In the following sections, you will find my non-fiction and fiction writing. I hope you enjoy my writing. If you have any feedback, please don't hesitate to contact me. I appreciate your thoughts and suggestions. Thank you for reading!
Below you can find my non-fiction writing. I write about web development, media art, comics, the demoscene, computing history and retro computers, and other topics that interest me.
June 2024
Graffathon 2024
Where Coding Meets Art
In June 2024, I went to Graffathon in Finland, an interesting intro to demoscene culture. 28 participants met for this uniquely starter-friendly demoparty, enjoying a good helping of creativity and collaboration. On two and a half days, demosceners crafted seventeen impressive demos, showcasing the talents of both beginners and advanced coders. Here are my impressions of Graffathon 2024, exploring the vibrant intersection of art and technology that defines this extraordinary community.
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June 2024
Palming Without Distractions
Distraction-free Writing with a Palm Organizer and a Foldable Keyboard
The Palm m125, with the right peripherals, can make a great distraction-free writing tool to sustain the flow state that many writers of prose and long articles seek to achieve. Here is how a decades-old organizer can help, and what to pay attention to for a frictionless experience. This epic article has it all! (Including a hidden section about PalmOS Hacks.)
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May 2024
The Books That Chronicle the History of the Atari ST Demoscene
Over the past decade, a number of books were published that chronicle the history of the Atari ST demoscene. These books provide a detailed look at the creative and technical achievements of the demoscene community, exploring the innovative audiovisual presentations created on the Atari ST computer. Here I introduce and discuss the various volumes in this loose collection.
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January 2024
Demo Beats and MTV Vibes
History and Analysis of State of the Art by Spaceballs
"State of the Art" was a groundbreaking demo for the Commodore Amiga created by the Norwegian demogroup Spaceballs in 1992. It gained widespread acclaim for its innovative use of real-time 2D vector graphics, animation, and sound, becoming an iconic piece in the history of the Amiga demoscene. Let's take a deep dive!
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December 2023
The Commodore Amiga and its Undying Adoration by Anarchist Creatives
Let's investigate the birth of the demoscene, the Amiga platform's revolutionary beginnings, its emotional resonance within a dedicated community, and its broader influence on the field of computer graphics and music. Why is the Amiga still one of the most significant platforms in the demoscene?
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November 2023
Helsinki Hackathon Horizons
Junction X 2023
In November 2023 at the Junction X hackathon in Helsinki, our team tackled the challenge by steel maker Outokumpu, focusing on sustainable AI solutions in steel production. The experience was delightful and enriching showcasing the power of diverse collaboration and the spirit of ingenuity, leaving us with invaluable insights and memories.
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November 2023
Using the MacBook with an eInk Tablet as an External Display
Using an eInk display as an external screen reduces eye strain and is well readable in direct sunlight. How do you connect the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra to a MacBook Air? Let's explore various methods like AirDroid Cast and Duet Display, alongside a more economical and effective solution involving a USB Capture Device. Find out the details in this article and video.
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October 2023
Authentication Antics
The Complexity of User Registration and Authentication
Mapping out the process of user registration, user login and password reset let me rediscover the quirks and delights of the process. Here's my unnecessarily detailed description with wireframes and flowcharts of something we take for granted.
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August 2023
Evoke 2023 Demoparty Report
From July 28th to 30th, I visited the Evoke 2023 demoparty in Cologne. After years of study and admiration of the demoscene, I participated in a demoparty in person for the third time. Here's what I experienced, which graphics I submitted for the competitions, and what I learned. I hope this helps newcomers to the demoscene make the most of their first demoparty.
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August 2023
Coding for a Cause
Our Hackathon Adventure at KfW Bank in July 2023
On a warm July weekend in 2023, in the heart of Frankfurt/Main, our team participated at the KfW Bank Cloud DevOps Hackathon. We delved into challenges ranging from Microsoft Azure Cloud to Kubernetes and beyond. Join us as we recap our unforgettable adventure, filled with innovation, camaraderie, and a whole lot of code.
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June 2023
Guide to ClockworkPi's Portable Linux Console
The ClockworkPi DevTerm is a peculiar portable Linux device with numerous delightful features, albeit some frustrating ones as well. This guide will demonstrate how to configure the DevTerm to overcome its limitations, such as the small screen size and the somewhat challenging trackball. Additionally, it will provide instructions on using the DevTerm with an iPad Pro.
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May 2023
Award-Winning CT Scan App Concept
Caffeine, Code, and Collaboration: CraftHack 2023
In May 2023, we participated in the CraftHack 2023 hackathon in Budapest and created the POC for HealthHub, a doctor's AI assisted portal for scheduling CT scans. To our delight and surprise, our team was awarded the grand prize from among forty competing teams. It was an unforgettable experience. This is what happened, these were the mistakes we made, and this is what we learned.
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May 2023
The Portable A500 Mini and How It Ended Up in a Pub
The A500 Mini is a nifty recreated retro computer that can be made to run any classic Amiga software. Here's how to turn it into a portable device using an Android tablet as a screen to bring it to the pub for field-testing. And I shot a video doing it! Let me show you, it's fun.
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Here you will find the longer non-fiction works that I wrote for my university studies.
October 2020
How Technical Limitations Pushed the Early Demoscene to Produce Digital Art
This is my master's thesis about the demo-group The Exceptions during the years 1987 to 1989 in the Atari ST demoscene. These were the formative years of the Atari ST demoscene, and The Exceptions were the first to produce demos on the computer system.
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May 2020
The Telidon Art Collection at Inter/Access
This is the story of the Canadian Telidon system from the early 1980s, the artists who worked with it, the unlikely story of how their work was rediscovered by the Toronto-based Inter/Access gallery in 2015, and how to conserve digital artwork created with Telidon.
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December 2019
Creating a Comic Book on 1980s Hardware
In this project I created a five page comic story using 1980s computer hardware. I refurbished a thirty year old Atari computer, upgraded it and then pixel-painted comic using the art package NEOChrome Master and only 16 colors.
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May 2018
The Story of the first Digitally Produced Comic Book
This is an essay about Shatter, a comic book created by Mike Saenz, Peter B. Gillis and Charles Athanas in the mid-1980s on an Apple Macintosh (though with traditional, analog coloring). This milestone of the comics industry paved the way for other digital comics like Das Robot Imperium by Michael Götze and other digital comics.
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I write fiction stories in German, my native language. They are mostly science fiction and fantasy exploring the human condition and relationships. My stories are character-driven and often feature a touch of humor.
November 2004
Der Abstand zwischen den Augenblicken
In einer Zukunft, in der Menschen, Mutanten und Außerirdische um Macht und Einfluss kämpfen, plant der skrupellose Konrad Klemens Kurischnigg, seine Karriere auf ungewöhnliche Weise voranzutreiben. Als sein Kollege plötzlich erkrankt, sieht Kurischnigg seine Chance gekommen, einen millionenschweren Auftrag an Land zu ziehen. Doch als auf der anderen Seite Wiens ein intergalaktischer Krieg ausbricht, reisen die ungleichen Partner mit einer Zeitmaschine zurück ins Jahr 1492, um die historische Entdeckungsreise von Christoph Kolumbus zu verhindern und die Geschichte zu verändern. Während sie gegen kosmische Mächte und ihre eigenen Vorurteile kämpfen, entdecken sie, dass ihre Mission weitreichende Konsequenzen für die Gegenwart hat.
June 2004
Gib mir Stoff, Baby!
Auch Außerirdische sind suchtgefährdet
Ein Raumschiff voller drogensüchtiger Außerirdischer nähert sich der Erde mit einer besonderen Mission. Ihre Aufgabe? Einen fähigen Behindertenpädagogen zu finden, der ihre wahnsinnig gewordenen Richard-Nixon-Klone betreuen kann. Als die Vignionen ihren Agenten Mr. Foo auf die Erde schicken, nehmen die Ereignisse eine dramatische Wendung, und die unscheinbare Karolin Gerber, eine erschöpfte Pflegekraft, gerät plötzlich in den Mittelpunkt eines intergalaktischen Abenteuers. Inmitten des Chaos und der skurrilen Begegnungen muss Karolin eine Entscheidung treffen: Kehrt sie zu ihrem anstrengenden Alltag auf der Erde zurück, oder hilft sie den Vignionen, ihre verrückten Klone zu bändigen und rettet so möglicherweise zwei Welten?
January 2004
Zwischen Liebeslügen und Peitschenhieben
Im Wien der 1990er-Jahre kämpft Ernie mit den Tücken der Liebe und den Herausforderungen des Lebens. Überglücklich zieht er bei Edith ein, der bezaubernden Buchhalterin, die sein Herz schneller schlagen lässt. Doch seine Versuche, ihr seine Liebe zu gestehen, führen in ein Netz aus Missverständnissen und Lügen, das ihn schließlich obdachlos macht. Als er sich inmitten von verärgerten Ex-Freunden und gefährlichen Begegnungen wiederfindet, scheint seine Welt aus den Fugen zu geraten.