Last Saturday, I went on a Deutschlandradio Wissen talk show to discuss online communities. The other two speakers were Sarah Krohn, moderator at hungrig-online.de, and Mark Ralea, community and marketing expert. What it came down to was an interesting discussion of large social networks versus smaller niche communities. Keep reading →
→ 1 CommentCategories: Culture · Social Networking · Virtual Communities
Tagged: Dradio, Facebook, Google, Hungrig Online, Mark Ralea, online community, online study groups, privacy, self-help groups, Virtual Communities
Yesterday, I watched Metropolis, one of the most influential German silent films of all times. To be honest, I had hardly ever heard about it until recently, when an almost original version of the 1927 film was discovered in Argentina. Having seen it now, I can now understand why there’s been so much fuzz about it. With its special effects and high production cost, it must have been the equivalent of today’s Hollywood blockbusters. But more importantly, it’s a historical artifact that reflects an aspect of the modern Zeitgeist that is still with us today – the paradox of technology as progress and technology as enslavement. Keep reading →
→ 1 CommentCategories: Culture · Technology
Tagged: Fritz Lang, history of technology, Luddites, Metropolis, Public Discourse, silent film, Technology
The information society has given birth to a popular new German word – “gläserner Mensch”, meaning a human being made of glass or simply “transparent individual”. It encapsulates Germans’ widespread fears that Google, Facebook, the state and others record every bit of information about them. Unfortunately, this disproportionate emphasis on privacy and data protection threatens to suppress innovation. A call for a more balanced discourse. Keep reading →
→ 1 CommentCategories: Culture · Politics · Technology
Tagged: Facebook, Gläserner Mensch, Google, Google Buzz, innovation, privacy, Public Discourse, Technology
I’m back – have been for a while, but settling into a new life with a new job is taking up a lot of time. As promised, I will try to continue this blog. And after one month in Peru and Bolivia there are some stories to tell. One is about our stay with an indigenous community in the Bolivian jungle, where a solar-powered radio was the only link to the outside world. Keep reading →
→ 4 CommentsCategories: Culture · Technology
Tagged: Bolivia, digital divides, ecolodge, ecotourism, jungle, Mapajo, Marshall McLuhan, radio, rainforest, Rurrenabarque, Technology, tourism
It’s time to take a break from things. I’m traveling to Peru and Bolivia for all of December to be as far away as possible from the obligations of everyday life, to stay clear of computers and the Internet, and to recharge the batteries for a new episode of my life. I’ll be back in Berlin in January, when I hope to continue this blog. Until then, enjoy reading and commenting on the posts from the past. See you soon!
→ 3 CommentsCategories: not categorised
