Nico's lair

Master's Thesis

nico@nico-behrens.de (Nico Behrens) — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 18:18:55 +0100

Design and Implementation of an NFC Library for RIOT OS

My Gripe with Rights Skepticism

nico@nico-behrens.de (Nico Behrens) — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 19:18:20 +0200

Recently I have been involved in discussions with skeptics denying the existence of individual rights. A common claim is that rights cannot be inherent in nature because they are purely man-made. I want to pose a concise counterargument to this claim, that highlights some shortcomings of what is commonly called rights skepticism or skepticism in law.

First we need to define what a right is. A right is always assigned to an individual and grants him or her exclusive access to something. This access has to include some kind of interpersonal enforceability when someone else tries to access the same thing. E.g., a right to my body must be my will taking precedence over what other people intend to do with it; in the utmost case, a right legitimizes force.

About Me

nico@nico-behrens.de (Nico Behrens) — Fri, 30 May 2025 17:01:52 +0200

I graduated from the German Rostock University in the year 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science. In 2026, I finished my Master’s degree at TU Dresden in CS.

Though only C and Java were covered in my university studies, I have grown accustomed to C++ and Python. Both are great tools to use and cover most use cases when it comes to developing desktop applications.

Recently, I have begun participating in the open source operating system for the Internet of Things RIOT OS. There I have been working on device drivers and NFC.

NFC Tag Emulation for RIOT OS

nico@nico-behrens.de (Nico Behrens) — Thu, 29 May 2025 14:17:36 +0200

Near field communication (NFC) is a standard for short range communication. NFC devices can act as listener devices that don’t require a power source for operation. These are called NFC tags. There are multiple tag types - the most wide-spread one being type 2 tags.

In the scope of a group project at TU Dresden we have implemented a working NFC Type 2 Tag emulator that is based on an NFC-A driver provided by Nordic Semiconductors for the NRFX board family. Part of the effort was also the creation of an NDEF library and a Type 2 Tag library. The emulator makes use of them but they can potentially be used for other NFC related applications.

The Christian Democrats and the Idea of the Digital Gulag

nico@nico-behrens.de (Nico Behrens) — Sat, 01 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

It is well-documented that the Chinese Communist Party employs a so-called social credit system. Albeit fragmented, it is capable of evaluating individuals, businesses, and institutions based on their compliance with communist ideals.

Frankly, this is nothing new. More surprising is the growing number of Western politicians contemplating a synthesis of such systems with liberal democracies.

Just recently, the German politician Mario Voigt—a possible contender for the office of Minister-President of Thuringia—proposed multiple measures to combat hate crimes and fake news on social media during a speech in the Landtag. In addition to proposing a ban on bots, he called for a mandatory real-name policy for all social media users, akin to what Elon Musk had in mind for Twitter (now X), though he has not yet implemented it. Any such proposal would directly undermine individual anonymity. Fortunately, a handful of countries have already ruled similar measures unconstitutional.

Internet Measurements

nico@nico-behrens.de (Nico Behrens) — Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

IP ID usage in the internet

Bachelor's Thesis

nico@nico-behrens.de (Nico Behrens) — Sun, 01 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

On Time-Sensitive-Networking

Reingold-Tilford Algorithm

nico@nico-behrens.de (Nico Behrens) — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Efficient drawing of binary trees

3D Voxel Game

nico@nico-behrens.de (Nico Behrens) — Sat, 01 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

With OpenGL and C++

The War In The Air - H. G. Wells

nico@nico-behrens.de (Nico Behrens) — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000

It is of big importance to know the time frame in which this book was written. It was published in 1908. That is 6 years before the first world war started. The story commences in a fictional 1910’s Great Britain. Main protagonist is Bert Smallways, a keen mechanic who runs a shop with his brother.

The story portrays the rapid scientific advancements in all aspects of society. High rise mono railways have entirely replaced the old horse based modes of transport. In the wake of these events their business loses its relevance, and they finally decide to move into the entertainment business. In parallel the world’s powers have been individually preparing flying machines outside the public’s eye. Occasionally the citizens bear witness to airships taking flight, but the kind of newer airplanes are kept secret. The eccentric inventor Butteridge has created a working flying machine but tries his best to keep it under closure.

Slaughterhouse V - Kurt Vonnegut

nico@nico-behrens.de (Nico Behrens) — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Slaughterhouse V is a black comedy, science-fiction novel about Billy Pilgrim, a US army Veteran having served in World War 2 being thrown around in time.

Vonnegut’s writing style is second to none when it comes to convincingly mixing historical and purely fictional events and the occasional humor not palatable by everyone. Vonnegut often plays with death in his novel, which thematically fits the setting of the Aliens called Tralfamadorians. They are capable of perceiving four dimensions and for them past, present and future are one and the same. Logically death bears no weight to them. What struck me as particularly interesting was the extraterrestrial’s view on the biblical story of Christ:

The Time Machine - H. G. Wells

nico@nico-behrens.de (Nico Behrens) — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

As with most H. G. Well’s titles this book establishes the another stable of the science fiction genre. The book itself is a short read and presents the concept of time travel in an interesting way.

The main character travels to a futuristic place and despite common expectations ends up in a less than utopian society. Humanity has split into two different species that now exist subterranean and above ground with vastly different physiological and cultural characteristics. The protagonist being trapped in a time line which he himself hasn’t anticipated scurries in distress to secure his return to the present while becoming acquainted with the rather naive surface dwelling folk.

The Vampire Economy - Günter Reimann

nico@nico-behrens.de (Nico Behrens) — Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

A great overview of national socialist economics from a standpoint of someone who lived through the regime. The book was published shortly after the second world war had started and therefore includes remarkable predictions about the war effort being hampered by the lack of forethought on the party leaders’ end.

The national socialist economy was marked by price controls, import and export restrictions, one-sided foreign trade, violation of the sanctity of private property and so-called “Ersatz” (replacement materials). The interactions between these different interventions is explained in minute detail.

Utah teapot demo

nico@nico-behrens.de (Nico Behrens) — Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Simple lighting with WebGL