iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 27/09/2026

Interesting read for sure, but I had to chuckle here. Diplomat, Investor, what’s the difference really 😃

Growing up, I had dreams of becoming a diplomat because I believed the US-China relationship was going to be the largest and most interesting surface area of the next hundred years. Though I'm not a diplomat (yet), I did spend a decade as an investor at a firm with one foot in the US and one in Asia.

Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 10/09/2026

Scenario 3: Using AI & wearables to recall what a waiter just told you instead of… politely asking them to please say that again!? You are the guest, they are the host. They would gladly do that!? This is so ridiculous!

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 10/09/2026

Scenario 2: Using AI to auto-translate an encounter with a friendly stranger in a public place, instead of… idk… just act friendly and take or refuse the damn flyer lol

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 10/09/2026

Scenario 1: Asking AI to recall a recipe from an older message is one thing, but then going to the market and asking AI to choose the right fruit instead of… idk… maybe talking to the fruit vendor?!

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 05/08/2026

Reading a NL about AI & Design Systems and of course it‘s written by AI. The paragraph still looks normal. The sentences build upon each other. It stops being an engaging read altogether. 😑

A teammate renames one variant. Someone pastes a hex value over a colour token because the token picker was two clicks away. A hover state gets lost during a cleanup. None of that shows up as a red flag. The file still opens. The component still renders. It just quietly stops being what you agreed it would be.

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 19/06/2026

also, referring to "setting up a Mastodon Server" as "launching a social network" is kind of a stretch?

We’ve hosted two sold-out live shows in San Francisco, made TIME’s list of the 100 best podcasts of all time, and even launched a social network, The Forkiverse, with our pals at Search Engine.

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 05/06/2026

Spotify's desktop client is so enshittified, you no longer have a one click share option. instead you have to hover over the right sidebar to reveal a share-icon. Why do you hate your users so much!? 😭

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 25/05/2026

okay what? coincidence or genius move by @vivaldi.com ? I installed the browser, and checked "put icon in dock" so that I don't forget to use it… and the icon wasn't placed at the end of my dock icons but instead right next to my other browsers, Safari & Chrome? 🧐

a screenshot of some macOS dock icons, showing
Finder, Settings, Calendar etc.
and then three browser icons: Safari, Chrome and Vivaldi

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 15/05/2026

Yeah so… finally time to switch to Apple Music !? 🤨

Screenshot of the App Update Screen in iOS showing the new Spotify App Icon that looks like a glittering disco ball 🪩

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 20/03/2026

Für alle kurzentschlossenen oder aktuell von Wien Hbf Reisenden: bis morgen gibts dort noch die Aussstellung zum Buch "Iron People" des Fotografen Jelle Krings zu sehen. Sie porträtiert das Leben der Männer und Frauen der Ukrsalisnyzja, der ukrainischen Eisenbahngesellschaft im Krieg 🇺🇦❤️‍🩹

Das Foto zeigt die Ausstellung IRON PEOPLE am Hauptbahnhof Wien.
Zu sehen ist ein Banner mit dem Einleitungstext der Ausstellung, dahinter an den Wänden diverse Fotos

Das Foto zeigt die Ausstellung IRON PEOPLE am Hauptbahnhof Wien.
Zu sehen ist ein Banner mit Text, dahinter an den Wänden diverse Fotos

Das Foto zeigt die Ausstellung IRON PEOPLE am Hauptbahnhof Wien.
Zu sehen ist eine Wand mit diversen Fotos

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 09/02/2026

a few thoughts: - I do like the combination of tactile controls + digital displays - the whole design seems very soft/nice/playful and doesn't match my feelings of Ferrari "the brand" - this clock widget (pic 1) is super weird - not sure why these two drive settings have different controls? (pic 2)

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 08/02/2026

How bad is the economy in the US apart from the bubbly AI build-out? This bad: The CEO of Peak Design just felt the need to send a letter to non US customers, apologising for the state of the country and politics 😬

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 03/02/2026

What's up with Googles Search Algo? I searched for a straight forward term, and the first six entries are on point and related to my query. But then two items slip into the list that are not fitting at all: a Vogue Scandinavia and an Upworthy article with completely different topics 🧐

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 31/01/2026

BlueSky has this neat (new?) feature where they replace the black „Follow“ Button on a Post with their Logo when you take a screenshot or a screen recording 👌

Screenshot of a post on BlueSky: a black follow button is visible to the right of the username

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 27/01/2026

Recommend reading! Also, this paragraph rings true for all those European conservative parties who claim to follow Christian values

If the Minnesota resistance has an overarching ideology, you could call it
"neighborism" —a commitment to protecting the people around you, no matter who they are or where they came from. The contrast with the philosophy guiding the Trump administration couldn't be more extreme. Vice President Vance has said that
"it is totally reasonable and acceptable for American citizens to look at their next-door neighbors and say, 'I want to live next to people who I have something in common with. I don't want to live next to four families of strangers." Minnesotans are insisting that their neighbors are their neighbors whether they were born in Minneapolis or Mogadishu. That is, arguably, a deeply Christian philosophy, one apparently loathed by some of the most powerful Christians in America.

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 25/01/2026

After holding back a sensitive TB Production, gifting a stupid gold award to Trump and removing the ICEBlock App from the App Store, CEO Tim Cook once more prostrates before Trump by attending a Melanie movie screening (!?) on the day of the second fatal ICE murder 😒 spineless turd

Screenshot from The Verges newsticker:

Tim Cook, Andy Jassy, and AMD CEO Lisa Su are at the White House for a VIP screening of the Melania doc. If you're wondering what kind of access a gold-and-Gorilla-Glass statue, a $1 million donation, and endless fawning buys you, well, it gets a special advanced screening of a state-sanctioned propaganda documentary film about the First Lady. Okay, it buys more than that, this is just a nice bonus.

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 16/01/2026

Castro is still my favourite Podcasting app (although visually I like Queue more @eikedrescher.bsky.social ;) Zerocam is the perfect no-fuzz-just-snap camera app Telegram is the best messaging app in terms of UI design Locket is my fav "novel UX" app and its widget is always on my home screen

a screenshot of iOS App Icons: Castro, Zerocam, Telegram, Locket

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 30/12/2025

Another top notch example of AI companies scrambling to find use cases for their product: Be a Hero and pretend you care about your friendship!? LOL 🥲

Screenshot of a post by AI Company „Genie“ on Threads:

„Your best friend from college is so excited to visit. Tomorrow. And you've got ... no idea what to do. Look like a hero who planned all week with a tap.„

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 19/12/2025

2026 starten wir mit der Arbeit an einer Android-Version! Was kann die App? - Journal für deine gegessenen Pflanzen - Auswahl aus ~1.000 Pflanzen(sorten) in einer kuratierten Datenbank - Wöchentlich neues Pflanzenwissen & Inspiration - und vieles mehr…

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 01/12/2025

Taco Monday is the new Taco Tuesday! 🌮

Top-Down View vom Esstisch. Zu sehen sind alle Zutaten zum zusammenstellen der Tacos

Ein gefüllter Taco in meiner linken Hand

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 04/11/2025

when your overnight iOS update fails, and your phone is stuck in some sort of recovery mode, and your morning alarm doesn't go off 😴 cool cool cool 🫨

a screenshot of a recovery step on an iPhone

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 31/10/2025

ich fühl mich jetzt sehr sicher. immerhin hat man für 2 Sekunden eine Drohne gesehen! Die Cyber-Defense arbeitet schön neongrün und multiwindow, hoffe aber sie haben mehr als emoji-Colors im code und Level 3 Access wenns nötig ist.

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 20/10/2025

the fact that Pixelmator Pro, which was acquired by apple ~ 1 year ago, hasn't even updated their Mac App icon to the iOS26 standard yet doesn't give me much confidence that the app will be around for much longer 🥲

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 09/10/2025

Is this… a paid Emoji mutation by Mercedes F1 in WhatsApp? 🧐

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 28/09/2025

Each pill element has a subtle drop shadow with a huge blur

Annotated screenshot of the macOS Tahoe Safari Toolbar pointing out the drop shadows

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 28/09/2025

the "floating UI elements" in the toolbar are so stupid. All these subtle shadows… ugh

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 28/09/2025

You want to quickly identify your tabs? tough luck my dear!

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 17/09/2025

Default video aspect ratio results in a barely readable, “split in half” top navigation bar, especially when the video content is darker. How did this pass internal QA

A video in the photo library of iOS26 with a barely readable top navigation bar

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 17/09/2025

(Yes, you can change the layout in Safari Settings, but Defaults matter)

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 17/09/2025

The fact that the designers at the Safari team decided that it would be a good idea to make the default browser bar so small that you now need an extra tap to access essential actions like “Share” makes me so angry.

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 14/09/2025

Hallo @zeit.de das geht so nicht. Ihr könnt nicht wegen der Patronenhülsen einen Antifa Konnex suggerieren ohne die Gamer/Meme Szene zu erwähnen. Und „Ballerspiele“ ist einfach ein aus der Zeit gefallener Begriff und viel zu harmlos um diese Community zu beschreiben. Do better.

Transkript vom Podcast „was jetzt“:

Inzwischen ist das geschehen. Am Freitag wurde der 22-jährige Tyler R verhaftet. Er gehört keiner Partei an und soll bei den letzten Wahlen auch nicht abgestimmt haben. Bei seiner Tatwaffe wurde aber eine Patronenhülse gefunden, auf der stand Hey Faschist! fang.
Dazu möchte ich jetzt mit unserem US-Experten Klaus Brinkbäumer sprechen

Transkript vom Podcast „was jetzt“:

Wenn wir aber bei den Parteien bleiben, bei den Demokraten und bei den Republikanern, dann gibt es jetzt vor allem Erstaunen, Ole. Erstaunen darüber, dass dieser mutmaßliche Täter so gar nicht den Erwartungen entspricht, den Klischees entspricht.
Wir reden über einen 22-Jährigen, das hast du schon gesagt, der lange ein Musterschüler war, der ein Stipendium hatte fürs College. Ja, der Videospiele gespielt hat, auch die sogenannten Ballerspiele gespielt hat, aber aus einer republikanischen Familie stammt. Seine Eltern haben Trump gewählt.

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 07/09/2025

@bretdevereaux.bsky.social my brother sent me this screenshot of the new Anno 117, wondering how accurate the depiction of the fire watch / brigade that can be seen in the middle of these buildings can be? 🏛️🚒

A screenshot of Anno 117, showing a Roman settlement with a fire brigade building

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 05/09/2025

Chapeau an den Redakteur oder die Redakteurin für diese Caption

Foto von 3 betagten Nonnen, zwei von ihnen sind mit einem Rollator unterwegs.

Bildunterschrift dazu:
Sturm von Bernadette, Regina und Rita auf ihr Kloster bzw. Schloss am Donnerstag

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Johannes Ecker @johannesecker.com · 04/09/2025

yeah, wouldn't hold onto it too much 🥲 in their aquisition update they promise that it "will continue to exist" but we all know that these kind of announcements are not worth anything