In Germany, public health departments work with handwritten lists which are transmitted by fax, manually typed into Excel sheets, and printed out for use. I’m not kidding.* It’s not as if software didn’t exist—one app was even developed in Germany and is used worldwide with great success! But most German health offices rejected using it, and another, less powerful software that is in use is a slimmed-down and badly integrated test version. Yes, it’s that bad. So if you plan to travel to Germany, make sure to turn your watch back twenty-five years.
Last week, I’ve been drowning in lectures. Outstanding students, to be sure, and highly enjoyable! But it didn’t leave me with spare time to write. The only thing I published was my second Düsseldorf album on Flickr.
Now, fun stuff! Nothing this week cracked me up as much as this “IKEA Employee” TikTok on Twitter with strong early-Eminem vibes, which I watched more than a dozen times in a row and still couldn’t keep my glass straight. Also, there’s my travelog not even drafts with more stuff I come across and find funny.
On the more sobering side, I’d like to suggest yet another podcast, the Israel Policy Forum’s Israel Policy Pod. Two samples, to give you a taste: “No One Puts Bibi in a Corner” where @EliKowaz & @EvanGottesman talk about the current crazy political sitch in Israel (money quote: “you know, we’re in a problematic situation when you start stumbling over the number of elections that have taken place since April 2019”), and “Between Israel and Iran” with a thrilling analysis by @dassakaye of the Israel–Iran conflict’s current status.
Finally, a game recommendation: “The Woman Next Door”, a non-profit pixel art fan project based on Itō Junji’s horror manga of the same name (隣の女), which in turn is based on an urban legend. You can play it in your browser, but if you're on Windows, I recommend scrolling down and saving the desktop version (better sound quality, “P” for fullscreen). Yes, it’s scary! But it’s short, very accessible, and easy to play. (I couldn’t find an online version of the original manga for aficionados, but you can read an English translation here.)
Enjoy the weather, y’all, as long as we have one!
J.
* The vaccination effort works in some German states better than in others, but guess where I live.
Last week, I’ve been drowning in lectures. Outstanding students, to be sure, and highly enjoyable! But it didn’t leave me with spare time to write. The only thing I published was my second Düsseldorf album on Flickr.
Now, fun stuff! Nothing this week cracked me up as much as this “IKEA Employee” TikTok on Twitter with strong early-Eminem vibes, which I watched more than a dozen times in a row and still couldn’t keep my glass straight. Also, there’s my travelog not even drafts with more stuff I come across and find funny.
On the more sobering side, I’d like to suggest yet another podcast, the Israel Policy Forum’s Israel Policy Pod. Two samples, to give you a taste: “No One Puts Bibi in a Corner” where @EliKowaz & @EvanGottesman talk about the current crazy political sitch in Israel (money quote: “you know, we’re in a problematic situation when you start stumbling over the number of elections that have taken place since April 2019”), and “Between Israel and Iran” with a thrilling analysis by @dassakaye of the Israel–Iran conflict’s current status.
Finally, a game recommendation: “The Woman Next Door”, a non-profit pixel art fan project based on Itō Junji’s horror manga of the same name (隣の女), which in turn is based on an urban legend. You can play it in your browser, but if you're on Windows, I recommend scrolling down and saving the desktop version (better sound quality, “P” for fullscreen). Yes, it’s scary! But it’s short, very accessible, and easy to play. (I couldn’t find an online version of the original manga for aficionados, but you can read an English translation here.)
Enjoy the weather, y’all, as long as we have one!
J.
* The vaccination effort works in some German states better than in others, but guess where I live.