My year 2025—and it was a year full of drama:. In February, Nixy finally secured a sojourn in Italy, which allowed us to consider a trip to China. We had planned this for long. Nixy wanted to see her father, to bring flowers to her mother’s grave in Wuhan, simply to go home after nearly three years away. So she left before me at the end of February; I was to follow in May.

Then, at the beginning of April—she had left in late February—Nixy disappeared. After some days, I received a photocopy of an arrest warrant. Nixy was arrested. A police comando from another province, not from Wuhan, not even from Hubei, had come for her. She was a suspect in a fraud.

What had happened? Nixy was selling our wine-importing company—we were no longer active in it—and a group offered a surprisingly high price. That alone should have roused suspicion. They wanted use of the bank account. And so they did, using it to funnel fraudulent gains from others. Money flowed into our account. Nixy blocked it immediately, Nixy with the bank—no financial damage was done. But the damage to her was already unfolding: the police held her as a suspect and locked her up.

In China, the police can hold you for 36 days, and then define your presence in the country for another year if they still consider you suspect. And so it was. Nixy spent 36 days in a police jail in a Shanxi province village. She emerged unbroken, entirely in good spirits, carrying a unique experience she will write about.

So we became bound to China for a year, and this is not yet finished. Nixy is bound until May 5, 2026. I went in May , again in October, and I return on the 8th of January, staying until May.

For me, this was a profound re-encounter. I had left China in 2019 and did not return until 2025. I felt how the pandemic had rerouted my life. What I planned in 2019 was a life between China and Europe: my love was in China, my ambitions were there, Europe merely one leg of my existence. Then I forgot. Nixy came to Italy, and we began building an Italian life.

——picture of wuhan skyline ———-

Returning to China, I realized: that was not me. I wanted part of my life rooted there. The fascination of what is happening in China rushed back. I have written of this elsewhere—I won’t repeat it here. China | wuhan-umbria.com

Understanding China

And I say this frankly: I have become an unapologetic China supporter. Given what is unfolding in the world, China serves a positive function—a country developing the living conditions of its population, holding the environment firmly in mind, overall a factor for peace. Yes, that is what I think.

A Chinese dissident called it the world’s largest jail. I do not feel that at all. When you go to China, you do not feel jailed. The Chinese do not feel jailed. It is a different system from ours. I select one difference that seems important to me: The competence of public administrators. In Europe, I find them mostly incompetent. In Rome, they took 15 years to build Metro Line C. In Wuhan, in 15 years they built 15 metro lines. There is environmental planning, urban planning. No new settlement lacks a park, a small lake, a subway station. So, in an unspectacular way, there is competence among those governing the country.

Mushrooms at a Yunnan market in Mile

They are not elected. But what the hell—what is so inherently positive about elected officials? They should act in the people’s interest whether elected or not. This doesn’t mean I would propose the Chinese system as a model. By no means. There are an enormous amount of questionable issues in the power of the party. But before we judge, we should understand. I think, nearly no one of the politicians here in the West understands the Chinese system. This is one thing, understanding the Chinese system before judging. The other thing is seeing geopolitical reality. And geopolitical reality is that Europe will not be nothing and will not be nothing, nothing, nothing without collaboration with China.

Produktivkraefte und Produktionsverhaeltnisse

Professionally, I have pivoted back to knowledge management. Two years ago, I wrote that one of the most consequential developments underway was the ascent of artificial intelligence. I will return to the personal ramifications of this later, but first I wish to articulate certain sensations regarding technological revolutions.

My feeling is this: we are now witnessing the convergence of three technological revolutions from the past forty years, a confluence that will utterly transform the world. The first was the deciphering of the genetic code and the burgeoning capacity to influence it—a progression that culminated, I believe, in the Nobel Prize awarded to the two women, who developed CRISP R: gene editing. I wrote about this in mt 21 year report. Gene editing now merges with the capacity to crunch vast numbers and with artificial intelligence. Thus, the myriad combinations of genes, epigenetic factors especially, will be processed by AI. This synergy enables potentials neither technology could unlock alone.

Nixy during ou Yunnan trip in september

This convergence rests upon the foundation of the TCP/IP protocol—that general, borderless architecture of communication. It has already revolutionized the world and will do so far more profoundly. Only one revolutionary element remainso gett: energy. Should we achieve a breakthrough in fusion, then four elements will align to remake human existence completely.

This brings me back to Karl Marx, who posited that the productive forces shape the relations of production—the Produktionsverhältnisse. I believe he was more correct than he knewg. His staged view of history, from slaveholder to feudal to capitalist to communist society, is of course flawed. Yet, TCP/IP has altered the material world more than any philosophical idea of the last two centuries. Facebook has imprinted itself upon the human psyche more deeply than a thousand intelligent tomes, though not necessarily for the good.

I have always maintained a positive view of development, and I retain it now. This is not to say, profound calamity is impossible. But if we anchor our desires, our dreams, and our actions in a clear-eyed realization of what these technological breakthroughs enable, then the calamity producers will also flow where they must go : into the shithole of history. And there is much in the world that belongs into this shithole.

The shithole of history

The right and the left are united in loving Putin and in a new form of antisemitism, a bit everywhere in the world, but with predominance in Italy and Germany.

I would be ashamed waving a Palestinensian flag, justifying people who in October 23 killed Israelian babies in Micorwave ovens in front of their parents. Shouting “Palestina free from the river to the sea”” is asking for genocide of the Israelian people (as it is Hamas declared program). The absurd theory of Israel as occidental colonialism (the 1947 resolution for the division of the British Mandate Palestine was a 33 to 13 decision with the colonial power UK voting against….) negates the right of existence for the state of Israel. Netanyahu (at least morally) is a criminal. He supported Hamas for years against anything what could be better as a representation of the Palestinensians. The courts will have their word.

Is there a solution: yes, Israel should annex officially Gaza and the westbank and give full citizenship to all Palestinensians who are living there. In 20 years time there will be a flourishing east mediterranean community without the need of a jewish or arab identity, which is so stupid anyway.

Giorgio Provinciali: Giornalista della “Ragione”: uno dei pochi giornalisti che veramente seguono la guerra in Ukraina: I Russi non vinceranno. copyright: Giorgio Provinciali

The same people who are shouting genocide towards the Israelian campaign against Hamas, have their mouth closed toward the war crimes and the aggression of Russia against Ukraine. Whereas in the NearEast conflioct there is no side to sit with, in the Ucrainian conflict there is. Ukraine is fighting a heroic and very successful resistance against the Russian agressors. Europe could show here it/s existence. But the European leaders with exception of the Baltic and Scandinavian states are clueless and bickering about bullshit instead of finishing this war in a few months, what would be possible if Ukraine would get the weapons it needs.

If Ukraine falls being under attack from USA and Russiam,the future of Europe is bleak.

In Italy there is a beautiful Axis Salvini-Putin-Hamas-Frattoiani-Conte. Fratelli d’Italia si godono che la lega far il lavoro sporco per loro and the Democratic party has lost ogni dignity by crawling into Conte’s ass.

A new era of power politics

I think a period in human history has ended, a period in wihch it was asked for that politics is following moral principles This was an outlier in human history, Politics was always and only about power for singles, groups and nations. After 1945 the moral principle came in, politics had to be based on ethical principles. Not that reality was like this, but it was the request. it was also the sign of the cultural hegemony of the left.

Trump gives a shit about these priciples, so does Xi Jinping. Trump has in mind only the financial goals of his family, Xi Jinping the success of China in the world.

And a big part of the population is fed up hearing high sounding principles, but then realizing that the difference between rich and poor becomes always bigger. If Trump succeeds economically, we will have interesting times in front of us.

Everyone who is reading this will be happy that I never arrived to political power and also have no mire for it.

vineyards at 3000m in the North of Yunnan

My personal return to IT and Knowledge Management

Let me instead write of my return to knowledge management. In 2019, I declared my departure from knowledge management and internet technology for the realm of food and wine. I even attempted to forge a professional existence from it. I failed. Not in the genuine enjoyment of food and wine—in that, I succeeded admirably. But I failed to monetize it. Upon reviewing the accounts, I calculated a loss of roughly 50,000 euros across the decade of my culinary ventures. It is not a vast sum, but it revealed to me an incapacity: I cannot sell; I cannot conduct the kind of business that mobilizes clients. (and Nixy had shown herself as incapable like me)

Thus, I decided to relinquish the endeavor, a choice made easier by its financial “non-necessity.” This abandonment, in turn, liberated my energy abruptly and completely. And that surplus of hours drew me back—back to activities that are as much exciting as a 2008 Sagrantino.

Since April 2025 I am sitting again hours and hours a day in front of the Computer. Dreams that I had during my tenure with FAO, I can now realize. LLMs (AI) make it possible from two different directions. a) they are capable to digest the tons of scientific output, which I predicted 20 years ago and b) they are capable to get programming work done for people like me, who have ideas but are not able to program. I am now at version 0.92 of my SciAI system – Scaling Scientific Insight with AI – . On https://johanneskeizer.com/sciai you find background, documentation and output samples. In a nutshell: It is a system that combines good old library virtues (as recall and precision) with the capabilities of LLMs. My topic is obviously “Parkinson’s disease”.

I linked this to a big self hosting experiment against the centralization in the cloud. If someone would like to join, it would be stilll more fun. All info is on johanneskeizer.com.

Parkinson

I think our clinical testing system is deadly flawed. It takes much to much time before a new substance arrives in farmacy. That are not technical reasons. Covid has shown how quick it can go, when investment is there. But investment from big Pharma is necessary and comes only if they are smelling profit. Various substanced inhibiting alfa/synuclein aggregation are under study. We urgently need to know their clinical efficiency

I am fine (as long I am doing at least 1 hr of sport/day). I am tinkering with the construction of a software that registers symptoms and their development.

Matilde

My daughter has given more than 250 shows in 2025 and she is constructing a fine career as a comedian. Her solo programm is full of auto-irony, and joking about the German Italian interferences. My German readers, who find Matilde performing in their City schould not miss to go. I will join her in Berlin in the future for 10 days in summer or autumn. I will be in Berlin then and not travelling the entire country. Who wants to see me, comes to Berlin. At the moment I am looking forward to have my daughter as a guest for 2 days here in Perugia

Trips

I made some beautiful trips in 2025. In May Nixy, her father and I went on a boat-trip from Wuhan to Chongqing. The Chang Jiang is of a beautiness that I did not expect. There are many questions around the 3 gorges dam, but it has not taken away the beautiness of the environment.

At the beginning of July I had the possibility to meet my daughter in Puglia. I took the opportunity also to meet my old friends Letizia and PierPaolo in Brindisi. It was my 3rd time in Brindisi, but this time I really fall in love with the city

Brindisi: The end of via Appia

In september, Nixy and I spent nearly 3 weeks in Yunnan. If we would not be very happy and just settled in at Villa Orfei in Perugia, Yunnan would be the choice to live. Eternal spring, wonderful landscape and hot springs at every corner.

We were invited to a wine festival in Daqing. At the social dinner we were limited to orange juice. Why: It was in a CCP building and there is a new directive that in party buildings drinking of alcohol is not allowed anymore. Comrade Xi is moralizing the party (Uffa!!)

In November I went to Germany. In Osnabrueck I enjoyed the solo show of my daughter, then I spent time with my elder sister in the North and my younger sister in the South, Next year I will propose a family gatheringg in Berlin. At my sisters place I discovered that I am a kind of grandfather. The children of her daughter are already 7 and 9 years old.

me and my younger sister

Spring Party this year in Wuhan

Over 60 people joined the 2025 party in Perugia. It was fun: Nixy participated through a Weixin channel for some minutes. I heart that even business relationships were established.

spring party 2025 in Perugia

The 2026 Party is in Wuhan on April 12. I know already about 10 persons who are just booking their air tickets. Join them. Nixy and I will be super happy to have you on a party to celebrate many things, but especially 10 years of our first kiss, which was April 2016 in Verona

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