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Rhode Island

Comments:

“As a telephony engineer, I feel for Nathan. Too many times in the office, I’m locked in and focusing on work and then someone comes with a drive-by question that totally breaks my concentration and flow. Some times it can take 10-15 minutes to get back in the groove of what you’re doing. Huge time waster.”

“”Do you have a second?” “Wait 5 minutes; in the middle of something.” Solves a lot of problems.”

“Perusing has two definitions in the dictionary that are contradictory in nature. Perusing also is defined as to skim in Meriam dictionary. Both meanings have been in use over 400 yrs.”

“That little interruption costs 30 minutes of context switching, but feels like 2 hours of stress. So in an 8 hour day, he will have to work 8.5 hours to finish the same work, but it will feel like 10 hours. It’s like slamming on the breaks in a car.”

“She is falling for him bc he doesn’t care.”

small talk + big talk

Miteinander auf Augenhöhe

Erfolgreich Miteinander auf Augenhöhe

Camlog zeichnet die Zusammenarbeit in einem starken Team aus, das die Zukunft aktiv gestaltet. Unsere Kunden und die Patienten stehen bei all unseren Bestrebungen im Mittelpunkt. Glaubwürdigkeit und gegenseitiges Vertrauen sind uns besonders wichtig. Nur so entstehen langfristige Beziehungen, die wir bei Camlog jeden Tag mit viel Kreativität und Engagement pflegen. Wir leben den Partnerschaftsgedanken mit unseren Kunden. Die Begeisterung für ein erfolgreiches Miteinander auf Augenhöhe macht uns stark.

. . . here’s the translation:

Successful cooperation on equal terms

Camlog is characterised by cooperation within a strong team that actively shapes the future. Our customers and patients are at the heart of all our endeavours. Credibility and mutual trust are particularly important to us. This is the only way to build long-term relationships, which we at Camlog nurture every day with a great deal of creativity and commitment. We live the idea of partnership with our customers. Our enthusiasm for successful cooperation on equal terms makes us strong.

On equal terms. And not a master-slave relationship.

Bringing back directness

Texas trial lawyer Jefferson Fisher comes from the land of bless-your-heart politeness but says pleasantries threaten workplace culture.

“There’s this tendency to tiptoe around the heart of the matter,” he says. “It’s not going to go well for you over time, and you’re going to find that people will trust you less.”

In the future, offices could become even more passive-aggressive, unless we practice the art of disagreement. The Wall Street Journal spoke with Fisher, author of “The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More,” about how to bring directness back to the workplace.

“Air your grievances.”

“Air your grievances.” Encourages openly expressing complaints or accusations, typically in a forum where all parties are present.

“Tell it to my face.”

“Tell it to my face.” Demands that criticism or accusations be made directly, not behind someone’s back.

“value to your manager”

This is a comment on a Wall Street Journal article vom March 17, 2025 entitled: “Job Seekers Hit Wall of Salary Deflation – The salary bump that people who switch jobs used to command has vanished.”

“Going for the money as the big motivator for a job has not been the best personal career choice. Location and challenging work are much better career decision criteria. Constantly providing extra value to your manager and your manager’s managers is always a strong career strategy.”

If you ask most Americans who they work for, they will name their immediate boss. If you ask a German they will name their company. If you ask that German to be more specific they will name the division. Ask further and they will say the department. Rarely would they name their immediate boss or anyone in management.

“Hard times for Tesla”

A comment from Oliver in Berlin on an article from March 5, 2025 in the New York Times online with the title “Tesla Sales Slump in Europe as Anger Toward Elon Musk Grows.”

“Having worked in marketing for automotive a lot, image is half the hill when you consider high investment purchases like cars. In Germany you think a lot about what your neighbors think. That’s why even ultra rich Germans almost never would buy a Rolls Royce or Bugatti because it sends the ‘wrong’ message about themselves. That said, it’s not just the negative image Tesla has because of Musk. Germans are very detailed and technology obsessed when it comes to cars. And Tesla lost a lot of ground recently while Germany’s car makers not only caught up but even leading in many ways. In design and tech and, definitely in reputation and image. Hard times for Tesla are coming.”

German inventions

Did you know that these ten important everyday items were actually invented by Germans? From transportation to information technology, Germany made some of the most crucial inventions of our time!

YouTube comments:

“Fritz Haber invented the Haber-Bosch process which converts atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia needed for fertilizers which aided in feeding millions. Unfortunately, the same process was used in the war effort in WW1.”

“Helmut Gröttrup was not only co-inventor of the smart card, but also an outstanding rocket engineer. During World War II, he worked in the German A4 (aka V-2) rocket program under Wernher von Braun. From 1946 to 1950 he headed a group of 170 German scientists who were forced to work for the Soviet rocketry program under Sergei Korolev.”

“Thanks for the Aspirin!”

The Edukators

Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei (The Edukators, 2004). This film centers on three young activists who break into wealthy homes to make political statements. The trio often debate and even argue intensely about their ideals, strategies, and personal motivations. Despite heated disagreements, their personal relationships persist, showing how Germans can separate ideological or professional disputes from personal bonds.