https://merterbil.com/ Mert Erbil is a digital product person and consultant based in the Netherlands, a startup advisor, an occasional speaker and mentor, and the creator of merbil.fm, a Turkish-language YouTube channel of monologues on tech, modern life and adulthood. en https://merterbil.com/posts/why-big-companies-get-hacked-so-easily/ https://merterbil.com/posts/why-big-companies-get-hacked-so-easily/ Tue, 27 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Hacked Danfoss fridges, empty Albert Heijn shelves, an AI-found PHP flaw and PS5 piracy, and why Gabe Newell's line on piracy explains all of it. hi@merterbil.com (Mert Erbil) https://merterbil.com/posts/1000-days-on-duolingo/ https://merterbil.com/posts/1000-days-on-duolingo/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT A 1,000-day Duolingo streak in Dutch, and why it feels like fatigue: habits work, gamification is a tax, and the owl treats adults like kids. hi@merterbil.com (Mert Erbil) https://merterbil.com/posts/what-gta-6-will-and-wont-be/ https://merterbil.com/posts/what-gta-6-will-and-wont-be/ Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT GTA 6's $1–2B budget, the Netflix trailer bet, what it means for AAA studios, and why I expect an old formula done really well, not a tech leap. hi@merterbil.com (Mert Erbil) https://merterbil.com/posts/why-we-should-talk-about-music-more/ https://merterbil.com/posts/why-we-should-talk-about-music-more/ Sun, 23 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Music used to build friendships. Spotify turned it into furniture and a 30-second economy, but young rock fans are still out there. Why I'll talk albums. hi@merterbil.com (Mert Erbil) https://merterbil.com/posts/made-by-google-26-and-my-apple-lock-in/ https://merterbil.com/posts/made-by-google-26-and-my-apple-lock-in/ Sat, 15 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Made by Google '26, the Pixel Watch's predicted blood pressure and insulin resistance trends, and why leaving Apple for a Pixel feels like a migration. hi@merterbil.com (Mert Erbil) https://merterbil.com/posts/tokyo-in-three-words/ https://merterbil.com/posts/tokyo-in-three-words/ Wed, 05 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT My wife Zeynep asked me five questions about Tokyo. Why it reminds me of Istanbul, what felt close and far, people-watching in Shibuya, and what we ate. hi@merterbil.com (Mert Erbil) https://merterbil.com/posts/from-newspapers-to-scrolling/ https://merterbil.com/posts/from-newspapers-to-scrolling/ Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT From one-way newspapers to webmasters, Web 2.0 and today's endless feeds, why the internet is back to push, and why I can't get into scrolling Reels. hi@merterbil.com (Mert Erbil) https://merterbil.com/posts/the-pains-of-gaming-as-an-adult/ https://merterbil.com/posts/the-pains-of-gaming-as-an-adult/ Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Open-world games felt like closing tasks after work, FIFA ate 2,000 hours, and Mario Kart, Pokémon and Spider-Man brought the fun back. hi@merterbil.com (Mert Erbil) https://merterbil.com/posts/mad-cool-2026-festival-notes/ https://merterbil.com/posts/mad-cool-2026-festival-notes/ Fri, 17 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT My notes from Mad Cool 2026 in Madrid, with Foo Fighters, Florence and the Machine, a surprise Twenty One Pilots show, Nick Cave and Pulp closing it. hi@merterbil.com (Mert Erbil) https://merterbil.com/posts/this-video-took-me-11-years/ https://merterbil.com/posts/this-video-took-me-11-years/ Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Radio dreams in the 90s, podcasts since 2015, a newsletter burnout, and why my first video still took 11 years. Plus the low effort, high context rule. hi@merterbil.com (Mert Erbil)