WHERE DO YOU LIVE? (Donna V., Brazil)
I live in the city of Tilburg in the province North-Brabant in the Netherlands.
ARE YOU MARRIED? (Carl V., Indonesia)
No, I'm not married. But I'm available.
You can send your proposals to this adres.
I WONDER WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE. (Sharon G., USA)
I'm 67 but I look like I'm 47, I talk like I'm 27 and some people say I behave like I'm 17. Here's an old picture of me. Actually, I just want to show off my sports car.
WHEN DID YOU START BLOGGING? (Carl H., Germany )
I started blogging on September 24, 2000.
WHY DID YOU START BLOGGING? (Stefan V., Netherlands)
I had thousands of interesting links in my bookmarks and I decided to make a single page to show them all at once for my own convenience. Then I found out that some other people were doing the same with the difference that they were sharing their links with others. It was called weblogging. That was when I decided to do the same.
WHAT DOES THE NAME 'PRESURFER' MEAN?
WHAT IS IT ABOUT? (Adrienne L., France)
Presurfing actually is pre-surfing. Pre as in 'in advance' and you know what surfing the Internet is. A Pre-surfer is someone who surfs the Internet to find interesting links, so you don't have to.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN ONLINE?
HOW LONG HAVE YOU HAD YOUR COMPUTER? (Mark H., USA)
I've been on the Internet since the Mesolithic Era. That was before it was called the Internet and at a time the World Wide Web didn't even exist.
I bought my first computer in 1979, a Tandy/Radio Shack 80 Model I. I believe it had 4 kilobytes of ROM, and another 4 kilobytes of RAM. It used a black and white monitor, which was actually a RCA TV without the TV guts in it. I did work with computers even before 1979 at university where, in 1975, they had an IBM 5100 with a 5" monochrome monitor and an internal 200K tape. I actually can't remember when I went online for the first time but I guess it must have been around 1991.
HOW DO YOU READ THE WEBLOGS ON YOUR BLOGROLL? (Pete S., USA)
I just visit them. I don't read RSS-feeds because I like to read a blog in its surroundings. I believe that the design of a site adds something to the atmosphere the blog is emanating.
DO YOU READ ALL THE WEBLOGS ON YOUR BLOGROLL? (Ian M., Scotland)
I do read all of them but not all of them every day. There are so many and it's so easy to spend hours sorting through my favorite blogs and websites. I have put into place some kind of rules, and a process, to keep control of all the information. I have set aside a time during my day to read and I try to stick to those times as strictly as possible.
DO YOU BLOG NAKED? (Sarah T., USA)
Of course not!
I'm wearing my lucky boxers, my ammunition belt and my game-bag.
DO YOU EARN MONEY WITH YOUR SITE AND WHERE DOES IT ALL GO? (Bill G., USA)
Oh yes, I earn loads of money with the site and here's a graph to show you how it's disbursed.
DO YOU HAVE MANY ONLINE FRIENDS?
HAVE YOU EVER MET ANY IN PERSON OR SPOKEN TO THEM OVER THE PHONE? (Zenobia B., USA)
Yes, I have many online friends. I guess I have more online friends than 'real life' friends. I'm not much of a chatter but I like to keep in contact via e-mail.
I've met some online friends, mostly other webloggers.
ARE YOU AN OPTIMIST OR A PESSIMIST? (Aaron C., USA)
I am one walking ball of sunshine! In almost any situation, I'm able to see the world through rose-colored glasses. I either believe that things tend to work out for the best and I simply put my faith in the universe, or I have learned to use the power of positive thinking to my full advantage. I am able to look on the bright side in even the grimmest of situations and therefore manage to get something positive out of them.
WHAT IS THE LATEST YOU'VE EVER STAYED UP? (Geoff D., United Kingdom)
I often stay up for more than 24 hours.
It's easy, you can get used to it.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE THINGS TO DO ONLINE? (Yoshiko Y., Japan )
Look for items to update my own weblogs, read other weblogs, visit news sites and answer e-mails. If there's any time left I like to surf the internet in a random way and just click on everything that looks interesting.
IS THERE SOMETHING YOU ARE DEADLY AFRAID OF? (Petra van G., Netherlands)
Fear is an uneasiness of the mind. I'm always at ease with my mind.
WHICH ARE YOUR FAVORITE WEB SITES? (Radu G., Romania)
I'm sorry, but there isn't space enough on this page to list all my favorite web sites. Just look at the long list in the right column of The Presurfer under 'Recommended Blogs.' Those are some of my favorite web sites.
WHERE DO YOU GET ALL THOSE WONDERFUL LINKS FROM? (Cybele M., Greece)
I'm sorry, but that's confidential information. If I revealed my secrets then everyone could start a weblog and my career would be over.
But if you really want to know, I get them from other web sites, by surfing the Internet intensively, people send me links, or sometimes I use Google to find weird, funny or interesting sites by just adding some combinations of words.
DO YOU TAKE SUGGESTIONS FROM READERS? (Derek T., USA)
Oh, yes I do. I beg this of you, I am nothing without you. Anonymity is guaranteed if you wish for. However, each tipster has the option of being mentioned by name on the blog, if they so choose. Anytime you ever see a link that might be useful to The Presurfer, drop me a line at this adres.
IS THERE A CERTAIN LEVEL YOU TRY TO KEEP UP ON YOUR WEBLOG? (Catherine M., Australia)
Yes, I try to keep The Presurfer a 'daily dose of diversion' for everyone. Far too many bloggers have a sense of entitlement once their traffic has reached a certain level. It's like whatever they put out will be sucked down so why bother thinking too hard, put it out there!
WHY ARE THERE NO NAKED LADIES ON YOUR SITE? (John S., USA)
Because that's way too easy. I could have thousands upon thousands of visitors to my weblog if I only posted links to raunchy or sexually explicit articles. I chose not to, there are other weblogs where you can find that sort of content. The Presurfer is a weblog for everyone, including children.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN GOD? (Lotta S., Sweden)
No. I was born a Catholic and they tell me that God created the world in 6 days, 6000 years ago, but they don't help me understand the observable universe. On the contrary, it forces me to come up with clever theories about how the light from stars tens of thousands of light years away is already arriving here on Earth, and how dinosaur fossils can be millions of years old. I believe that the universe is billions of years old and that it evolved into what it is now.
WHO IS YOUR WORST ENEMY? (Dirk U., Belgium)
It's him! And he's hiding from me.
DO YOU KNOW HTML, JAVASCRIPT?
DO YOU CREATE YOUR OWN WEB PAGES AND GRAPHICS? (Jason L., USA)
I do know HTML, I know nothing about Javascript. Updates are done with Blogger's Content Management System. I have two websites, the one you came from, The Presurfer, and The Generator Blog.
NAME 4 WORDS TO SUM YOU UP. (Inocenta de la R., Spain)
Friendly, Intelligent, Responsible, Practical.
WHAT DO YOU HATE ABOUT THE INTERNET?
WHAT ANNOYS YOU MOST ABOUT IT? (Svetlana K., Russia)
The same things that everyone hates. Spam, viruses, spyware, browser hijackers etc. What annoys me most is that there seem to be a lot of people who have never heard of 'internet etiquette.' Just because they are anonymous, they think they can say anything they want.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE MOVIES? (Enrique Lo S., USA)
Pulp Fiction, Trainspotting, Star Wars, Ride the High Country.
_____________________________________________________________
And now, to boost my ego, here's what others say:
THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF SEABROOK:
Now here is an eclectic collection of thoughts. Gerard Vlemmings puts together a wonderful assortment of the interesting, the unusual, and the 'where did he find that?'
ESPN MAGAZINE, Lincoln DeWitt, US Olympic Skeleton racer:
I like The Presurfer. It's done by a guy who has way too much time on his hands. He puts up links to weird stuff that he finds. It has no rhyme or reason, just random weird stuff.
MSNBC.COM BEST OF BLOGS:
The subtitle on Gerard Vlemmings' The Presurfer is 'Your Daily Dose of Diversion.' Take that as a warning, this is one of those 'Ok, just one more link and then I'll get some work done' web sites.
WANDER-LUST:
There are webloggers and there are web explorers. Gerard Vlemmings is an explorer and his site, The Presurfer, is the place for astounding content. Vlemmings is an expert in finding the weird and wonderful on the web. If you're in need of a laugh or smile, he's got you covered. Visit the site once and I guarantee you'll return each day.
GERMAN MAGAZINE BRIGITTE:
The Presurfer offers a daily updated collection of really special surf tips.
TRAPALHADAS PARA A COLECCAO:
The Presurfer was awarded with the 'Thinking Blogger Award'.
BARNEY OF TUXS.ORG:
The Presurfer is an absolutely brilliant site. The links are always really diverse, I don't know how you think to look for some of these things - but carry on! I visit every day and rate your site as one of the top 5 on the internet, up there with Refdesk and Google News.
BLOGLINERS:
The Presurfer was 'Blog of the Day' on July 24, 2004.
ANA MARIA GALLO OF MEANDERS:
I surprised myself that I haven't mentioned The Presurfer before in my meanders. Unquestionably one of the most amusing guides to what I love best about the web: quirky sites of interest and topical events, presented with a sophisticated discernment, yet with a quality of openness that avoids the ubiquitous irony and jadedness of the 'been there, done that' hordes.
BELGIAN NEWSPAPER DE MORGEN:
The Presurfer is a Dutch site in the English language. Other than on controversial and provocative shocklogs, here you'll find splendid sites, piping hot. No drivel and many links.
NEWSPAPER THE BALTIMORE SUN:
Visitors risk losing hours of their lives sifting through Dutch blogger Gerard Vlemmings' ever-expanding collection of zany Internet ephemera.
BRAIN ME UP:
Gerard Vlemmings is Dutch and a hoot. Usually, the Dutch are serious folks, so finding a hoot is rare. But finding fascinating web sites cited on The Presurfer happens all the time, since looking for them is what Gerard Vlemmings does full-time.
DOC'S BAG O'LINKS:
The Presurfer - When this guy claims to be a 'full-time blogger,' he means it. I got to the bottom of the fairly long home page, just chock-full of interesting goodies, only to discover those were just his posts from the past three days. I wasn't planning on including any bloggers on the list, but this guy's in a separate league.
THE EXECUTIVE'S BLOG DIRECTORY:
This delightful website is simply addictive. Editor's choice.
THE BEST BLOGS ON THE INTERNET:
The Presurfer's motto is 'Your Daily Dose of Diversion.' Indeed, The Presurfer seems to include every topic under the sun. Its topics cover animals to the weird, with everything between. Most of the articles aren't about national or international news, they aren't about political figures or celebrity scandals, but they do inform you about interesting developments in stories that aren't likely to be covered on the evening news, like the word of the year in 2009 or the world oldest shoes. The blog also has a section dedicated to funniest things on the web, and another focused on cartoons. You probably aren't going to find out what Obama has been up to if you visit the site, but you will be educated on things you didn't even know you were interested in.
WE LOVE BLOGGER - A showcase of beautiful Blogger designs:
The Presurfer - This clean template is based on a default Blogger theme but with the addition of a custom header and branded colours throughout, it provides a refreshing backdrop to the content!
CHRIS WINFIELD: The point of Presurfer is to find interesting links, so you don’t have to. Sometimes diversion is a good thing and Gerard has an undeniable gift for finding weird, funny and interesting things that help divert my attention in a good way when needed.
TREND HUNTER: Gerard Vlemmings has been blogging longer than most, which is a testament to his website, Presurfer, as well as his commitment to his readers. The award-winning blog was founded in 2000 and continues to connect with an avid audience through a personal voice and quality content, which ensures Presurfer will be around for another 15 years.
The Presurfer was the winner of the Anti-Bloggies 2003 award in the category Most Updated Blog.
The Presurfer was the winner of the Dilly Awards 2003 in the category Layout.
The Presurfer was a finalist at The Best of Blogs Awards 2004 in the category 'Best Big-Name Blog'
The Pesurfer was nominated for the Dutch Bloggies 2009.
The Presurfer was a finalist at the 2007 Weblog Awards in the category 'Best Blog.
The Presurfer was named one of the best blogs of 2010 by First Things, a site published by The Institute on Religion and Public Life, an interreligious, nonpartisan research and education institute.
The Presurfer has been mentioned in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Tampa Tribune, Belgian newspaper De Morgen, German magazine Brigitte, ESPN Magazine, Esquire Magazine, The Baltimore Sun, Dutch Veronica TV Guide, and Dutch magazine Computer Idee.
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