Five Things: Scholz, ChatGPT, Parking Lots, Subtitles, Kraft Dinner

January is almost over - so 1/12 of the year is also done. That went quickly, didn't it?

Let’s start with some great personal news: the pain in my toe joint is almost gone and I went running again - something I couldn’t do for the last 6 weeks and this time I even listened to my doctors. Now I just need to get back to my previous fitness levels fast without overdoing it. Patience is not my biggest virtue. And I like running in cold drizzling rain. Really. It feels miserable while you do it, but when you get back home and take a hot shower you feel like a million bucks.

On somewhat related personal news: I’m still doing Dry January, even though a friend, who I haven’t seen for a few years as there was this pandemic going on, came by and dropped of a bottle of Whiskey this week, so I guess I’ll have a sip of that on February 1st. I’m also thinking about what I could do in February to test my willpower. Staying off wine gums or chocolate would probably be a good idea. We’ll see.

This week the German Minister of Finance showed some numbers about the economic situation in Germany and basically called off the proposed big recession. Hopefully this message will be heard by the leaders of large companies who still fear a recession and sit on their money hoping for better times. As always in Germany, the mood is worse than the situation.

So much for now, here are the Five Things you should read:

Germany’s Scholz, Instrumental in Securing U.S. Tanks for Ukraine, Emerges With Little Credit

For weeks we had a heated discussion about supporting Ukraine with Leopard 2 battle tanks. For most of the time, the chancellor didn’t say anything (new) about it. And then he delivered. That’s his style. Like when he was minister of finance, he decided that we need a global minimum corporate tax rate and then he delivered on that. His motto is “never complain, never explain”, which not many on twitter like. Discussing a strategy openly would probably not lead to results…

Teaching In The Age Of AI Means Getting Creative

Well, that is easier said then done, when schools still stick to old curricula. Essentially with ChatGPT the “old” discussion about smartphones being used in the classroom gets re-introduced, but with much bigger ramifications. And I can still remember debating with my teachers about what using a pocket calculator means for our future.

Why not cover ugly Parking Lots with Solar Panels?

This makes so much sense and in France they will push forward on solar panels over parking lots. The outcome will be that the grid gets lots of new batteries where energy can be stored during the day when the sun is shining.

Mumbling actors, bad speakers or lazy listeners? Why everyone is watching TV with subtitles on

This is an interesting cultural development - and as a tech investor I like the tech behind it. It used to be costly to produce subtitles and now this is something an AI does in realtime.

An Ode to Kraft Dinner, Food of Troubled Times

Mac’n Cheese is one of our kids’ favorite dinners, that’s for sure. But we never use the Kraft version, instead we rely on a recipe by Martha Stewart. And it is so much better than the canned ravioli in tomato sauce we had when I was a kid. I still sometimes buy them, but it is just not the same anymore.

That’s it for today. Almost. There’s one more thing!

See you next week!