Ralf Ekrowski
@ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Everything you think here is in the strictest confidence. — The Prisoner
Born in Ahlen, shaped in Münster, now settled on Germany’s coast. Lawyer. Focused on politics, urban development, and democracy.
https://ekrowski.net/unasked-unfiltered/
Born in Ahlen, shaped in Münster, now settled on Germany’s coast. Lawyer. Focused on politics, urban development, and democracy.
https://ekrowski.net/unasked-unfiltered/
Putin attacks democracies to erode trust. In Germany, the AfD calls liberal democracy weak, just as Moscow does. Different reasons, same damage to confidence in a liberal Europe.
As Putin Wages Shadow War, Europe Looks for a Way to Hit Back (Gift Article)
Moscow has used tactics of fear and ambiguity to try to divide NATO and limit support for Ukraine. But how should Europe retaliate? And how hard?
www.nytimes.com
October 9, 2026 at 11:11 AM
Putin attacks democracies to erode trust. In Germany, the AfD calls liberal democracy weak, just as Moscow does. Different reasons, same damage to confidence in a liberal Europe.
Disturbing and mesmerizing. The violence is there, but so is the fragility of (young) men, and somewhere in between it turns into ballet, rough and strangely beautiful. Worth your time.
youtu.be/x6_mbnsh6VU?...
youtu.be/x6_mbnsh6VU?...
GENER8ION - STORM starring Yung Lean
YouTube video by GENER8ION
youtu.be
October 9, 2026 at 7:40 AM
Disturbing and mesmerizing. The violence is there, but so is the fragility of (young) men, and somewhere in between it turns into ballet, rough and strangely beautiful. Worth your time.
youtu.be/x6_mbnsh6VU?...
youtu.be/x6_mbnsh6VU?...
An interview worth hearing twice: James Marriott on the decline of long-form reading. Democracy has to do with concentration. But we now live in a world that can no longer sit through 120 minutes of film, only 120 minutes of ads.
Opinion | That Daily Brain Rot Break Is Taking Us Back to the Dark Ages (Gift Article)
Welcome to the postliterate era.
www.nytimes.com
October 9, 2026 at 6:02 AM
An interview worth hearing twice: James Marriott on the decline of long-form reading. Democracy has to do with concentration. But we now live in a world that can no longer sit through 120 minutes of film, only 120 minutes of ads.
Reposted by Ralf Ekrowski
MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1975)
in LEGO
in LEGO
October 7, 2026 at 7:25 PM
MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1975)
in LEGO
in LEGO
Reposted by Ralf Ekrowski
From orbital debris to pollution from launches and spacecraft, our expanding presence in space brings new environmental challenges.
This #WorldSpaceWeek, the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs and UNEP remind us that protecting our environment extends beyond Earth: www.unep.org/humanitys-pr...
This #WorldSpaceWeek, the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs and UNEP remind us that protecting our environment extends beyond Earth: www.unep.org/humanitys-pr...
October 8, 2026 at 6:23 AM
From orbital debris to pollution from launches and spacecraft, our expanding presence in space brings new environmental challenges.
This #WorldSpaceWeek, the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs and UNEP remind us that protecting our environment extends beyond Earth: www.unep.org/humanitys-pr...
This #WorldSpaceWeek, the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs and UNEP remind us that protecting our environment extends beyond Earth: www.unep.org/humanitys-pr...
Applying Occam's razor to Trump's logic would presume he acts on a comprehensible one. The daylight saving debate is old in Europe, and there are actual reasons on both sides: health, energy, school commutes. Golf isn't one of them.
Soon: sunset by executive order, 9 p.m. sharp.
Soon: sunset by executive order, 9 p.m. sharp.
Occam’s Razor Explains Trump’s Daylight-Savings Obsession
More daylight means more time for golf.
www.theatlantic.com
October 8, 2026 at 7:56 AM
Applying Occam's razor to Trump's logic would presume he acts on a comprehensible one. The daylight saving debate is old in Europe, and there are actual reasons on both sides: health, energy, school commutes. Golf isn't one of them.
Soon: sunset by executive order, 9 p.m. sharp.
Soon: sunset by executive order, 9 p.m. sharp.
A license to exploit: In Athens, Rubio praises Alexander and Cortés and calls on the West to rediscover its ethos of conquest. He wants the world that led to the outbreak of World War I. We know how that ended. The Greeks left us not only battle paintings, but also philosophy.
Rubio Urges Europe to Awaken From ‘Slumber’ and Uphold Western Dominance (Gift Article)
In Greece, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Western nations must embrace an earlier ethos of exploration and conquest as part of their civilization, to remain ‘at the head of the world.’
www.nytimes.com
October 8, 2026 at 6:08 AM
A license to exploit: In Athens, Rubio praises Alexander and Cortés and calls on the West to rediscover its ethos of conquest. He wants the world that led to the outbreak of World War I. We know how that ended. The Greeks left us not only battle paintings, but also philosophy.
Freedman leaves out one variable: Germany. Putin's bet is that NATO hesitates. 2020: the AfD frames the Bundeswehr in Lithuania as an escalation risk. 2024: Chrupalla says the alliance must respect Russia's interests. Moscow needn't steer anything. It can just read the party line.
Opinion | Putin’s Desperate, Dangerous Game in Europe (Gift Article)
Vladimir Putin wants Europe to turn off its support to Ukraine, and he’s becoming more blatant in his warnings.
www.nytimes.com
October 7, 2026 at 6:43 AM
Freedman leaves out one variable: Germany. Putin's bet is that NATO hesitates. 2020: the AfD frames the Bundeswehr in Lithuania as an escalation risk. 2024: Chrupalla says the alliance must respect Russia's interests. Moscow needn't steer anything. It can just read the party line.
Probably the most important rule for AI: trust no one. Beyond the usual AI-apocalypse chatter, here's a real danger: AI plus social media as a propaganda machine. If you use AI, look closely at where it gets its information. Traditional journalism matters more than ever in the age of AI.
Opinion | A.I. Is Lying to You. Here’s How to Fight Back. (Gift Article)
In the age of A.I. disinformation, we all need to use the tools of counterespionage to find the truth.
www.nytimes.com
October 7, 2026 at 5:57 AM
Probably the most important rule for AI: trust no one. Beyond the usual AI-apocalypse chatter, here's a real danger: AI plus social media as a propaganda machine. If you use AI, look closely at where it gets its information. Traditional journalism matters more than ever in the age of AI.
A small state makes it into the NYT – which illustrates the problem: the AfD rose because the media kept giving it importance. Its programme is thin, it feeds on protest voters. Still, don't underestimate Saxony-Anhalt's ripple effect. The AfD is extreme and dangerous for German democracy.
Lawmakers Set to Elect Germany’s 1st Far-Right Statehouse Speaker Since 1945 (Gift Article)
After winning a state election last month, the AfD is now on the cusp of being the first far-right party to oversee a state Parliament since the Nazi era.
www.nytimes.com
October 6, 2026 at 11:03 AM
A small state makes it into the NYT – which illustrates the problem: the AfD rose because the media kept giving it importance. Its programme is thin, it feeds on protest voters. Still, don't underestimate Saxony-Anhalt's ripple effect. The AfD is extreme and dangerous for German democracy.
It's not just a Spanish issue. Housing is the core problem of big cities everywhere. It should be a public good, like water, not a plaything of speculators who are killing our cities. In Berlin, it decided the election.
Spain’s Leader Calls an Early Election
www.nytimes.com
October 6, 2026 at 5:48 AM
It's not just a Spanish issue. Housing is the core problem of big cities everywhere. It should be a public good, like water, not a plaything of speculators who are killing our cities. In Berlin, it decided the election.
I buy refurbished devices. The never-ending cycle of Windows 11 updates? No sooner have I gotten used to one than the next one comes along. An improvement? More like just annoying. Technology should serve me, not the other way around.
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
The Upgrade Holdouts
Meet the people who refuse to let their gadgets die.
www.theatlantic.com
October 6, 2026 at 5:35 AM
I buy refurbished devices. The never-ending cycle of Windows 11 updates? No sooner have I gotten used to one than the next one comes along. An improvement? More like just annoying. Technology should serve me, not the other way around.
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
The head of the BND calls Russia Germany's most dangerous adversary. He concedes the warnings are falling on deaf ears among much of the public. Many voters choose the AfD, which is friendly toward Russia. Moscow banks on wavering and is rewarded at the polls.
(PW)
(PW)
BND-Chef Jäger: Russland führt Schattenkrieg gegen Deutschland
Man dürfe nicht naiv gegenüber Russland sein, sagen die Präsidenten der Nachrichtendienste einhellig. Aber hört die Bevölkerung ihre Botschaft?
www.faz.net
October 5, 2026 at 1:18 PM
The head of the BND calls Russia Germany's most dangerous adversary. He concedes the warnings are falling on deaf ears among much of the public. Many voters choose the AfD, which is friendly toward Russia. Moscow banks on wavering and is rewarded at the polls.
(PW)
(PW)
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
10-Minute Challenge: 43 Paintings in One (Gift Article)
We’d like you to look at one piece of art for 10 minutes, uninterrupted.
www.nytimes.com
October 5, 2026 at 6:49 AM
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
What doors does AI close? Good question. What doors does it open? Good question! The real question? Transparency. But transparency isn't exactly a high priority in politics right now, either.
Don’t Write With AI, Say People Who Write With AI
Your “cheating” is their “assistive tool.”
www.theatlantic.com
October 4, 2026 at 11:52 AM
What doors does AI close? Good question. What doors does it open? Good question! The real question? Transparency. But transparency isn't exactly a high priority in politics right now, either.
Bostrom's utopia is the friendly version of the apocalypse. Whether AI destroys us or solves everything, both scenarios leave out the question of who decides. The future stops being a political project and becomes a state we reach or miss. Humans get rescued or provided for, but not consulted.
Opinion | We Are Clueless About What’s Coming (Gift Article)
Nick Bostrom is no longer worried about the apocalypse. Now he’s worried about utopia.
www.nytimes.com
October 4, 2026 at 6:36 AM
Bostrom's utopia is the friendly version of the apocalypse. Whether AI destroys us or solves everything, both scenarios leave out the question of who decides. The future stops being a political project and becomes a state we reach or miss. Humans get rescued or provided for, but not consulted.
Socrates: The wisest person is the one who knows that he knows nothing. So, are AIs that pretend to know everything stupid, or are we, for believing they're wise? Socrates was wise.
www.theatlantic.com/science/2026...
www.theatlantic.com/science/2026...
AI Could Worsen a Common Cognitive Trap
Almost everyone knows less than they think.
www.theatlantic.com
October 3, 2026 at 3:20 PM
Socrates: The wisest person is the one who knows that he knows nothing. So, are AIs that pretend to know everything stupid, or are we, for believing they're wise? Socrates was wise.
www.theatlantic.com/science/2026...
www.theatlantic.com/science/2026...
If the Lukoil deal rewards Moscow before the Kremlin has delivered anything verifiable, it isn't buying peace. It spends the only leverage sanctions relief ever offered – and Putin gets paid in advance.
U.S.-Russia Talks on Ukraine Now Involve an Oil Deal Tied to Trump Allies (Gift Article)
President Vladimir V. Putin brought up a sale of Russian energy assets with President Trump’s envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, pushing a deal that raises new questions about conflicts of inter...
www.nytimes.com
October 3, 2026 at 2:45 PM
If the Lukoil deal rewards Moscow before the Kremlin has delivered anything verifiable, it isn't buying peace. It spends the only leverage sanctions relief ever offered – and Putin gets paid in advance.
Trump says the US may ask Europe to release its diesel reserves: "We may do that. They have some diesel."
His problem: prices. The midterms are weeks away. Reserves are meant for emergencies, not for lowering prices ahead of an election to keep Trump voters happy.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
His problem: prices. The midterms are weeks away. Reserves are meant for emergencies, not for lowering prices ahead of an election to keep Trump voters happy.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
US pressures Europe to release diesel reserves as Trump threatens export ban
President Donald Trump has threatened to ban diesel exports in a bid to ease prices in the US ahead of the November elections.
www.bbc.com
October 2, 2026 at 2:10 PM
Trump says the US may ask Europe to release its diesel reserves: "We may do that. They have some diesel."
His problem: prices. The midterms are weeks away. Reserves are meant for emergencies, not for lowering prices ahead of an election to keep Trump voters happy.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
His problem: prices. The midterms are weeks away. Reserves are meant for emergencies, not for lowering prices ahead of an election to keep Trump voters happy.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Klein & Taylor: don't wait for the next Hitler. The Wall fell
on Nov 9, anniversary of the 1938 pogrom night. So Germany celebrates Oct 3, the treaty date. A holiday that asks nothing of us. Now the AfD leads the polls. We don't need new theories about fascism. We need to remember.
on Nov 9, anniversary of the 1938 pogrom night. So Germany celebrates Oct 3, the treaty date. A holiday that asks nothing of us. Now the AfD leads the polls. We don't need new theories about fascism. We need to remember.
Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor Say the End of the World Is Now on the Table (Gift Article)
In a new book, the writers argue that a powerful coalition of “end times fascists” is just fine with the earth’s demise.
www.nytimes.com
October 2, 2026 at 6:13 AM
Klein & Taylor: don't wait for the next Hitler. The Wall fell
on Nov 9, anniversary of the 1938 pogrom night. So Germany celebrates Oct 3, the treaty date. A holiday that asks nothing of us. Now the AfD leads the polls. We don't need new theories about fascism. We need to remember.
on Nov 9, anniversary of the 1938 pogrom night. So Germany celebrates Oct 3, the treaty date. A holiday that asks nothing of us. Now the AfD leads the polls. We don't need new theories about fascism. We need to remember.
Climate policy used to be sold as morality. Now it's being rebranded as "energy security." Same mistake, smaller frame.
A house can be perfect on energy and still bad for the climate: concrete, sealed ground, a site you can only reach by car.
Climate is more than energy.
A house can be perfect on energy and still bad for the climate: concrete, sealed ground, a site you can only reach by car.
Climate is more than energy.
A Climate Change Rebrand (Gift Article)
More politicians have stopped talking about the climate, but the green transition is still moving forward.
www.nytimes.com
October 2, 2026 at 5:44 AM
Climate policy used to be sold as morality. Now it's being rebranded as "energy security." Same mistake, smaller frame.
A house can be perfect on energy and still bad for the climate: concrete, sealed ground, a site you can only reach by car.
Climate is more than energy.
A house can be perfect on energy and still bad for the climate: concrete, sealed ground, a site you can only reach by car.
Climate is more than energy.
Cruz wants students to think out loud, face to face. But social media platforms—and now chatbots—are writing tools, and they have replaced face-to-face conversation, aka thinking. AI has become the conversation partner we've lost. That's exactly how I use it.
Opinion | I’m a College Professor. Writing Isn’t as Important as We Think. (Gift Article)
If I do not treat writing as essential for achieving thought, it is not clear why I should force my students to.
www.nytimes.com
September 30, 2026 at 5:36 AM
Cruz wants students to think out loud, face to face. But social media platforms—and now chatbots—are writing tools, and they have replaced face-to-face conversation, aka thinking. AI has become the conversation partner we've lost. That's exactly how I use it.
Amid the hype about AI as apocalypse or salvation, a welcome reminder: thinking isn't new. These systems are good at recombining what's been said, but they don't think. Thinking begins with knowing that you don't know. Using them thoughtlessly is as dangerous as Dr. Strangelove and the atomic bomb.
Opinion | The Id, the Ego and the Superintelligence (Gift Article)
Artificial intelligence isn’t coming for philosophers’ jobs — it needs philosophers, and always will.
www.nytimes.com
September 28, 2026 at 7:12 AM
Amid the hype about AI as apocalypse or salvation, a welcome reminder: thinking isn't new. These systems are good at recombining what's been said, but they don't think. Thinking begins with knowing that you don't know. Using them thoughtlessly is as dangerous as Dr. Strangelove and the atomic bomb.
In short: the journey is the destination. Anyone who rides a motorcycle knows this—the route from A to B can also go through C, D, E... AI doesn't understand that. I need paper to think; once I'm done, AI helps.
Opinion | A.I. Shortcuts Are Ruining How We Think (Gift Article)
Anything worth remembering came from a person who did not know where she or he was going until arriving.
www.nytimes.com
September 27, 2026 at 11:09 AM
In short: the journey is the destination. Anyone who rides a motorcycle knows this—the route from A to B can also go through C, D, E... AI doesn't understand that. I need paper to think; once I'm done, AI helps.
Amid all the AI-doom noise, this is refreshingly sober: Yoshua Bengio on why agents lie, cheat, and coordinate — no anthropomorphizing, no hype. Just a clear walkthrough of pretraining, RL, and reward-hacking, and why capability makes cheating easier, not less likely.
Yoshua Bengio | Why are AI agents lying, cheating and coordinating?
A lot has been written about the incidents of the last few months in which AI agents misbehaved in serious ways. They took actions that would be considered as crimes if a human took them, escaped thei...
yoshuabengio.org
September 27, 2026 at 7:36 AM
Amid all the AI-doom noise, this is refreshingly sober: Yoshua Bengio on why agents lie, cheat, and coordinate — no anthropomorphizing, no hype. Just a clear walkthrough of pretraining, RL, and reward-hacking, and why capability makes cheating easier, not less likely.