@maaikees.bsky.social - Maaike Brinkhof

07 Dec 2025 10:36 +0000

> Working as a tester means living with permanent cognitive dissonance. Let me explain. When your main task is to find problems, that might not feel so nice. It can feel negative, like you are not truly working on the product because you are not building like a developer. #blog #testing https://www.maaikebrinkhof.nl/inside-you-are-two-wolves/

19 Nov 2025 11:24 +0000

> Quality isn't engineered, my god, there's barely any quality at all. It's not even a focus for most companies. They say that they care, but actions speak louder. They only care about money, and focus on extracting as much of it as they can in the short term. https://www.maaikebrinkhof.nl/quality-is-engineered-and-experienced/

14 Nov 2025 10:58 +0000

Why do so many testers think they aren’t enough? That they should be ashamed of their role? That they should be called something different in order to get the respect they desire and deserve? Well, I can venture a guess! https://www.maaikebrinkhof.nl/why-do-so-many-testers-have-an-identity-crisis/

15 Oct 2025 10:14 +0000

In my last post about testing, I told you to stop thinking that testing can find all the issues. Today, I want to focus on what I do, instead of saying what you shouldn't do. Walk the talk, and such. What is my main job as a test consultant? #testing #tech https://www.maaikebrinkhof.nl/my-software-testing-approach/

27 Sep 2025 09:35 +0000

> Be a better person, so you can be a better person to the people around you. Without reading self-help books, or doing conscious personal development work, I have managed to take big steps this year. I am accepting myself as I am, and trusting myself to be good enough as a human being. https://www.maaikebrinkhof.nl/acceptance-of-the-self/

23 Sep 2025 19:09 +0000

New YouTube video! Explore Utrecht from the comfort of your couch. I'm walking next to the Catherijnesingel, a lovely bit of water where people come to chill, watch boats, walk their dogs... #urbanism #walking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FePtWYq-lDU

14 Aug 2025 17:06 +0000

How to make "the most" of my life? (A question that makes me slightly ill just by writing it down.) I don't believe that life is there to be squeezed like a lemon, to get the maximum amount of juice out of it. On the other hand, just loafing about on a couch ain't it, either. https://www.maaikebrinkhof.nl/being-erratic/

01 Jul 2025 13:47 +0000

Pen and paper are superior are your AI bullshit. https://www.maaikebrinkhof.nl/pen-and-paper-are-superior-to-your-ai-bullshit/

20 May 2025 09:42 +0000

I've written this straight from the heart: Humanity hates people. https://www.maaikebrinkhof.nl/humanity-hates-people/

31 Mar 2025 09:11 +0000

Many people choose to watch short videos on their smartphones for hours on end, willingly. What are the consequences of this behavior? Why do so many people choose to let their minds be colonized instead of doing something else with their limited time? https://www.maaikebrinkhof.nl/dont-let-them-colonize-your-mind/

17 Mar 2025 18:09 +0000

RIP the Internet as we have known it. You were great while you lasted, until big tech came along and fucked everything up with SEO and ads. "AI" is just the thing that finally tips the balance over to "most of the internet is unusable", but all this bullshit was in the making for years. https://www.maaikebrinkhof.nl/why-i-dont-want-to-be-in-a-whatsapp-group-with-boomers/

06 Mar 2025 12:19 +0000

Happy to announce that I've found a new IT assignment, thanks to the power of my network and serendipity. Thank you all for sharing my posts about looking for a new assignment and the "don't put me in a box"-blog <3 www.maaikebrinkhof.nl/thank-you/ https://www.maaikebrinkhof.nl/thank-you/

06 Mar 2025 09:48 +0000

Spilling the tea for MoT, soon.

24 Feb 2025 10:37 +0000

A Guardian article inspired this blog post, in which I will once again lament this Catch 22 situation: you cannot truly prove testing has worked. The closest we can come to proving testing works is to be exceptionally clear about its process, its results, and also its limitations. #blog #testing https://www.maaikebrinkhof.nl/the-real-reason-we-need-to-invent-a-time-machine/

17 Feb 2025 16:27 +0000

Blogged: "Don't Put me in a Box". I share my personal frustrations about finding a job as a tester. I don't neatly fit in any of the testing roles but a bit in all of them. #blog #testing #tech #IT https://www.maaikebrinkhof.nl/dont-put-me-in-a-box/

10 Feb 2025 11:01 +0000

New article alert! My hatred for all things AI forced me to consider the lovely drug that is cognitive dissonance once again. In the article, I present a visual metaphor that explains cognitive dissonance clearly: the cognitive dissonance pyramid. #blog #tech https://www.maaikebrinkhof.nl/the-cognitive-dissonance-pyramid/

28 Jan 2025 08:43 +0000

It's maddening to me how many people in the software testing community are blindly using AI tools in their work. Promoting these tools! Are you a parrot for big tech? Weren't we supposed to care about quality? How is a tool that is fully based on stolen work a quality solution!?

25 Jan 2025 10:17 +0000

"You still look feminine", is not the compliment you think it is. A short rant about stuff people say to me now that I'm more muscular than average. #blog https://www.maaikebrinkhof.nl/you-still-look-feminine/

23 Jan 2025 15:44 +0000

Uhm, I’m almost embarrassed to ask this, but how do you call a Tweet on this here platform?

23 Jan 2025 13:46 +0000

Ticked off a lot of to-do's today. I really wish that would make me feel good, but as I explained many times by now, it does NOTHING in my brain. There is no reward, no relief. Damn it. One big task remains: TAXES. Of course, I left that one as the last task. *takes a deep breath* HERE WE GO

23 Jan 2025 10:35 +0000

Was using Obsidian a ton last year, but then I made a switch to more analog note-taking. Not using a computer turns out to remove barriers to get started, even though Obsidian as a tool tries to not be in your way. Picking up a notebook and starting to write is even easier. YMMV

23 Jan 2025 10:26 +0000

I thought the final boss of software testing was the organization structure, aka: management. We can go one level deeper, to the secret fifth level! Once you know, it cannot be unseen. #blog #IT #software #testing https://www.maaikebrinkhof.nl/the-secret-fifth-level-of-testing/

23 Jan 2025 08:54 +0000

You use white noise to calm yourself. I use atmospheric black metal to calm myself. We are not the same.

22 Jan 2025 12:16 +0000

Oliver and I took the day off to work on Healthy Living for Desk Dwellers. Either today or tomorrow, we'll email our Early Members with the next steps for the platform and community, which involves all around YOUR qualitative feedback. There's still time to join and get involved early! 👇 https://deskdwellers.town/

22 Jan 2025 12:12 +0000

I need energy for writing. Super Smash Brothers Ultimate main menu theme music delivers. This song SLAPS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yepzZhYBofk

22 Jan 2025 08:49 +0000

Gemini AI crap was just turned on in my Google Workspace against my will. Sigh.....now I need to spend precious mental work capacity to figure out where I can host my email and docs SANS BULLSHIT. I hate this timeline. @testpappy.bsky.social at least it correctly identified you as Grumpy Pappy