Week 35/2024
Kurz vor den Mauern unserer Stadt
View during a night exam sailing cruise in Croatia. The small white light is Mulo.
I learned a lot about compass navigation, weather, sails and nautic terminology this week. And about the complete lack of internatonal harmonization on which formal requirements are needed if someone wants to navigate a sailing yacht. I came across the “Fernmeldebüro” and learned what channel 16 is for and that Austria - a landlocked country - has a regulation on (open sea) yachting.
I appreciated, in particular, the Fernemeldebüro’s friendly website amd their openness.
I’m still on vacation, currently in Slovenia and hiked through Vintgar gorge, close to Bled.
The landscpae and the brook are beautiful
but reality, at least in August, also looks like this:
I will return to Austria and Vienna soon, as #autumniscoming.
NSFW (Nikolaus’ Song For the Week)
This week’s song is a reminiscence to the 80ies.
It’s also on YouTube
as well as the original.
And this is a 1981 Live on TV version of the original
It’s stunning how the representation of mental illness in (poular) art has changed since then.
Retrospect
Online Surveillance
The (unfortnately, as always, often very superficial and polemic) debate on online surveillance is in full swing. Falter has an interesting podcast on the matter.
Alexander Riepl wrote a clear description on the technical implications for CERT.at.
My commentary on recent suggestions to allow Austrian intelligence services to intercept encrypted communication was published in Der Standard on Tuesday.
It generated as, expected, some interest and some polemic.
International Jurisdiction
During one of my too few and to short morning runs, I listened to an interesting episode of “Die Dunkelkammer”. It’s about a story published in Croatian language on a Croatian website on a Croatian case with some kind ov involvement of an Austrian lawyer now suing against the story at the “Hendelsgericht Wien” with the argument that the story could be downloaded from Austria as well and has caused damage to him here. Der Standard has more on this.
Die Dunkelkammer is concerned whether this is a slap lawsuit and I am astonished how such fundamental issues cas still be debated almos 30 years after John Perry Barlow’s declaration of the independence of cyberspace.
Prospect
#arsboni
There will be two attempts to contribute to the current legal and political debate on internet regulation, both of them on Wednesday, August 28.
In the morning, at 11.00, I will talk with Thomas Lohninger on messenger surveillance, trojan horses and IT-security.
The afternoon will be dedicated to manipulations of elections via social media.
AI Act
We are making progress. Book 1 has a publication date, book 2 is already with the editor, book 3’s manuscript is almost finished.
AI and the Public Sector
The Austrian Trade Union is organising an event on AI in the public sector at the “GÖD-Saal, Schenkenstraße 4, 1010 Wien” on September 19 at 17.00 CET. I will (most likely) speak about “KI am Arbeitsplatz: Chance, Bedrohung oder nichts Neues? Ein juristischer Überblick”. I am not sure whether this is public, it should be accessible for trade union members at least (and it’s literally in the same builing as my office).
Machines That Understand? Large Language Models and Artificial Intelligence
Benjamin Roth organises a “Ringvorlesung” on this topic in the witer term. I will take care of one of the slots, most likely on November 14th. Registration is open.
Foundations and Methods of Digital Humanism
That’s another “Ringvorlesung”, organised by Torsten Möller. My gig here will be on October 23rd. Registration is open as well.
Daisy
travelled back to Vienna by train. I would not insist that she really liked the ride. But she’s happy to be back in Vienna.
© Felix Forgó
© Anna Forgó
Have a wonderful week!
Kind regards
Nikolaus (Forgó)