Social media is a fluke. The battleground of attention isn't why it got big in the first place, and with the rise of group chats, it will die fairly soon.
Mastodon is not the solution, but yet another problem
We all know that big tech has a problem, from unfair policies to monopolistic bullying behavior. Back around new year 2018, I finally had enough and made an account on Mastodon - a federalized, not-for-profit-but-for-good kind of Twitter alternative. I'd be a trendsetter, I invited all my friends, some of which joined as well -… Continue reading Mastodon is not the solution, but yet another problem
Sport und Gewalt
Ein Gedanke, der mir seit Jahren immer mal wieder im Kopf herumschwirrt, ist folgende Positionierung des Deutschen Olympischen Sportbunds zum Thema eSports: Eine weitere Entscheidungsgrundlage war der Inhalt der Spiele und die entsprechende Darstellungsform am Bildschirm. In vielen Spielen ist die Vernichtung und Tötung des Gegners das Ziel des Spiels. Insbesondere die deutlich sichtbare und… Continue reading Sport und Gewalt
The Work of Art in the Age of NFTs
Every time I see NFTs in the context of “making digital art unique/owning art”, I have to think of Walter Benjamin’s „The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” from 1935. TL;DR is you just need to replace „mechanical“ with „digital” and you’re done. The context for Benjamin’s essay is the rise of… Continue reading The Work of Art in the Age of NFTs
Jonah in the Whale
Why did I do this?, Jonah thought. His trip to the beach had started so well. Like some sort of living cliché, he had found a golden lamp. And of course: a brief, firm stroking action later, the Genie came and granted Jonah three wishes. But Jonah only really wanted two: To stop and revert… Continue reading Jonah in the Whale
Die Digitale CD
Mama will ihrer Freundin eine CD schenken. Problem: Die gibt's nur noch digital. Nichts einfacher als das, denk ich, wir laden die einfach runter und ziehen die auf einen USB-Stick. *Edward A. Murphy lächelt müde* Zum ersten Mal in meinem Leben ist das Problem nicht digitaler Natur. Der Download klappt und spuckt eine ZIP aus.… Continue reading Die Digitale CD
ZIP is not a good measure of lyrical complexity
A study tried to measure lyrical complexity using a ZIP-algorithm. Which is.. not good, here's why.
Leo’s Inferno
Intro So, you know Dante’s Inferno? If not, it basically is the world’s first popular self-insert fan fiction: The Author, Dante, some guy from the 14th century, just really wants to tour hell with his literary hero and 1st century BC all-star poet Virgil. In hell, modeled after the totally christian vision of hell that… Continue reading Leo’s Inferno
The Midnight-Kalimba
The girl played Kalimba in her flat in the middle of the night. There wasn’t really a reason for her to do it right there and then, she just felt like playing. She didn’t think she was particularly good at it, but the instrument could create a calm and beautiful atmosphere in her hands. She… Continue reading The Midnight-Kalimba
Running
Ina was running. Running as if chased by someone, as if the destination didn’t matter, just getting away from where she was a step before. She ran, tirelessly, making no turn to the left or to the right, just straight ahead. Every time she caught herself slowing down, she’d try picking up the pace again.… Continue reading Running
Leo Wattenberg 