Stephan Ehrmann

I’m old enough to have used Airbnb back when hardly anyone knew about it. It has since become a global corporation; Airbnb listings are pushing out long-time tenants, and more and more large-scale landlords—who used to operate exclusively on platforms like booking.com—are flooding Airbnb. Still, it remains my first choice when looking for vacation rentals—though I prefer to use the “Guest Favorite” and “Superhost” filters, because that way I can be sure I won’t end up in a filthy dump with junk furniture.

When I was single for a while, I discovered Spontacts: you can take part in great activities, like hiking, going out to eat, going to the movies or dancing, wine tasting, game nights, cooking together… there’s nothing you can’t do. You’ll find plenty of singles on the platform, but by no means exclusively. You get to meet great new people every time you do an activity, and some of them are now part of my circle of friends. Important for singles: You can get to know interesting people in a much more natural and casual way than on traditional dating platforms.

For many years now, 1Password has been keeping all my secrets safe: not just passwords, which it automatically and securely fills in on all my devices when needed, but also banking information, PIN codes, and more. The app has proven to be robust in various security tests and has won me over completely. I recommend it to anyone who’s willing to invest a little money in the security of their data, because the app’s convenience far exceeds what Apple offers with its built-in “Passwords” app/feature.

ChatGPT was the first AI I took seriously—I worked with it extensively. Claude has since replaced it as my go-to choice, but in some areas, ChatGPT is still the better solution. If you can, you should combine the two and compare the results of their work. I even openly present the output from one AI to the other (“This is what ChatGPT says about it:”), and I benefit from this time and again.

I first heard about Be My Eyes years ago, and ever since, I’ve been telling people I consider to be good-hearted about it. It helps blind people navigate real-life situations. Once you’ve activated the app and receive a “call,” you can accept or decline it. Often, it’s about such mundane things that a sighted person can do without a second thought, but which are difficult for a blind person: Which jar of pickles at the supermarket is the right one? What color is the pen? The person seeking help points to it with their iPhone during a video call, and you answer. Done. And another good deed done.

Claude has long since replaced ChatGPT in my daily routine—I use it for writing, brainstorming, and tackling the tricky questions related to my business. No other AI assistant thinks things through so thoroughly while remaining honest, instead of just telling me what I want to hear. What I especially love is the huge context window—entire manuscripts or projects fit into a single conversation. For the very latest topics, I quickly switch on the web search; that way, the answers are all the more well-founded.

Traditional computer games haven't really appealed to me since I was a teenager. But I play online chess obsessively—every single day. It helps me take my mind off things; I love the logic and, above all, the quick thinking required in blitz chess. "Chess – Play and Learn" stands out for its huge community, so you can always find an opponent at your desired skill level at any time of day or night. There are also tournaments and challenges. Some of the opponents are remarkably strong.

In my opinion, Threads is the best social network we have. For me, it has long since replaced Facebook as my daily go-to source for varied and insightful glimpses into other people’s thoughts. The posts are usually more thought-provoking and often funnier, even if they’re text-heavy. The fact that Meta is the company behind it might bother some people. It doesn’t bother me.