a final performance of my theatre course, offered by Richard Hinam. |
April/May 2005 |
Main(Google)
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Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
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The famous Shakespeare play mounted as part of the traditional Shakespeare project at University College Utrecht (UCU), this version of A Midsummer Night's Dream by an enthusiastic group of students and under the capable supervision of Madeleine Blackwell was prepared during several weeks of the winter break in early 2003. |
February 2003 |
Main(Google)
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Leeg (Empty)
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The hallucinating story of a young man who questions the nature of the friendship he has with others and the reasons for his very existence. |
April/Mei 2001 |
Main(Google)
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Headphone - A Vocal Composition
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A short composition, consisting in vocal sounds mixed using a computer program. Please use headphones when listening to this piece to experience sound direction. |
15 March 2004 |
Main(WMA)
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Oma Wordt Gek
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Het aangrijpend relaas van Mevrouw de Vries in bejaardentehuis 't Ommetje, die daar uitstekend verzorgd wordt, maar haar toevlucht neemt tot verdovende middelen om uit de onmenselijke wereld te ontsnappen. |
~Jan 2002 |
Main(Google)
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Dear Seneca
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A kind of theatrical play to listen to. It is about Seneca, philosopher from Antiquity. Narrated from the perspective of his protector. What that means, well, you'll have to listen for yourself! |
~Spring 2002 |
Main(ZIP/WMA)
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Tweetalig Onderwijs Trailer
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A trailer for the Bilingual Education at high school De Meergronden in Almere. |
~Fall 2001 |
Main(ZIP/WMV)
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Scheikunde Theeproef
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A video-report based on a small research for chemistry that I performed together with two people from our class in the final year of high school. |
~Spring 2002 |
Main(ZIP/WMV)
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Lerarensoap
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An introductory film to precede a theatrical play of teachers at my high school. Not actually shot by me, but by a very talented filming friend Johan Fretz. I did some of the editing. |
~Fall 2001 |
Main(ZIP/WMV)
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Vliegtocht (A Flight Trip)
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A small movie about going flying with my father in a small sports airplane. |
August 2002 |
Main(ZIP/WMV)
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A Love Scene
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A small piece of film I once made for a theatrical play. It includes a love dance by one of the actors for another and it was accompanied live by a piano player. Therefore, the sound is not very good, and serves rather to give you an impression only. |
~Spring 2002 |
Main(ZIP/WMV)
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