I’m Markus – the person behind fricklr. 55 years old, from Upper Franconia, trained electrical engineer, musician, and generalist. By day I work in marketing at a traditional mid-sized company that builds measuring instruments for thermal analysis – among other things on AI topics. I’ve been earning my living with the internet for over 30 years. In the evenings I tinker in my lab, play bass, or work on my smart home.
What drives me
Tinkering is in my DNA. I want to understand how things work – and if they don’t, I build them better. To do that, I have a complete electronics workshop at my disposal: 3D printers, a CNC router, a laser cutter, an oscilloscope, and everything a lab needs. My smart home based on Home Assistant and ESPHome doubles as both playground and testing ground.
Timeline
- 1987–1991 – Apprenticeship as a radio and television technician
- Then – a few years in the guitar department of a large music store
- 1994 – as bassist of the band Lunarchy, our CD “Mind & Motion” is released (Warner/Chappel)
- 1995 – technical college for communications engineering
- Since 1996 – earning a living with the internet: PHP, web development, Photoshop, databases, custom CMS, Java, JavaScript, Perl, and more
- Since 2005 – blogging: 20 years on nachbelichtet.com, since 2026 here on fricklr
- Since 2013 – marketing (and AI topics) at a traditional mid-sized company building measuring instruments for thermal analysis
What this is about
fricklr is the continuation of nachbelichtet.com. I write about what I’m currently into: smart home , DIY and electronics , home recording , self-hosting , and tech – self-built, honestly tested, critically reviewed. To look up terms, head to the glossary ; the content map shows how topics connect.
What you can rely on
- There are collaborations with manufacturers and brands – but they don’t dictate my content or tests.
- I only recommend what I’ve tested myself – and I’ll tell you when something is bad.
- Affiliate links are clearly marked; everything else is covered by the imprint .
- Your data stays here: self-hosted analytics, comments, and newsletter.
Any questions?
Answers to the most common questions can be found in the imprint . Questions about specific posts are best asked in the comments under the respective article – I answer them regularly.