Category: Zukunft

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Commemoration

In The month of November we commemorate those who died and particularly all those who died in the combat for freedom and democracy. The Russian aggression does not show many signs of ending the killing of soldiers and civilians on both sides. Ukrainian forces struggle to resist the Russian occupation of its territory as Russia is sacrificing thousands of lives for small gains of territory it is unlikely to defend in the coming months if Ukraine possesses longer reach weapons. A new spiral of an apocalypse is most probably the result of the Russian insistence on external aggression to cover up more internal problems. A lost generation of young soldiers who died in combat or suffered mutilation will be the outcome of these atrocities. The inflationary effects of wheat and energy prices globally have caused additional casualties in countries that had absolutely no stakes in this war. Russia is to blame for those additional casualties as well as the adverse effects on the world‘s climate due to the fighting and destroyed materials that need replacing later on. The young Russian generation will have to stand up against Putin‘s call to war and put down their weapons. This is one way to end the spiral toward yet another apocalyptic experience in Europe and the silent killing through hunger beyond Europe. (Image: BNF Paris, Apocalypses 2024)

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Comprehensive Conflict

In a recent paper Mara Karlin (2024 Foreign Affairs LINK) has stated the need for the Western World to understand and even prepare for comprehensive conflict. Particularly in response to Putin‘s war on Ukraine’s territory and the threats and potential use of the full range of weapons including cyber warfare, destruction of energy resources and military production sites the current war comes close to total war. Several European countries have made significant steps to increase budgets for the new forms of comprehensive conflict management. This starts with adequate discussion in public on the dramatically changed security situation after the „Zeitenwende“ caused by Putin. The forceful Ukrainian response with much financial assistance from the West has pioneered drone counter strikes and by this put an end to the Russian progression into its territory. In order to match the total war ideology Putin is implementing in Russian society the Western world will have to rethink production models and strategic defense capabilities in all areas to match the rather real threats by Russia. The prevention of the spreading of comprehensive conflict is of utmost importance since the risk of an expansion of Russian influence and suppression of any internal resistance in Russia has devastating consequences. The 2024 book by Tatjana Tönsmeyer „Under German Occupation, Europe 1939-1945“ (own translation of German title) demonstrates what it meant to live under the domination of an inhuman dictatorship which is ready to use all out war and violence at any occasion. We have to confront this, even if we don’t want to face it. Nevertheless, the Russian aggression is also strongly targeted on its own people not to take risks of separation from Russia as this would mean devastating destruction to those regions and people who dare to do so. External explosions are therefore for Putin a prevention of implosion of the Russian Federation similar to the Soviet Union previously. Comprehensive Conflict extinguishes any remaining internal opposition as intended collateral damage. In Western countries, however, we shall have to argue with opponents and build majorities through understanding the issues at stake not through silencing opponents and opposition. The debate about comprehensive conflict is only about to start, but it is likely to last for several election cycles. (own image, Contemplation on infinite landscapes, Berlin 2024)

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History’s Weight

The artist Damien Deroubaix is currently exposed at the BNF.fr in its historic site Richelieu. Together with and next to some of the historic treasures of the BNF collections the unique exhibition allows to experience history’s weight on our current existence. The work of Deroubaix is following and pursuing historic art trajectories with a special historical and ethical consciousness. Techniques of art are insensitive to the moral compass of the painter in history. The collections of the BNF like all major European collections have to handle their colonial past and immoral depictions throughout history. Deroubaix accomplished to liberate techniques of art of their colonial linkages and imagination of emperors focusing on humanitarian values. War is horror, in the past and in the present. Genocide in Rwanda is war crime and dealing with the memories of people an honorable way to look forward conscious of the past. Hybrid forms of art allow multiple contextualizations of his work. In the Galerie Mansart and Pigott of the BNF the historical embedding enriches the art and vice versa. Art allows us to rise beyond the ashes mankind has and continues to inflict on us. (Images: extracts of Damien Deroubaix at BNF, Paris 2024)

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All Electric Society

Moving away from fossil fuels will shift power generation to electricity. Wind, water and solar energy will eventually generate enough power for home appliances and even electricity-based mobility. Lighting and computing or smart phones use direct current (DC) as power supply. This form of electricity is usually transformed from an alternating current (AC). Producing DC with a solar panel or a battery supply is transformed into AC for our home power lines and locally transformed back again into DC to change our smartphone or LED lighting. There is energy lost in the 2-fold transformation. Hence, it is possible to use a simple DC wire network to bring your self-generated power directly to the appliances that function with DC anyway. Whole factories are making this shift already, some as prototypes. The all electric society is in the making. There still huge potentials to reduce electricity consumption and improve security through low voltage electricity circuits and networks. Almost 200 years after the publication of Ohm’s law it will become the foundation of the all electric society.

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Paris Vision

You got to have a vision in urban planning. Long term visions are best to then realize them step by step. The center of Paris has been restructured since the time of Haussmann at several places. The previous commercial center of Paris with « Les Halles » and the building of the commodities exchange « La Bourse de Commerce «  have been turned into a pedestrian area long ago. This axis runs nowadays from the home of the Pinault Collection to Les Halles almost to the Centre Pompidou (in the background of the image below). Whereas Les Halles is usually very popular and crowded with people the art museums are a bit less busy. Walking around in the area is offering amenities for people of all walks of life. It is an area, better called a pedestrian boulevard, where the wealthy and the poor may meet or at least pass by. Social urban planning is in high need to be considered as a vision not only for Paris, but many places and cities again. Inclusive societies also begin with a rather simple vision of togetherness putting people first.

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Game Tech

Gaming has moved digital and online for a long time. Networked gaming and following the best gamers online on video-platforms like twitch has captured a lot of attention from younger generations. With a real trend of gamification for industry and even public services, the digital gaming sector is moving from backstage to front end of companies and services. Public administration as a game. Enjoy the use of a public service through a game-like experience. Walk around in the metaverse world and get your admin work done. I would love to have such an experience. There are so many applications for gamification that the bottleneck is in the human resources to program all these applications. Coding the digital and virtual worlds to get real stuff done is just around the corner. The SCCON 2024 in Berlin showed these technologies next to each other. 2025 we might see integrated prototypes. I have a digital dream, others call it a vision for public services in the 21st century.

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Ener Tech

The future energy lab in Berlin proposes valuable advice and guidlines for the „prosumer“ revolution in energy technology. From the own or home production of energy, the sharing of investments and infrastructure to the distribution network and finally consumption, the whole life cycle of energy is treated with a concern for environmental and financial sustainability Sharing is the way forward and many solutions build on this basic idea to move beyond the individualistic approach and fossil fuels cheap in the short term, but more expensive to society in the medium to long term. As most solutions make use of digital tools the issue of cyber security has to be a concern right from the beginning or even the planning phase. Joint production and consumption rely on people and communities reaching compromises. However, wholesale resourcing and averaging over households allows cost savings. The technology is available already, the skilled people to implement these solutions are currently the bottleneck. DIY will have to bridge the gap as neighbors learn from neighbors as yet another form of community building and engagement. (Image gamification of community decision making, SCCON Berlin 2024)

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Mobi Tech

There is much more to mobility and technology than new cars and bicycles. Innovative infrastructure provided by new public services allows new forms of mobility technology to strive. Charging points across a country are crucial to ensure smooth and smart mobility for example with e-cars and e-bikes. Software guides us to next or cheapest charging point in the surroundings. Public services provide the basic data on this and need trustworthy updating and repair of the infrastructure to avoid frustrations. Navigation systems need up-to-date info on areas with restricted mobility due to high emissions (diesel) or illegal parking of shared bikes and rollers to avoid a banning of share options in inner cities. Data allow the guidance of traffic and combinations of different modes of transport. Mobility tech is nowadays a largely data driven process and public services provide important basic services and information for innovation and reduction of emissions in the field of multimodal mobility.

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Digital Zebra

It is a difficult task in all countries to bridge the digital divide in a society. On the one hand, there are so-called digital natives, those who have grown up with smartphones and notebooks all around them all the time. On the other hand, there are many persons who have not kept track of the digital turn and feel rather lost or are afraid of making mistakes using digital tools. As public services are also moving online, the need for a society-wide comprehensive mastering of digital information and tools have become a sheer necessity. It is much more than just nice to have.
As public services move online like registrations, payments or tax declarations, the need for training and/or assistance of millions of people in a country become a real challenge. This is where the innovative project “digital zebra” in Berlin comes into play. Through the network of public libraries you can get support in person to master your digital challenges.
The name of the project refers to the “zebra crossing” of a road, which assists persons to move from one side to the other side, just like crossing the digital divide. We shall need a lot of those guides and other multiplyers who can assist people to move safely online. Only through this form of taking people with you on the move towards online public services we shall close the gap of the digital divide. It is probably going to widen before we can narrow it again, unless we breeding digital zebras in a rapid way.
(Image: SCCON 2024-10, Berlin)

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Administration Online

The public administration is more and more moving online. The electronic identity is becoming a reality for all those with a recent personal identity card and who remember where they stored their pin code which came with the card. Moving houses or apartments or car registrations among other official registrations can be carried out online rather than by joining the lengthy queues at your public administration. The “buergerservice.org e.V.” presented the easy steps at the SCCON 2024 in Berlin again to the audiences. The support by the “mobile citizen’s office”, allowed to do the PIN retrieval or change on site and during 2 minutes. This is going to be a game changer for many people who shun away from lengthy admin procedures and push off such registrations due to the time-consuming queueing systems currently in place. Labour shortages are circumvented by e-administration and citizen’s satisfaction with public services increases. More publicity for such e-services and rapid implementation across countries and the EU should bring a about a new e-dynamic drive to old Europe. Employees or civil servants will be pleased to deal with exceptional cases only rather than the bulk of repetitive registrar work. More time will be available to real case management instead of suffering from impatient citizen clients. “Administration as a service” sounds like the new device of digital public management.