Peter Bihr
@peterbihr.com
Working at the intersections of tech, public interest, policy & philanthropy. Independent advisor. Before: Director at European AI & Society Fund. Co-founder at ThingsCon. Senior Fellow at Mozilla.
https://thewavingcat.com
https://thewavingcat.com
Has Deutsche Post been losing a lot of mail these last few months? Is that a thing?
February 18, 2026 at 9:54 AM
Has Deutsche Post been losing a lot of mail these last few months? Is that a thing?
I keep coming back to this (it's a couple of years old by now), it's kinda stuck in my head bruces.medium.com/preliminary-...
February 17, 2026 at 9:08 AM
I keep coming back to this (it's a couple of years old by now), it's kinda stuck in my head bruces.medium.com/preliminary-...
Sadly, this seems about right to me. We've all been burned by deceptive industry tactics. Being a gargantuan industry that has a lot to lose is a dangerous mix. Sigh. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Claims that AI can help fix climate dismissed as greenwashing
Industry using ‘diversionary’ tactics, says analyst, as energy-hungry complex functions such as video generation and deep research proliferate
www.theguardian.com
February 17, 2026 at 8:58 AM
Sadly, this seems about right to me. We've all been burned by deceptive industry tactics. Being a gargantuan industry that has a lot to lose is a dangerous mix. Sigh. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Resilience > efficiency. Any day.
January 19, 2026 at 10:03 AM
Resilience > efficiency. Any day.
There is a special circle in hell reserved for the smart-asses who came up with the circular customer support systems where a bad error message leads to an call to action that leads back to a system that just tells you the same wrong error message. They 100% work for one of the big 4 consultancies.
December 5, 2025 at 9:58 AM
There is a special circle in hell reserved for the smart-asses who came up with the circular customer support systems where a bad error message leads to an call to action that leads back to a system that just tells you the same wrong error message. They 100% work for one of the big 4 consultancies.
Let me just say: People who can type fast and/or well with a bandaid on their finger are true heroes.
December 4, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Let me just say: People who can type fast and/or well with a bandaid on their finger are true heroes.
The longer I work in this space, the more I think that the whole framing of this recent generation of technologies as "smart" or "artificially intelligent" was an astounding success for the companies making them. So much of this should much more aptly be labeled "reactive" tech, if anything.
December 2, 2025 at 9:08 AM
The longer I work in this space, the more I think that the whole framing of this recent generation of technologies as "smart" or "artificially intelligent" was an astounding success for the companies making them. So much of this should much more aptly be labeled "reactive" tech, if anything.
Every time someone presses SKIP AD on a Youtube video, the advertiser knows *for sure* they just annoyed the hell out of a potential customer. If I was in their shoes, I'd wonder why I pay for those ads in the first place.
November 10, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Every time someone presses SKIP AD on a Youtube video, the advertiser knows *for sure* they just annoyed the hell out of a potential customer. If I was in their shoes, I'd wonder why I pay for those ads in the first place.
Has anyone, like EVER, intentionally subscribed to a newsletter in that pop-up sign-up window that pops up on every website these days?
To me it feels like I'm being punished as a user, having to click first on the cookie banner(s) and then close all the extra sign-ups sheets.
To me it feels like I'm being punished as a user, having to click first on the cookie banner(s) and then close all the extra sign-ups sheets.
November 10, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Has anyone, like EVER, intentionally subscribed to a newsletter in that pop-up sign-up window that pops up on every website these days?
To me it feels like I'm being punished as a user, having to click first on the cookie banner(s) and then close all the extra sign-ups sheets.
To me it feels like I'm being punished as a user, having to click first on the cookie banner(s) and then close all the extra sign-ups sheets.
So OpenAI builds an AI browser and adds... a clock widget? Is this the 90s?
October 5, 2025 at 9:47 AM
So OpenAI builds an AI browser and adds... a clock widget? Is this the 90s?
Anyone got an idea for how to get "SwiftoDo for todo.txt", the iOS app, on a phone in Europe when the app isn't listed in Europe? I'd prefer not to get into any region-spoofing shenanigans because they tend to mess with other subscriptions, settings, etc...?
September 25, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Anyone got an idea for how to get "SwiftoDo for todo.txt", the iOS app, on a phone in Europe when the app isn't listed in Europe? I'd prefer not to get into any region-spoofing shenanigans because they tend to mess with other subscriptions, settings, etc...?
Look, I know it's wrong BUT I DO IT ALL THE TIME! I'm an em-dash-spacer, I admit to the crime. To me, it just looks so right!
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the...
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the...
The Em Dash Responds to the AI Allegations
“In recent months, a curious fixation has emerged in corners of academia: the em dash. More specifically, the apparent moral panic around how it is...
www.mcsweeneys.net
September 24, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Look, I know it's wrong BUT I DO IT ALL THE TIME! I'm an em-dash-spacer, I admit to the crime. To me, it just looks so right!
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the...
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the...
Can anyone explain why Google Maps data quality has gone down so much? Or is that a Germany/Berlin specific thing?
August 25, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Can anyone explain why Google Maps data quality has gone down so much? Or is that a Germany/Berlin specific thing?
Coming to believe that a sizeable chunk of society is held together by people doing favors to their deceased friends’ families and spouses.
August 14, 2025 at 11:26 AM
Coming to believe that a sizeable chunk of society is held together by people doing favors to their deceased friends’ families and spouses.
In all the book reviews I ever read, this gem, hidden towards the end of a review, might be my favorite:
"I'm biased because I've been married to the author for the last 5 years, but..."
"I'm biased because I've been married to the author for the last 5 years, but..."
August 12, 2025 at 7:18 AM
In all the book reviews I ever read, this gem, hidden towards the end of a review, might be my favorite:
"I'm biased because I've been married to the author for the last 5 years, but..."
"I'm biased because I've been married to the author for the last 5 years, but..."
People who describe talking to ChatGPT 4 felt "like talking to a grad student" and ChatGPT 5 "like talking to a PhD" know very different grad students and PhDs than me. To me it constantly feels like talking to an inept intern who will lie to your face to cover for their mistakes.
August 11, 2025 at 7:16 AM
People who describe talking to ChatGPT 4 felt "like talking to a grad student" and ChatGPT 5 "like talking to a PhD" know very different grad students and PhDs than me. To me it constantly feels like talking to an inept intern who will lie to your face to cover for their mistakes.
UPS truly has perfected the loop for sending customers from website to hotline to website and on and on.
A true Computer Says No approach.
A true Computer Says No approach.
August 9, 2025 at 1:08 PM
UPS truly has perfected the loop for sending customers from website to hotline to website and on and on.
A true Computer Says No approach.
A true Computer Says No approach.
has anyone invented a travel pillow that lets its user keep some dignity?
August 8, 2025 at 4:40 PM
has anyone invented a travel pillow that lets its user keep some dignity?
Thank you, Wikipedia, for having archive the sounds of landline phones (ready to dial, ringing, etc.). I was just wondering how to demonstrate to my kid what all this sounds like.
In unrelated news, I feel somewhat old right now.
In unrelated news, I feel somewhat old right now.
August 8, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Thank you, Wikipedia, for having archive the sounds of landline phones (ready to dial, ringing, etc.). I was just wondering how to demonstrate to my kid what all this sounds like.
In unrelated news, I feel somewhat old right now.
In unrelated news, I feel somewhat old right now.
I enjoy writing, but enjoy fact checking and editing a lot less. Using ChatGPT nudges me to write less but spend more time on fact checking. (The other way round isn’t feasible as ChatGPT isn’t reliable as a fact checker.) So this double sucks!
August 8, 2025 at 7:23 AM
I enjoy writing, but enjoy fact checking and editing a lot less. Using ChatGPT nudges me to write less but spend more time on fact checking. (The other way round isn’t feasible as ChatGPT isn’t reliable as a fact checker.) So this double sucks!
As a kid, I remember border controls across Europe. It was such a big step forward when the Schengen Zone made those border controls obsolete and it breaks my heart that we’re back in an age where it’s more and more common even within Schengen to see border controls reintroduced.
August 7, 2025 at 7:18 AM
As a kid, I remember border controls across Europe. It was such a big step forward when the Schengen Zone made those border controls obsolete and it breaks my heart that we’re back in an age where it’s more and more common even within Schengen to see border controls reintroduced.
I’m hereby announcing my candidacy for German chancellor. I’ll run on a single issue, which is to either fix or completely disassemble Deutsche Bahn.
Out of my last 8 connections, 3 were completely cancelled (some without as much as a notification in advance), & at least 3 more took hours too long
Out of my last 8 connections, 3 were completely cancelled (some without as much as a notification in advance), & at least 3 more took hours too long
August 6, 2025 at 4:39 PM
I’m hereby announcing my candidacy for German chancellor. I’ll run on a single issue, which is to either fix or completely disassemble Deutsche Bahn.
Out of my last 8 connections, 3 were completely cancelled (some without as much as a notification in advance), & at least 3 more took hours too long
Out of my last 8 connections, 3 were completely cancelled (some without as much as a notification in advance), & at least 3 more took hours too long
The immense joy of organizing something — a trip, an event, anything! — with people who are used to organizing stuff. Where you can just trust them to think things through without doubt or second-guessing. The best!
June 18, 2025 at 9:03 AM
The immense joy of organizing something — a trip, an event, anything! — with people who are used to organizing stuff. Where you can just trust them to think things through without doubt or second-guessing. The best!
There should be a dedicated term for the specific frustration when you buy gorgeous, juicy-looking cherries and they taste like nothing at all.
June 16, 2025 at 6:58 PM
There should be a dedicated term for the specific frustration when you buy gorgeous, juicy-looking cherries and they taste like nothing at all.