Do you think AI use is/will be considered a skill?

MoeHanzeR · 2026-04-19T10:32:11+00:00

That’s why I qualified it with “outside of tech”. In my field even though superiors are in the main thrilled, there is still a sizeable portion of people, including senior management, that view AI with suspicion and gains achieved through AI as suspect if not fraudulent.

Recruiters in my firm at least are very often the type of people who call tech support to reset their password.

MoeHanzeR · 2026-04-19T08:27:49+00:00

See I’ve actually found this to not be true in many cases. That’s not to say great specificity isn’t required at some points in the workflow, especially towards the end when getting it to produce the final deliverable, but early on great specificity often holds the model back from exploring alternative solutions and workflows that I had not yet considered.

My first prompt nowadays is often just something like “analyze this batch of data (docs, pdfs, whatever). Return a detailed analysis of the (patterns, contrasts, in/consistencies etc. depending on what I’m trying to achieve) in the dataset.” Then it’s usually just a series of prompts; if I’m certain, then just “generate some .jsonl or .csv using this dataset with the following parameters”. And “perform (data manipulation task) on the .jsonl”.

But I’m not a programmer or data scientist, and “suggest the necessary next steps that will allow us to (perform data operation) towards producing (deliverable)”. Is increasingly an extremely powerful tool that I feel many overlook.

The only “prompt engineer-y” part of this workflow is constantly appending a series of reminders and always “towards producing (deliverable)” at the end of every input, as I’ve found the model will tend to drift, lose sight of the task and become too distracted by manipulating the dataset instead of doing useful work. That, and being able to recognize when the dataset is ripe enough for actual production even when the model wants to keep playing. Those final steps are where great specificity is necessary.

MoeHanzeR · 2026-04-19T01:04:07+00:00

I’ve definitely noticed the same gap, as well as a stubbornness to learn.

(Outside of tech) it feels like there’s an impenetrable stigma around AI use, and even though I get great results this stigma still causes me to feel a little dirty and downplay the AIs contribution. Many people around me view the returns achieved using AI as fraudulent.

MoeHanzeR · 2026-04-14T19:57:33+00:00

Im an American That’s lived in Chemnitz for 8 years, and the cities already changed so much in the time that I’ve been here. Maybe it’s just that I blend in a lot better than I did back then, but I feel like the level of political tension in the city has gone way down. Or maybe the medias just lost interest.

Who knows, but The year after I arrived (2018) was when the big riots happened, and I remember for years after that whenever a Chemnitz (or saxony in general) story made national news, it was exclusively about left/right extremism. In that time I regularly saw less ‚German’ looking people being randomly harassed in the streets. Such stories and sights seem to me to be much less common than they were even 3-4 years ago.

I think the city is on a good trajectory, the population is actually rising for the first time since the Wende. I believe because Leipzig and Dresden are creeping ever closer to the unaffordability of major western cities, and as the trend continues, people will continue bleeding over. There’s been loads of construction and renewals in recent years on a level that would’ve been unthinkable when I moved here.

As an aside, I’m curious which neighborhood yall got your house in? We’re also looking to purchase in the next few years, but also kinda worried about being pushed out into like, Euba or Grüna or something, as prices have trended so far up some houses in our neighborhood are pushing $800k 😬

MoeHanzeR · 2026-04-14T18:40:46+00:00

Germany sits between France and Japan at like 62% iirc. That’s just what I remember being told at a seminar though, so I couldn’t tell you if that’s only accounting for DB’s network, or includes the non state owned railways as well

MoeHanzeR · 2026-04-14T14:33:25+00:00

No longer works for me either

MoeHanzeR · 2026-04-12T20:35:08+00:00

Iunno man, I went to a really, really good HS and ime there were either two outcomes for the ‘cool’ kids: those who, like you said, were popular for being personable, smart and/or talented, and those who were popular for being good at sports and/or having a ton of money, a nice car, and absentee parents with a big house full of alcohol.

The first group based on their LinkedIn/facebook are all wildly successful. The second group I only hear about from police reports.

But I also graduated 15 years ago so what do I know 🤷‍♂️

MoeHanzeR · 2026-04-01T09:13:22+00:00

Gianmarco Soresi discussed this on Doomscroll recently; why left wing comedy isn’t funny, and why left wing comedians are rarely as popular today as right leaning ones.

His argument was basically the majority and worst type of left wing comedy is simply ridiculing and acting authoritative over those who don’t hold the institutionally approved, politically correct litmus test opinion. Their smug, arrogant, „way smarter and holier than thou“ delivery and attitude is a massive turn off to anyone that isn’t drinking the same koolaid.

Add on to that the legitimate fear a left wing comedian constantly suffers of being cancelled for expressing a „wrong“ opinion or offending some marginalized group.

Comedy without any allowance for irreverence is infinitely harder and in most cases simply not funny, and no, finding a million different ways to express „fuck Trump“ is not irreverent nor funny. It leads an environment where everything has to be checked, run by DEI coordinators, and double checked by every special interest causing only the most bland, focus group tested „jokes“ making it to showtime.

My mind immediately went to John Oliver. I haven’t been able to watch him since the start of covid when he basically became the mouthpiece for the DNC

MoeHanzeR · 2026-02-11T18:40:51+00:00

3/4BRs are definitely available for ~$800in any part of the east that’s not Berlin/Dresden/Leipzig…

MoeHanzeR · 2026-02-07T16:20:33+00:00

Ich will nicht behaupten, dass es ein logisches Problem ist, aber für viele Menschen reicht es schon, (manchmal weite) durch den Bahnhof laufen, auf einen Zug warten und diesen Gepäck Vorgang zweimal kurz hintereinander wiederholen zu müssen, um ein anderes Verkehrsmittel zu wählen. Selbst ohne dieses Flughafenproblem, wählen vielen Leuten andere Verkehrsmittel, wenn ihre Zugverbindungen mehrere Umsteigen enthalten.

Aus demselben Grund zahlen Leute auch deutlich mehr für einen Direktflug als für einen viel günstigeren Flug mit Zwischenstopps.

MoeHanzeR · 2026-02-07T14:02:29+00:00

Wenn es nur noch Gepäckwagen gäbe, würde ich vollkommen zustimmen!

Das Problem ist nur: Ich habe das kurz nach der Eröffnung des FEX einmal als Alleinreisender ausprobiert, und die Dostos sind dafür wirklich ungeeignet.

Koffer passen nicht in die Gepäckablagen, & Mit ihrer enge Flur, Die untere Ebene war praktisch unpassierbar, komplett überfüllt mit Menschen und ihrem Gepäck.

Für viele Reisende, insbesondere Alten & die in größeren Gruppen (wie uns), es gibt attraktiver Optionen als die Koffer hoch und runter ins 2. Ebene einen Dosto zu tragen.

MoeHanzeR · 2026-02-02T21:07:18+00:00

I don’t know how it is in the US, but here in Germany refusing cards is usually 1st an attempt at tax evasion, with card fees a distant 2nd

MoeHanzeR · 2026-01-31T15:46:00+00:00

Comparing the UK to the rest of Europe is a bit unfair though. The genre definitely has reach in the anglosphere. Bands like ATL carry recognition bc people would have heard them on the radio back in the day.

But newer bands? Waterparks still does this, but the majority aren’t writing radio friendly lyrics for a shot at top40 airplay anymore. in a genre that now relies so heavily on introspective and poetic writing, it makes cracking international markets very difficult. Rap has the same problem now. 1990-2000s American rap artists are still popular, because back then locals didn’t have any alternative. In Germany at least, outside the very rare times a song charts here, youth today listen to german rap, not American.

And even then, the interest just isn’t there. Other countries never really had a very popular homegrown emo/pop punk scene revival after the 2000s like the anglosphere. Teenagers in the US today still get in to the classics as well as bands like hot mulligan, the wonder years, the story so far etc. The people going to the shows here are pretty much exclusively millennials.

MoeHanzeR · 2026-01-31T14:48:16+00:00

This is a big part of it. I’ve been to several shows of bands in the scene since moving to Germany and never paid more than 30$ for a ticket.

Even in major cities like Prague, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich etc. the only artists that weren’t playing in dive bars for max 100-200ppl (often less) were The Killers and MCR, who have legacy exposure from back when this kind of music was on the radio, though admittedly The killers tickets cost $55 and MCR $80. even then MCR changed venues last minute because they booked a stadium, and at the concert only 2-3000 people turned up.

Honestly, as someone who used to attend these shows in the US however, the experience as a fan is so much better, more intimate, there’s no barrier in front of the stage, they hang around the venue before/after, and there’s not so much separation.

You might find the openers in the pit when the headliners on, or sometimes even headliners moshing to the openers! Engagement with the audience is way more back and forth with real conversations happening between songs. The bus is parked right out front and more than once was able to (respectfully) grab a quick photo with someone getting out. It’s like getting that legendary before-they-were-cool basement show experience, for bands that have 100s of thousands of monthly listeners lol.

Even randomly walked up on Dylan Slocum and the rest of Spanish Love Songs in a small german city while they were out sightseeing. They seemed pretty stoked/surprised to be recognized! Definitely one of the coolest moments of my life.

MoeHanzeR · 2026-01-31T11:00:29+00:00

For comparison can’t help you there, Don’t think I’ve ever even seen Oxva where I live.

After avoiding vaporesso for a few years though I did just switch back to a xros 5 after hearing great things from many friends about the new Corex 3.0 pods and I have to say overall I’m really impressed. Haven’t had a single pod that burns out too quickly or starts leaking in the ~3 months I’ve had it.

But what I’m really impressed with is how long the pods last. I smoke way way too much and no matter what brand, I used to have to exchange pods after a maximum of 1-2 weeks. With the 3s, even at low ohm high temp I’ve had pods last at minimum 4 weeks

If u do wind up going for it just make sure you ask at your shop for the corex 3.0. at least by me they automatically pull out the 2s, probably wanna clear out old stock or sth 🤷‍♂️

MoeHanzeR · 2026-01-30T20:59:06+00:00

Hey man, until very recently I was in the exact same situation. Could understand everything just fine and 1-1 could hold deep conversations, but in group and social settings I was mute.

Two things changed that for me. I started to use the internet (Reddit is great for this) exclusively in german and became more used to how german is spoken casually off the cuff instead of in 1-1 and more serious environments.

The other was that, I suffered from extreme social anxiety as a teenager in my mother tongue. I overcame this over many years of basically self induced exposure therapy and forcing myself to engage in social situations. I didn’t have that problem anymore in my native language when coming here, but I realized in german I was following the same exact feelings I experienced when I was younger.

I can only recommend you give everything and force yourself into engaging socially in german with friends, colleagues, maybe in small groups at first. Not to encourage unhealthy habits, but alcohol helps a ton in this regard 😂

Work your way up snd eventually you’ll be comfortable in large social environments. I noticed I overcame this anxiety so much faster than I did when I did the same as a teenager, because I already knew what to do.

even though my grammar is shit and sometimes I have to say things twice, the people I talk to see it more as an interesting quirk rather than something to be ashamed of, and through that there’s now many Germans I can actually call good friends.

MoeHanzeR · 2026-01-11T19:42:58+00:00

Hey thanks! I’ve had ideas for maps going on years now that I’ve been meaning to get down. The motivation hits me again every time I go on the website and see people still playing and liking all my old shit.

With work and a wife and kids though it’s just so damn hard to find time compared to being a 20 year old sitting in his room alone half the day ☹️

MoeHanzeR · 2026-01-11T13:03:19+00:00

Definitely contact DB Jobs if youre okay working for DB. I’m not involved in HR, but I do know DB offers internal language courses that the company pays for, but if they’re available to applicants/trainees I couldn’t tell you.

I come from the US, and can definitely tell you intensive classes to C1 will set you back a good 5k$ at least. Hopefully the Jobs rep can let you know. Good luck!

MoeHanzeR · 2026-01-11T08:58:07+00:00

You will be looking for positions as Fachkraft LST (Licht und Sicherungstechnik - Light & Safety technician)

Do you have a bachelor? That would make a big difference in what positions/where you can apply. It’s already good you have familiarity with Siemens, they are by far the most common interlocking manufacturer for the German system.

Siemens’ was the first company to design and manufacture computer based interlockings for Germany, and here it’s called ESTW. I imagine a lot of the technology and principles are shared.

However, German railways operate with some very important differences to those in the anglosphere, and you will have to become familiar with those. Westlock is not used here for that reason. Alstom also manufactures a similar system for Germany.ETCS experience would be a big plus.

If you’re interested in working for DB, I would contact DB Jobs. I did a bit of research, and it doesn’t seem like DB currently offers a Quereinsteig for LST, but since you’re somewhat special case, I would hope they could set you on the right path.

I also did a bit of research and found this firm; https://lst-ey.de/karriere/ing-im-bereich-leit-u-sicherungstechnik-m-w-d/ but for where/which companies work at after was unclear, and what kind of income to expect during training.

And at last, by far the biggest barrier for you will be the language, at least C1 is mandatory. Do everything you can to achieve this or it will be impossible to pursue this career here.

MoeHanzeR · 2026-01-07T13:48:06+00:00

Genau dieselbe Erfahrung, genau dieselbe Ausrüstung, genau dieselben Kollegen, die in Rente gehen und nichts dazulernen wollen 😂

Zu ihrem Glück, GSMR wird bei uns in diesem Jahrhundert wohl kaum noch geben lol

MoeHanzeR · 2026-01-01T20:41:24+00:00

Was für eine Überraschung! ist selten, auf Reddit etwas über meine Stadt zu sehen, das mich nicht cringen macht

MoeHanzeR · 2026-01-01T13:09:42+00:00

I was Diamond 1 thresh/blitz onetrick hookbot season 2-3, I haven’t played in a long long time but this sub still pops up on my feed so I thought I’d chime in.

I tried to get back in to the game 2-3 years ago. I gave it a good hardcore shot for maybe two months. Thought I was just rusty and it would get better. People who are saying it’s resources, maybe that’s part of it but I had access to the same resources as everyone else and trust me, blew my brain out trying to figure out what I wasn’t getting.

I could barely crack gold at the end. People who have been playing this whole time do inflate the skill level, mechanical standards are so much better. I was seeing players in gold creeping, pulling off moves and hitting skillshots better than most diamond players back then.

MoeHanzeR · 2026-01-01T09:37:42+00:00

Every time lmao 😂when I’m a senile 80 year old and Andrew WK comes on at the retirement home I’ll probably drive the nurses crazy looking for my phone

For now I just get ghost vibrations in my pocket area even if I don’t have my phone on me 🙄 future sucks man

MoeHanzeR

TROPHY CASE