How to Smartly Take Notes
Taking "smart" notes is a business. Dozens of influencers on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and the likes, try to sell you the next best workflow, using fancy new apps with cool features, AI integration, and of course a graph view. But is this really helping us write papers? In a recent converssation with a good friend, we discussed many of these issues. I came to the conclusion: None of it matters. What matters is only that you can write papers productively. Even if you only use Notepad. This article is a pamphlet against graph views and FOMO, and letting your ideas die. [Read more]
Some Reflections on INAS 2026
Last week, the 2026 edition of the INAS conference convened at the birthplace of analytical sociology - Nuffield College at Oxford University. It was an inspiring meeting of many colleagues I hold dearly, but it was also a first in that it more explicitly than previous instances made scholars of political sociology visible. In this article, I provide some initial reflections on what this can mean for an understanding of political processes from a decisively sociological angle. [Read more]
How I use Generative AI in My Work
Locally-running generative AI has made considerable jumps in quality in the past three years. I think it is finally time to evaluate such models in terms of how they can help researchers do their work. In this article, I review two use-cases for which I believe they are excellent: preparing a paper for submission and using LLMs as "friendly reviewers." [Read more]
The Rise of Slopware
An important but overlooked dimension in the ongoing discussions of LLM-assisted app development is quantity versus quality. With the help of AI, more people will be able to produce more apps. But there are two crucial ingedients to good software that no AI tool can do: maintenance and UX design. [Read more]
Four Uncomfortable Truths About the Impeding Collapse of AI
The "AI Bubble" will collapse. That is not a question of "if," but a question of "when." However, I have seen several people arguing that, once the AI bubble will burst, everything will go back to normal. But this is very unlikely to happen. In this article, I outline four uncomfortable truths which everyone – apologetics and critics – will have to come to terms with. [Read more]
The End of General and Free Public Education
Recently, the German educational minister has publicly stated that German Student Assistance, known as BAföG, does not need to be increased to counter the current cost-of-living crises. This has raised vocal critique across the political spectrum. I take this incident as a chance to focus on a bigger trend: Educational Retrenchment across all of Europe is rising, not just in Germany. Higher education is slowly turning from a public good to a privilege for wealthy families, reversing a trend started in the 1960s. [Read more]
This App Should’ve Been A Website
Every once in a while I go on a trip with friends. And, while I can keep data brokers (mostly) off of my phone with a bit of research, this is less possible when a group needs to coordinate. Because someone must suggest how, e.g., budget splitting is being done. And typically, this ends with me having another single-use app on my phone. So today I will be yelling at the clouds about this app that should really have been a website. [Read more]
TrueNAS, or, How I Rediscovered The Joy of Owning My Media
A few weeks ago I received a free computer, and turned it into a NAS. I subsequently discovered my old music collection, and decided to turn my NAS into a streaming service. Now I am rediscovering the joy of having no perfect choice, and supporting artists I enjoy directly. [Read more]
Why 8 GB of Memory Might Still Be Enough
Whenever I visit online discussions and someone is about to buy a new computer, one of the first and most fiercely discussed questions is always: "How much memory do I need?" This is typically answered with "More" or "More than you think." But I think that this is silly, especially in times when memory is priced closer to gold than to consumer electronics. In this article, I want to provide some suggestions for you to determine how much memory you might actually need. Spoiler: Depending on what you do, 8 GB might still be sufficient. [Read more]
Security Advisories and Cognitive Overload
Security advisories are a mechanism by the open source community to distribute potential software vulnerabilities to their developers confidentially. It is a vital mechanism to ensure software remains safe to use. However, in recent years, there has been an increase in low to medium severity reports which tend to drown out critical reports that need much faster response times. A rant on cognitive overload that decreases the security of software. [Read more]