Welcome to Markus Schall

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Forced migration at HostEurope: When emails suddenly end up in the cloud

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Hosteurope migration to Microsoft 365

There are decisions that self-employed people like to put off because they are inconvenient. Changing hosting providers is undoubtedly one of them. As long as the websites are running, the emails are arriving and the bills are being paid, you think: Why touch something that works?

But sometimes you realize too late that "working" no longer means "right". My web hosting provider Hosteurope was of the opinion that it had to force its customers to migrate to Microsoft 365 for a fee without their active consent. The following is my experience, which ended for me with a migration to another hosting provider.

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Future with a charger - Mr. von L'oreot buys an e-scooter

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It was one of those quiet mornings when the sun shone through the fine curtains of my study and the smell of freshly brewed Darjeeling mingled with that of newspaper ink - a smell that always reminds me of the orderly times when paper was still considered the carrier of thought and not the packaging for bananas.

As usual, I had neatly arranged my breakfast: two slices of gray bread, butter in a geometric arrangement, and a boiled egg with the familiar crack that always appears in the same place - a mystery that even progress cannot explain.

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LoRA training: How FileMaker 2025 simplifies the fine-tuning of large language models

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LoRA Fine tuning - FileMaker 2025

The world of artificial intelligence is on the move. New models, new methods and, above all, new possibilities are emerging on an almost weekly basis - and yet one thing remains constant: not every technical innovation automatically leads to a better everyday life. Many things remain experimental, complex or simply too costly for productive use. This is particularly evident in the so-called fine-tuning of large language models - a method of specializing generative AI to its own content, terms and tonalities.

I have accompanied this process intensively over the last few months - first in the classic form, with Python, terminal, error messages and nerve-wracking setup loops. And then: with FileMaker 2025. A step that surprised me - because it wasn't loud, but clear. And because it showed that there is another way.

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Career, world view, future: Decisions in the shadow of upheaval

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Decisions in the shadow of upheaval

This is not a guide in the traditional sense. You won't find any career recommendations, tables of future industries or tips on the perfect job application here. Instead, it's about something deeper: attitude, orientation and the ability to see clearly - at a time when many things are no longer sustainable.

There are times in life when you feel inside that things can't stay the way they were. Not because you are suddenly dissatisfied. But because you can see that the world around you is changing - and not for the better. Many people today feel this quiet pain. A tugging in the background that won't go away. The feeling that what has been sold to us for decades as "security" has less and less to do with reality.

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Stress is not a force of nature - How to reclaim your freedom, step by step

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Stress is not a force of nature

"You have too much stress."

That's what my dentist said to me when I was being treated for my CMD problems. And my spontaneous answer was one that many people would probably give:

"Yes, what am I supposed to do - I have the stress."

But his next sentence stuck in my head. He just said calmly:

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Electronic invoices for SMEs: XRechnung, ZUGFeRD and ERP at a glance

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Overview of the obligation to issue electronic invoices

Germany did not invent the e-invoice overnight - it is the result of years of standardization work (EN 16931), federal and state regulations (B2G) and now, via the Growth Opportunities Act, the gradual expansion into everyday B2B life. Since January 1, 2025, a new legal situation has applied: an "electronic invoice" is only an e-invoice if it is structured and machine-readable - pure PDF attachments by email are no longer an e-invoice according to the definition. This sounds technical, but has operational consequences from invoice receipt to accounting and archiving.

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How AI specialists can be trained today - opportunities for companies and trainees

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Train an AI specialist

Just a few years ago, artificial intelligence was a topic for research institutes and large corporations. People talked about neural networks, deep learning and speech recognition - but it hardly played a role in everyday life. Today, AI is no longer a topic for the future, but a reality: it writes texts, creates images, analyzes data and controls production processes. Whether in administration, trade or industry - it can now be found everywhere.

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Emigrating to the Czech Republic: My path, my reasons, my plans

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Emigrating to the Czech Republic

Some decisions are made overnight - others grow slowly. In my case, it was the latter. The idea of leaving Germany and starting a new chapter abroad has been with me for years. But as life goes, something kept getting in the way: Commitments, projects, personal ties - and last but not least, the comfortable familiarity of what you know. But at some point, the moment comes when you feel it:

Now is the time. Now is the time to act.

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