A bridge in Nymphenburg, München, Germany, by A. Khelil, October 2019
W e l c o m e
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A main motivation of the initial website project in 2014 was to present and map professional skills, collected during my career from 1985 on. Significant contents were presented according to following approaches:
- A chronological one merely presented a series of projects in which I had been involved. (No curriculum vitae).
- A thematic approach linked techniques and know-how used in projects otherwise realized in different circumstances.
I retired from professional life in 2023. However, everything I wrote hereto in khelil.de still holds. I may even reuse part of this data substrate in future projects.
Even before completing the original project scope, I realized in the years 2015-2016 that I could reach a more ambitious goal than just connecting dots to help interested contractors assess my technical background. Why not trying to extract and restate critical pieces of knowledge, that would help me - and maybe others - tackle future enterprises more efficiently - whatever context would prevail?
Beside the original documentation on professional projects, I ended up documenting so-called internal projects, technical studies I conducted - or still conduct - on my own. In the process, I gradually realized that I could even extend my field of investigation to non technical issues. From 2017 on, I created new pages on art, philosophy, literature, language etc. Much of what is currently presented in those "experimental" pages is nothing more than a draft. Nonetheless, the foundation has been laid. No constraints were set, except for one basic exigence: avoid slipping into overly self contemplation of the "personal ego". The mysterious world outside and inside must be the primary focus.
Since 2014, many new communication technologies have become available to the general public: social media platforms, video communication provided by TikTok, YouTube, etc. So far, I remained true to the written form and the HTML-Format. It allows the visitor to spin his own thread through the labyrinth of pages, to go at his own pace, to step back or even to take a break, every time he will.
Every visitor is welcome to begin his journey in my virtual landscape.
- I am glad to hear from any kind of people - especially those who crossed my path in former times.
- Constructive critic is always welcome. It is an opportunity to enlarge one's frame of ideas.
The best way to get in contact is via E-Mail, please use one of the following links: Legal Notice, Contact.
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- To avoid overloading the text, I will use the masculine form to refer to unknown persons. This language usage has no meaning with regard to the targeted audience. Any person of whichever gender he identifies with - be he even genderless - , is invited to participate.
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I wrote the initial pages (e.g. in my external projects) in German because I have been living and working in Germany. My first idea was to transpose those texts into English or French at a later time. To a certain extent, I realized the idea: in subproject Art exhibition I provided a description of each single item in the catalogue in all 3 languages.
However, a systematic translation of all texts would exceed my resources by far.
As a solution, I would, for each page, select a language, be it German, English or French, depending on subject and circumstances. Is the text in several languages available, it will be linked accordingly.New development
Recently, automatic text translation - at least for widespread idioms - has established itself as a realistic option - cf. e.g. Google translator. I tested one translation module for some of my pages, to and fro. Powerful AI-engines in browsers produce already a meaningful output. They will expectedly continue to improve rapidly in the years to come. This endorses my flexible concept regarding languages, giving less weight to the assumed skills of potential readers. -
HTML Dialects and Browser Compatibility
So far, I exclusively used the HTML - and css- standards to build this project. No scripts.
The first pages were written in HTML 4.1. The referenced DTD file was (is) frameset.dtd. Features not adequately supported by widespread browsers - e.g. frames, internal frames - were avoided. Also, features supported in HTML 4.1, but deprecated HTML 5 were avoided. Gradually, I transitioned to HTML5 and used more sophisticated features, to simplify the syntax.
For years, I have been using the navigators Firefox and Chrome, each in the most recent version available on my Linux system. To date (2023-11-08), Firefox 119.0-2.3290, Chrome 117.0.5938.132. All text changes or additions will be verified using both. I do not expect troubles with up-to-date browsers (Firefox, Opera, Chrome, MS Edge) on up-to-date systems (Windows, MacOS, Linux). However, the downward compatibility (older browser versions on older systems) may be impaired.
For a better rendering of all texts, I recommend the (sans serif) Rubik font. If this font is not supported yet on your system, you can download the TTF-files (True Type Font) from your preferred link (e.g. fontsquirrel.com: rubik) and install them as the provider describes.
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Regarding contents on this site, following circumstances apply:
- There is no clearly defined agenda here: issues that I deem worthy of interest, are analyzed. I may reach some kind of solution - whether practical or theoretical. I may also end up with more unanswered questions.
- As my work is progressing, data connection becomes more and more a priority, which is a basic idea of HTML-formatting. I will rather post links to alternative sources, than trying to merely copy their contents.
- The publication process is iterative. Texts have different status, but they ultimately must all be considered as under construction.
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Legal notice
click here
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Thanks to everybody who helped realizing this project. Special mention to following people:
Patric Sokoll
gave the initial impulse to the project. Also, he actively supported its realization with his experience and resources.Yasmina Khelil
proofread parts of English and French texts and provided valuable tips concerning formulation and presentation.Bernd Günther
was kind enough, after visiting the art exhibition -, to report inaccuracies and errors in the German version of some texts. -
Some persons participated in this project, although they did not directly contribute to it.
Their example and actions have been a constant source of inspiration.
First, I will mention my father.
More than anyone, he inspired me for paying respect to knowledge. Striving for knowledge - wherever I had to look for it - is a worthy duty. Not only should one aim at knowledge, but also try to perceive its limits and one's limitation. A deeply moral truth: Knowledge without modesty is folly. In a deeper sense, attachment to knowledge has an eschatological dimension.Also, I would like to express my gratitude to inspiring teachers. Some of them have a special place in my memories.
Mlle Cussey, primary school teacher
In difficult times she gave me back some confidence into the fellow men and my future.Mme Adge teacher for French, Latin, and Ancient Greek
She made me aware of the temporal dimension of languages and their usage. More broadly, one should keep in mind that cultural influences last for many generations and extend beyond boundaries. Be aware of the detrimental ones and cherish the ones beneficial to humanity. -
Several projects are in the pipe. They will be documented online, including the control of sources. Hereafter, their current list:
First publication www-Address Description 2023-12 https://www.mobilitaetswende-lu.de This online platform (exclusively German speaking) aims at showing examples and ways out of the dominant mobility paradigm so far, heavily relying on individual auto-motorization.
Forest track in Nymphenburg, München, Germany, October 2019
Botanical garden, Munich, Germany, taken by A. Khelil, June 2015