Happy Easter to everyone!
After eight years, I am finally writing a blog post again. There are many reasons for this long break. Mostly, I was just stunned by where politics and society have been heading, both globally and here in Germany.
The list is long: the annexation of Crimea and hybrid warfare, Trump’s first term, the pandemic, the American MAGAs, Russian Vatniks, and German Wutbürgers. Then came the Corona crisis, bringing even more conspiracy theories and antisocial behavior. All of this happened while the climate crisis and its denial continued, and while democracies declined as autocracies grew stronger and fascist ideas rose again, including in Germany, as if we learned nothing from the past. Then followed the full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine and more atrocities. Now we face Trump’s second term, which tops everything in terms of madness, incompetence, stupidity, and vileness. It is especially hard to swallow coming from a Western “democracy.” And then there is AI, advancing at breakneck speed, bringing both fascinating and terrifying possibilities. It is all deeply overwhelming.
Another reason for being gone so long was a “hearing journey” I’ve been on. I will write more about what I actually mean by that and what it involved in a future post.
Originally, I wanted to write about all these topics as they happened, but they hit so fast and so hard that I was left speechless. I just watched, sad and appalled. To keep my head straight, I focused on my private life and my new job at the DKFZ. Being part of an inclusive, diverse team of bright, open‑minded colleagues working on a scientific project was a welcome refuge from the post‑truth, racist world outside, and the work itself provided a quiet distraction from ruminating on the multiple crises affecting humanity. It reminded me that a different way of living and working together is actually possible.
Still, I suffered quietly under the state of the world. Maybe writing again will help me, and maybe it will even inspire someone else.
For this Easter, I gave the blog a proper spring cleaning. I dusted it off, aired it out, and gave it a fresh coat of paint. It feels good. Maybe it is a new start. I haven’t given up hope that the world can have a fresh start too. After all the disasters and the enshittification of everything, the only way left is up!
I don’t know yet which topic will be the focus here, the tech or the human side. Ideally, I will cover both. I definitely plan to write about the two sides of AI: what fascinates me and what scares me. I want this blog to be a small space away from all the enshittification, somewhere free from the usual algorithms and rage-driven posts.