Weekly review cw 38

It's a sunny Saturday afternoon. I'm lying on my terrace overlooking the garden. I came out intending to relax with an exciting book. Due to the short night, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate on the text, despite my best efforts. The warm rays practically invite me. So I put my book aside, close my eyes, and let my thoughts wander.

Immediately, many little things come to mind that I want to do. I should really get up and do something, but I don't want to. This struggle gives rise to the question of why I'm so lazy. This is followed by the self-admonition that I deserve it. My intention to relax and read a book turns into a battle between two voices in my head…

Digital government procedures

One of the many tasks is applying for a police clearance certificate for volunteer coaching as part of a school-sponsored table tennis collaboration. I don't need to reapply since the last one is too old. Nope. I have to apply because my digitized version isn't sufficient; unfortunately, the original ended up in the shredder during the digitization process. However, the school administrator demands that I have the original in my hands. A brief moment would suffice; digital alone isn't possible – rules are rules—damned digitization.

So I browse the offices' online appointment scheduling pages until an idea occurs to me: Can I apply online? Not the appointment, but the certificate. And indeed, I find what I'm looking for. With the ID card app, I can handle it completely remotely.

The site explains it in great detail. First, install the ID card app on my Mac. Then do the same for my phone, which serves as the reader for the e-ID card in the process. After the devices are paired, my ID card is scanned using NFC. Oh no, I need a six-digit PIN. A glance at the password container, and we're off. The data is transferred to the online form. A few more clicks, and the application is submitted, just like that. No problems, no appointments at the office. I'm stunned.

In retrospect, I wonder if I could program such an application. This process is one of the few where I tend to say no. The security requirements are immense. There can be no weak points anywhere in the chain because otherwise the identity can be stolen and misused. Added to this is the intensive communication between the Mac app and the phone app, which also has to meet high standards for securely reading ID cards. The only thing I could keep up with was the application's accessibility. That was questionably implemented.

Between Calm and Restlessness

So while the two voices haunt my thoughts, they drift further and further into the background until they finally become a noise that causes me to fall asleep. When the first clouds appear and the warmth disappears, I wake up again. Not much time has passed—the oppressive feeling of having been lazy remains.

I pick up my book, but when I open it, I find I can't concentrate on reading. Why do I feel this pressure? On holiday, I could easily read for hours and have just as much to do. The tasks that were running through my mind earlier aren't work-related, but personal.

So I sit for a while, pondering this question. I feel rested after my nap. And at the same time, I feel robbed of a relaxing afternoon by myself when I jolt awake. I've been called – time to prepare dinner. So don't be lazy, get to work, and postpone the search for serenity.