Month: March 2019

I’ve been trying to figure out what makes for the best kind of professional working relationships. Sometimes things work, sometimes they don’t and sometimes they really take off.

I’d not been able to figure it out until I read The Failure of Us where Roy Rapoport says:

From a relationship and communication perspective, I think it comes down to striving to consistently lower the bar to communication and — stay with me, this may be a bit confusing for a moment — being ever-vigilant about the trivial little annoyances the people we work with create, and developing an ever-decreasing tolerance of them.

“An ever-decreasing tolerance”, which is so counter-intuitive and so spot on at the same time. That is probably one of the things that inadvertently have gone right in some cases and wrong in others. So if you’re looking for me, I’ll be here cultivating an ever-decreasing tolerance.

I didn’t think I’d live to hear one, but WIDI is a German language podcast (by Igor and a different Johannes) about technology that adds a unique perspective and a more systemic approach to the mix. If they manage to keep it niche, this will be a must listen for a German language audience.

Scooters in Berlin

Scooters are not legal in Germany yet but in select locations like here in Berlin you can try them out on private land.

This was my first ride and they are an immense pleasure to use once you get your feet positioned properly. I’m not sure yet what happens if you fall off one but I’m pretty sure it will be bad.

The law allowing these on the road has supposedly been signed but still has to work its way through some German institutions. What will happen when these are legal is obvious:

  • People will adopt them en masse because scooters are amazing.
  • Chaos will ensue everywhere because cities like Berlin have near zero infrastructure to facilitate these vehicles and are unable to adapt at the speed required.
  • There will be some accidents which will be blown up by the media.
  • A huge backlash will ensue as has already happened in many other places.
  • The German attitude towards risk and the ever-present machinations of the car lobby will get scooters banned.

I hope I’m proven wrong but it’s hard to see how it would go any other way.