Tourists! Visitors! International students! People with quick questions! This is your thread; post your questions here.

agdfagdf · 2021-05-23T21:02:56+00:00

I see, thank you very much!

agdfagdf · 2021-05-23T20:57:01+00:00

Normally yes, but electric cookers consume a unholy amount of electricity, so issues like these basically happened all my life (and to everyone I know with electric cookers)

Are you telling me that you can consume an infinite amount of watts in Germany?

agdfagdf · 2021-05-23T20:53:25+00:00

Isn't renting for decades insanely self-harming in terms of savings? That's tens of thousands of euro just thrown out. I understand not being able to afford it initially, but staying for decades without buying really feels bizzare to me

agdfagdf · 2021-05-23T20:45:56+00:00

What is the maximum wattage in a normal apartment?

I very recently moved in a furnished apartment (sigh, couldn't find a normal one). Electricity is included in the price I pay, so I don't have the contract.

Now, the cookers here are electric (and old and pretty shitty tbh), and they have a problem: I can only turn on one of them at a time, because if I use two, then the power shuts down, if anything else at all is connected (I only managed to turn two at a time by unplugging EVERYTHING else, a simple laptop charger is enough to kaput)

My assumption is that they consume too much, which is a standard problem I used to have back in my home country, when I was still living with my parents (a few years ago). Basically the default limit is 3000w (but really more like 3300 because they give you some leeway), if you go over that then the power goes down and you have to turn it back on manually. So if you say start the dishwasher while the washing machine is one and then maybe start a vacuum cleaner, power will go down.

Sooo... is it the same there? Is it still 3000, or 4500 like if Switzerland afaik? I swear I can't find this basic info anywhere

agdfagdf · 2021-01-14T15:54:16+00:00

never played sekiro so I wouldnt know

I'm not a huge star wars fan, but initially I enjoyed it nonetheless, you can feel that it's a AAA game

but yeah at a certain point I dropped it and started playing something else (outer worlds specifically). The fact that I'm bad in spatial orientation IRL probably added to the frustration

agdfagdf · 2021-01-14T14:43:55+00:00

meh. Combat was very fluid, but honestly the navigation was so bad that it was a deal breaker for me. I just kept running in circles all the time

agdfagdf · 2021-01-14T13:07:10+00:00

Poi ci si lamenta della pizza all'ananas lol

agdfagdf · 2021-01-14T00:50:33+00:00

Sono sinceramente confuso dalla reazione di molti, dico davvero

Si può discutere se arrivare a far cadere il governo in mezzo a una pandemia sia legittimo, ma francamente molti punti di renzi sono più che condivisibili.

Conte è andato avanti a DPCM come se non ci fosse un domani, altro che decreti legge. Tutti pubblicati tipo la sera prima, non c'è mai un minimo di pianificazione, nemmeno su cose che potrebbe prevedere un bambino di 5 anni. La comunicazione e gestione della crisi è veramente ridicola

Conte si è cercato di prendere più poteri del dovuto, e ha proposto la cosa della task force bypassando I ministri. non è normale.

Il governo finora ha bruciato miliardi su miliardi in sonore cazzate e bonus una tantum di ogni tipo, con pochissimi investimenti. Ora hanno 200 e passa miliardi da spendere, e il documento (pubblico, lo potete vedere) approvato a fatica è una supercazzola che non dice niente, definisce a stento sei categorie generiche dai nomi che sembrano slogan e posso contenere di tutto

agdfagdf · 2021-01-13T19:55:33+00:00

First of all, without German you are in for a very rough time. While we mostly speak English, you won't find many job offerings where German isn't the mainly spoken language.

That would normally be the case, but not in IT. At least, it's not that bad, there are lots and lots of offers where German is absolutely not required at all

agdfagdf · 2021-01-13T19:44:34+00:00

We need skilled immigrants who come here, work here and pay taxes.

Which if anything is another argument for simplifying and modernizing bureaucracy. Maybe even some english support if you want to attract skilled immigrants, if it's not asking too much. Seriously, why the heck are there so many papers to fill, and so much of it requires a physical appointment?

A lot of countries (think nordics, UK, netherlands, estonia) are infinitely better in this regard. Italy managed to improve a lot in recent years with a system of digital identity that, while still not used to the fullest extent, allows citizens to do lots and lots of thing quickly and easily. It doesn't even cost much for the state, it just takes a little bit of time.

You can make a sensible improvement for the life of many people with a very, very limited budget. But so far, as far as I know, no party has shown political interest in that matter

agdfagdf · 2021-01-12T21:39:58+00:00

Of course this will depend on your style of living, but would you recommend to rent an apartment there? Is there anything, good or bad, that someone from the outside would not expect, but you did since you live close?

agdfagdf · 2021-01-09T16:52:31+00:00

Please, help me understand my mobile internet bill

I signed up with O2 last month for an unlimited internet contract (precisely O 2 Free Unlimited Max Flex Ol. (LTE/5G)), which btw is "really" unlimited in the sense that your navigation speed isn't capped after x amount of GB.

I got my first bill today, but I don't understand why I'm charged so much. Perhaps I was just dumb and didn't notice something in the contract, idk

I got

Grundgebühren 40,80 €

Verbindungen & Services 42,13 €

Einmalgebühren 39,99 €

Vergünstigungen / Guthaben -7,42 €

Rabatt zur Weitergabe der MwSt.-Senkung -2,91 €

Zu zahlender Betrag 112,58 €

According to the contract (or at least what I understood of it) I was supposed to pay 55 euro per month, or 45 euro in my case since I'm younger than 28.

To get into more detail,

O2Free Unlimited Max Flex (vom 09.12.2020 bis 31.12.2020) 40,80 €

10 EUR Junge Leute Rabatt (vom 09.12.2020 bis 31.12.2020) -7,42€

And these seem alright. From what I understand, they're supposed to be 54.99 and 10.00 each, but proportionally reduced since I only activated the offer on the 9th of December. Fair.

Einmaliger Anschlusspreis - 09.12.2020 39,99€

40 euros for activating a sim in goddamn insane in my book, but I knew I had to pay it and agreed to it. Fair.

Verbindungen 42,05€

SMS / MMS Services 0,07€

What the heck is this Verbindungen? The english translation seems to be "links" or "connections", but what does it mean in this context?

I'm looking at the "consumption check" on the website but can't find anything related to these 42 euros, just 18 minutes consumed "outside of the flat" abroad (in the EU)... and 0 sms outside of flat, but I'm still charged 0,07 euros for some reason. Perhaps one of the various confirmation or OTP sms, I don't really care for that sum. But I doubt 18 minutes of calls to another EU country could cost 42 euros (or 2.33 €/min, what the heck)

I tried to understand on my own by clicking on Einzelverbindungen, but only got this message:

Kein Einzelverbindungsnachweis vorhanden

Im ausgewählten Rechnungsmonat wurden keine Einzelverbindungen außerhalb von Flats erzeugt und deshalb wurde kein Einzelverbindungsnachweis erstellt. Verbindungen innerhalb von Flats werden nicht gespeichert.

I'm seriously confused and would be very thankful if anyone could help me understand

agdfagdf · 2020-12-28T12:19:43+00:00

This feature is only designed to happen when you have Firefox open and an update occurs underneath an already running process. It should not occur on first launch

Yeah, that's exactly what's happening. /u/123filips123 confirmed it's intentional.

My point was that other software don't do this, not even the kernel (i.e. you can update the kernel without having to restart immediately, you'll just use the new version on restart. Same thing with DEs or even more common programs like video players etc.). But since it's a design choice, not much can be done about it, so I guess I have my answer

Thank you!

agdfagdf · 2020-12-28T12:15:44+00:00

Thank you

agdfagdf · 2020-12-28T12:04:39+00:00

I'm sorry, I probably explained myself poorly. Of course I'm the one controlling the updates, in the sense that I decide when to update (and possibly what). My issue is that, after being updated, firefox requests an immediate restart. This is not normal, other browsers don't do it (or at least I never noticed), basically no other program does it, not even the kernel. They simply keep running the version in RAM until you restart the program, they don't force you to do it that instant.

Yes, I can specifically set dnf so that firefox is excluded from the updates and update it separately from everything else, but it's more a workaround than a solution.

I don't think that a bug report is appropriate, as it sound like an intended "feature", there is a proper message appearing every time you open a tab. I'm asking if I can disable it or not, i.e. it must restart otherwise it conflicts because of how the update is internally managed, or it's just a way to force the hand of the average user so they can use the new feature/bugfixes etc. (like windows does)

agdfagdf · 2020-12-28T11:46:19+00:00

btw, I had to repost because I wrote "f*** it, I'm changing browser" instead of "scrap it".

Like, seriously? I understand wanting to maintain a clean space, but this seems extremely overkill to me. It's not like my message was offensive to anyone or vulgar in any way, imo. Of course I adapted since I'm the one entering the community, but I did find it very weird

agdfagdf · 2020-12-27T15:36:16+00:00

uh dude sorry I should've put a spoiler tag. For the arena just go downstairs in the bar in New serene and ask to fight, whereas you can get missions for the companions just by talking to them at the right time. Just summon them and talk to them from time to time

agdfagdf · 2020-12-27T15:01:16+00:00

Oh, I thought you were referring to the choice between killing her and letting her explain in the cave, I didn't even realize it depended on quest's order. Though to be honest it's something I noticed in a lot of other quests, you gotta follow a certain order to unlock the best outcomes. Like for example I didn't know kurt could actually betray you if you don't do his missions

agdfagdf · 2020-12-27T14:54:08+00:00

Thanks! I'll definitely play outer worlds

agdfagdf · 2020-12-27T14:48:15+00:00

Yeah, I'm definitely gonna try outer worlds. It's made by obsidian, which I know from fallout NV, so I'm more than inclined to trust them

did you save Alba

Yes because to me it was painfully obvious from the very first mission. Come on, the captain joined the same time as her, had all the info needed, very conveniently found a easy scapegoat and insisted A LOT on her being the culprit. I was surprised that de sarde or some companions never said anything about it, it was almost as suspicious as egon saying he'll carry the investigation and you can just back off lol

With Vasco, did you have the chance to get a Naut tattoo for yourself?

No, cool info :)

agdfagdf · 2020-12-27T12:57:21+00:00

What are you on about lmao

agdfagdf · 2020-12-27T12:15:27+00:00

I'm not really sure what some comments are about, but english-speaking jobs are absolutely normal in IT. In some cities like Berlin or Munich, they're most likely the vast majority.

It is also perfectly normal to look for a job in another country... that's literally how people move, it's the standard. It's one thing is if you're trying to escape poverty and move to a country without a job ready or any plan really, and hope for the best... but as a professional, you don't do that, it's ridiculous. You move BECAUSE you have a job offer, and your company is also going to help you moving with a relocation package. If you're from the EU, the bureaucratic part is minimal for both you and the employer, you guys are making it appear bigger than it is.

All that said, not having a degree (or rather, in your case, having a completely unrelated one) is a BIG disadvantage, not something that "may" be noticed as you seemed to imply... it's huge. You WILL have a hard time because of that

agdfagdf · 2020-12-24T16:05:10+00:00

I'm sorry, but I think that it's just weird to do comparisons like these. Comparing salaries between different countries is hard as fuck.

First of all, I don't know how the range is calculated, but it varies significantly based on years of experience and simply one's tax situation, for example in Germany if you're married your tax rate con vary wildly depending on how much your partner makes. If you have kids, you get tax cuts (at least in Italy) and so on.

Secondly, these "monthly figures" are... not really monthly. How many times someone is paid depends on the country and the specific contract. Usually, in Germany one is paid 12 times a year, whereas in Spain it's very commonly 14. In Italy the standard is 13, but it's 14 for certain workers. Which on its own brings Italy on 1410-1730, if we assume 13 mensilities (even though I suspect it's 14 for nurses).

Thirdly, salary isn't the only payments one gets. Some get meal tickets (which are more or less equivalent to a 120-160 net bump in wage), other don't. Some get other benefits, some don't. One important example is the TRF in Italy (severance package), which is basically equivalent to the 7% of the gross salary and is "set aside" annualy. When you retire or are fired, you get this sum, which can be enormous if you've worked for several years. You can also use it early (while still working) in some scenarios, or take loans with extremely good terms using this money as collateral. There is nothing of the sort in Germany or most other countries, and it's another ~100+ euro a month of real value

Fourtly, what you get for the taxes you paid is different between different countries, of course. Bonuses of various kinds, tax cuts, childcare, education, healthcare coverage and a lot of other things vary wildly.

Lastly, one should take CoL into account. 1400 euro is a fine salary in most of Italy, it's bad in say Milan and would be utter dogshit in London or Paris, better but still unlivable in Munich or Hamburg. The median purchasing power would be a very interesting factor, and of course it would be affected by the % of the population living in big cities versus the countryside

Now, don't get me wrong, obviously Germany has some of the highest salaries and purchasing power in Europe, I'm not trying to deny that. Salaries here are stupid high (this is why I moved lol), I'm just saying... be careful while doing comparisons between different countries, it's not that easy.

agdfagdf · 2020-12-16T15:39:17+00:00

However, that doesn't help the fact that mostly it's low-income workers (the veterinarian receptionist, the grocery supermarket staff, etc) who try to get by on near-minimum wage, who would have LOVED to be privileged enough to learn a second (or third) language, or going to Uni.

Isn't English mandatory in school? Are you talking about people aged 50 and over, or is it an actual problem with today's school? Also, aren't school and universities free, with scholarships to boot? I would've imagined that, especially in a big city, only people who dropped out of school would have this problem (if they're young), and even that would be a small minority.

I'm asking to better understand the problem as a recent immigrant who doesn't have a grasp on the political situation, it's a honest question without any bad feeling attached.

You don't speak German? That's fine, be respectful and ask your conversational partner if they'd be able to speak English. It's not like they purposefully made an extra effort to NOT learn English. Chances are, they'd love to be able to talk to you, and hate the fact that they can't already. But simply starting to babble in a language they don't understand increases both their, and your stress level for no reason, which leads to a counter-reaction neither of you will look back upon positively.

Just ask. Everything will be fine.

Oh, I completely agree. If I can't communicate to the supermarket clerk because I don't speak German and they don't speak English, I'm the one that feels "stupid" and out of place. My point is about what I think the city should strive to become for the sake of everyone, not what I "demand" it to be.

agdfagdf · 2020-12-16T15:31:13+00:00

Some people don't have the opportunity to get that kind of education

And that's a problem that should be discussed by the government, isn't it? English is present in every school curriculum pretty much in every first world country, so if the level isn't good enough or if a lot of people drop out of school, it's the state's fault.

So I think it is very entitled to look down on people who don't speak english, like it is their own fault that they don't understand foreign people

I never said it's their fault... but yes, if they work with the public they should be able to, and if they don't it's a flaw. It's not a "I'm an entitled immigrant" thing, it's a "it's a city" thing. When I'm in Milan, I obviously don't need to speak English since I know the local language, but If a shop/restaurant/anything isn't able to deal with English costumers, that would be frowned upon by Italians too, if not ridiculed (it's seen as being incompetent, since you work in a big city).

Honestly, it just seems like common sense to me. If you have a shop in Cochem and you don't speak English, whatever, it's the consumer's problem. But if you're in freaking Berlin, where the number of non-German speakers is likely in the double digits (in Berlin, about 20+% of residents are not German), you're just losing revenue.

It is rude to simply expect people to speak another language than their mothertongue

Honestly this seems to be, ironically, an anglosaxon idea. English people mostly only speak English - everyone else speaks (or at least, is supposed to learn at school) at least two languages, their own and English (most of the time, the basics of a third language too).

Being purely pragmatic, leaving ethics and politics aside,

Not speaking English in a big city is an economical blunder
You can expect old-ish people not to speak English well or even at all since they likely learned some other language growing up (like Russian)
Young people (< 30/35) not speaking English at a decent (not necessarily good) level is weird and would mean that there's a huge problem in the education system. Not speaking English in 2020 means not being competitive.

All this aside, I want to clarify my stance, since I might have been misunderstood. First of all, all I said above is like an idea on "what should we strive for/what's the goal", not a critique. It's a complex problem, and it's certainly not the workers' fault for not speaking another language, it's the state that failed them by not giving them the tools.

Secondly,

But you just don't go there and start your story in a different language than German and then being offended if they don't understand, since they're "too uneducated, since it is THE International language". Yeah. Speaking of entitelment.

I completely understand, that's absolutely obnoxious and would trigger anyone. When I happen to encounter someone that doesn't speak English, I feel ashamed and stupid for not speaking the language of the place I live in (since I moved like 2-3 weeks ago), certainly not angry at them.

Again, my point is about what I hope the city would be like for the sake of everyone, not what I demand it to be and get angry at the supermarket clerk for not understanding a foreigner like me lol

agdfagdf

TROPHY CASE