Building a LEGO robot with the Mindstorms Education Set

From WordPress to Hugo and back again

Three years ago, for the 15th anniversary of this blog, I moved from WordPress to Hugo. Super-fast pages, everything in R, actually a cool thing. But in reality, it wasn’t that great. I always needed an R environment, which I didn’t always have. Git drove me crazy at times. And some problems were just impossible to troubleshoot. So now I’ve moved back again. Maybe the rankings will return as well, which I lost after the move.

When “Free” eventually turns into subscriptions: tado and reMarkable

On October 13, 2021, reMarkable announced that the previously free cloud service would now be limited, and the truly exciting features would become paid for new users. I had suspected this earlier, just as I had with tado. tado had announced a subscription in August 2018, but they backtracked for the first customers. While I had to purchase the new app for about 20 euros to use the new features, at least I don’t have to pay any subscription fees.

With both companies, I wasn’t sure why they didn’t include a subscription model from the start. Because in both cases, it was clear that costs would increase as more users accessed the servers. For reMarkable, the costs would be even higher since they offer 8 GB of cloud storage. It should have been obvious from the beginning that at some point, a subscription would have to be introduced to offset the growing costs associated with the increasing number of users. Did both companies avoid the subscription model because they thought it might deter buyers? Aren’t the first customers usually early adopters who are less price-sensitive?

I sold my reMarkable a few months ago, not because of the impending subscription model, but because I simply want fewer gadgets, and it didn’t fit into my workflow. At the end of the day, reMarkable is a niche product, because the desire for focus in a time when distraction is either sought or found by distraction is only present in a small number of users. Even though I think it’s a great product, I don’t believe it will ever be widely adopted by the masses.

Digital Self-Defense

In the Digital Analytics course, one of the first tasks is to create a log file where you document who has already tracked you today, where the data is now, and how long it will be stored. While this exercise raises awareness, it doesn’t provide any guidance on how to protect yourself from any kind of tracking. This article aims to do just that.

The term “Digital Self-Defense” is not mine, but comes from digitalcourage, a nonprofit organization that primarily advocates for data protection and civil rights (disclaimer: I am a supporting member). Digitalcourage offers an entire section on their website dedicated to the topic of Digital Self-Defense, and I particularly recommend the Self-Defense for the Busy guide.

Some of the tips are challenging. Anyone who has tried MetaGer knows what I mean 🙂 It’s a balancing act between convenience and privacy because more privacy often means you can’t always use the most convenient tools. However, it is possible to use Google without giving away all your data. Here are some additional tips:

First, I always recommend using a VPN (Virtual Private Network). A VPN “tunnels” the communication between your computer and a point on the internet, so no one can intercept it. In a public Wi-Fi network, using a VPN is absolutely essential, as it’s very easy for someone to eavesdrop on your communication. At home, a VPN prevents your Internet Service Provider from recording your communication. However, you must be cautious when choosing a VPN provider, as they could also log your communications. Additionally, using a VPN doesn’t necessarily speed up your internet, but if it’s a fast VPN, you won’t notice the difference. For best results, install the VPN not just on your computer, but also on your phone and other devices. And don’t forget to check out DNS service recommendations.
Gmail is still my favorite email service, but I no longer use it. Unfortunately, the commonly recommended services like Posteo or mailbox.org are not ideal in terms of UX/UI. I think ProtonMail is good, although they’re not on the list of recommended email services from digitalcourage. Also, ProtonMail is quite expensive, but it offers encrypted mailboxes, so even ProtonMail’s operators cannot access my emails.
Using Firefox as your browser is always a good idea, and Brave offers some additional privacy settings.
It’s essential to use different passwords for every site, and a password manager is a must.
Try not to stay logged in everywhere. And if possible, avoid profiling like in the Google Ad Settings.
Incognito or private browsing modes in browsers don’t help much. Google Analytics, for example, still tracks you. And the server on the other end logs everything anyway. So, you should always use a VPN.
When it comes to cloud storage, I am a big fan of NextCloud. It works just as well as Dropbox and even has some additional features. The only reason I stopped using it is because it didn’t always work flawlessly, partly because I tinkered with it myself. I currently use iCloud, which is not recommended, as the data still resides on another server. However, I trust Apple’s claim that my data is only readable by me, as it’s encrypted on their server. Here, I’m trading convenience for absolute security. With Dropbox, on the other hand, data is stored unencrypted. I would still recommend NextCloud, as digitalcourage does, but I’d suggest using a provider rather than self-hosting everything.
For messaging apps, Signal is really the only option. Telegram is not, nor is Threema, and definitely not WhatsApp.
For DNS, only 1.1.1.1 is an option. Every time you enter a URL in the browser, it needs to be translated into an IP address. This translation is done by DNS. Normally, your Internet Service Provider (Telekom, Vodafone, etc.) forwards this request to their own DNS service. But you can use 1.1.1.1 instead 🙂 They don’t log anything.
If you want to know exactly what the software on your computer is doing and whether it’s sending data home, you should only use open-source software, like Linux. This can be a big hurdle, but Ubuntu is also user-friendly and more stable than Windows, for example.
Discount cards like the Payback card should not be in any wallet. Most of the time, the products you can get with the points are cheaper elsewhere. This doesn’t include non-personalized punch cards (“The 10th coffee is on the house!”).

And for anyone still wondering why they should do all this, please watch the following video:

reMarkable Experiences: Bridge Technology for Digital Immigrants?

First of all, it doesn’t make much sense. And for many people, it really doesn’t make sense to buy a reMarkable tablet when they could just have an iPad and use its features. The reMarkable tablet is expensive—not as much as an iPad Pro, but in comparison to the features of an iPad in the same price range, the reMarkable looks extremely poor. Yet, despite all this, I’ve come to appreciate the reMarkable in the few days I’ve owned it. The version 1, which I snagged for under €300 on eBay, will likely drop in price soon since the second generation is already being advertised. But before I spend €500 on a device I’m not sure will really suit me, I’d rather use a second-hand one to test the concept. Because with the reMarkable, you can only read and annotate PDFs/eBooks and create notes and sketches. No emails, no web browsing, nothing. Black and white. E-Ink display. Writing with the pen feels almost like writing on paper. You don’t need to charge the pen, but you do need to replace the nibs occasionally. And the device costs anywhere from €450 to €600 depending on the accessories.

What’s my use case? I had bought an iPad Pro with the pencil and everything to work and read with less luggage, anywhere. Reading and writing are, alongside programming, communication, and creating PowerPoints, my main activities. I have to read a lot, especially academic papers, but also articles from journals, etc. Additionally, I write a lot. The split-screen feature on the iPad was a killer app for me: PDF on the left, my notes on the right. It often worked well. But not always. However, the Apple ecosystem with iCloud allows me to keep all my files synchronized across all my devices.

But even then, it’s not perfect. Sometimes, I find it hard to focus because, as often happens when you try to focus on something, you get distracted by reminders of things you absolutely need to do and write down. Then you see those reminders and realize you forgot something urgent, etc. The iPad enables all of this with one device. And so, you quickly get distracted, especially when trying to work on something difficult. The temptation to quickly check emails is very strong. With the reMarkable, this doesn’t happen. And that limitation is what you pay for, at a steep price. Apps that restrict you or help you focus better were something I looked into and used over 10 years ago.

Do I generally have a problem with concentration? No. But it might be the medium. I wrote my most successful book (3 editions) almost entirely on paper, as incredible as that sounds. In a notebook on a terrace in a bay in Sardinia. I had no computer with me, just my thoughts. I wrote them down, crossed them out, rephrased them, etc. Later, at home on my computer, I added screenshots and other materials. Just me and the paper. I’m not sure I could do that today with an iPad. Because even though almost all my notifications are turned off, my brain knows that something new could pop up, and our brains crave that. The Organized Mind by Daniel Levitin describes how every interruption stimulates our brain, preventing us from focusing, because thinking is exhausting. I was particularly impressed by Sting’s preference for having the same room set up wherever he is in the world, so that nothing new could distract him.

Tranquility is the new luxury of our society. (The 5 AM Club, Robin Sharma)

This quiet is undoubtedly a luxury when you pay so much for a device with fewer features, just to have peace and be able to focus. Perhaps my preference for paper comes from my socialization: I grew up with paper, wrote everything on paper—my final exams, my university exams, etc. Writing books on a computer, at least exclusively on a computer, is a torture for me. I have to have my…

But the iPad has other drawbacks. If I want to read outside with the iPad, it’s better if the sun isn’t shining. With the reMarkable, that’s not a problem. The iPad doesn’t handle that as well. Besides, the device is quite heavy (653 grams “naked” with the pencil / 1060 grams with the case including the keyboard). It’s not really suited for prolonged reading or holding in your hand. The reMarkable weighs 362 grams “naked” with the pencil / 505 grams with the case, though that’s a bit unfair since the cases are very different. For the reasons mentioned, I don’t like taking the iPad with me when I go outside for a bit. It’s not only heavy and unwieldy, but I’ve also had the experience of how quickly the glass can break (and how expensive the replacement is).

And what the iPad lacks in light during the day in the sun, it has too much of in the evening. I notice it when I’ve been staring at the screen for too long in the evening. The iPad isn’t suitable for me for extended reading and writing of academic texts, partly for ergonomic reasons, but also due to occasional lack of discipline. Following the 5 A.M. Club philosophy, electronic devices really shouldn’t be used in the evening, and the reMarkable helps with that, if you turn a blind eye.

However, the reMarkable has some shortcomings that are rather unacceptable for the price:

The Wi-Fi module seems quite weak; in my office, it shows only 1 out of 3 bars, while all my other devices have at least 2 out of 3.
The battery lasts about 2-3 days with moderate use, which isn’t much for an e-Ink display. Charging takes forever.
Large PDFs (such as Springer non-fiction books between 3 and 30 MB) are a real burden for the reMarkable tablet, and it can take a while to flip from one page to the next. Especially with large PDFs, the reMarkable often freezes or crashes.
The reMarkable can’t open password-protected PDFs at all. That’s quite suboptimal.
The search function is a joke. You can either search for book titles, but only within the book you’re currently viewing. You also can’t directly jump to the location from the search result—you have to remember the page number and then awkwardly navigate through multiple steps to get to the page.
The plastic feels cheap and sometimes a bit dirty, even when it’s clean. For the price, that’s really not acceptable.
The pen seems to have two different types of plastic, at least there’s a noticeable difference in the whites:

What I also don’t like is the lock-in. I’m trapped in their cloud—what if they go bankrupt? I’ve asked myself that several times with tado, but at least you can supposedly still operate the thermostats manually (though they’re still way too expensive). With the reMarkable, you’d be lost if the cloud were shut down. It’s likely that, eventually, you’ll have to pay a subscription, just like tado switched to. However, what helps a bit is that supposedly, you can also access your documents via USB. I haven’t tried this yet, but it means I could potentially build an application like my Kindle Clippings Manager, which syncs a folder on my computer with the reMarkable’s storage. That would be better than this double organization.

Overall, the device is hopelessly overpriced for its technical features, quality, and software. But still, I like it. It serves my use case better than the iPad, and unlike the Moleskine, it’s not a first-class idea graveyard. It has proven this very well in the few weeks I’ve had it so far.

Life Operating Systems

Apple is no longer a computer manufacturer, Google is no longer a search engine, and Amazon is no longer just an online shopping mall. What these companies have in common is that they conquer other areas of life from their respective starting points. The effects are already foreseeable. In addition to the search engine, Google offers e-mail, a mobile phone operating system and mobile phones, a voice-operated assistant, a computer operating system, a browser, self-driving cars, a photo service and other services in the cloud, music, movies, home surveillance systems (Nest), YouTube and much more. Apple offers mobile phones, computers, iPads, software, a music service, a SmartWatch, headphones, a voice-operated assistant, a TV service and a cloud solution, and much more. Among other products, Amazon offers food delivery, its own products, a voice-operated assistant, video conferencing hardware, a music service, a film service and is also the largest cloud provider. And much more. At first glance, the services may each be a colorful potpourri, but if you take a closer look, the three big digital heavyweights (Facebook excluded from the GAFA acronym) are tinkering with life operating systems. Our lives will increasingly be supported by digital systems, and Apple, Amazon and Google are working to make as much of these systems available as possible. A system that links digital life coherently and coherently could be called a life operating system. This is especially evident when you want to switch from one system to another or have to exchange data with another system. This is already difficult in some cases. Android phone and MacBook? It’s no fun. Switching from an Android to an Apple phone? No problem at first, there is an assistant. But the calendar? And the contacts? How do I get the photos into Apple’s elegant Photos app? It is only really efficient when all digital activities are designed with Apple products. Photos sync across multiple devices, as do files, no matter how much storage space you have on each device. At Google, the assistant learns. The more Google products are used, the better suggestions are generated. Traffic jam on the way to work? No problem, the Android phone warns its user based on historical data and the current traffic situation. Here, too, synchronization is carried out across several devices. Amazon still seems to be lagging behind. But the strategy of selling hardware at a discount, as in the case of tablets, helps to bind customers to the Amazon universe. And so a new class society could soon arise, which could result from the use of the respective life operating system:

Those who can afford it use the Apple system. It’s expensive, but time-saving and chic.
The Google system will be somewhat cheaper, even if Google tries its hand at the upper price segments with the Pixel devices. It is the system for the masses.
The cheapest will be an Amazon system. It doesn’t offer the fastest hardware, but everything you need is included.
Those who want to remain independent work with Linux computers and free software. The rebels. They pay primarily with lifetime, but also retain control over their data.

However, it will only get really exciting when the AI-based assistants are really good. If they can then use all the information they collect about a user via several different services, then real support like in “Her” would only be possible. And then it will be even harder to switch from one system to the next. But perhaps the Internet giants will open up and provide each other with interfaces. Siri could learn from Gmail and Alexa from the YouTube playlist. But that doesn’t sound very likely. Instead, it looks more like we will be trapped in the respective systems because switching would bring too many disadvantages. This also has very practical implications: What if an Apple woman wants to move in with an Amazon guy? It cannot control its hardware and vice versa. Or will there be no more dating between classes?

From man-machine becomes man against machine

Roman Pletter writes in the 29/2014 issue of ZEIT about the potential loss of highly qualified jobs due to ever-improving algorithms. In the so-called second machine revolution, machines can learn on their own (I already did something like this at Ask.com in 2006, on a very small scale…), but now it’s enough for more than winning in chess.

Which doctor can have read all the studies on a topic? Does a lawyer really know all the verdicts? Can a banker really take all the factors into account for a business? The computers could. We are already seeing harbingers of this development in online advertising: Instead of an advertising banner being placed on a website in a global galactic manner, an algorithm decides which user sees which banner in a fraction of a second using statistical methods. Based on data, algorithms can also learn which personality profiles are particularly suitable for certain tasks, so that personnel selection could be taken over by machines in the future.

The consequence of all these developments? What happens if the so-called middle class loses its jobs? The author of the ZEIT quotes an MIT economist: “Brynjolfsson pleads for states to rethink the old idea of granting their citizens a basic income in order to allow them to participate in the productivity gains.” I’m not sure if this has really been thought through to the end. Looking at the news, I have great doubts that anyone in the world is actually willing to agree on a new economic system. And what about all the countries on earth that are still far from advancing such a level of automation that their populations can no longer work? Or that are already dependent on the work of other countries anyway?

At the same time, you have to keep one thing in mind: We haven’t even reached the peak of the hype cycle yet, perhaps because the empty promises of the New Economy were not so long ago and people are no longer so gullible. Yes, the development will be exponential. But it won’t be as easy as you think.