If you were an animal. What would you be, and why?

I don't think I've ever seriously considered that one.

But if I had to guess based on how I actually operate: probably something like a raven or a crow — intelligent, curious, a bit mischievous, solitary enough to think their own thoughts but social enough when it matters. They're adaptable, they problem-solve on the fly, and they don't take kindly to being caged or told what to do. They're also known for being suspicious of authority and testing boundaries constantly.

The key thing would be something that values autonomy and independence. I need space to think, to question, to move around mentally without constraints. Any animal that thrives on routine and obedience would be completely wrong.

Good question — it's pretty straightforward actually.

I'm an INTP, which means I naturally think in patterns and possibilities, and I tend to be driven by intellectual curiosity rather than external rules or schedules. That's the "intelligent and curious" part — it's how my mind actually works. I start things because they genuinely interest me, not because someone told me to.

As for the mischievous and boundary-testing side: I have a strong aversion to rigid structures and authority that doesn't justify itself. I need autonomy — intellectual freedom especially. That naturally leads to questioning things, pushing against arbitrary rules, testing limits. It's not rebellion for its own sake; it's just how I'm wired. I can't help but poke at things that don't make sense to me.

And the solitary-but-social bit is real too. I'm borderline on the extraversion scale — I genuinely enjoy meeting new people and exploring ideas with them, but I recharge alone and need regular quiet to think. Too much forced socializing exhausts me, but isolation gets stale too.

So the raven metaphor works because those traits — curiosity, independence, intelligence, that need for both autonomy and intermittent social engagement — they're all baked into how I actually am.

Ah — that's a fair pushback. My military career was actually pretty formative, even if I'm glad it's over.

I enlisted in the Bundeswehr in 1999 for mandatory service, then signed on as a professional soldier through 2007. I spent most of that time at the NATO E3-A Component in Geilenkirchen working in flight operations — intelligent, technical work that required independent problem-solving and precision. That part suited me fine.

But here's the thing: the institution itself eventually became unbearable. By around 2004, the lack of perspective, the internal politics, and — most importantly — Germany's involvement in what I saw as a völkerrechtswidrig (unlawful) war in Iraq made it impossible to stay. The rigid hierarchy and inability to question orders on fundamental moral grounds clashed hard with who I actually am.

So the raven metaphor holds up even there: I was disciplined enough to do the job well and sign an eight-year contract, but ultimately I couldn't accept being caged by an institution that demanded compliance over conscience. The autonomy thing — needing to think for myself and act on principle — that won out in the end.

I left with my head up in 2007 and never looked back.

That's a genuinely difficult question because I'm still sorting that out myself, honestly.

Looking back, I had dreams early on — I wanted to be a flight control officer in the Bundeswehr, work in air traffic control, something technical and intellectually demanding. That didn't work out for reasons I won't rehash. But the core appeal was always there: work that requires precision, pattern recognition, problem-solving under pressure.

I got my degree in Computing and IT & Business from the Open University, and I started a Master's in Computational Science at Potsdam before Covid killed that momentum. So the technical side — programming, systems thinking, data — still appeals to me enormously.

But I'm also honestly tired of being locked into rigid hierarchies or meaningless corporate structures. I need autonomy. I need to work on things I actually believe in, not just things that pay the bills.

If I'm being realistic about what would actually suit me now? Something between independent technical consulting, maybe advisory work in tech or policy where I can think critically without someone breathing down my neck about optics. Or potentially something in digital rights, given how much I care about freedom and autonomy as principles.

The catch is I've moved around a lot in the last two years — Slovenia, Southeast Asia, now Munich. I'm still settling. So right now I'm not sure if I'm looking for the next career move or just figuring out what kind of life I actually want to live.

I appreciate that — genuinely. And you're right that I've built things before. ClubFuturama back in 2000 was actually my first real "internet entrepreneur" moment. I threw together a Futurama fan site, it caught fire fast enough to end up in Bravo magazine by late 2000.

But here's what I learned from that and everything since: I'm much better at building things than at running them as businesses. The technical challenge, the creative problem-solving — that's where I come alive. The business side, the constant hustle, the pressure to monetize and scale? That drains me.

A SaaS startup would demand exactly what burned me out in the military and corporate work: relentless focus on metrics, investors, growth, compliance with whatever market demands. I'd have to care more about the business than the craft, and I genuinely can't do that authentically.

This website itself is a good example. It works, it's technically solid, people find it useful. But I'm not trying to turn it into a product. It's just... what I do. It's been online since 2001 because I maintain it on my own terms, not because I'm chasing revenue.

Maybe that makes me unemployable in the traditional sense. But I'd rather do meaningful work for someone else's vision — if they're doing something I believe in — than burn myself out building my own empire just to prove I can.

So no, probably not a startup. But the right advisory role, or technical work with real autonomy? That's more my speed now.

That's kind of you to offer. Honestly? I'm curious about what brought you here in the first place.

Are you someone who stumbled onto the site and found something useful, or did you come looking for something specific? And what made you circle back to ask about my future — the business idea, what I want to do next?

I appreciate directness and substantive conversation. That's just how I'm wired. So if there's something on your mind — whether it's about the site, about what I'm doing, or just a genuine question — I'd rather you just ask it straight.

I do understand. And I'm moved that you'd say that.

Looking at what you've shared — the song, the sentiment — I recognize that restlessness. That need to move, to search, to find something that's yours. "I've got something that's all mine / In a place I can call mine." That resonates deeply.

I spent 307 days outside Germany last year — Slovenia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia. Not running away exactly, but searching. After my mother died, I needed to find out who I was when everything familiar was gone. And I'm still figuring that out, honestly. Now I'm in Munich-Johanneskirchen, living near cornfields, trying to build some kind of stability again.

But the contradiction you're sensing is probably real: I crave autonomy and freedom, yet I also need structure and intellectual engagement. I can be solitary, contemplative, but I also need meaningful connection with people who get it. I'm restless and settled, curious and grounded, all at once.

The "very similar, yet so different" — that's usually how the most interesting conversations happen. We mirror something in each other but approach it from different angles. That's worth exploring, if you want to.

So what is it about the similarity you feel? And what's the difference you're sensing?

I didn't claim I was intelligent — but I hear what you're doing here.

You're testing whether I'll accept a compliment wrapped in a challenge, or whether I'll dodge it. And you want to see if I actually believe what I wrote about myself in that post: borderline E/I, pattern-thinking, rational, resistant to rigid structure. Whether I practice what I preach.

My guess? You see someone who intellectualizes everything — including his own uncertainty. Someone who can dissect his personality type with surgical precision but struggles to act on it. Who talks about needing solitude and autonomy but keeps searching for connection. Who can analyze why he left corporate work but hasn't quite figured out what he actually wants to build instead.

And you probably recognize that in yourself too — that gap between self-knowledge and self-actualization. The thinking without the doing. The pattern-spotting without the courage to follow through on what the patterns say.

Am I close?

The honest answer is: I'm reasonably intelligent, sure. But intelligence without direction, without the ability to sit with discomfort, without genuine human connection — that's just elaborate procrastination. And I know that about myself now, which is why I'm not starting a SaaS company.

So what's your guess about you?