An Islanders fun

 I have already mentioned that I am a fan of the New York Islanders. My fandom has several rather bold and also another reasons behind it. I also watch Long Island in New York from afar. And although she is originally from LA, Chloë Grace Moretz, whom I have somehow come to like, is also an Islanders fan—Chloe Moretz is valuable in her own right to me, and if I had one wish involving Chloë Moretz, it would be to go to a game at UBS Arena. Islanders is also an only one hockey about I have an interest. 

The new NHL season will begin soon. I enjoy following the Islanders, so I am curious to see what this season will bring. The Islanders are more of a middle-of-the-tab team, and sometimes it can be a little nerve-racking during the season depending on how the team is doing at the time. It is also somewhat about being a die-hard fan, because the Isles are not regularly among the NHL leaders. They last won the Stanley Cup at the beginning of the 1980s, when they won four titles in a row from 1980 to 1983.

Last year, the Islanders had their best season in recent years. They finished the regular season with a record of 43–34–5 and 91 points, which was nine points more than the previous season. At one point during the season, the Islanders were also the best team in New York, and Islanders fans joked that the Isles had taken over New York. Towards the end of the season, however, the Isles were apparently also losing some of what they had earlier in the season, perhaps because of the pressure leading up to the playoffs.

Patrick Roy also ended up leaving his position as head coach, apparently partly because of this finish. I admit that I still have mixed feelings about it, because for most of the season the team was in good positions, unlike in previous seasons. The Islanders had already improved significantly after Patrick Roy took over in January 2024, reaching the playoffs that season.

In 2025/2026 most of the season, the Islanders had their best record in several years – 42–31–5, or 89 points in 78 games. Although they ultimately failed to make the playoffs, they spent a large part of the season in playoff positions and were still third in the Metropolitan Division shortly before the end. Even new head coach changed nothing in the end of this season. 

Cocktail movie (1988)

Maybe I am being skeptical, but the Isles could possibly be even worse during 2026/2027 season than they were last year.

In other words, the Isles perhaps may have greater potential as a team in the future, especially thanks to their young players and planned financial flexibility, but this season they could easily be just as good as last year — or even slightly worse. NHL says the Islanders enter the 2026–27 season after a 43–34–5 record and without making the playoffs.

 I have already written that, in my opinion, it is also justified that the Netherlands was chosen by people as Best Quality of Life 2026 in the Numbeo ranking. The reasons why this happened are certainly also connected to the Dutch system.

I almost do not even want to publish this—many people may not be aware of these Dutch advantages. However, I would publish it for those who see a problem with very liberal societies…

Dutch society demonstrates that a very liberal society can be resilient and also safe precisely on the basis of its liberal values.

This topic is terrible when it comes to a liberal societies such as the Dutch one. But when I look at the Netherlands, Dutch society, and the Dutch infrastructure in the event of a serious conflict, I see several major advantages from both a human and technological perspective.

  

 The Strength of a Liberal Society 

Photo is shared from another social medias. 

   The Netherlands represents an example of a very liberal society that is exceptionally proactive and also has the potential to be resilient in the event of conflicts of the most serious kind, including a war.

Dutch initiative is not limited to business and the economy. It is also reflected in the emphasis on individual rights, humanism, civil society, very high-quality and strong infrastructure, efficient public services, economic development, and the ability to solve problems in practical ways.

Dutch society has a strong tendency to actively organize, improve, and adapt things on its own. When a high level of quality does not meet expectations, there is an emphasis on institutions to ensure that what is required is provided.

These Dutch characteristics can also be significant in the event of a serious crisis or armed conflict.

The Netherlands also has very good material foundations for ensuring basic needs. It has exceptionally productive agriculture, diverse farming, and is one of the world’s most important food exporters.

The Netherlands is therefore creating a very strong foundation for food resilience.

In terms of electricity generation, the Netherlands has significant domestic electricity production capacity. It not only produces electricity for its own consumption, but is also a net exporter of electricity. The fact that it imports electricity from neighboring countries at certain times cannot be interpreted as an inability to meet its own consumption—it is rather a consequence of the advantages of the market.

A significant advantage is the decentralization of energy production in the Netherlands. In renewable electricity generation, the Netherlands is among the leaders. It has a very large number of solar installations, including on individual homes, as well as extensive wind power capacity. Energy is not produced primarily in a few large power plants, but rather across many geographically dispersed locations.

Such infrastructure can be advantageous from a resilience perspective. The loss of a single large generation facility does not necessarily mean the loss of a comparable amount of generation capacity, as it might in a system based primarily on a few large centralized sources, compared with a system relying on highly dispersed sources across the country, including widely distributed decentralized wind generation or a individual solar panels at homes. 

Decentralized electricity generation can also increase the flexibility of the system and make it easier to gradually restore it after disruption.

Public transport also operates to a very significant extent on this infrastructure. Transport such as railways is electrified, as are metros and, in many cases, urban and suburban public transport systems as a whole.

Electromobility fits into the same concept. The Netherlands is one of the strong supporters of electric mobility. If transport is increasingly powered by domestic electricity generated from wind, solar, and other sources, the need to import oil and distribute fuels through relatively centralized infrastructure is reduced.

Electric vehicles also represent a potentially significant distributed battery-storage capacity. This could help balance fluctuations between electricity generation and consumption, and potentially provide part of that energy back to the grid or local infrastructure.

For current normal state electricity consumption in the Netherlands, the CBS quarterly data are precise: 18.446 TWh from renewables out of 27.307 TWh of net consumption, meaning that the Dutch renewables cover 67.55% of consumption.

When it comes to technology, it is also worth mentioning that thanks to ASML, the Netherlands has a practically monopolistic position in EUV lithography—precisely the technology that is critical for manufacturing the most advanced semiconductors.

The Netherlands does not need to be completely self-sufficient in the sense of being isolated from the outside world. Its strength lies rather in the combination of social initiative, economic performance, very high-quality and strong infrastructure, the ability to meet basic needs such as domestic food production, and high and extensively decentralized electricity generation.

In my opinion, it is precisely this combination within a very liberal Dutch society that creates a high degree of resilience and energy autonomy, including in the event of extensive disruption to the normal functioning of society. 

Strasbourg vs. Amsterdam

 Perhaps this opinion of mine will surprise some people.

 Most people associate canals and a beautiful historic city center with Amsterdam in the Netherlands. And the truth is that Amsterdam’s historic center is beautiful. For me, Amsterdam is at its best during Christmas. The combination of Amsterdam’s culture, architecture, Christmas decorations, and people creates a genuinely magical Christmas atmosphere. In my opinion, Amsterdam at Christmas is easily among the most beautiful cities in Europe.

However, I also have to mention Strasbourg in France. Strasbourg can compete with Amsterdam in many ways.

Strasbourg has a beautiful historic center, with numerous picturesque canals running through the city, much like Amsterdam. It is also particularly beautiful during the Christmas season. Cycling is also very common in Strasbourg.

What makes Strasbourg stand out for me is also its Christmas decoration. Much of it is unique and, in some cases, even has a historic or non-commercial character. The decorations are everywhere, creating a distinctive Christmas atmosphere that is difficult to find elsewhere.

For me, Strasbourg is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. I sometimes find myself comparing it with Amsterdam, particularly when it comes to their historic centers. Strasbourg’s historic center shares surprisingly similar characteristics with Amsterdam’s, especially its combination of historic architecture, canals, and a strong sense of place.

Strasbourg may even be a safer city than Amsterdam—at least when it comes to homicides. There do not appear to be official homicide statistics specifically for Strasbourg; the French Ministry of the Interior’s statistical office mainly publishes figures for France as a whole. However, based on my own reconstruction of the available data, it appears that nine completed homicides can be identified in Strasbourg between 2019 and 2025.

And the nights in Strasbourg are quiet. During the night, you hardly see anyone in the city center. 

I’ve also had an experience where I got “lost” in the streets of Strasbourg. I don’t know why, but the data on my phone stopped working, and I couldn’t check anything or even turn back. I needed to get to my early-morning connection fairly quickly. Luckily, I came across a few people out on the streets of Strasbourg who confirmed that I should just keep going straight. Everyone I asked gave me the same advice: just keep going straight. I also came across a large green area, almost like a jungle, where I had to make sure not to look anywhere but straight ahead so I wouldn’t get lost. Yes, the place was Place d’Austerlitz. I spoke English with everyone. In my opinion, you can also trust the people in Strasbourg. 

Sometimes, however, your plans in Strasbourg can be disrupted by transport operators. For example, they may cancel a service from Montpellier that stops in Strasbourg before continuing, or there may be an unfortunate rail disruption during a way—that happened to me in June and August this year. 

ChatGPT can’t see

 One of the reasons why can’t rely on ChatGPT’s answers

Things that ChatGPT can’t see.

 When I want to know something about a statistics, I sometimes ask ChatGPT, but I quickly realize how inaccurate and confused ChatGPT can be, even contradicting itself. It is more reliable to find the statistics myself or simply use figures I already know from an official websites or from an experiences with the individual countries. 

 “That’s why I say that ChatGPT is confusing and unusable when looking up homicide statistics. It changes its answers based on my pointing out discrepancies and statistics that I already know.”  

ChatGPT: 

 Yes, your criticism makes sense in this particular type of task. If you’re asking about the exact number of homicides in specific European cities, ChatGPT can be unreliable without a very strict verification process. 

And what you describe is a real problem: The model may initially give you one figure, you point out that the official statistics show a different one, and the model then adjusts its answer to match your figure. 

That in itself is not proof that the second figure is correct. 

It is a consequence of how a language model works. It does not automatically have a built-in database containing all city-level crime statistics, and when searching the web it has to interpret the sources. When there are also different definitions and different geographical units, this can result in an incorrect synthesis. 

So I agree with the substance of your criticism: when it comes to precise city-level homicide statistics, I should not be considered an authoritative source simply because I can find a number somewhere on the web.  

And especially when you already know some of the figures, it is not acceptable for me to simply respond to your correction and change the result.

Click Twice: More valuable ads

 Instagram was built for a long time on a simple principle: the user spends time on the platform, browses content, and advertisements appear between individual posts. The more time a person spends on the platform, the more advertising opportunities Meta has available.

This model is beginning to face increasing pressure from regulators. And a change that ordinary Instagram users may now be noticing raises an interesting question: if users’ time is becoming increasingly limited, won’t Meta try to extract more advertising value from every minute of that time?

Meta is heavily dependent on advertising. The company itself states in its financial report that virtually all of its revenue comes from advertising on Facebook and Instagram. In the second quarter of 2026, the company’s total revenue reached $60.8 billion, representing a 28% year-over-year increase. Advertising revenue alone increased by 27%.

Even more important, however, is how Meta is achieving that growth.

In the second quarter of 2026, the number of advertising impressions across Meta’s family of apps reportedly increased by 14% year over year, while the average price per ad increased by 12%. Meta also stated that the growth in advertising impressions was driven, among other things, by an increase in the number of users, their engagement, and the frequency with which ads were shown.

For an advertising platform, it is not only important how many people use it. It is also important how long they use it and how many advertisements they see during that time.

At the same time, governments and regulators are increasingly pushing for restrictions on children’s and teenagers’ use of social media.

A particularly significant example emerged just now. On 26 August 2026, Meta reached a broad agreement with nearly all U.S. states in disputes concerning the safety and addictive nature of Facebook and Instagram for young users. The agreement reportedly includes, among other things, a default two-hour daily limit, nighttime restrictions between midnight and 6 a.m., and additional limitations on notifications and platform use. Among American teenagers aged 13–17, approximately 61% reportedly use Instagram.

The American law/settlement itself is unlikely to dramatically threaten Meta’s overall advertising revenue, because it applies only to U.S. users aged 13–17. However, it represents an important precedent. If similar restrictions expand to other countries and age groups, the economic significance of users’ lost time could become much greater.

This is not an isolated American case. Regulation of young people’s access to social media is expanding in other countries as well. Australia, for example, became the first country in the world to introduce a ban on social media for users under the age of 16, while similar proposals and debates are also taking place across Europe and other parts of the world.

If a particular group of users is allowed to spend less time on Instagram, or is prevented from using the platform altogether, the number of opportunities to show advertisements to that group naturally decreases.

Meta itself reportedly warns in its financial documents that an increasing number of laws are restricting or prohibiting the provision of its services to younger users, and that regulatory changes may affect its advertising business.

In recent weeks, some Instagram users have noticed another change. As of today, these notifications are appearing for more users. Advertisements have begun appearing directly in the Following tab—the section of the app traditionally used to browse content from accounts that users actually follow.

For a long time, Following was seen as a way to avoid part of the algorithmically recommended content and focus only on accounts that a person had personally chosen to follow.

Imagine a user who previously spent two hours a day on Instagram. During those two hours, they might have seen a certain number of advertisements. If regulation or parental controls reduce that usage to one hour, Meta suddenly has only half the amount of time in which it can display ads to that user.

Increasing the frequency of advertisements is one of the factors Meta itself mentions when explaining the growth in advertising impressions.

Meta competes for the user’s attention. Attention can be monetized through advertising. If the regulatory environment attempts to reduce the amount of that attention, its economic value to the platform may actually increase. Every minute of usage becomes more valuable. It then becomes logical to search for new advertising spaces, improve the efficiency of the advertising system, increase advertising prices, or display more ads within the same amount of time.

Indeed, in the second quarter of 2026, Meta simultaneously recorded a 14% increase in advertising impressions and a 12% increase in the average price per advertisement. Advertising revenue therefore grew significantly faster than the number of daily active people itself, which increased by only 3% year over year.

This suggests that the growth of Meta’s advertising business is not based solely on acquiring more users. Regulation may have a paradoxical effect. Regulators want people—especially children and teenagers—to spend less time on social media. Meta, on the other hand, has an economic incentive to maximize the value of users’ time, because advertising is its primary source of revenue.

The result does not necessarily have to be fewer advertisements. It may be exactly the opposite: less user time is greater pressure to monetize every minute → more advertising impressions is higher advertising density

It can therefore be argued that all of these developments are acting on the same economic issue: how much attention Meta can obtain from the user, and how much of that attention it can convert into advertising revenue.

If the world truly continues limiting the amount of time that young people, for example, are allowed to spend on social media, it may eventually turn out that the biggest change to Instagram will not be less social media—but a higher value placed on every minute that users still spend there.

A main source: Meta’s Q2 2026 Financial Report — Advertising Revenue and Ad Impressions

A inspiration for tittle "Click Twice" is song with "Click Twice" by King Tetrus.