Some photos from a week that I spent mostly at a client’s office.

1. Graffiti at Berlin Alexanderplatz 2. Reactivating my fountain pen, a graduation present from my dad. 3. At Stattbad Wedding, a former pool turned event location, the audience could playtest game designers’ experimental collaborative video games. 4. Big, fat letter needs stamps galore. 5. Pacman ate my brainstorming session. 6. Hotel room at gorgeous Mövenpick hotel in the old watertower in Hamburg. Also, inappropriate filters. 7. Anti-ACTA graffiti in an unexpected context. Or maybe Michael wants to tell us something? 8. Gorgeous view during a Hamburg sunset. 9. Input/Output: What kept us going during long work days. (Not recommended.) 10. A foggy morning in Hamburg. First thing I saw when I left my hotel.

The author asks Shuzo Kishida, chef and owner of Quintessence, one of Tokyo’s 16 restaurant adorned with three Michelin stars, about why the place is so small and Mr Kishida personally takes care of so many aspects of running the restaurant:

When the maître d’ pours a glass of sweet, crisp French white wine to go with the next offering, I ask him why he wears so many hats in a restaurant that could afford to take on more staff. “If I just manage this place but don’t serve dishes, then what’s the point?” he says. “I want to see exactly how each customer responds to what we put before them.” (…)

Later Kishida joins me for a coffee. Thirty-seven and slightly built, he carries himself in a way that manages to be both authoritative and humble. After we discuss the details of the dishes, I ask him about what the maître d’ told me. “I bought this restaurant myself just a few months ago from the group that owned it since it opened,” he says. “I did that for one reason: to cook how I want in a way that connects me to each customer. I refused to make this place any bigger. I need to personally taste every single dish that leaves my kitchen.”

I love this philosophy. It makes so much sense. Keeping the operation small it allows Mr Kishida to focus on quality over quantity and keep control in ways impossible in larger businesses. In a way, this allows to trade a certain financial margin for more personal freedom and a way to provide just the best experience possible.

It’s a philosophy I subscribe to 100%. It’s also why I wouldn’t want my company to grow substantially. If you want big money, you have to grow big; if you want to deliver the best, there’s something to be said for keeping things smaller, more nimble. And for making sure the person in charge knows in-depth every step in the process.

As a side note, after reading this article I can’t wait to see Bear Pond Espresso. Maybe I can even manage to score an espresso there. A godshot for sure.

Somewhere along the way there was a name change and some technical issues with the import, so I can’t fully tell when the first posts went live – according to WordPress, in 1970. Also, there were other outlets before, although I don’t remember if I called that blogging at the time. One required manual FTP uploads per post, and my co-author and I had devised some cunning pretty lame split screen design made up from HTML tables, with his writings on one side and mine on the other. Geocities, too, as well as a number of hosted blogs, all before I started using this WordPress-Domain Name-Combo as my digital home.

So, 1.500 posts in, and even though that’s spread out over just a few years already there’s a significant data rot at work. If anything, this mini anniverary serves as a reminder of how much backups matter, and beyond that, how we should ask ourselves which elements of the digital we want to preserve beyond the digital, and which we’re ok to treat as ephemeral, in other words, that we’re ok to lose later or sooner.

Just a few weeks ago I ordered a stack of photo copies on paper out of my Flickr account. I have most of these images somewhere, stored and in most cases backed up several times over. Yet, they’re ordered and labeled relatively poorly, practically untagged, and even though I’m good at deleting ruthlessly, there are still thousands upon thousands of them, aka Never Will I Revisit Them All Or Find The One I’m Looking For. So I ordered physical copies of about a hundred. Some ended up pinned on the wall, more in a few envelopes labeled ominously “Flickr, pre 2012″. Not good, but better than nothing as it helps provide at least a bare minimum of context.

Now if only Twitter/Snapfish also offered to print the photo metadata (title, tags, location, time, people tagged on the photo) on the back of these photos, we’d all be better off. (Flickr! Snapfish! Feature request!)

Anyway. Long story short, this is blog post #1500. It’s been a good time. See you at 2K.

A few photos of my week. 1. Sunday afternoon espresso 2. Refreshments during the visit of a member of parliament at Third Wave HQ 3. Fresh snow 4. Planning trips makes me happy. I’m planning lots of trips at the moment. 5. Igor’s birthday lunch at Doyum 6. Yummy mixed salad with tomatoes, peppers, mozzarella and inappropriate filters 7. Paintings by Julia Benz 8. Red door in Kreuzberg 9. Revisiting good stuff 10. Light reading material

(1) River Spree, frozen over, on my way to Transmediale (2) Scribbling ideas for Third Wave (3) Long, early train ride (4) Gala for the 20th anniverary of Quatsch Comedy Club (5) Berlin’s TV tower on a crisp sunny day (6) Mapping out trends (7) Yummy beans from Sense Appeal M. brought from Toronto (8) New stack of Leuchtturm dot grid notebooks (9) Playing Go with F. (10) Haus der Kulturen der Welt during Transmediale

Every week, Jessica Stanley does her fantastic 10 photos. I love those. So I’m going to try to use this as a reminder to take more photos, pay more attention to detail. An experiment.

Please note that I don’t work in a startup myself, even if there’s a lot of startup in my life. So I’m somewhat of an outside observer here, but hopefully it’s helpful anyway.

Is Berlin Europe’s startup capital?

The answer is a loud and clear: maybe. There’s tons of hype around Berlin. Where there’s hype, there’s hyperbole. So take it with a grain of salt. There is a (quickly growing) number of high potential startups. My impression is that this is mostly thanks to a very small and tight-knit group of young entrepreneurs. Over-simplifying a bit, I’d say that the good folks at Soundcloud kicked it all off, followed closely by the also great folks of Readmill, Amen, Gidsy. It’s no coincidence that there’s lots of love between these companies on all levels. Now there’s critical mass of sorts, and that attracts more interest of other entrepreneurs, of VCs, Angels etc. A virtuous cycle. The beginning of an ecosystem.

We’re seeing the early stage here, the tip of the iceberg. Let’s be clear: In terms of maturity of this ecosystem, Berlin is nowhere near Silicon Valley, New York or London. But there’s tons of potential. Give it a year or two and the first round of exits and we’ll see more money and energy pumped into the overall ecosystem.

The lifestyle factor

Berlin scores high on the “soft” factors. Work hard, play hard? Berlin is strong there. Costs of living, though rising, are low compared to London, Amsterdam, New York or San Francisco. Apartments are bigger, stress is lower, beer is cheaper.

Berlin’s nightlife is always hailed as the one of the world’s most energetic and eclectic. Probably true. But what if you don’t go clubbing three nights a week, or three days non-stop around the weekend?

Worry not, there’s plenty to do. Berlin sports fantastic restaurants, a blossoming coffee shop scene, and entertainment of the more traditional (theater, opera, galleries) as well as more cutting varieties (digital arts, activities of all sorts). You name it, you’ll find it.

Berlin is a cosmopolitan, open, multi-cultural city.

Is Berlin made for you? Are you made for Berlin?

So, we established you won’t get bored. There’s other factors that merit consideration.

In Berlin, you’ll also often encounter a strong anti-corporate, anti-commerce, anti-gentrification attitude that often surprises Americans visiting town. It’s part of Berlin’s history and part of a larger global narrative. Sometimes it takes some odd shape or form in Berlin, but it’s something worth considering.

In Berlin’s bars and restaurants, it’s not uncommon that smoking is allowed (and practiced heavily). Smoking was banned in restaurants a while ago, but after a series of lawsuits and appeals I’m not sure what the legal status is exactly. I can tell you, though, that while it’s possible without too much hassle to find a non-smoking restaurant, it’s a very different story for bars. I’m not judging either way, but it’s important to know as it might have an impact on your life if you move from San Francisco, London or New York.

This being a big city, you’ll find just about any style. Yet, the part of Berlin that most startup hype articles talk about is mostly centered around the four districts that after Germany’s reunification – that brought down the literal wall dividing the city – that lived through the gentrification fast track: Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg and Friedrichshain formerly were East Berlin, and the reunification led to a mass exodus of the former inhabitants, leaving behind run down houses that offered ultra cheap rents. Squatters, artists and students moved in, creative industries followed first, then rent hikes, renovation, more mainstreamed lifestyle. You know the story, it’s the same as similar neighborhoods around the world – just maybe a bit faster. Kreuzberg is the fourth of the districts. The only one in the former West (don’t try to match East/West on the map, it won’t work in Berlin, Kreuzberg is actually in the South East corner), Kreuzberg used to be fairly poor and predominantly Turkish and left-ish. It was the hotbed of Germany’s 60s student revolts and – from 1987 until just about last year or so – featured annual Labour Day riots (Wikipedia de/en).

All this stuff is just to give you a better feeling of why some things seem different here: It’s because they are. History runs deep in Berlin, and it’s all pretty recent. The wall came down about 20 years ago, in some backyards you’ll still find bullet holes from WWII. That’s also why Berlin is changing so fast. It’s a canvas, and it’s painted and re-painted by lots of folks simultaneously. Startups are just one of many forces at work.

Berlin isn’t Germany

The city plays a special role within Germany. It’s the capital, but it isn’t all love. Berlin’s debts are ridiculous (some 60b), there’s no traditional industry to speak of, unemployment is high. For decades, Berlin lived off subsidies, which led to great universities, operas and museums, but also has never been financially self-reliant. Many German stereotypes won’t hold true in Berlin, which is probably a good thing. Just don’t confuse the city with the country. Again, it’s the same in most countries – New York is hardly really representative of the US.

Language and cultural barriers

In the startup world, everybody more or less speaks English. On the street, in the districts mentioned above, you’ll get along with English as long as you’re not asking for things all too specific. Bars, restaurants and shops will be able to help you in English, but maybe don’t try to negotiation some complex nutritional detail. I highly recommend learning at least basic German, as it will dramatically improve your experience.

Office hours and shop opening times might seem odd to some – Sundays are mostly closed, Saturdays can lead to different opening times, restaurants sometimes close on Mondays. There are some rough patterns, but in Berlin often times things are improvised, so if something’s closed when you expect it to be open, don’t sweat it. It’s not uncommon that a cab or restaurant won’t accept credit cards, so make sure to bring cash. Service is usually friendly, but not necessarily provides the level of thoughtfulness or attentiveness you might appreciate in London. The dominant style is shabby chic, which is where Berlin scores high.

You got to like that, or Berlin isn’t for you. Personally, I love it, so I’m in heaven here.

Also, sometimes visitors mention that the city seems very laid back. That’s because it is, which is both boon and bane. There’s less hassle, less hustle. Coffee meetings can easily take an hour or more as personal lives are discussed along with business, and office hours start comparatively late (don’t try calling a startup or agency before 9 or 10am). Some call that slacking, others call it quality of life. You’ll have to judge for yourself.

What about my partner?

If you consider moving here with a partner of family, you might want to consider the options. Maybe for a time one job might be enough to support two or more as costs of living are lower. On a startup salary? Maybe not so much. The overall economy is weak in Berlin. So if your partner works outside the startup world, things might get more tricky. There will be less jobs available, and in most other industries German is the predominant (often only) language spoken inside the company. I don’t know enough about English or other language schools for your kids, so you might want to inquire ahead. Ask the expat you trust – one of them certainly lives in Berlin. Also, German paperwork can be tricky, so you might want to talk to a relocation service to take the hassle out of moving so you can hit the ground running.

These are some of the main things I think it is important to be aware of. If that sounds good to you, then you’ll love it here. If not, then maybe London or NYC will be a better match. Hope that helps with some of the early stage questions. Did I forget anything?

Here’s what Mr Heveling writes in his wisdom knowledge ignorant opinion piece:

Doch Googles und Wikimedias dieser Welt, lasst euch zurufen: Auch wenn Wikipedia für einen Tag ausgeschaltet ist und Google Zensurbalken trägt, ist das nicht das Ende des Wissens der Menschheit. Welche Hybris! Lasst euch gesagt sein: Das Wissen und vor allem die Weisheit der Welt liegen immer noch in den Köpfen der Menschen

Rough translation:

However, Googles and Wikimedias of the world, let me shout out to you: Even if Wikipedia is switched off for a day and Google shows a censorship bar, this isn’t The End of Mankind’s Knowledge. The hubris! Let me tell you: The knowledge and particularly the wisdom of the world is still inside the heads of humans.

Well, Mr Heveling, funny you’d say that. Allow me to just quote David Weinberger back at you, who understands more of this topic than you and I, and – very much unlike you – has facts to back this up:

We have a new form of knowing. This new knowledge requires not just giant computers but a network to connect them, to feed them, and to make their work accessible. It exists at the network level, not in the heads of individual human beings.

You can read up on how knowledge works now and in the future in Mr Weinberger’s new book. And you should. I’ll even include a link to the German Amazon store just for you.

Maybe the most important one for me is called “want to read”. This one has a mere 193 members at this point, and it’s highly curated super picky so I can make sure that I actually read (almost) everything that passes through that list.

Some of the people there are friends, some are colleagues, some are people I find inspiring or whose thoughts I want to learn about. And then there’s a few oddities in there that I found interesting by way of self-observation. Among those 193 Twitter accounts in my want-to-read list there are 18 “things” accounts: products, companies, locations, conferences. There are 3 feeds that just link to new blog posts in blogs I like. (I pretty much retired my RSS reader, even though I’ve been trying to revive it.) And there are 8 fictional characters, mostly from the West Wing. That’s more than 4 percent!

What does it say about me that out of the entities I really want to follow, four percent are fictional?

Ever since we started our series on the Quantified Self, we’ve been getting quite a bit of media interest. In fact, life tracking has been all over the German media recently.

For Golem.de, we wrote two articles that just went online:

• Ich tracke, also bin ich
• Wem gehört unser vermessenes Leben?

In addition, Deutschlandradio Kultur interviewed Johannes and me for a feature on QS, and another journalist just wrapped up another interview for a feature that hasn’t aired yet. (Watch our media page for updates.)

It’s good to see the discourse on this topic and all the implications from privacy to ownership to societal change gather steam in Germany. And we’re excited to be part of that discourse, hoping that we can contribute useful analysis and direction.

Let’s back up. Serendipity is a notoriously hard to explain word. Many languages, including German, don’t even have a decent translation as far as I can tell. Leslie neatly explains serendipity as a “subtle blend of chance and agency”, and quote Horace Walpole’s explanation taken from a letter in 1754: In the tale of The Three Princes of Serendip, the princes were “always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of.” Leslie points out that oftentimes when we refer to serendipity we focus on the chance and neglect the sagacity involved.

Right on.

Then he jumps straight into a sweeping critique of the internet that draws heavily from the Filter Bubble argument – the notion that the web and its filtering/targeting mechanisms increasingly shows us only what is compatible with what we already believe, cutting out dissenting arguments and news outside our immediate fields of interest.

The Filter Bubble argument isn’t weak as such. If you were to exptrapolate from, say, the last 5 years and project a linear development in terms of targeting, filtering and social search, then yes, we might end up reading only what we already know. Luckily, that’s stupid not an advisable thing to do. Instead, it helps to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

Yes, internet search often gives us very targeted information, cutting out longer searches which would have provided more ample opportunity to happen upons things we were not looking for. However, that’s only half the story (or less).

For one, the way we consume the web isn’t as straight forward as this. Social search and discovery online doesn’t just by way of receiving a link after typing in a dedicated search into the Google search box. Rather, increasingly we follow others who we trust to share interesting things with us. “Interesting”, in this case, implying an active initial choice by ourselves. Do we want to receive input by people who read the same things we read, or those who follow different information flows? Once we settle on a person that way, we receive a diverse, or at least unplanned and at least potentially serendipitous stream of thoughts, ideas, sources.

My main point of disagreement, however, is this: While the author points out that “in the field of observation, chance favours only the prepared mind” (Louis Pasteur), he still claims that the internet has evolved to a point where we don’t face unexpected input anymore, but restrict our usage of the web to what we know, the path well-trodden.

(He goes there by way of a romanticised book-shopping experience: The book jackets [in the book store] shimmer on the table, the spines flirt with you from the shelves. You can pick them up and allow their pages to caress your hands.” Maybe someone should point out to him that apart from small independent book stores those shelves and tables are paid for and stocked by big publishing companies who couldn’t care less about flirting spines and caressing your hands.)

What Leslie entirely fails to grasp here it that the online search/consumption behavior is only one side of the coin of many aspects of how we search out and encounter information. We get some input online, parts in predictable, controlled ways, some slightly more random. We have offline conversations and encounters, too. Quite likely, other media channels pay some part. There’s professional input streams, too, the stuff we read for work and learn about at conferences. There’s more.

And in all these cases, the question is: What happens when a piece of information hits a prepared mind?

No one – not today and not tomorrow – could restrict their information consumption online to a degree where no piece of stray information wouldn’t trigger the mental processes of new information impacting a prepared mind. A slightly faster search won’t change that.