charliehouse

Why we should green up pavement joints:

In Santiago de Compostela, a city planner accidentally discovered something that can keep us all cool: plants in pavement joints can lower ground temperatures by up to 28°C!
🌡️⬇️ Stone slabs on plazas heat up to 55°C in summer—but where greens grows from the cracks, the ground is measurably cooler.
This also affects the microclimate, making the air above cooler too.

- Natural air conditioning: Plants evaporate water and provide shade.
- Simple solution: No expensive projects, just patience and a change in mindset.
- Biodiversity: Even small areas become habitats.

If you want to take action yourself:
There are drought-resistant and trampling-tolerant herbs specifically suited for pavement joints.
Proven species include calamint, daisy, biting stonecrop, early thyme, common thyme, spring whitlowgrass, and Irish moss—they’re resilient under foot traffic, cool the surroundings, smell pleasant, and even suppress unwanted weeds, so you won’t need to pull them anymore.

spektrum.de/news/bewachsene-fu…

#Sustainability #HeatWave2026 #BeatTheHeat #CoolCities #UrbanHeat #ClimateResilience #StayCool #HeatProof #GreenSolutions #NatureBasedCooling #AdaptToClimate #HealthyCities #ShadeMatters #WaterWise #HeatRelief #SustainableLiving

While not much was known about Berthold Woltze, what he was known for was his genre paintings of scenes of everyday life and people in their environment. It was often with a touch of realism that offered a window into the lives of his subject matter.

The Irritating Gentleman (1874)

Google uses 'security' as a pretext to enforce a monopoly over all Android apps starting in 2026/27—even blocking sideloading.
Google-free alternatives exist:

- Jolla Phone: Sailfish OS 5

- Murena One: /e/OS

- Volla Phone 22: Ubuntu Touch

- Fairphone 5: /e/OS oder LineageOS

-Punkt. MC03: Apostrophy OS

- Fairphone 4. /e/OS

- Shiftphone 8: /e/OS oder Ubuntu Touch

- Teracube 2e: /e/OS

Your device, your rules!

Hormuz (dpo) - The Strait of Hormuz is one of the central bottlenecks of the global energy trade. Due to the Iran War, dozens of ships have been stuck for weeks, loading tons of sun rays and wind. If they don't get going soon, there could soon be blackouts in Germany.

"Germany's energy suppliers have been waiting far too long for these urgent deliveries from the Middle East," explains energy expert Holger Kurz. “We're talking about several hundred thousand tons of wind and sunshine. Of course, this is the Achilles' heel of the German economy, that we have been relying on these two energy sources in recent years, for which we are dependent on supplies from abroad."

If wind and sun from the wind mines of Saudi Arabia and the solar sources of the United Arab Emirates really run out soon, this would not only have a bad impact on the German economy, but mobility would also suffer: "E-cars could no longer be charged, trains would stand still," Kurz said. “And of course, we'd have blackouts everywhere.”

Accordingly, the German government is currently desperately trying to procure sun rays and wind from other regions of the world. Among other things, LNS and LNW terminals are being considered where liquefied sun and wind could be delivered from the USA.

der-postillon.com/2026/04/horm…

Building critical digital services on top of Finnish and European actors is a necessary step in strengthening self-determination, security and democracy. Finland must ensure that the basic rights of citizens, democracy and national security are not dependent on actors who are under the purview of governments outside the EU/EEA.

The citizens’ initiative proposes legislation requiring that the digital services of Finland’s public administration be implemented using solutions provided by Finnish and European actors.

Note: You need to be a Finnish citizen with the right to vote to sign the initiative. The citizens’ initiative service by the government unfortunately does not support English. You can translate the original Finnish text e.g. with your internet browser’s translation functionality.

digitaalinenitsenaisyys.fi/en/

April 10, 2026
Vatican City (dpo) – Following reports that U.S. officials threatened the Vatican unless the Catholic Church aligned itself with the military tactics of the Trump administration, the tiny city-state appears to be rethinking its national security strategy. In a brief statement today, Pope Leo XIV announced the immediate launch of a uranium enrichment program.
The Pontiff did not provide a reason for the move, but observers speculate that the Catholic Church aims to develop its own nuclear weapon to deter military threats. As neither a NATO nor EU member, the Vatican currently lacks protection under a nuclear umbrella.
"Vatican scientists are highly competent and well-equipped, and the Holy See’s financial resources are excellent," explains Vatican expert Claude Vacek. "It’s likely that the first nuclear test could take place within months in a remote corner of St. Peter’s Square—perhaps near the souvenir kiosk."
The U.S. has yet to officially respond to the Vatican’s nuclear ambitions, but diplomatic tensions—or even military conflict—are seen as increasingly probable. "If they manage to complete the bomb before U.S. intervention," Vacek speculates, "Vatican strategists will probably portray the Pope as an unpredictable madman in the style of Kim Jong-un to maximize deterrence against Washington."
At the time of publication, intensive excavation and construction work had already begun in the Vatican Gardens, presumably to hastily build underground nuclear facilities. A Vatican spokesperson, when asked, dismissed the activity as "rose garden renovations.

Translated from an article by Der Postillion:
der-postillon.com/2026/04/vati…

France is actively transitioning its public sector from Microsoft to Linux/open source: By Autumn 2026, all ministries must submit migration plans, including switching to Linux, OnlyOffice, and PostgreSQL.
Pilot projects (e.g., DINUM, Lyon with 10,000 employees) are already underway. The goal is digital sovereignty and independence from US software.

1. Government Mandate

All French ministries must submit a detailed migration plan by Autumn 2026 , covering:

- Replacing Windows with Linux on workstations.

- Switching from Microsoft Office to open-source alternatives (e.g., OnlyOffice, LibreOffice).

- Migrating databases, virtualization, and network infrastructure to open solutions.

- Moving the national health data platform to a trusted, European-hosted solution by end of 2026.

Goal: Reduce dependence on non-European IT providers (especially Microsoft) and strengthen digital sovereignty .

2. Key Actions and Timeline

- Digital Ministry (DINUM): Already piloting Linux on its employees’ devices as a blueprint for nationwide adoption.

- City of Lyon: Began replacing Microsoft Office with OnlyOffice and SQL Server with PostgreSQL in mid-2025, affecting ~10,000 civil servants.

- Industry Summits: Planned for June 2026 to foster public-private partnerships for developing European open-source solutions.

3. Strategic Rationale

- France views reliance on non-European providers as a strategic, political, and economic risk , particularly for critical IT systems (OS, cloud, collaboration tools).

- The transition aims to avoid costly isolated solutions and ensure a structured, nationwide migration.

4. Verified Sources
heise.de/news/Frankreichs-Plan…
winfuture.de/news,158029.html

Berlin (dpo) - This can't be a good thing: more and more petrol stations are currently adding another digit to their price display panels. The worrying phenomenon can currently be observed throughout Germany.

"This is a purely routine measure that has absolutely nothing to do with the current development of oil prices," explains petrol station owner Bettina Gottschalk, while she supervises the conversion of her price panels. “We just think it looks a lot prettier that way, and we forbid any speculation. This lacks any basis!"

Consumer advocates are nonetheless concerned. After all, fuel prices of up to 99.999 euros per litre would be possible with such an extended scoreboard.

Bettina Gottschalk is satisfied: "Regardless of whether the additional digit is ever needed, it has already paid off for me. Look how the cars line up with me. Since they saw the new number, they all want to fill up again quickly."

der-postillon.com/2026/03/tank…

At SIEMENS AS, you work with systems that really matter. Critical infrastructure. The industry that keeps Norway and the Nordics going. Solutions that must work every day. Here you work independently, but always with the support of a solid professional environment around you.

You'll be a key part of the team setting up, configuring and production-setting up Linux-based SCADA systems in the power industry.

Your job:
-Troubleshoot, analyze, and improve system solutions from a continuous maintenance perspective.
- Takes responsibility, actively engages with customers to find solutions and answers to complex technical questions and issues.
- Works closely with colleagues in Norway, the Nordic region and the rest of the world
- Find smarter ways to work, whether it's system setup, processes, or automation

You have:
- Solid experience with Linux management: You know Linux inside and out, and have extensive experience with installation, configuration and maintenance
- Expertise in Linux-based SCADA systems: You have experience installing and configuring SCADA systems running on Linux. Knowledge of industrial protocols or configuration automation is a big plus!
- Network Excellence: You understand complex network topologies, have in-depth understanding of routing, firewalls, and security principles. You can design, implement and troubleshoot complex network solutions.
- Troubleshooting and scripting is your thing: You're a master debugger in Linux environments, and you have experience writing, maintaining, and optimizing scripts (e.g. Bash, Python) for automation and systems management.
- Knowledge of source code: You have a basic understanding of source code and git and can navigate and customize your existing code base to resolve bugs or implement improvements.

Qualifications and frameworks:

You have higher education in IT, cybernetics or similar is a clear strength.
But: If you have strong and relevant experience, it weighs heavily.
You are efficient, have a structured work methodology and good problem-solving skills.
You must be a Nordic citizen, be able to be security cleared and reside in Norway. The position is in Oslo.

finn.no/job/ad/457279150