An interesting video about the state of the digital Euro… an overdue 🇪🇺 alternative to Visa and Mastercard.
The timeline, though, seems to follow the often typical 🇪🇺-pace… 🐢
Not clear to me why systems like iDEAL or other national solutions are not being leveraged more to speed up the process.
… and into Norway 🇳🇴...
Datacenter-wise probably the more sustainable long-term choice… though this boom is unlikely to bring Norwegians closer to a leap on the polarizing question of EU 🇪🇺 membership 😕
Interesting that privacy-focused @proton.me is starting to move away from former privacy and secrecy paradise Switzerland 🇨🇭… shifting services into Germany 🇩🇪🇪🇺 and .…
Printer Ink 🟨🟦🟪⬛ being more expensive than stallion 🐎 sperm per gallon… I found a very random but still interesting fact @pluralistic.net.web.brid.gy
Really interesting video about #enshittification #verkuttificatie 🇳🇱 at the example of #bigtech and other monopolies.
Thanks @vpro.nl for not using voice over... the auto generated English subtitles are decent besides terms like #enshittigenic & considering #YouTube being a live example maybe 🤔
40 liters per square meter. Mud everywhere. Still... happy people.
Wacken might not be my kind of music 😂
But it’s one of Germany’s festival gems.
The atmosphere alone makes it legendary.
But with recent price hikes and even the quiet removal of teenage day tickets, this special status is getting harder to defend politically… and it's only a matter of time before “free” becomes “unfree.” After DB trains another train system I witness becoming less & less attractive in 🇪🇺
#NS #Trains
I personally think it's great that college students in the Netherlands have access to free public transport—it's a clear sign they're taken seriously, supported in a way that matters. In comparison to the marketing act below... Which might still help some…
Spaghetti ice cream... Love it... A German Italian creation:
The pasta = pressed vanilla ice cream
The marinara = strawberry sauce in good places homemade
The parmigiano = white chocolate flakes....
consumer devices can be a big part of the risk to critical infrastructure… a backdoor by design… or just through fast, sloppy engineering of security‑relevant features
either way… it’s about trust
in those who build, control,
and sell #infrastructure #eclabel #supplychain #trusttech
JD might take over MediaMarkt’s parent company 🤯
that one hits weird…
MediaMarkt always felt very German —
“Ich bin doch nicht blöd” still echoes
and soon a Chinese e‑commerce giant at the wheel?
is this what resilience looks like 🇪🇺?
#MediaMarkt #Ceconomy #resilience
The new 🇩🇪 government opened the Federal Ministry for Digital Transformation (BMDS).
But instead of learning from 🇪🇪🇩🇰🇳🇱 (the digital leaders), 🇩🇪 plans to partner with 🇫🇷🇵🇱 (at least before the new border controls) to build… most likely… another new wheel.
🇪🇺 collaboration… at its best in current reality.
As 🇩🇪 expat in the Netherlands, I often add: "I’m from the south."
It’s less common here—and the south usually has a better reputation.
Economy, education, landscape, culture…
But then you read stories like this.
Digitalization? A mess everywhere in Deutschland.
Germany’s federal state Baden-Württemberg just discovered it had 1440 unfilled teacher positions.
Not because there were not enough teachers.
But because of a software error.
For years, the system—called DIPSY, like a Teletubby—introduced ghost 👻 teachers.
"Wir können alles. Besides digitalization."
BitChat’s mesh-based idea reminds me of my youth in the Black Forest... chatting over “CB funk” through the village 🌲🌳
With its planned extensions, nerds like us then (and still now 🤓) could help deliver messages faster, further.
And this time, encrypted😉.
Feels like something worth following
[3/3]
Whether someone’s in a bunker in 🇺🇦... or just stuck on the terrace of a café during a national power outage... Like in Spain during the blackout earlier in April... the need is the same: let people connect to their dearest ones...
The internet’s not always there when you need it...
[2/3]
Despite the name (yes, people are bitching about it), #BitChat hits a nerve and strikes me a compelling idea.
Comms without internet or Starlink?
That’s maybe real #resilience using peer-to-peer.
Local-first tools matter especially when things get weird. #p2p
[1/3]
I myself recently stopped using GitHub Copilot because it became less and less the assistant I am looking for... 🤖
But I would not be surprised if we see a new generation of the Kübelwagen: rugged, pragmatic, no karaoke —reliable and still modern enough for today’s 🇪🇺 military needs.
Not my desired vision for automotive 🇩🇪... but maybe a necessary one.
#EuropeanDefence #StrategicAutonomy
[4/4]
Still, it drew in smart people from everywhere. That gives me hope—and the 🚗🚙 industry a lot of potential.
I doubt that VW will conquer the electric markets, as the video suggests.
[3/4]
That could ripple far beyond 🇩🇪... and hit 🇪🇺 as a whole.
I grew up in a region shaped by the car industry in southwest 🇩🇪. It was everywhere.
Incremental progress was often sold as breakthroughs. The #DieselScandal exposed a lot.
[2/4]
An interesting summary about the state of Volkswagen and its impact on Germany. It aligns well with several German sources I’ve seen.
The scary thing is that similar developments might be coming up for BMW, Audi, Mercedes—and many of their suppliers.
[1/3] #EuropeEconomy #MobilityTransition
BREAKING: Israel's defense minister Israel Katz said he had instructed the Israeli military to 'respond forcefully to Iran’s violation of the ceasefire with high-intensity strikes against regime targets in the heart of Tehran.' Follow Reuters live coverage: reut.rs/4ehxCEo
Dutch economy grew faster than expected in early 2025 www.dutchnews.nl?p=253665
Sorry, I followed he engaging words.... But there must be better ways to make the important survey experience more engaging as well... Show less, dynamic build up... Looks like results need to be compatible for German #fax machines 😂 #germanHumor
But being able to defend yourself against the bullies of the world must be part of the concept as well... And #Europe needs to step up their game with money but primarily with #progressive maybe even some #exotic and smart ideas... #dualUse
Den Haag mornings bring their surprises.
Green #parakeets are regulars... Exotic, playful but a bit noisy...
But today I spotted a white dove for the first time.
May it stand as a symbol of what the #NATO summit should aim for as a final goal: #peace and #ceasefire.
It looks like he is playing with Trump's ego, who can now say that he paused a war... He will use stopped most likely...
Still ceasefire does sound better to me in this very moment than hearing about more bombs and attacks...
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