Magazine for Europe, economy, AI and digitalization
At a time when many children's books seem fast-paced and are often designed for short-lived effects, it is worth taking a look at works that have been written with real attention to detail. Books that take the time to build a world that not only entertains young readers, but also conveys courage, imagination and inner strength.
This is exactly the kind of book Jana Kollmann writes - an author whose roots, life path and artistic influence are recognizable in every line.
Wearables are now part of everyday life. Many people now wear a smartwatch as a matter of course, count their steps, monitor the quality of their sleep or set reminders to take breaks during the day. And I'm happy to admit it: I also have a Apple Watch myself, and I find this technology absolutely fascinating in its own way. It can do things that would have been pure dreams of the future just a few years ago. Nevertheless, I rarely use my Apple Watch.
And just now, after the latest reports and statements from experts, I realize once again that this reticence is not so wrong. After all, many modern headphones and wearables now contain sensors that can measure far more than you might think at first glance. Not all headphones do - but the trend is clear: more and more technology is moving inconspicuously into small devices that we wear close to our bodies.
This article highlights a recent, remarkably candid conversation between Dieter Bohlen - the longtime music producer, entrepreneur and one of the most recognizable faces of German pop culture - and Dominik Kettner, a precious metals expert, YouTuber and financial entrepreneur who has been studying wealth protection and economic trends for years.
At first glance, the meeting of the two seems unusual: here the entertainer with decades of international experience, there the financial analyst who primarily addresses security-conscious savers and entrepreneurs. But it is precisely this mixture that makes the interview so exciting. Bohlen speaks freely, without a PR filter, while Kettner drills down and makes complex developments tangible. Together, they create a space in which undesirable political developments, economic risks and personal experiences are interwoven - clearly, directly and without excuses.
When the first reports of an unusual lung disease emerged in Wuhan, most of us thought it was just a side note. A new pathogen, somewhere in China - you heard something like that from time to time. But within a few weeks, the situation changed dramatically. Borders closed, schools shut down, events were canceled. There was uncertainty, and suddenly this virus affected everyone - directly.
With a little distance, you can sense today that there is still a lot going on beneath the surface. Many people have the feeling that not everything was open, not everything was clear and not everything was fully communicated at the time. Anyone who tries to find objective information about the origin of the virus quickly encounters contradictions, gaps and conflicting accounts. For this very reason, it is worth sorting through the topic calmly and clearly - without haste, without polemics, without pigeonholing.
When you hear about „digital ID“, „European identity wallet“ or „EUDI wallet“, it sounds abstract at first - almost like another complicated IT project from Brussels. Many people have never consciously heard of „eIDAS 2.0“, the underlying EU regulations. And yet this project will affect almost every citizen of the European Union in the long term.
In essence, it is about something that we have been carrying around with us on paper or as a plastic card in our everyday lives for decades: official proof of our identity. Until now, we have had various documents - ID card, driver's license, health insurance card, tax ID, account login, insurance number. Each system works separately, each with its own processes, often confusing and sometimes annoying.
The EU is now pursuing the goal of merging these scattered areas of identity into a standardized digital solution.
A magazine thrives on exchange - now also interactively. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't write to preach - but to initiate thought processes. The articles on my website have never been a one-way street, but an invitation to reflect. However, what has been missing so far is the opportunity for readers to take a very concrete stand - anonymously, honestly, directly. This is exactly what is changing now.
You can now find interactive polls on my website that are integrated directly into articles on specific topics - and also appear in rotation in the sidebar. This is a step that was long overdue: because in a world in which more and more opinions are being imposed from above, every freely expressed opinion from below is a piece of digital sovereignty.
Public money is more than just a medium of exchange - it is a symbol of state sovereignty, a guarantor of economic order and a means for all citizens to participate freely in economic life. For centuries, cash was an expression of this freedom: anonymous, unconditionally usable, valid everywhere. With the gradual replacement of cash by digital payment methods, a central question is now being posed anew: who will control the money of the future - and under what conditions?
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.