Experience

Contributions with personal experiences from projects, everyday life and business. They provide insights into backgrounds, processes and practical findings.

Software Development with Codex, ChatGPT, and AI: A Practical Guide for Developers

by
Software Development with AI

If you had asked me a few years ago what software development would look like in ten years, I would probably have talked about new programming languages, better frameworks, or more powerful development environments. Today, my answer would be completely different. The biggest change isn’t happening with the tools, but in the way we as developers think and work.

As I write these lines, I am working on a new software system myself. For the past few weeks, I have been making extensive use of modern AI tools such as Codex and other language models. At first, I was curious; now, I’m mostly impressed. Not because the AI suddenly does everything on its own, but because it handles certain tasks surprisingly well, thereby enabling new ways of working.

Read more

What is the meaning of life? A comparison of religions, philosophers and Helmut Thielicke

by
The question of the meaning of life

There are questions that have been with mankind for thousands of years. Questions that never really go away, no matter how modern our world becomes. One of these questions is probably quite simple: What is actually the meaning of life?

Interestingly, the answer „42“ appears again and again today - usually with a little smile. The background comes from „The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy“ by Douglas Adams. In the story, a highly developed civilization builds a gigantic supercomputer that is supposed to calculate the „answer to the ultimate question about life, the universe and the rest“ over millions of years. In the end, the result is simply: 42. The absurd thing about it is that no one actually knows exactly what the original question was in the end.

That's exactly why this scene became world famous. It is funny, but at the same time surprisingly profound. Because perhaps it describes a basic human problem quite aptly: we often desperately search for answers without even knowing exactly what question we are actually asking.

Read more

From content to substance: how digital systems are created that cannot be copied

by
System instead of individual content

When you move around in the digital space today, you very quickly get a certain impression: if you are visible, you are successful. If you have reach, you have influence. And if you produce a lot of content, you automatically build up something. This equation seems plausible at first glance - but it is deceptive. Because visibility is not ownership. Reach is not ownership. And content is by no means a foundation.

A post can be read thousands of times and yet practically disappear after a few days. A social media post can go viral - and at the same time have no lasting effect. Even well-placed content in search engines is not automatically stable. They depend on algorithms, platform rules and developments that you have no control over.

Read more

Guided in everyday life - How modern sales tricks control our behavior

by
Sales tricks in the supermarket and online

It's often the little things that make you wonder. No big events, no loud break - rather a quiet moment when you stop and ask yourself: wasn't it different before? I recently had such a moment in the supermarket. A store I've known for many years. One of those places where you don't have to think. You know where things are. Milk at the back on the right, bread at the front on the left, the usual routes in between. It's a quiet form of reliability that you hardly notice in everyday life - as long as it's there.

But this time something was different. I was looking. Not for long, but longer than usual. The milk was no longer where it always was. A few steps further, then back again. Finally I found it - but the thought remained. Why? At first it seems banal. A shelf is rearranged, a product is moved. That happens. But when such moments accumulate, the whole thing loses its random character. It creates an impression that is difficult to grasp, but is nevertheless tangible: something is being changed here - not for me, but with me.

Read more

Apple in transition: Early devices, personal experiences and an exhibition at the OCM

by
Apple Macintosh Classic and Color Classic

If you are interested in computer history, a visit to the Oldenburg Computer Museum is particularly worthwhile. The museum is one of those places that doesn't have to be loud to make an impression and will be hosting a special exhibition from April under the motto „50 years of the Apple computer“. For many years, technology has not only been exhibited there, but kept alive. Devices are not behind glass, but often ready for use on tables - just as they were actually used in the past.

That's what makes the difference. You don't just see old computers, you get a feeling for what it was like to work, play and think with these machines. From early home computers to classic office computers and special one-offs, everything is represented - carefully collected, maintained and, above all, clearly arranged.

Read more

Who actually is J. D. Vance? A portrait of his origins, career, contradictions and future

by
Who is J. D. Vance?

International reporting on the United States is usually dominated by the big, loud figures. Names that polarize, that provoke, that generate headlines. For many European observers, politics in the USA is therefore often an interplay of escalation, conflict and clearly recognizable opposites. And then suddenly a name appears that doesn't fit into this picture at all: J. D. Vance.

Not a classic loudspeaker. Not a man of grand gestures. Not a politician who immediately attracts attention with his pithy words. And yet he is suddenly there - in interviews, in analyses, in political debates. Not as a marginal figure, but as someone who obviously plays a role that is bigger than it appears at first glance. For many readers in Germany or Europe, this is precisely where the real question begins: who is this man anyway - and why has he suddenly become so important?

Read more

From Commodore C16 to WordPress: A journey through the early years of the internet

by
From modem to Internet and magazine

When you pick up a smartphone today, it contains more computing power than entire computer rooms used to. In the 1980s, things were completely different. Computers were rare, expensive and, for many people, a mysterious machine. Back then, if you had your own home computer, you belonged to a small group of tinkerers, inventors and curious people. The exciting thing was that you didn't just consume computers. You had to understand them. Many programs were not available to buy ready-made. Instead, computer magazines contained pages of listings with BASIC code that you had to type out line by line. Only then could you see whether the program worked at all.

That sounds tedious today, but it had one big advantage. You automatically learned how computers work. If you made a mistake, you immediately got an error message - and had to find out for yourself where the error was. In this way, many young computer fans developed a very natural approach to technology and programming.

It was at this time that I began my own journey into the world of computers.

Read more

When I was on the phone with a robot - how AI is conquering the phone and how to recognize it

by
Phone call with an AI robot

There are moments in everyday life that seem completely banal at first. You're sitting at your desk, working on an article, thinking about a new topic - and suddenly the phone rings. A number you don't recognize. In my case, it was an area code from the Ruhr region: 0233 something. As a self-employed person, you occasionally get calls like that. It's usually about advertising, services or advice that you don't actually need.

So I initially answered the call as normal. A friendly female voice answered on the other end. She introduced herself as an employee who works with Facebook and Instagram. It was - unsurprisingly - about advertising. About ads. About reach. Visibility for companies.

Read more

↑