Let me start by saying that I (of course) do register all the unbelievable things around us - from Venezuela to Greenland to Minneapolis to Berlin - but prefer not to write about them here (at least not today), as I - not being an expert at all in these matters - have nothing to say on them you couldn't google. It's (hopefully) more appropriate (for me) to stick to normal procedures - as long as possible - being, however, aware of "Biedermann und die Brandstifter - The Arsonists".

NSFW

This week's NSFW is a beautiful cover song, not only reminding me of Sting, but also of Nina Simone.

The performer, Nils Landgren will become 70 in February 2026 and will perform in different German cities (but not in Austria, unfortunately) to celebrate his birthday. I like his version much more than the original (that has its merits too - although Laver's law on Fashion very much applies here).

Landgren has other remarkable covers from very well known songs as well, such as

and

Retrospect

#arsboni

We opened this year with a very insightful episode on digital dependence in AI and what the AI act has to do with it.

Dr. Simon Gerdemann is an outstandingly talented and brilliant young scholar; his text on the matter is absolutely worth being read.

Another episode digs deeper into what it means to work in Austria's finnancial markets authority. Dr. Ralph Rirsch and Dr. Stefan Tomanek did an excellent job in sharing personal experiences and objective requierements.

Prospect

Recht neugierig episode 21

I will continue to host (technically) the Vienna Legal Literacy's Podcast in 2026 as well. The next episode is going to happen on Wednesday, January 14th, at 19.00 CET and will deal with white collar crime.

Evolving Content Moderation Landscapes

Our guest researcher, Dr. Anil Maurya, will give a guest lecture on Monday, January 12, at 9.30.

Free entry, registration requested, no stream or recording.

Look and Feel

Gozo

I was on Gozo (and Comino) for the first time and enjoyed it a lot. It's calmer and more relaxed than Malta with 5.000 years of history, 120m high cliffs, ancient salt pans and a picturesque old town and huge citadel in the island's capital Ir-Rabat (Victoria) that can be visited.

Most importantly, it's 20 degrees warmer and much sunnier than in Vienna in January. The chaos around becomes more remote.

One of the things I learned was that, at least on Gozo, the Maltese language is still very much the primary language actively spoken and written and not replaced by English (yet). Traffic is better than on the main island; they have a decent bus system that brings you conveniently everywhere and that helps you reducing your basic speed of living. On the main island they are having such a serious traffic issue that the government now offers young drivers up to 25.000 € for giving up to drive a vehicle. The ongoing influence of the Catholic church on everyday life can be seen prominently, as well as the hundreds of years of military fortification on the islands. There's no bay without a fortified tower.

As far as I can tell, this opinion piece summarizes the country's challenges very well.

Dark Academia. How Universities Die

Holidays and new year are two good reasons to reflect more fundamentally what one is doing. The book below gives some food for thought. The author, Peter Fleming, is professor at the University of Technology Sydney , many of his examples are British; the book has, however, a lot to say about the situation in the EU as well.

(Future of) Work

Prof. Dr. Barbara Prainsack was in the Dunkelkammer-Podcast an gave a very interesting interview on work and how to change its perception.

Cum/EX

Die Zeit Podcast Alles gesagt has a very long yet interesting conversation with Anne Brorhilker, the most prominent (former) state attorney dealing with Cum/Ex cases in Germany (see also Weekly 30/2025).

This lasts more than 6 hours, but it gives a very lively impression on the chains of thought of a gifted and principle oriented German lawyer believing in the rule of law and attempting (and partfully failing) to find billions of embezzled money.

Daisy

is a little exhausted from the holidays, but very much looking into 2026.

Have a wonderful week!

Kind regards

Nikolaus (Forgó)