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In Weimar Republic 2.0 (2022), I traced the threads linking the collapse of the Weimar Republic (1919‑1933) to the fraying edges of modern democracy. Weimar did not implode overnight; it came apart via a string of small, human‑sized mistakes, the kind that make history mutter, “Told you so,” under its breath. This post builds on that compass, first examining missteps that felled Weimar, then holding a wary mirror to today’s politics. Consider it a cautious projection, riddled with blind spots, like most maps drawn by people claiming omniscience. ...

“Inflicting help” is the curious human habit of dressing up domination, control, or self-interest in the language of benevolence. It describes well-intentioned or performative actions imposed on others, often without their consent, awareness, or any genuine benefit to them. The giver feels virtuous; the receiver is often disempowered, silenced, or even harmed. The word help suggests care and generosity, but when prefixed with inflicted, it carries the unmistakable sting of condescension and coercion. ...

The internet is fundamentally broken. The question now is: what can we do? The answer is messy, expensive, and occasionally involves telling very powerful people that their business model is morally questionable. Accepting the obvious First, acknowledge the unpleasant truth: there is no quick fix. Security is not a feature to be bolted on after launch; it is a mindset, a discipline, and a budget item that competes poorly with shiny new apps and quarterly profits. Anyone promising a “secure internet in six months” is either deluded, lying, or hoping to sell you a consultancy package. Acceptance, at least, costs nothing. ...

Once upon a time, the internet was described as an “information superhighway”. In truth, it more closely resembles the back alley behind a funfair: noisy, sticky underfoot, and populated by people selling things you probably do not want but will end up buying anyway. It is not defendable in any serious sense, and the extraordinary thing is that everyone knows this but insists on behaving as if surprise breaches and collapses are acts of God rather than consequences of design. ...

Picture a journalist, a scientist, or even your neighbour declaring with solemn authority: “I am being objective.” Dignified, is it not? Objective, impartial, fact-driven, like a well-polished broom sweeping all bias into the corner. Only, as with most magical brooms, it has a particular corner it prefers: the one that keeps the powerful comfortable and the inconvenient quiet. Objectivity can sometimes be used to avoid confronting ethical dilemmas. And claiming objectivity is rarely neutral. Like neutrality, it carries consequences. Often, it shields those already in power while quietly silencing the vulnerable. ...

Imagine standing on the pavement, observing an injustice unfold. Perhaps a villain is performing egregiously bad deeds, or a bureaucrat is quietly rearranging paperwork in a way that ruins lives. You shrug. You mutter, “Not my circus, not my monkeys,” and continue scrolling through social media. This is the practical magic of neutrality: invisible, polite, and utterly useful if your goal is to help the oppressor. Desmond Tutu, who knew more than a little about elephants on mice, explained it in no uncertain terms: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” And just to make sure nobody missed the metaphor, he added: “If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” ...

Programming can be serious business, buffer overflows, privilege escalations, and command injections can ruin your day (or your server). But what if we let the code speak for itself? Imagine strcpy whispering, “I will politely overflow your stack”, or a rogue Python pickle.loads grinning, “I will happily instantiate whatever you smuggled in.” These literal translations are not only a chuckle for the seasoned security geek but also a cheeky reminder of why we need careful coding. They turn intimidating vulnerabilities into short, witty sentences that make you laugh, and maybe shiver a little. Dive in, enjoy the humour, and see old nemeses in a whole new light. ...

Europe likes to think it is safe and secure. In reality, much of its critical infrastructure is running on borrowed time. Old systems, fragmented responsibility, and perverse incentives have left a security debt that, if left unpaid, could affect millions of lives. Some sectors carry heavier debt than others, and the consequences of ignoring it grow by the day. Healthcare, energy, and transport carry the heaviest burdens. The patient-facing nightmare Hospitals and clinics are the most visible examples of this precarious state. Every day, lives depend on machines and systems conceived in a different era, when floppy disks were a mark of sophistication. Many hospitals run EHRs, imaging machines, and ICU monitors on unsupported systems, often unaware which devices are networked. Vendors supplying medical technology have rarely been held accountable for security, and procurement contracts tend to value cost or certification above protection against cyberattacks. ...

The trouble with governments and cryptography is that they keep mistaking mathematics for magic. In Ankh-Morpork, this was the sort of thinking that once led the Wizards of Unseen University to try and regulate gravity, on the grounds that it was “inconvenient.” It ended, inevitably, in bruises. In our world, the same logic has produced the noble invention of the “government backdoor.” A handy hole in the wall of your digital house, through which the Watch can come and go as it pleases. The Watch insists it will only use this hole to catch thieves and murderers. Unfortunately, thieves and murderers are rather good at using holes too. ...

We are no longer in the age of the lone script kiddie lobbing pre-cooked exploits from their mum’s basement. What is emerging instead are neural ghosts, AI-powered entities capable of autonomously probing, adapting, and burrowing into networks. Think of them as digital fungi: self-replicating, invisible, and patient enough to live under your floorboards for years before fruiting. Proof-of-concepts like Neural Ghost and FungusFiber ISP hijacks already sketch what such systems can become: distributed, stealthy, and frighteningly persistent. ...