MetaFilter posts tagged with Germany and german

A German take on IRL Gaming

dunkadunc — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 01:19:06 -0800

Camover is a new game from Germany.

The rules are simple: First, organize a crew starting with "Command", "Brigade" or "Cell", followed by the name of a historical figure. ("Van Der Lubbe") is one of many currently in use.) Next: Destroy as many CCTV cameras as possible! The Camover site has an extensive FAQ for those looking to get started, including reasons to play, discussion of camera types, camera removal techniques, and the fundamentals of good teamwork. In case the link goes down, the Camover FAQ is archived here.

Professors have status and responsibility?

justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:58:37 -0800

Taking their position of status and responsibility into account, Germany's Constitutional Court has ruled that German university professors are underpaid. Longer article in German, Google translated here. The Federal Constitutional Court of Germany is responsible for judicial review of government policy, ensuring compliance with the Basic Law. (full pdf text of the Basic Law in authorized English translation) As of 2005, German university professors are paid as per the W1, W2 and W3 civil servant pay grades. An untenured Juniordozent (W1) is currently paid a base salary of 3525 € per month, about $55 000 per year, with some chance of receiving token bonus pay. The court has ruled that this is in violation of Article 33, paragraph 5 of the Basic Law, which mandates a reasonable salary for civil servants. North American salaries for junior lecturers are considerably lower. For example, the starting salary for a full time lecturer at the University of Lethbridge is $36 000.

German bagpipes, y'all

flapjax at midnite — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:01:25 -0800

I've been enjoying listening to this German guy playing the German bagpipes. That is, the Hümmelchen. Check out the cool tuning maneuver at the 0:57 mark of this clip for some hot Hümmelchen tuning action! And here he employs a groovy canned beat. Ya! He also dabbles in the Irish pipes, and loans out his workshop on occasion as a spot for some of the locals to get a little wild. Oh, and, of course, he also plays the Rauschpfeife. Yes, the Rauschpfeife. Hören!

The Post-War Expulsion of Germans From Eastern Europe

jason's_planet — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 20:13:42 -0800

A Time Of Retribution: Paying For the Crimes of Nazi Germany

Braindriver

jason's_planet — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 10:41:42 -0800

Braindriver is a car that allows you to steer, accelerate and decelerate with nothing more than the faint electrical signals generated by the brain.

The German Model & Works Councils

kliuless — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 09:41:14 -0800

Wondering at the route US vs. German unemployment has taken, I found some clues here and there, but the overriding factor seems to be the German model^[1] and works councils.^[2]

Under the German model, unions are organized at the industry level and co-exist with works councils at both the plant and company levels. These unions negotiate wage determination with employers' associations. The strength of this setup is the cooperation among unions and management councils. This is unique among Western countries, which have been marked by either substantial weakening of union powers (such as in the United States and United Kingdom) over the last twenty years, or consistent union conflict (such as in France and Italy, where unions have remained strong)... The system of vocational training is perhaps the most important component of the German model, and is still very prevalent in the German educational system. In Germany, there is a much heavier emphasis on apprenticeships for skilled positions, taught by expert worker/instructors. As such, there is a lower percentage of university students in Germany when compared to other Western countries, and a much lower percentage of persons entering the workforce for on-the-job training.

Not quite the same thing as your typical year-end review/evaluation + bonus, cf. other alternative corporate structures that better align labor/management relations and incentives, such as co-ops & employee ownership, oh and also btw wrt lenders and borrowers.

Vintage German Illustration

Fiasco da Gama — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:54:09 -0800

Vintage German illustrations, poster art, and advertisments.

East German (DDR) RC cars

riffola — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 15:00:45 -0800

DDR-Modell Autos.info meticulously catalogs radio controlled and flywheel powered cars made by East German (DDR) toy makers such as Presu, Elmes, MSW, Anker, Piko, Gevo, Plasticart and Sommermeyer.

Jens Soering appeals to documentary makers

zaebiz — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 12:10:12 -0800

Any aspiring filmmakers want to help exonerate a geeky German guy with no legal options left, falsely convicted of murder in Virginia? In 1985, Jens Soering confessed to the murder of the parents of his American girlfriend, Elizabeth Haysom. He claims he was madly in love and confessed to protect her. Since 1995, Jens' very detailed description of events and the flaws in the case against him have been posted on the internet along with the former Virginian deputy attorney-general's (now his lawyer) endorsement. Jens' personal site maintains a list of articles and books Jens has written in prison. Elizabeth also has her own column.

Projekt "Map"

Tlogmer — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 20:34:14 -0800

Das Projekt "Map"

I have a rendezvous with Death, at some disputed barricade

greycap — Sat, 01 Jul 2006 00:54:45 -0800

90 years ago today, whistles blew around the river Somme in France as British troops prepared for an attack on German trenches. By the end of the day they had suffered 57,470 casualties. By the battle's end in November, there were over 600,000 Allied casualties, with perhaps the same number of German casualties. The Imperial War Museum has launched an online exhibition, where you can find out more about how the battle was planned, personal stories of those involved, and myths about the attack. Elsewhere you can find copies of Army reports on the first day, look at film of the attack, diaries and letters home from the troops, go on tours of the trenches, listen to contemporary songs and music inspired by the battle, and see some more modern responses.

Information wants to be free.

goodnewsfortheinsane — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 13:35:06 -0800

Wikipedia wrangling once more: the entire German edition was shut down this week over the contents of a single entry. The parents of the article's subject, a German hacker who died in 1998 under mysterious circumstances, are displeased with his real name being disclosed in the encyclopedia. It is now back online; however, the future of the family's efforts is currently unclear, not only due to the German order's debatable validity in the US - but also because the order was, initially at least, mistakenly addressed to St. Petersburg, Russia, instead of St. Petersburg, Florida.

"Sieg whaaat?"

goodnewsfortheinsane — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 17:15:46 -0800

Everybody knows that gangsta rap promotes sexism, homophobia... and fascism. Take Bushido, for instance - the Berlin rapper of Tunisian descent that all the neo-Nazis love. Confused? (nyt) Well, so are the Germans. And then we're not even talking about Fler, whose "This is black-red-gold, hard and proud!" nationalist lyrics never fail to piss off the German papers (in German), and who likes to pose in his videos with a nice symbolic eagle. (Then again, Helmut Kohl didn't mind.) Still, Fler's flag-waving, eagle-loving rhymes are no match for Bushido's "Salute, stand to attention, I am the leader like 'A'". The A stands for Adolf, you know.

Parasitic Subway Projector

aladfar — Sat, 05 Nov 2005 07:45:10 -0800

Parasitic Subway Projector: High concept German art students cram a Mac mini and a projector into a suitcase and mount it to the side of a subway car with suction cups. The resulting images, projected onto the tunnel walls, make for a fascinating work of public art. [QuickTime] Link via: The Unofficial Mac Weblog

This is simply beyond my comprehension.

asbates2 — Thu, 09 Dec 2004 02:32:45 -0800

"Kriminalz?" Appears to be two German guys attempting to rap while wearing construction hats. German or not, how can this be for real?

Die Duck Die

riffola — Tue, 25 May 2004 07:24:13 -0800

Die DUCKOMENTA. German art gallery of Disney-centered pastiche art. The Wall Street Journal says "This Exhibit Is No Featherweight, so You Better Duck." [Stolen from waxy]

German Propaganda Archive

hama7 — Fri, 26 Mar 2004 14:02:03 -0800

German Propaganda Archive.

Germany slips on its jack boots to keep in step with the USA

hoopyfrood — Thu, 19 Sep 2002 09:34:31 -0800

Germany slips on its jack boots to keep in step with the USA In the wake of september 11th Most supposedly enlightened "western" countries have curtailed or outright forbidden free speech to groups suspected to be sympathetic to "terror". The question in my mind is how long until just being part of a political organization that opposes first use of violence and criticizes government policy (libertarians, Greens, CUSPA) will get you on the FBI "hit" list here at home?

Germany completes it fifth sweep of the women's luge medals.

RevGreg — Wed, 13 Feb 2002 19:37:04 -0800

Germany completes it fifth sweep of the women's luge medals. After the snarky anti-American Olympic snowboarding thread the other day, I am surprised that this wasn't immediately posted with snarky anti-German commentary! Becky Wilczak finished fifth, matching the highest finish ever for an American. I guess we don't dominate every sport. Dern.