1. Under tension

My favorite section in the unfortunately long since discontinued magazine “Neon” was called “Useless Knowledge” (an obituary here). She reliably provided small talk ammunition:

  • Lobsters urinate in each other's faces during a fight to impress their opponent.

  • According to the screenwriter, Donald Trump was the model for the character Biff Tannen in “Back to the Future II”.

  • On average, every person in the world owns 86 Lego bricks.

  • People with longer-than-average middle fingers usually choose spouses who also have long middle fingers.

  • Empty freezers use more electricity than full ones.

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Manufacturing halls with kilns

Photo: Iona Dutz / DER SPIEGEL

I have no idea if this was all true or if anyone ever checked it. Bizarre, entertaining, harmless. Less harmless is the category “perceived truth,” which you come across again and again in changing forms, for example in the form of the claim: The German economy is limping because electricity is so expensive here. You hear constantly from lobbyists, entrepreneurs and politicians.

Companies have to pay surprisingly little for energy, as my colleagues Benedikt Müller-Arnold, Alexander Preker and Gerald Traufetter have researched. In industry, some companies pay as little as they did in the pre-crisis years 2017 to 2020. However, even experts sometimes don't understand it. “There are special regulations for each cost block, compensation here and discounts there, regionally different network fees, different procurement strategies,” report the colleagues. But at least some complainers are complaining unjustly. Germany could have the worst behind it economically. That would be something for the “Informed Acceptance” section.

  • Read the whole story here: The legend of expensive electricity.

2. Rear sight, front sight, cursor

The Bundeswehr is getting a new structure, Defense Minister Pistorius presented the plans today: In the future, there will be a unified operational command (so far it has been divided into foreign and domestic). In addition, the “cyber and information space” force, or CIR for short, is to become a separate branch of the armed forces – alongside the army, air force and navy. There is also a support command in which various things such as the medical service, NBC defense and the military police are bundled. More clarity, less diffusion of responsibility – this is how Pistorius presents it (here in the video).

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Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius

Photo: IMAGO / IMAGO/Political-Moments

Pistorius had already proclaimed “warworthiness as a maxim for action” in the fall. Now the next steps follow, the bureaucratic beast that is the Bundeswehr is to become a pragmatic attack dog. Fewer technical aid workers under arms, more national defenders ready for action and reliable allies. An expert said in Phoenix that things are finally moving in the right direction. For years, the structure of the Bundeswehr was based on how much money was available. Now the task is in the foreground.

My colleague Marina Kormbaki is less convinced. Yes, the direction is correct. “But there won’t be a big change for the time being,” she says. "What Pistorius presented is more of a reform." The contours of an army that is up to date with modern warfare were emerging. But only vaguely. »Above all, the planned reorganization does not provide any answers to the troops' pressing questions: How do they recruit more personnel? How does she get material faster? How does it increase their readiness?”

  • More background here: The reform

3. Now it's a picture

It's impressive what can be done with modern imaging technology: researchers have reconstructed the face of a Chinese ruler from the 6th century using genetic material from his grave. Now posterity knows what Emperor Wu (543-578), an influential ruler of the so-called Northern Zhou Dynasty, looked like. (More here.)

Less impressive is what modern image technology has just produced for the cinema: The film “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” is opening today, but the computer-generated monsters “kick each other with the vigor of tired fair boxers,” says my colleague David Kleingers. "A film like a dusty theme park that wants to distract from its lack of ideas with ruckus." (More here.)

It's really impressive what classic photography can still do: the winners of the “World Nature Photographer of the Year” photo competition have now been chosen. Her images show how seabirds fight over a fish, how a cheetah snatches a zebra foal and how a young sea lion takes a liking to a plastic toy.

  • See the best pictures here: Found food

What else is important today?

  • “Ukraine will become a member of NATO”:

    Ukraine has been trying to become a member of NATO for years. At the anniversary celebration of the military alliance, US Secretary of State Blinken sent a clear signal to Kiev.

  • Israel reportedly uses AI system for bombings in Gaza war:

    An AI system called Lavender is supposedly helping Israel identify Palestinians with ties to Hamas. Secret service agents make drastic statements about the operation, but the military contradicts them.

  • Germans eat less meat:

    According to the Ministry of Food, meat consumption in Germany continues to decline. The average per capita was 51.6 kilograms in 2023 - significantly less than in 2018.

My favorite innovation today: 11FRIENDS at SPIEGEL

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Some issues of 11FREUNDE

Photo:

11FRIENDS

The European Football Championship begins on June 14th with the game between Germany and Scotland in Munich. Unfortunately, I was unable to get tickets for this or any other game. Which brought me a lot of accusations from much younger family members. A small consolation perhaps: SPIEGEL+ subscribers can now read all articles from the football magazine 11FREUNDE digitally, as part of their existing subscription, at no extra charge. Because 11FREUNDE has been part of the SPIEGEL publishing house since the end of 2023.

“The 11FREUNDE offer will become a permanent part of SPIEGEL+, even beyond the European Championships,” says my colleague Thorsten Dörting. »The magazine stands for critical love of football.«

  • Read more here: 11FREUNDE is now available from SPIEGEL

What we recommend today at SPIEGEL+

  • Microsoft developer saves millions of computers from computer disaster:

    On the danger scale, the security gap reaches ten out of ten points: By chance, a computer expert found an unusual piece of malware. The perpetrator or perpetrators put years of work into the operation.

  • This is what the controversial AfD MP Bystron says to his party leadership:

    The AfD European candidate Petr Bystron is suspected of having received money from a pro-Russian network. He rejects the allegations towards the AfD leadership. However, one formulation raises questions.

  • Rusty pistols, ammunition and an automatic rifle:

    Since the police arrested four suspected Hamas terrorists before Christmas, state security officers and politicians have been alarmed. Photos on a cell phone led investigators to a weapons cache.

Which is less important today

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Photo:

Cindy Ord/MG23/Getty Images

Rush through space:

Julia Garner

, 30, as

Silver Surfer, has now been cast in another role in the new film of the “Fantastic Four”. The three-time Emmy winner will star in the film from July 2025, alongside Pedro Pascal, 49, as Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby, 35, as the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn, 30, as the Human Torch and Ebon Moss- Bachrach, 47, as the thing, as the industry service “Deadline” reports. It says: "Plot details are not yet known, but according to sources, Garner plays Shalla-Bal, a version of Silver Surfer from the comics."

Mini concave mirror

From chip.de:


"ING has announced disruptions to online banking on Samsung for the night of Friday."

You can find the entire concave mirror here.

Cartoon of the day

And tonight?

If you don't want to watch "Godzilla x Kong" (see above), could you read something? Maybe the new book by Rebecca F. Kuang, it's called "Yellowface." A novel about a stolen novel. And about identity politics. “It sounds cerebral, but it’s surprisingly exciting and entertaining,” say my colleague Maren Keller and my colleague Sebastian Hammelehle (more on that here).

If you like something a little more fantastic, an older book by Kuang is also worth reading, the novel “Babel” about the magic and power of language. ARD book critic Dennis Scheck thinks it's the most exciting thing in the fantasy genre since Harry Potter. Of course the publisher advertises this on the blurb. It worked for me, I bought it and haven't regretted it.

Have a nice evening. Warm regards


, Oliver Trenkamp, ​​Blattmacher in the editor-in-chief