ava's blog

Joy, success, things I am working on, and challenges in September.

Writing a bit about the latest book I read for our GrizGaz book club.

Thoughts on the book Bad Blood by John Carreyrou about Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos.

Talking about one of my special interests, which is con-women and female grifters.

I'm talking about developments at my workplace that affect my career dreams.

Noticed I seem to be able to tolerate 'multitasking' a lot less recently, and had to adjust.

In light of the recent push of social media bans and age verification, I talk about what I would have needed as a kid and teen online, and what the internet gave me.

A cool little project with pixels and personal websites.

>:)

Commenting on an article about disability.

I was on James' podcast.

How is your health data used? What do they mean with broad consent? What are the scientific research purposes?

...are always bullshit.

Joy, success, things I am working on, and challenges in August.

Another link dump with a little personal comment/summary on each link while I clean up my 'read later'.

Another book I've read.

It’s okay, I guess.

New business models emerge in which your shopping experience gets recorded and cut for social media money.

I read a book trying to explain the rise and popularity of Musk, and his ideology.

My wife gifted me the Mass Effect: Priority Hagalaz and we played it together.

I was curious whether LLMs were trained on enough blog posts on Bearblog and other indie web spaces to produce a circlejerk-y post. And they are.

Culture divide between personal web and commercial web of how the author is seen and the piece is interpreted.

Semantics.

Read one of the classics, finally.

Yup, I said it.

Joy, success, things I am working on, and challenges in July.

Assessing how my year went so far.

Joy, success, things I am working on, and challenges in June.

Thoughts on staying cool and collective or structural changes.

Looking for my favorite beetles, and painting again.

Linking what I read online this week.

I sadly didn't attend myself, but I watch the recorded talks on YouTube.

Thoughts following Naomi Klein’s book Doppelganger. Had forgotten this one in the drafts of my notes app.

Your death is inevitable. We should think ahead and talk about what to do with the accounts and data.

Just something my wife said today that I felt like sharing.

Linking what I read online this week.

The in-house sessions showing off the tech are embarrassing; led by the wrong people, and should likely not even happen in the first place.

Explaining the weirdly specific signs of impending mental health doom.

Switched from Proton to Tuta.

Linking what I read online this week.

We got that workshop as a wedding gift last year.

Don’t overdo it; don’t put length and complex words on a pedestal in all situations.

Joy, success, things I am working on, and challenges in May.

New format linking what I read online this week.

AI blog question challenge by Rishabh.

I'm partially joking about wanting a nemesis, but what I actually want is some discussion and pushback.

Guest post by my wife detailing how she navigated Brussels while I was at the conference.

The draft version of the AI Act Guidelines contains transparency exemptions for law enforcement and adjacent industries that are concerning and should be discussed more.

I always need to read the full thing myself, so unfortunately, I am always swimming in stuff to read.

Buy from EU, but pay attention to what you buy.

Here's what I attended and a few of my thoughts and notes.

Visited Brussels for a conference, more on that conference in another post.

Talking about my childhood understanding of jobs and companies, and comparing it to the reality.

My data seems to have been affected.

The wealthier you are, the more you can pay to not endure the effects of our data mining society.

Leaving some numbers here to look back on in a few months.

Big Challenges ~܅<

A follow-up post to my "can agentic AI consent on your behalf?" post, inspired by a reader e-mail and post.

It would be cool if more people acted like they say they will.

Showing up for those who can't.

The way some people feel like they need to act on big social media platforms is odd and as if they're traumatized.

Removing some YouTube channels and other things from my sight.

Visited the cinema to watch the new second movie of an original I enjoyed.

For Kami's Carnival on what our favorite xyz in our niche is, I wanna write about Article 6 GDPR.

First wedding anniversary impressions.

Collection of smaller posts.

While writing an email to a friend I hadn't spoken to in a few months, I reflected on my current life and what to update him about, and parts of it stuck with me.

Joy, success, things I am working on, and challenges in April.

My experiences with misogyny as a woman blogger.

My opinions about the newest HKIA DLC.

My tastes and the way I think about stuff has changed.

Is consent via agentic AI possible - both ethically/philosophically, and under GDPR and other privacy laws?

Illnesses are hard and time consuming work.

I could write a lot about what products to use instead, but I don't.

Spent some days in Husum with friends.

Digesting my big backlog of data protection/tech news and analyses in form of a bigger post.

My movie watching habits.

Some recent feelings about the online world.

Museum visits over easter.

Collection of smaller posts.

Joy, success, things I am working on, and challenges in March.

Some art I did today to calm myself before a job interview.

Interesting behaviors around using or not using AI.

Feelings about my art.

I focus on peas, beans and lentils instead.

You probably know the format of "What's in my bag?". Now, what's in your todo app?

Mind your manners, and make this easy for you and everyone else

Gushing about my love for data protection law. No one could beat it out of me.

If you’ve had difficult, abusive, maybe even narcissistic parents, you might relate.

Being highlighted as one of the Country Reporters for Noyb on their media channels, getting their Silver package, and being in the newsletter.

I'm finally letting go of the notion that my body is meant to be like this or just "out of balance", in a good way.

Some website, newsletter and RSS feed recommendations.

They don't overlap as much as people might think.

Realistically, there will be no meaningful human oversight or intervention.

A slow descent into extreme fatigue.

How do I manage to do much while chronically ill, and other factors?

My entry for the Bearblog Carnival topic: My favorite meme.

In times of voices and bodies getting digitally cloned and used independently of the human, how is that compatible with data protection law and privacy?

Collection of smaller posts!

Joy, success, things I am working on, and challenges in February.

Some pictures.

I need more physical separation between everything I do.

Even if we assume robot consciousness is possible, I think it is odd how we pretend it would like to serve us, or that enslaving it isn’t oppression.

Just some updates and thoughts on current events in my life.

Made some art and buttons for my bloghost Bearblog and its community.

We have completely lost the plot about safety and children.

Blog post title trade with James from jamesg.blog!

Discord may be the hot topic right now, but this isn't new.

Talking about popular forms of "consent" mainly news publications use can be problematic, but have been ignored by the authorities for years.

Desktop focus timer to time how much time I put into things.

It wasn't always like this, so what changed?

Grief.

I write about my feelings for Princess’ Nokia’s music album GIRLS.

Does decreasing social media use (or even deleting it) really cut you off from the culture?

A series in which I ask privacy professionals about their work. First up is a large messaging/social media platform!

Some videos I wanna share!

My experiment has ended!

A summary of smaller thoughts that don't warrant their own post.

My entry for the Bearblog Carnival February 2026.

My opinion on the WW DLC for Hello Kitty Island Adventure.

Joy, success, things I am working on, and challenges in January.

Just clearing up possible misconceptions and further explaining some ideas.

Submission for the Bearblog Carnival topic "How I ..."

Resist the guilt and relax.

The more you spend, the more you get out of it - duh.

I have a little notes vault, but I think I will shut it down soon.

Times like these remind me of a university assignment.

We’re taking data protection and privacy rights for granted.

My theme for 2026.

How do we walk the line between sharing our struggles and being accused of being unprofessional or guilt tripping?

Little thoughts not worth their own post, summarized :)

My experience as a mask wearer in 2025/26.

The opposite of burnout can get you, too.

After months of increased caffeinated beverages, I decided to take a month long break. This is the first week.

You should check out this page if you wanna potentially hire me, or know someone who could!

Enjoying a spice mix that's been forgotten in Germany.

Unmediated reality is becoming really important again.

has lighting and sound ever make you feel like you have the flu?

I don’t really participate in fandom, and I think it’s worth taking a step back from it.

Book post for our book club!

This Christmas made me realize I wanna put more effort into it.

Talking about the cookie consent handler/trust center browser extension approved by the German BfDI.

I'm answering the 40 questions from Steph Ango (kepano on GitHub).

New post sharing some cool links!

How do your trust levels vary between a big company, a single stranger, a friend, and a family member?

Some experimental features that popped into my head.

Unfortunately, I have to switch my medication.

Some things I look forward to and hope to achieve in 2026.

Venting a little about the worst kind of coworker.

How do I feel about growing old while chronically ill and disabled?

Just some fun predictions. Do you think most of them will come true?

I slowly dropped my times of intentional boredom without realizing it, and I'm making an effort to bring them back, because I've been feeling fried.

It’s tempting to use the sycophancy to quiet the fears.

Is constant connection to lots of people 24/7 really that good?

Nothing about buying apples actually necessitates an app. But they want you to think it does.

StepStone? No, I will Step in your face and throw Stones at you if you don’t show me better search results!!

How do I feel about the field I am pursuing, and how is it changing the relationship to my body?

Talking lovingly about more freaks in law.

I’ve been there too, but I grew out of my silly ways. Don’t be like me.

Celebrating the first milestone.

Talking about the leaked proposal of the EC.

What my head now looks like one year after I cut all my hair off.

The path of the productive, the inspirational, or the ‘Mahnmal’.

What would I drop if you beat me in a game?

AI hiring is nasty.

you sharing what you love learning about is important.

How I handle my pain, and what sucks about it.

Meta, LinkedIn and others add an AI training setting without warning, and then give a short window to opt out. How are they justifying this?

quick note that notes.avas.space will now be on bearblog.

i visited heroesxp in cologne and took some pics! plus more life stuff.

i look at how our perception and boundaries around privacy have changed historically and what is challenging around advocating for privacy.

thoughts around portfolios, work friendly accounts, and social media building an air of expertise.

how the recent news of EA being sold is exposing the weak sense of justice in some popular content creators.

not even the people you admire live their life. a summary on everything fake in the online lives of influencers.

thoughts around the opinions of others when quitting your job.

what signs i see as having “made it”; things i strive for.

let’s all write each other empty little notes for no goddamn reason!

pics of the past few weeks.

I see the path ahead, and it’s not pretty.

how is AI incompatible with many aspects of the GDPR? how does the AI Act affect this?

a story about an online friend.

my opinion so far on the second demo for coffee talk tokyo.

i'm not sure how i feel about how much of my mental visualization has been coming back, and how.

summarizing everything i missed, researched, wish i had known etc.

link to something i published on the grizzly gazette.

my wife answered your questions!

another little life update

please tell me what questions you’d ask my wife, who has never owned a smartphone :)

i put my thoughts down about what's currently known as AI psychosis. is it bullshit?

a collab between three other bloggers and me about why we publish what we write. why is a private diary not enough?

some positives.

about decoration and personalizing.

whats up!

turned a submission into a zine.

just a few pics.

are things like mastodon better and more ethical?

savoring two moments.

my experience trying to talk to people who have a big presence on social media.

talking about how i exercise.

if you are burnt out from replacing the software, hosters, tools you use every few weeks and keep deleting and remaking, this might be for you

just some things that changed for the better.

i talk about how i feel about my illnesses.

unfortunately another work post where i complain.

i talk about false AI expectations at my workplace.

maybe i should give these status posts a specific name some time?

i want you to stop letting them break your will.

hot take about the tea app leak.

just detailing my setup and the steps to get there.

online shopping fills me with dread. i avoid it whenever i can.

adding my opinion/perspective to the conversation :)

another post full of cool links.

brief thoughts on bullies hiding behind “criticism”.

No need to worry, this is just about my PS4 dying and me having to reconsider my setup.

just a little update of what's happening :)

i talk about how the anthropomorphization of AI, the intransparency and the misunderstanding of how it works aid the creation of superstitious beliefs in LLM prompting.

i talk about attending an event and having to choose between leaving or being on pictures being posted on a website and on social media. how could we find a compromise?

just wanted to document this little milestone in my data protection law journey :)

Potentially a recurring check-in about things I stopped doing and things I started doing.

another trade, this time with roman.

i’m airing some stuff out today.

what keeps me coming back - and it's not algorithms or addiction.

a trade with sylvia about my personal canon.

trade with absurd pirate about my inner child!

experience so far with just having a blog and website.

talking about an issue i have; input/tips/fixes welcome, because i have no idea.

i talk about what initially drew me to book summaries and what i took away as a lesson.

I added a file counter to my index.md page in Quartz.

stuff i like about getting older.

traded blog post title with zachary kai @ https://zacharykai.net/

just a few quotes from the article i wanted to keep and share somewhere.

the title is a nod to far cry 3.

thoughts on the future of content creation.

careful what you ask for

didn’t change my mind.

NFS, vercel, netlify, hetzner…

setting up my digital garden; confusing, because there is already a garden, so i'll call it a wiki, i guess.

the transition from socials to something like the indieweb. whats different?

criticism about a piece in TheCut.

i had to

hey, not all social media trends/memes are bad.

sick body bro, where’d you get it

thoughts about illness, cycle and work. do i get the work for my worst or my best times?

talking about romanticising and Romanticism (two different things).

just a clarification.

Musings about my recent blog rabbit holes.

quick life stuff.

cool rss feed convenience.

for lunamouse!

talking about automating and teching ourselves out of social connection and obligation

memories of the pandemic.

an observation about blog posts.

wedding anecdote.

talking about accidentally scaring people.

documenting my wedding!

another recent wins post. got tired of the roman numerals though.

talking about how blogging and a social environment basically cancel each other out in my life.

quick update!

quote by david achu.

just a little sidenote to cheer you up.

bought cute bracelets to support animals and see where they are in the app <3

talking about my experiences with short hair...

just some musings on GDPR fines!

just a summary of how i use my tech.

I talk about my recent increased gratitude for access to education.

some car thoughts about cutting out some entertainment.

just a few impressions.

brief opinion on the kapwing article.

talking about my plans to keep me motivated, disciplined and accountable.

brief thoughts on how easy it is to make someone feel as if their possibly popular opinion is an outlier.

just stream of consciousness

pictures from the past few days.

talking about how writing efficient AI prompts is way too annoying for me.

my perspective on dumbphones as possible status symbol.

>:)

just a few pics

a little silly post about smell.

menstruation and male doctors…..

i talk about how the mindset of some seemingly hasn’t grown with the actual reality.

talking about tech negatively impacting culture from my point of view.

i want to highlight a piece about how scraping done for LLMs is threatening smaller platforms, selfhosted blogs, and others financially and in other ways.

the blogging meta post that will have everyone groaning and begging me to stop (does anyone read the meta descriptions?)

i talk about online content of health and wellness, self help, Pinterest aesthetic, stay-at-home-girlfriends and tradwives, soft life, protecting your peace, alpha male morning routine etc.

i talk about meeting people in real life that i only know online :)

i talk about what happened a year ago and how i've since recovered from it.

i talk about some "no social media" social media.

i talk about how online services holding personal data that were coded with just AI are insecure.

i analyze my own art and art preferences.

i talk about a recent court case between a trans man and hungary.

entry from my notebook about the future of personal accountability in the age of AI.

i wonder if the isolation kept my parents stuck in their development.

i talk about how interest in health and healthy foods can radicalize people online, not just politically.

just more small wins.

i talk about a game and how it relates.

talking about the gym and teenage girl experience

i talk about a tiktok trend.

talking about a cafe interaction.

i talk about what stuff i grew up with. suddenly i feel old!

talking about my menstrual cycle.

just talking about a situation at work and my plans.

personal observation of IT departments in my life and weird pretension.

i talk about how i deal with wanting to give up on my choices sometimes.

i talk about what i appreciate about the current animal products prices.

i talk about zero waste and being a chronically ill person who used to have a very sick dog (in both senses ;))

some stuff hidden around or in the docs that people usually don’t read.

just a summary of my day.

just for a little fun.

i can only do so passively, as an example.

i respond to a post by nick.

i talk about how different looks affect how people interpret illness.

i talk about my medical expenses and alternate timeline.

i spent hours in the forest.

i answer a quiz.

just a little update.

i talk about how i make time.

wanted to quickly highlight a post & a quote from it.

i talk about how one win11 feature on my work laptop is an absolute banger.

i talk about my reasons behind always wanting to work less and supporting others who want to, too.

i talk about a man i regularly met 2023-2024.

i talk about what we tend to forget or gloss over when we talk about our internet journeys.

just some personal stories.

i talk about a small aspect of the ep and how i related.

okay, let’s talk about it, because why is this happening?

i respond to a post by james about blogs as third spaces.

i thought of some deeper questions here and there and now gathered them to answer them myself.

thought of something else i wanted to add.

i talk about more connection on the blog

i talk about a thing i started doing recently.

i talk about what type of website design i feel most inspired by currently.

i talk about how our attempts at a queer group at work were beaten down.

i talk about tech i like to see.

a retrospective on some parts of my life.

i talk about a positive new work connection.

i talk about my frustration with discussions and courtesy feeling one-sided.

i talk about why i left patient support groups.

i talk about things i love or hate while playing magic.

my entry for the indieweb carnival affirmations theme.

i talk about the future of AI that i see and why i think much of the praise is shortsighted

i talk about weird software behavior that annoys me.

a summary of what you can find here that others can copy.

getting myself out of a bad time.

i talk about my newest investment (lol).

a question/statement i’d be curious to hear your interpretation of.

i talk about my law degree and fears about ideas there.

i poke fun at the increasing metrics and standards for our hobbies and pastimes…

undoing a lot of hurdles and blocks one step at a time.

i talk about how remote meetings aren’t inherently the cause for employee disconnection.

i talk about my appreciation for the community on bearblog.

it serves me well, so why should i care about the number?

i talk about a major flaw in how link submissions are commonly handled and how i would lessen the issue.

i talk about what i perceive are great aspects about certain plot points in me: andromeda.

i'm just chilling and telling you some stuff.

i talk about the ending of impactful times.

i talk about mass effect and the interesting trope of finding your body and work misused and appropriated by evil.

i talk about how "pioneering" a platform switch in your groups often isn't as futile as you think.

i talk about a statement i read online and explore how much of it is true.

sixth post in the recent wins series.

new link collection about personal values, mature voices, childhood nostalgia, design principles and moral optimization.

i want to share this quote i read in a youtube video and keep it somewhere on my blog 8)

i talk about how internet migrations have been common and completely normal, so don't hype it up as this big thing now.

i talk about what ruins my opinion of nintendo and makes me not want to buy their products anymore.

this question is making the rounds, and here is my answer.

i talk about how being in the environment workgroup at my work currently feels meaningless.

i talk about my relaxed weekend and realizations about breathing and breaks.

another post in the small thoughts series, this time about tech and being introverted or extroverted.

i talk about my feelings when i see others struggle with social media addiction.

i answer the music questions challenge by takenvaullt.

i think dealing with rage bait in the indie web needs its own strategy.

the internet is filled with complaining, so i'm trying to share what i like.

i ask for responses and views about how necessary social media really is for businesses, especially small ones like artists.

i talk about how i deal with being or feeling disliked

i talk about how self improvement offers at work can cover up the real issue.

i talk about my so far a little messy and dread inducing signup process and first steps.

inspired by nick's post, i release a draft about my hermit mode behaviors.

i talk about how the relationship between my blog and website changed, and what i'm changing about them to reflect that.

hello.

i talk about my theme for 2025

i talk about how things have much bigger costs than the price tag, and we often forget about that.

i write down a few helpful example situation so you might understand what happened. or to just get to know me better.

i talk about how my website evolved visually.

i talk about what i do against eyestrain and photosensitivity. pretty basic things, though, you probably heard them elsewhere too.

bear blog question challenge

are you german and you also don't want to doxx yourself? read this.

i talk about how i upgraded the look of my steam deck by changing its outer shell.

cool links featuring new programming language, thwarting AI, narcissistic parents, RTO brain drain, unions, link rot and more.

i replaced my headset and my pillows.

i talk about and show pics of my travels.

i have already changed my desk setup again.