Punching people in the face – because Warren Ellis said so

I’m a big fan of Warren Ellis’ comic books. Transmetropolitan made me appreciate comics again. As well as journalism. And Hunter S. Thompson as a writer. And it did definitely influence my approach to reporting 1.

So I usually enjoy his newsletter. The recent one had the following lines, which infuriated me (which is a good thing, having news that get you out of your comfort zone. Though maybe I get too much of that these days). Continue reading “Punching people in the face – because Warren Ellis said so”

Eloi. There, I said it.

I tried really hard, but in the end, I gave in. But for once, let’s start with the beginning: With “my people”, there is this talk about sheep, wolves and sheepdogs: The people who live their lives ignorant of the dangers around them; the people who prey on them; and the ones who stand between the two to defend the former from the latter. It is an absolutely terrible metaphor for several reasons: Continue reading “Eloi. There, I said it.”

Do not trust web services with your data

Shortly after writing The Fake News Cure, I came across two articles by Kit Perez: Digital Privacy Laziness and How to set up an information feed. From the fact that I am linking these, you can gather that I don’t mind them getting attention, so go a give them a read. It’s not required for the rest of my article, though, because I am going to nit-pick on a single advice given there. Continue reading “Do not trust web services with your data”

The Reenactor’s Porn Tumblr feed

It is described as “Pretty faces in pretty kit…maybe its just a reenactor thing, but sometimes I can’t tell which I find more attractive: the person or their kit“. But this wouldn’t be my blog if I got straight to the point, so bear with me 2. Continue reading “The Reenactor’s Porn Tumblr feed”

Living in Australia

As you might have read in On vacation in Australia, I can recommend Sydney for a vacation, if you are the vacation type. I myself am no. I came over to work a bit in the Australian office and check out whether living here for the winter part of the German year is viable, simply trying to avoid winter depression.

It’s a very different perspective if you think about living in a country instead of vacationing. Suddenly issues become relevant that you can ignore as a visitor. Continue reading “Living in Australia”

On vacation in Australia

If you ever wanted to go to Australia for a vacation, I can recommend it. I myself never get this need for travelling, but a lot of Germans seem to consider it a worthy trip. And that might be due to the fact that it is hard to get away any further. Well, technically, there is a wet spot a few hundred kilometers east of the coast of New Zealand that is exactly the opposite of where I live in Germany. But after 30hrs of flight, teensy details like that NZ is another 4 hours by plane stop to matter. Continue reading “On vacation in Australia”

Leaving Twitter and Facebook

This is, I think, the third time in nearly two decades that I start a blog for publishing content instead of just toying with technology. The first two started when I went away for a while and wanted to stay in touch. This time might look similar, as I am in Australia as of writing, but it is based on an issue even closer to my heart: Freedom, plain and simple. Let me explain: Continue reading “Leaving Twitter and Facebook”