Meet: EuropeByNumbeRs

Hello again, it’s been a while since I have been posting something. The reason, however, is the same as for every other inconsistently writing blog owner. I am not paid for writing blog posts, but for writing other more boring stuff (not necessarily though!) like scientific articles, experimental documentations and manuals. And sometimes life gets even more demanding and beautiful as well, when you have a new job, relationship or get a kid (number one and three, in my case). However, some things have not changed and one of these is my interest in this blog, especially when you think of the current refugee ‘crisis’ and how many people in Germany deal with it.

I great opportunity to revive my writing has just struck me. My former flatmate Philipp, who is travelling the world and blogging about it, just awarded me for the Liebster award. However, this is not a real award, it’s a blogosphere nominating game where you have to answer 11 questions and re-nominate 11 other blogs you like to read. The conscious reader immediately foresees the exponential development of ‘awardees’.

I nevertheless take the opportunity and accept the award, say thanks and best wishes to Philipp, and answer his eleven questions. Here we go.

1. What was your trigger to start blogging?
   I was working as a PhD student in the biosciences and I was surrounded by data. My job was to create data, evaluate data and plot data. However, I felt that only very few people (other scientists generally) have access to scientific data and the hardheaded way people in science see the world. I thought I can transfer some of my ideas from science to the real world.

2. Why do you dislike digital cameras?
   As a matter of fact, I don’t. Digital cams are nice but I prefer old-fashioned ones though. The simple reason is that returning from vacation with 3,000 photos is an awful thought for me.

3. Has your minimalistic attitude changed through family life?
   Yes. If you are responsible for a kid (and a wife) you cannot be as strict as you like. The kids just need certain things oneself can easily go without. This includes bed, car seats, loads of clothes, diapers, cleaning and hygiene stuff and and and… Luckily, they grow.

4. Both of us are friends of the European idea. Why not expand it to the idea of a unified world?
   We do have the United Nations, it’s just not working entirely as it was supposed to. I don’t think another umbrella of a world organization can make a real change. There are always lower levels of human coagulation, families, clans, interest groups, provinces or countries competing for resources and ideas. What we would need is a catalogue, a minimal set of common values and laws. But would really all people in the world agree to such values? I don’t think so.
   

5. What is your vision of the world in 50 years?
   It will look very similar to the world of today, just as the 1970’s is similar to ours. However, it will certainly be a bit warmer, a bit more crowded, a lot more polluted, there will be more conflicts on resources and less people will have access to luxury goods. There will be good things as well. Some countries will have adopted a more sustainable ecological lifestyle, we have more and better green technologies, more people will have access to information. Probably there’ll be a stronger animal rights movement.

6. Regarding visions of the future: What do you think about people living mostly in the cities and, on the other hand, re-wildering large rural areas? Would there be space for agriculture and recreation?
   Tough question. I think the trend of urbanization will continue, but rural areas are still required for farming, if not for living. Many things will depend on how the population develops. In Europe, we are quite a lot of people and the central European countries could easily do with a lower density in rural areas. I think the population losses by birth rate are compensated by migration, so nothing will change for now.

7. You prefer organic food but are working in molecular genetics. Which role will traditional and GMO farming play in the future?
   From a European perspective, GMO food will play an absolutely minor role. The reason is the consumer who clearly refuses GMO farming, together with the EU which requires clear labeling of GMO foods, making it very hard to enter the market. However, I can see no fundamental issue with GMO crops, as long as they are proven to be safe (enough). There are different types of GMO crops. Some are resistant to aggressive herbicides which is surely not a sustainable way of farming, but some crops are e.g. inherently resistant to certain parasites, and I can’t see much of a problem there.

8. What do you think about unconditional basic income?
   Good. In a robotic world, human labour will go extinct.

9. Do we need money at all or can we live in a ‘society of favor’?
   Haven’t come across that idea, but does not convince me. Money is not inherently bad, it’s just another medium to exchange goods. If we trade via goods directly, via shells, gold bricks or via electronic money doesn’t make a difference. Only the speed changes.

10. When you could make a decision for all people in the world, what would you do?
    Nothing. Too dangerous a’tinkering.

11. What is happiness for you?
    Evening, chocolate, good book, family around.

Now that we are finished, just some last words. The idea of the Liebster Award is to nominate other Bloggers and ask relevant questions. Unfortunately I am not following many other Blogs let alone particularly small ones. This is not an offence to the Blogosphere, but just for now I will refrain from nominating other Bloggers. Instead, I will simply recommend good reads that are some established and somehow relate to my blogging. This is the Guardian for excellent data journalism and R Bloggers as a pool for R people.