Fun fact: Thomas Gossard was actually one of the first interns working on Project ACE in Zürich, even before it officially became part of @sonyai.bsky.social , and he’s the one who gave the project its name.
Thanks, Thomas Gossard, for the time together, pushing for results while feeling quite overwhelmed, trying hard, working on a full robotics hardware and software stack as a team of only two.
During my internship in Project ACE's perception and prediction team, I worked on camera calibration for the perception system. Thanks, Raphaela Kreiser and Naoya Takahashi, for the supervision.
During our PhD, Thomas Gossard and I collaborated with the team at SonyAI, contributing new ideas to ACE along the way. Thanks to Peter Dürr, Naoya Takahashi, Fabian Schilling, Mireille El Gheche, Sina Mirrazavi, and Dario Brescianini for the monthly update calls.
I'm happy to see that project ACE (ace.ai.sony) is finally out of stealth mode. The project that funded my PhD, as well as the project I worked on during my internship at SonyAI. Thanks, Peter Dürr, for making both possible.
youtu.be/FrGq8ltb-_E?...
Imagine if every community became a place where everyone is safe, but no one is comfortable. Imagine if every community became a place where we told one another the truth. We might just create sanctuary. (Adjusted from Rachel Held Evans)
While our view on faith might differ, from the united stillness follows actions. This was also reflected in this year's program. A workshop on nonviolent bodywork, palliative care work, chances and challenges of AI, insights into peace work, talks on political activism and more.
We have different (faith) backgrounds, spanning from more traditional catholic and protestant traditions over Buddhism to Atheism and Anarchism. But we all gather in communal stillness for silent reflection/worship or whatever words feels more suitable. And we believe in that of go(o)d in everyone.
Our venue in Poland was quite cold but we filled it with love and diversity. I'm happy to belong to this community in which we span the whole gender spectrum, various languages, have people with and without disabilities and also some neuro-spicyness. I rarely feel such an honest inclusion.
I stopped traveling for fun but I did not stop traveling to meet fun people. Last week was the #EMEYF spring gathering. Young Friends traveled from GB, IE, NL, DE, CH, PL, CZ, FR to Poland for the spring gathering.
Here on the picture with friends from DE (U.S.) and NL.
Thanks for the organization. Despite Friends following a Quaker time line, the organization was very smooth.
I'm happy I could learn more about the work of QCEA and connect with Friends from across all Europe.
Byebye Maison Quaker. It was an intense weekend for me in Bruxelles. My first @qcea.bsky.social executive committee meeting followed by the QCEA general assembly.
Questions around policy making do not yet come naturally to me and the way the EU operates is still very confusing to me. A lot to learn!
My first impression when I arrived at Quaker house in Bruxelles. I'm looking forward to my first @qcea.bsky.social general assembly as a member of the QCEA executive committee. A lot of (new) things to learn for me.
Besten Dank für die Fakten (und auch allgemein ihre politische Arbeit) @jaybadran.bsky.social.
So, wie ich die @evppev.bsky.social kenne, geht es auch immer (etwas) um die Werte und den Schutz von besonders vonurablen Menschen. Auch wenn diese nicht die Mehrheit repräsentieren.
Von der Entlastung der Familien wird auch bei der EVP geschrieben: www.evppev.ch/abstimmungen...
Ich bin da etwas verwirrt. Was stimmt an dem beschriebenen Beispiel nicht?
Ich habe gerade anfangs Woche eine Zugverbindung von Zürich über Hamburg nach Stockholm gebucht. Preislich ist das ganz okay. Das Problem das ich sehe ist, dass man gefühlt für jedes Land und ob Nachtzug oder nicht eine andere Webseite/Plattform verwenden muss. Es braucht da eine Webseite für alles.
What's next? Since I'm already trained to deal with tons of trial-and-error, reading/writing, uncertainties, rejections, and growth, some more of all of these until life reveals the next longer-term plan for me.
Some close friends from ZH also made their way to Tübingen. And obviously many (former) colleagues. We had a nice Swabian dinner and some drinks to create some positive memories for me (the years of suffering during the PhD need to be compensated somehow).
I'm super happy, that my family joined this semi-important and maybe life-changing event.
Therefore, I also got my "official" PhD hat. Receiving this hat, made by colleagues with love and creativity is the actual reason why people do a PhD and suffer for years. It's not actually the title.
On January 23rd, I finally defended my PhD.
We live on the wave’s edge, where sea, sand and sky are all mixed up together: we are tossed head over heels in the surf, catching only occasional glimpses of any fixed horizon. Some of us stay there from choice because it is exciting and it feels like the right place to be.
Philip Rack, 1979
Please be patient, those of you who have found a rock to stand on, with those of us who haven’t and with those of us who are not even looking for one.
There are others who live in a state of uncertainty, constantly re-thinking their responses to changing circumstances, trying to hold onto what seems fundamental but impelled to reinterpret, often even unsure where lies the boundary between the fundamental and the interpretation…
Some among us have a clear sense of what is right and wrong – for themselves personally if not for everyone else. They have a reassuring certitude and steadiness which can serve as a reference point by which others may navigate.
I recently got nominated as a member of the Executive Committee of the Quaker Council for European Affairs @qcea.bsky.social (www.qcea.org). I'm grateful for the trust Friends have in me.
I'm looking forward to working with experienced Friends and influencing the policy making in Europe a tiny bit.
These are no stats, but my personal experience.
@deutschebahn.com
Recently there is often no apology and the connecting train in an hour is simply announced as the next possible connection. Without mentioning that we can't make the current connect due to the delay. It's also not uncommon, that the first train in the morning is entirely dropped.
If I travel to Tübingen (DE) with an ICE (I do this almost every week), I officially make my connection in 30-40%, unofficially in 20-30% (if I run like an athlete), and wait an additional hour (in the cold) in around 30%. In most cases I don't get informed about the reason for the delay.
Since I noticed quite a bit of bashing against China (and some might be valid), here is a particular experience from my side.
I took 10 high-speed trains in China. Each of them was punctual, clean, friendly staff and free hot water for instant noodles.