From my office on a 10th floor in the centre of Hamburg I am overlooking the snow covered roofs of the city. It is cold outside. While the twilight is approaching, more and more electric and wax candles light up in the windows and spread sentiments of fairy-tale Christmases. However, at least in Hamburg we have a white Christmas on the average only every 9 years -- and also this year the snow is said to melt down until Christmas evening.

At the same time we experience all over Europe, either directly or over radio and TV, that our ever higher technologies seem to be unable to cope with quite normal weather events. Airports, which experienced quite harder weather conditions before, were closed. EuroStar trains are said not to cope with temperature differences inside and outside the Tunnel. High-tech cars crash on the streets despite all kinds of safety gimmicks.

We as journalists have reported so many advances in science and technology, but did we ever ask what might happen to all those innovations, if it rains or snows, if it is cold or warm, or if the electricity is unstable or disabled at all? I wonder what may happen to all innovations, if the climate will bring us more and really extreme weather events, as climatologist predict.

I really have the feeling, that too many of the current and recent technological innovations are more or less expensive games, neither ripe for usage nor necessary for a good life.

Christmas time is said to be a time of reflection, New Year a time to make plans for the better. Let's use the quiet time.

With this in mind, I wish you a thought-provoking Merry Christmas and a happy and successful New Year.

Yours
/ Hanns-J. Neubert
eee

Aus meinem Büro im neunten Stock im Zentrum von Hamburg schaue ich über die schneebedeckten Dächer der Stadt. Es ist kalt draußen. Während die Dämmerung herankriecht, leuchten mehr und mehr elektrische Lämpchen und Wachskerzen in den Fenstern auf und verbreiten eine Weihnachtsstimmung, wie sie eigentlich nur in Märchen vorkommt. Zumindest in Hamburg gibt es durchschnittlich nur alle neun Jahre weiße Weihnachten -- und auch in diesem Jahr soll der Schnee bis dahin wegtauen, wie die Meteorologen prognostizieren.

Zur selben Zeit erfahren wir, entweder direkt, oder über Radio und Fernsehen, dass unsere tollen Hochtechnologien offenbar nicht mit Wetterumschwüngen klar kommen, die eigentlich recht normal sind. Flughäfen, die schon härtere Wetterlagen erlebt haben, müssen schließen. Die EuroStar-Züge kommen angeblich nicht mit den Temperaturunterschieden innerhalb und außerhalb des Kanaltunnels klar. Hightech-Autos, ausgerüstet mit allen möglichen Sicherheitsspielereien, krachen dennoch zusammen.

Wir haben als Journalisten so viel von den Fortschritten in Forschung und Technik berichtet. Aber haben wir je gefragt, was eigentlich mit all diesen Innovationen passiert, wenn es regnet oder schneit, wenn es kalt oder warm ist, oder wenn der Strom nicht mehr stabil ist oder ganz ausfällt? Was passiert eigentlich mit all den schönen Innovationen, wenn das Klima uns mehr und wirklich extreme Wetterereignisse bringt, wie die Klimaforscher voraussagen?

Ich habe das Gefühl, dass viel zu viele der jüngsten technischen Innovationen mehr oder weniger teure Spielzeuge sind, weder reif für eine Anwendung, noch notwendig für ein gutes Leben.

Weihnachten gilt als Zeit des Nachdenkens, der Reflexion. Neujahr als Zeit, um neue und bessere Pläne zu machen. Nutzen wir die Zeit dafür.

Mit diesen Anregungen wünsche ich Ihnen/Euch ein besinnliches, aber auch fröhliches Weihnachtsfest und ein gutes und erfolgreiches neues Jahr.

/ Hanns-J. Neubert
ddd

When looking around in everyday life, I have considerable doubts that we live in knowledge society. Even more, German, European society seems to develop back in history, way back.

There is a strong wind today outside, driving the autumn leaves trough the streets and along the buildings outside my office. But for all, a group of six men in orange overalls and with heavy and noisy blowing machines try to blow together the leaves. Hopeless. Behind the machines the wind distributes the leaves again. However the men are tireless in driving their machines along the same stretches over an over again since hours.

Did they lost the knowledge, that it’s for nothing to collect autumn leave on windy days? Or did they lost human feature to learn?

Probably not. But the order to them was: “Collect the leaves today.” And they do it without arguing.

Europe does not lack knowledge, as many scientists and science politicians tell us. Nor doesn’t it know how to uses it. Instead people simply do not use it, because they have been told not to use their common sense. If they would use it, if they would refuse not to collect autumn leaves during windy days, they would be fired.

As long as working conditions keep democracy outside, as long as employers do not like their staff to think, we need no more knowledge, which will not be used.

Hanns-J. Neubert 2009-11-18, Länge/length: 243 Wörter - eee

I was trying to get an SJ (Swedish Train) ticket to Germany during one whole day. This was quite an adventure with an unfortunately unavailing success.

Different from other countries in the civilized world, in Sweden it is not possible to book one via internet, it is not possible to book via telephone, it is not possible even to get one from the nearest train station.

On the internet no international booking is possible as a routine -- although we have the year 2008 and Sweden calls itself „modern“.

Via telephone 0771-757575 I tried several times, because nobody answered even after 10 minutes. One time I waited for 15 minutes when the line was switched off suddenly. Only in the evening (19:00) I was lucky to get a sleepy person on the phone. But she told me that she can only give information about international travels between 08:00 and 18:00. Incredible, sleep on my dear lady.

At the train station in the nearest city they told me to drive to another city, because they cannot book international tickets. Arriving there by regional bus at 18:10 the counter was closed. The whole thing cost me a full day.

I swear, I will never again try to wake up SJ's peaceful sleep. But I propose SJ to tell directly on its internet page that it does not want travellers. Travelers should take a bus, rent a car or do something else, but forget about trains in Sweden.

But I have to admit, that regional trains in Sweden are quite comfortable and go rather often. However, at some train stations it is not possible to buy a ticket -- not even at a machine. Buying the ticket on the train then will be punished by charging the traveller an extra fee. Very annoying.

[eee]

Nearly midnight. The twilight gleams through the black crowns of the trees. From the northern horizon a light pink shines through the trunks. The wind has settled, and perfect silence covers the Dalsland coast of lake Vänern. Only now and then a sleepy bird caws.

From far away a motor sounds up, becoming louder second by second. Suddenly the silence is gone, the air is filled by the awful noise of a motorcycle without silencer. Romance has gone.

Silence has to be filled

In Sweden, motorcycles without silencers are the latest fashion. As a foreigner from middle-Europe you can only be surprised that either there are no rules for motorcycles, or nobody cares.

It is like Swedes are afraid of their calm nature. The silence has to be filled somehow. Be it silencer-less motor cycles, rolling bass-boxes, loud, old fashioned grass clippers, motor saws, or just hammering.

As tourists from central Europe still like go to Sweden for quiet and relaxing holidays, they will find it in less and less places. Especially in the southern part of Sweden. Be it on the once spacious camping sites or in one of the litte red vacation cottages with white corners near a lake, which look so cosy to them.

The mornings become seldom, when you are wakend by the wind in the trees and the birds singing. It is more probable that a motor saw, a grass clipper, a diesel truck , a speed boad, a water scooter or one of the above mentioned motorcycles will wake you up. And the evenings seem to be filled with house buildings as long as the long light summer days allow, which might be as late as half past elven in the evening. After five o'clock in the afternoon and during the weekends the villages turn into building places

A noisy generation

There is a generation active loving noise and loudness. No regards to neighbours and nature lovers as long as they can keep a machine running or can repair their houses over and over again. Nature means obviously nothing to them and they do not regard loudness an environmental problem. Imagine people behave like that in the 10 times as densely crowded Germany or The Netherlands. The older generation, let's say over 60, has been aware of the treasures of their country, the nature, the woods, the lakes -- and the silence.

It's a bit contradictory: Swedes are heading for the country in order to escape the dins of the bigger cities, but fill nature with noise -- and light.

Vacation dwellings turn to building places

In the former vacation dwellings, which turned to suburbs over the recent years, lots of strong house lights lighten the nights in order to keep the dark and silence out. Why in heaven did they move out of the towns? They do not even think what they are doing: disturbing not only the environment, but disturbing animals, which are either attracted or discouraged by the light.

Once a paragon country, Sweden falls back into the times of rigorous altruism. Although nature and environment are on the political agenda, the normal Svensson doesn't care.

Signs of fall-back

There are more signs of a fall-back: More and more cars, bigger and bigger, make the plans to limit the carbon dioxide emissions nothinging. Instead of reductions, the carbon dioxide emissions of Sweden increased, making the country one of the most important climate polluters in Europe -- per capita. Luckily the Swedes are only a few, so it doesn't count to much in Europe's overall balance.

Something is even wrong with Svensson's social habits. The number of dogs is increasing, pets as substitution for social contacts. Well, they have been always a bit shy. But it's new that they confuse animal love with nature empathy.

Have to learn a lot

The Swedes have to learn a lot. Other countries in Europe are already excelling their country in environmental actions and knowledge and social sense. But it has to be mentioned, the the other countries learned a lot from the Scandinavian country. Today life quality is slowly on the rise in central Europe, while it drops in Scandinavia. What a pity.

Om miljöbov

På sikt ska man nog ifrågasätta hela hanteringen kring gräsmattor, om den över huvud taget är förenlig med en bra miljö. Ofta göder folk dem, sedan klipper man med en miljöbov och så är det en massa transporter hit och dit som slukar energi. Man kan ju ha ängsblommor eller något annat. Min egen gräsmatta växer det mest mossa på. Det accepterar jag.
säger Bengt-Göran Pripp, konsumentverket Sverige

Comment by Hanns-J. Neubert
2007-06-19 [eee sss]

Sjungsjung 2005-08-15

Es soll ja noch Leute geben, die im Internet nach Informationen suchen.

Das ist in Zeiten von Google aufwändig geworden. Seitenlange »Treffer« voller sponserter Links mit nichtssagenden Listen und nichtsnutzigen Pseudosuchmaschinen. Vorbei die Zeiten, als Altavista noch nach Relevanz sortierte und dabei die Tricks umging, mit denen Wichtigtuer versuchten, ihre Seiten möglichst weit oben zu platzieren.

Aber es gibt sie noch, die echten Suchmaschinen, die einen zum Ziel bringen.

MetaGer ist ungeschlagen, wenn es um echte Befriedigung von Informationsbedürfnissen geht - leider nur für den deutschen Sprachraum.

Vivisimo »clustert« die Ergebnisse der Suche. Sie werden am linken Rand nach Themen sortiert, die sich aus der Analyse der gefundenen Seiten ergibt. Die fünf bis zehn relevantesten erscheinen sofort auf dem Bildschirm. Das erspart das ermüdenden Scrollen durch die unsortierten Listen, wie sie Google bietet.

Hanns-J. Neubert
Länge/Length: 1029 Zeichen/Chars [ddd]