A joke by Benjamin Franklin in 1784 — that Parisians should get up earlier to save candles — became reality in 1916. In the middle of World War I, Germany introduced daylight saving time nationwide. Coal was running short. By moving the clocks forward one hour, evenings stayed brighter and factories and homes needed less … Continue reading Daylight Saving Time Was Never About Us

All the fraud targeting elderly people has had a secondary effect: banks have made it much harder for ordinary older customers to do basic banking. My parents have never been in a stronger financial position. Two largely unsecured homes, a solid stock portfolio, and healthy cash reserves. They’re going to Japan in May. Yesterday they … Continue reading Protecting the Elderly Shouldn’t Mean Treating Them Like Children

The 2016 WEF essay by Ida Auken basically gifted the internet one of its best memes ever: “Welcome to 2030. I own nothing, have no privacy, and life has never been better.” As a proud Gen Xer and dividend investor, I’ve spent years roasting Millennials and Gen Z. I’ve called them entitled, historically illiterate, and … Continue reading You’ll Own Nothing and Be Happy – And Why This Grumpy Gen Xer Is Starting to Get the Rage

We wanted to reward one of our former employees — a middle-aged woman with four children, the youngest still living at home. She had worked for us for more than two years, so we knew her Achilles heel well: even though she never had a penny left three days before payday, she always found ways … Continue reading A good deed never goes unpunished

Wishing all my American relatives, friends, and everyone celebrating a wonderful Independence Day. May your day be filled with joy, good company, and a moment to reflect on freedom and the things that matter most. Stay safe and enjoy the celebrations! 🇺🇸

Whenever I tell someone we drive a Tesla, I almost always get that knowing little murmur: “Ah, you belong to that cult.” At first I used to defend our choice by explaining that we live in central Stockholm and wanted to future-proof ourselves against coming regulations. Three years later, I’m simply tired of the snide … Continue reading Tired of the Tesla Cult Comments

One consequence of Tesla’s Robotaxi that perhaps wasn’t the main intention is that it genuinely improves personal safety — especially for women. While the statistical risk of being assaulted or raped in an Uber, Lyft, or traditional taxi is low in percentage terms, the absolute numbers are disturbingly high. Uber alone reported over 5,000–6,000 cases … Continue reading An Unexpected Benefit of Robotaxi

The 2026 World Cup continues to deliver surprises. Morocco has once again shown impressive strength in the group stage, Senegal has delivered solid results, Ecuador has taken unexpected points against bigger nations, and Paraguay showed real resilience despite losing to Norway. It makes you wonder: have the traditional powerhouses, packed with secure, highly-paid superstars who … Continue reading The 2026 World Cup – Established Stars vs. Players with Everything to Prove?

Both in Palermo and its charming coastal suburb Mondello, it has become common to skip the physical menu and scan a QR code at the table instead. My best friend had checked the restaurant’s official website beforehand. But when we sat down and scanned the QR code at our table, we discovered something interesting: the … Continue reading QR Codes and Surveillance Capitalism – First Observations from Sicily

Mastercard has built its own permissioned blockchain called the Multi-Token Network (MTN). The goal is not to replace the traditional banking system, but to become the central infrastructure that connects it with blockchain technology, stable coins, and tokenized assets. They want to make cross-border payments faster and cheaper, enable 24/7 settlement, and support tokenized deposits. … Continue reading Mastercard and Visa Are Not Trying to Kill the Banks – They’re Trying to Own the Future