Nicole van der Hoeven

(she/her) I'm a Developer Advocate by day and YouTuber by night. I like to talk about observability, software testing, learning in public, and taking notes, particularly in Obsidian.

I'm a Filipino-Australian-Dutch cis pansexual polyamorous agnostic polyglot. If any of that makes you uncomfortable, you probably shouldn't follow me...

Talk to me in: TL EN NL ES EO DE FR IT PT SV. I might not respond fluently after the first five, but I'll respond!

I own and manage pkm.social.

Public Key

npub154xhf22edwy7pfkr7j77fxyg6ma6hx37zqn0s6pq4a007veqhajsaa2hu9

NIP-05 Address

nicole@pkm-social.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs22nt549vkhz0q5mplf00ynzydd7atnglpqfhcdqs27hhlxvst7egg74382

Author Public Key

npub154xhf22edwy7pfkr7j77fxyg6ma6hx37zqn0s6pq4a007veqhajsaa2hu9

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Last Notes

2024-11-16 08:30:01

Wow, #kubecon was even better than I thought. People coming up to the booth to talk nerdy with me or mention my videos/talks feeds my extroverted little soul. And being part of a team of kind humans I’m proud to call friends is something I’m grateful for every day. https://grafana.social/@grafana/113488901275067614

2024-11-14 18:11:18

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@nprofile…5z04 Oh, awesome! You came by the Grafana booth, didn’t you?
How would you have improved the presentation? I’d like to give it again and want to know what I should change.

2024-11-13 17:59:46

I’m at #kubecon in Salt Lake City Utah this week. If you’re here too, come by and say hi at the Grafana booth or at my talk later at 4:30pm! https://kccncna2024.sched.com/event/1i7m6
https://sb-pkm.b-cdn.net/media_attachments/files/113/476/945/968/212/520/original/736b8609e5f1a712.jpeg

2024-11-12 18:27:50

A moment of stillness in the middle of the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah at sunrise before a work conference, marvelling at the year I've had and the years to come. I wouldn't say it's all been fun, but it was necessary. Feeling bright and optimistic and proud of the choices I've made.
https://sb-pkm.b-cdn.net/media_attachments/files/113/471/382/516/186/836/original/21090730a7ac7240.jpg

2024-11-12 00:14:35

I've flown 31 hours in the last 48. Maybe I'm timezone drunk, but the descent into Salt Lake City, Utah was unexpectedly one of the most unique and beautiful landings I can remember. Excited for #kubecon this week!
https://sb-pkm.b-cdn.net/media_attachments/files/113/467/084/451/122/902/original/e89e65e5515c7e23.jpg

2024-11-05 06:01:12

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@npub16se…wex2 That does sound cool, though honestly I get so motion sick from anything AR/VR that I would struggle with that! The Ray-Ban Meta glasses don’t have VR/AR capabilities anyway so I’m safe! 😅

2024-11-04 05:10:20

I couldn't resist getting the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. Let's see how things go since I don't actually use Facebook or Instagram... #raybanmeta
https://sb-pkm.b-cdn.net/media_attachments/files/113/422/952/675/605/463/original/7731e623c007431b.jpg

2024-11-02 00:37:53

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@npub1nsz…hejs Yeah, both were awesome. Flamecraft’s puns stole the show, though! See: “Draco Bell” in the photo. 😁
We also followed it up the next day with Coimbra, which had such a cool dice drafting + bidding mechanic that I’ve not seen before!
https://sb-pkm.b-cdn.net/media_attachments/files/113/410/182/518/004/027/original/b80ae98ba64288a0.jpeg

2024-11-01 12:03:23

Dragon-themed gaming night in Singapore. #til how to play Flamecraft and Wyrmspan. Love shaking up the family dynamics by winning. 😉
https://sb-pkm.b-cdn.net/media_attachments/files/113/407/591/921/239/312/original/2b7ca67abfe095e2.jpg
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2024-10-22 07:50:10

Absolutely boosting for the puns. I sadly won’t be there though, because I’m on my way to TestCon EU in Vilnius, Lithuania!
https://grafana.social/@grafana/113346734175724091

2024-10-15 15:45:28

Working on a talk for next week in Vilnius about risk and observability, and my co-presenter Steve Upton put this tweet on a slide, about #ai. Hit home.
https://sb-pkm.b-cdn.net/media_attachments/files/113/312/210/954/703/299/original/cf0213103861b4ab.jpeg

2024-10-04 07:50:44

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@npub1pqr…gc4r What's your setup like now? I remember reading something you'd written about it, but I think that was several months ago. I use YNAB, a mobile app for budgeting, but it's not open source and not plain text…

2024-10-02 07:45:47

I'm not a huge fan of Paris, but my favourite things from there are: the Dying Slave and Rebellious Slave at the Louvre, pesto escargot, and randomly philosophical/romantic French graffiti, especially around Montmartre.
https://sb-pkm.b-cdn.net/media_attachments/files/113/236/704/468/059/729/original/3211b8949d9d459d.jpg
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2024-09-25 08:00:18

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@npub1fuc…e6pr It really is! And nowhere near as scary as it seemed at first.

2024-09-24 22:13:41

A lesson I've stubbornly had to learn over and over this last year: when I'm mentally/emotionally down, getting physically reconnected to my body really, REALLY helps. Acro yoga is something I never thought I could do, but it's becoming a big part of my life.
https://sb-pkm.b-cdn.net/media_attachments/files/113/194/807/515/074/447/original/ec60c5bc5c42d8e7.jpg

2024-09-24 14:07:56

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@npub1j55…tkvt I've never agreed with "Second Brain" as terminology for this reason. And also because it feels like a "branded" term that is more about marketing than a concept.

2024-09-20 15:35:56

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@npub13u0…0awz It is indeed! Happy the title drew you in! And yes, having my notes published has been immensely useful for me. Obsidian Publish is still the easiest way to do it, though any static site generator will do!

2024-09-20 14:03:32

Participating in @npub18pa…rvqh 's Linking Your Thinking 14 workshop was the best decision. I forgot how much I love being part of the PKM community and being among nerdy thinkers and note-takers. My people! I recommend the workshop to everyone. <3

2024-09-19 22:30:35

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@npub17zl…hak3 Definitely! But it's still going....

2024-09-19 19:54:56

#til about GPT4All (https://www.nomic.ai/gpt4all), a way to run an LLM entirely locally and without needing to make ANY internet requests. The thing that has stopped me from really adopting an LLM into my workflow is that I have a LOT of really private notes. If this works it would be the answer to my security fears.
Downside: it's been "embedding” my files for five hours now and I'm still just at 30%…
https://sb-pkm.b-cdn.net/media_attachments/files/113/165/971/819/488/697/original/da03d33ca8d9f33d.jpeg

2024-09-19 18:36:59

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@npub17u4…kh4c Yay!! Happy you liked it! “Expert” session. 😬 Anything you would have wanted to hear more about that I didn’t cover enough?

2024-09-14 17:09:05

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@npub1tt3…qjaw Oh! Charcadet! Need to adventure with it and defeat 30 psychic types before I can evolve it…

2024-09-12 08:11:21

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@npub1npz…6rvh Yeah! I didn't find one that already existed, so I just made one. I fund it through my Patreon so it's really funded by the community!

2024-09-10 14:41:39

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@npub1pqr…gc4r Hmmm… want some help on the Git thing? Did you try the instructions to use a personal access token instead of a password? Happy to walk you through it if you’d like!

2024-09-05 21:02:11

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@npub1u70…x2ts You already know. 🕯️👀🐠

2024-08-14 22:37:23

Excited (and really nervous) to be presenting at #kubecon on November 13th, 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah. I'll be talking about how we do observability at @npub1yra…2lcn ... and some of our biggest and most costly observability mistakes. Yup, we make them too! https://sched.co/1i7m6

2024-07-26 10:52:43

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@npub1qs5…3hua Gracias, no lo sabía en español tampoco! :)

2024-07-25 18:45:37

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Also, doesn't *non vedo l'ora* translate literally to "I don't see the time"? Interesting if so. I was looking for the Spanish *no puedo esperar* or "I can't wait".

2024-07-25 17:49:21

I’m going to Italy for a workcation for a month, and my secret goal is to be conversational in Italian! I have never formally studied it, but I can passively understand a lot from Spanish. Here’s hoping that helps more than it hinders! Non vedo l'ora! (I just translated that)
#til

2024-07-19 01:03:04

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@npub1u70…x2ts I give someone co-ownership of this server and he lets the power go to his head…

2024-07-18 08:50:06

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@npub1u70…x2ts Believe it or not, some of us don’t just have smoothies and jelly babies for lunch. 😜

2024-07-17 19:37:03

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@npub1n5t…n6wz Wait... do you not often have dessert with lunch?

2024-07-17 18:00:59

Met @npub1n5t…n6wz today in New York and geeked out about PKM, Zettelkasten, and writing over (excellent) lunch. Meeting cool people I’ve only ever interacted with online is such a rush! I really live off these interactions.
https://sb-pkm.b-cdn.net/media_attachments/files/112/803/135/847/173/424/original/12644330f1e1bb79.jpeg

2024-07-12 15:00:20

I met Immánuel Fodor at KubeCon EU a few months ago, and it turned out he worked at Traefik Labs, maker of the awesome open-source Kubernetes-native proxy. Together with our colleagues Usman Ahmad and Maytham Alfouadi, we decided to have a chat about how to monitor APIs using a combination of Traefik, Grafana, Prometheus, and OpenTelemetry. Observe all the things! https://youtube.com/live/1Buk3wPpJdY
#observability #grafana #traefik #opentelemetry #prometheus

2024-07-03 18:31:55

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@npub129n…3062 These recommendations are exactly what I was hoping to get! Yayy!!

2024-07-03 17:34:27

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@npub129n…3062 Oh WOW. Thank you so much, you're the best! My mouth is watering just thinking of pork chops. Hmmm, I just realised I haven't eaten today and it's dinner time… 😅

2024-07-03 16:23:58

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@npub1n5t…n6wz Ooooh, yes! Let's!! I'll DM you!

2024-07-03 16:23:32

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@npub129n…3062 OMG this is awesome! I'm actually going to be in Brooklyn but I'm happy to head to Manhattan too. Definitely saving all these, thanks!!

2024-07-03 10:33:33

I'll be in New York in a couple weeks for #DevRelCon . Anyone have recommendations for good food while I'm there (anything from street food to fine dining)? This is not my first time, so I've seen the touristy sights and now just want to do the foodie thing.

2024-07-02 13:39:20

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@npub1n5t…n6wz That's why it was my favourite! Sunset soak while looking down at the city...

2024-06-28 07:08:33

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@npub1tlp…vpvk Nope, B2. Which turned out to be like three steps higher than the A2 floor. 🤷‍♀️

2024-06-28 06:02:21

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@npub1tlp…vpvk I was too busy trying to work out how to get to my room on the floor “2” and why everything was split into A and B!

2024-06-21 19:37:40

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@npub1u70…x2ts This was also confusing. Took me a second to work out. From Helsinki.
https://sb-pkm.b-cdn.net/media_attachments/files/112/656/295/864/522/933/original/b939ad3ad6fb3334.jpeg

2024-06-08 12:20:56

At the Unconference section of WeTest Athens. Sometimes, this is what work looks like.
https://sb-pkm.b-cdn.net/media_attachments/files/112/580/966/362/901/395/original/be696a2f7fe5cf4c.jpg

2024-06-07 08:32:24

If you're at WeTest Athens today, come say hi! I'm at the @npub1yra…2lcn booth all day and will be at the beach event tomorrow too! <3
https://sb-pkm.b-cdn.net/media_attachments/files/112/574/404/289/662/361/original/7de9f6a5cbcb9c84.jpg

2024-06-04 10:52:04

I'm mostly hugely empathetic towards the teams behind software I use, but I must admit I experience a small amount of schadenfreude because outages like these keep me employed AND keep my work interesting: https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/04/openai_chatgpt_outage/

2024-06-01 12:23:29

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@npub1u70…x2ts Snickering into my coffee as I read that.

2024-05-28 21:33:24

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@npub1xxc…a54q Haha, that's awesome! Love when worlds collide. I still work for Grafana Labs, who acquired k6 and me along with it! Still working on some k6 stuff and loving it.

2024-05-25 19:48:30

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@npub135w…rm2x No worries! Here's a short about it too: https://youtube.com/shorts/OQahNU7uQ-U?si=YDPyaUMqWyOmvs7V

2024-05-25 05:52:42

Sometimes I look up from whatever weird subject I’m learning and marvel at the fact that I get to learn random things for work. Recently it’s been bathymetry and deep sea exploration, for a talk in Romania in two weeks where I relate them to distributed tracing for microservices-based systems. I love my job. https://notes.nicolevanderhoeven.com/Bathymetry
#til

2024-05-14 10:25:26

So, I'm going to be speaking at Romanian Testing Conference on June 13th in Cluj-Napoca, Romania: https://romaniatesting.ro/sessions/cartography-of-the-deep-distributed-tracing-for-testing/
I had this cool (to me) idea of talking about distributed tracing in the context of deep sea exploration after reading Our Wives Under the Sea, but I actually know absolutely nothing about it. I have less than a month now and need to devour resources on bathymetry and the Mariana Trench-- and no, playing a triton monk named Mariana in tonight’s D&D one-shot doesn't count…

2024-05-14 10:18:59

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@npub1zpz…6530 Absolutely not a derailment!

2024-05-13 23:34:03

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@npub1zf4…3kx7 Yeah, it's a D&D 5e class! :) It came out in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, an official WotC book.

2024-05-13 16:01:02

Learning how to play monk for a #dnd one-shot this week. I usually play healers, so naturally I went Way of Mercy! I made this combat flowchart in Obsidian Excalidraw to help me get it straight in my head.
#obsidian #excalidraw #ttrpgs #dnd #til
https://sb-pkm.b-cdn.net/media_attachments/files/112/434/614/124/371/644/original/f6e8b0e5b2227c26.png

2024-05-10 15:00:11

I've been shifting focus at work, from performance engineering to observability, and that means learning a whole lot. More learning in public! First up: #loki. It's a databases for logs with some interesting design decisions that make it more performant than other logs databases. Here's a video I made with my colleague, Jay Clifford, to share what we've learned, including a demo app that ties in Loki, Grafana, and Alloy: https://youtu.be/1uk8LtQqsZQ
#observability #grafana #logging #til

2024-04-21 22:17:55

Good advice on avoiding pointless meetings here. If I've ever given you a Reclaim link to book time on my calendar, you might have noticed that I block out two No-Meeting Days a week. Mondays are for video filming, and Thursdays are for coding or other engineering work. If I didn't do this, I would feel like I spend more time *talking* about what I want to do than actually doing it.
https://pkm.social/@apolaine/112310968633090015