Audiostretto 59/4/24 English

When I used to go to the hairdresser, I was asked how I wanted my fringe cut - the hair that fell on my forehead. It was very easy to see whether the fringe had been cut precisely or not: you could see straight away whether the fringe had been cut straight or whether there were individual hairs that were longer or shorter than the neighbouring hairs. Remarkable, because there are actually so many...

I recently had a business meeting online. It's February, so it's winter. In the call, the person I was talking to could be seen via his webcam - and he was wearing cool sunglasses in his office. Even before we could speak, I wondered what that was all about. I had already given it some thought and - to be honest - had formed some opinions about it and was about to make a stupid remark or c...

In the past, the most precious asset was property or money, i.e. material things. Then this changed in recent decades and, especially in our westernised and highly technologised world, time became the most precious asset. This is still the case. Time is precious and finite for us in this world. However, I think we are on the threshold of a new change. Already now and even more so in the future, tr...

When I'm travelling by bike on country lanes, I feel the bumps pretty well. These are transferred directly from the ground to the bike frame and ultimately to my body. At higher speeds, such as when riding downhill, you can feel such transmissions very well as bumps. This can really shake you up and, in the worst case, even cause you to fall. Vehicles designed for these uneven surfaces therefo...

Foods are increasingly being categorised according to a traffic light rating system and printed on the packaging. This means that foods rated green are healthier than those rated red. Of course, the intention behind this food rating system is that the population develops a greater awareness of healthy eating. That is laudable. But I think of the vast majority of people on the planet who are happy...

Some things in life are barely visible or not visible at all and yet are very important. A simple example is the air we have to breathe. We don't see it, it's just there and very few of us are grateful for the regular breathing process. It simply works. But if it doesn't, either because there is not enough air or because our respiratory system has problems, we notice this very quickly...

Did you know that you can only sneeze with your eyes closed? I've never tried it any other way, but since knowing this and observing myself, I've realised that this is actually the case. It's not a big deal and it doesn't affect or restrict my life much or would be better if I could sneeze with my eyes open. But there are other things in life that limit us more. For example, option...

There is the saying "Architects can do nothing so well as lose." This comes from the fact that architects take part in many competitions and often emerge as losers rather than winners. But apparently they don't let that stop them from continuing. I find this very remarkable and admirable. We are all more or less dependent on recognition and success, and rejection and defeat affect us...

In German, the term Enttäuschung (disappointment) is a combination of "ent" and "Täuschung" (deception). This literally means the release from a deception - which is good in itself, although it usually triggers negative and not positive feelings. In English, the analogue term is "disappointment". This is also made up of "dis" in the sense of the opposite and...

We loved reading comics as children. The stories were told not only through the written word, but also through visual representations. However, the pictorial representation severely restricted our own imagination. So with comics it was always clear that the stories weren't real - an effect that I didn't have with novels. There I imagined how these stories had actually happened. Pictures ar...

There is the ambivalent image of the absent-minded professor. As a prototype, he is somewhere in his thoughts in other spheres and only partially participates in real life and is only half present. As amusing or sweet as this image may be, it is also tragic. A counterpart who is never really fully present to the world around him. Distracted. Not collected, not focussed, but scattered, like a handf...

We are all familiar with the phrase "stop the beginnings". This means that a dangerous development should be stopped in good time or at an early stage so that no damage is done. And I'm sure we all agree with this principle. But then there is also our inertia - and this is not always compatible with what we actually think is good. At least that's how I feel. Specifically, it was...

When I wash by hand in the sink, I seal the drain with the plug so that the water stays in the sink. At the same time, we have well-sealed windows and doors so that no water enters and causes damage in the event of heavy rain. This is logical for us: in the first case, the water should stay in, in the second, we want it outside. Hypothetically assumed: From the water's point of view, it could...

As children, we sometimes got trail mix when we were tired or hungry while hiking. In German it is called "student's food". I had previously wondered about this term because I imagined that students would only eat this mix of dried sultanas and nuts. I then imagined that this would perhaps make them particularly smart or that the students had such a special task that required them to...

I mentioned the importance of the car windscreen some time ago. It is enormously helpful or even essential for travelling at the speeds that are normal for cars today. Without this windscreen, our eyes would probably water and we would be in danger of no longer being able to see clearly due to contamination from dust particles in our eyes and therefore no longer being able to react. This would be...

Perhaps you know the board game Halma. We used to play it from time to time as children and it was one of my father's favourite games. It goes like this: The game board is a hexagonal star. The figures of the maximum of 3 players are placed in a maximum of 3 of the 6 star pieces. The aim is to be the first to get the entire number of pieces into the opposite part of the star. To be able to mov...

If you had the choice between two different drinking tubes - which one would you choose? The completely straight one or another one that is twisted into itself? With the latter, the absorbed liquid takes much longer to travel from the glass to the mouth and it also takes much more pulling from the mouth to consume the drink. What would be your choice? I suspect that most people choose the gulped t...

After an accident in which a bone fracture or similar occurs, a larger or smaller plate is temporarily or even permanently implanted in the affected area. Depending on its position and size, such a plate can restrict freedom of movement. These plates are then often removed again and are mainly used to immobilise the affected area and protect it from movements that could hinder the healing process....

Depending on the situation, circumstances, encounters or other things trigger deep memories of my childhood. I use the term associations for this - a kind of link between the immediate experience and memories from the past. However, by definition, an association is a group of people who have come together for a specific purpose. That makes sense, but I use the term in a different way. For me, they...

Metal that is not matt has the property that it can reflect, or at least certain metals - as far as I can judge as a layman. I'm thinking specifically of a spoon. When I was a child, I used to look at my own reflection with a spoon. In other words, I looked into the spoon and saw my reflection in it. Now the spoon has a curved surface - and depending on whether you hold the spoon so that the c...

Friendship is a precious commodity and I suspect that none of us can live without it. I don't know how to define it. When do I start talking about friendship in a relationship? When I have good feelings or when I exchange personal information with the person in question? For me, it's a matter of the heart - although I can't really explain what I mean by that either. Words fail me here....

When I recently entered the term raccoon in an online search engine, I was amazed that the search engine did not primarily offer me information on the animal, but on an online shop with the same name. I wondered what had happened - the actual information had been completely pushed into the background and was replaced by a virtual stranger and presented as if this was the correct content for what I...

In the Middle Ages there was iconoclasm. Sculptures and paintings were wilfully destroyed in and around churches because the worship of God in the form of images was interpreted as idolatry and therefore everything pictorial in religion was to be destroyed. From the point of view of a believer, it was perhaps a liberation because fear-inducing representations were thus gone and the threatening asp...

If you have ever ridden a bike in the dark - and by that I mean really in the dark, for example in the countryside where there is no public lighting - then you will appreciate a light on your bike. Without one, depending on the state of the moon, the path is barely visible or not visible at all, which automatically leads to a slower ride or too much risk. Nowadays, bikes don't always come with...

Statistics often feature impressive graphics with bright colours, large and small circles or sharply rising or falling lines, etc. If the corresponding article is consistent, the title already reveals the message of the statistic, namely the interpretation of the data. What is rarely communicated directly, however, is that the author or authors often pursue the intention of consciously forming an...