Hendrik Morkel

Books Read September 2011

2012-01-10T23:55:00.000+02:00

September, the beginning of autumn, more darkness, means more time for reading. Or so I thought. With the arrival of the little one in the end of September, reading time has been very little, as I was working a lot to get things done before the paternity leave.

Wintersmith is the third novel of Tiffany Aching and the Nac Mac Feegle. Tiffany is older, in training with another witch yet again, who takes her out to see the morris dance, a sort of welcome winter dance. Tiffany enjoyes the music so much that she joins the dance, and meets the wintersmith - winter himself. He thinks she's summer, and is increasingly becoming enchanted by her. And so the story of lots of snow, ice and coldness unfolds, with appearances of Annagramma and the other young witches, Nanny Ogg, Granny Weatherwax and Roland. Its a good read, 400 pages long so an efficient reader has it through in a few days, or a week or two if you read each evening.

I Shall Wear Midnight is the final installment of the series. Tiffany is now back on the Chalk, and is the local witch. The people of the Chalk are unused to having a witch, and while they enjoy her services there is prejudice and suspicion around her person. His comes especially to the front when the old Baron dies, as Tiffany was with him. On her way to Ankh-Morpork to inform ROland about the death of his father, she is attacked by the Cunning Man. The Cunning Man will make a series of appearances thorughout the book, getting stronger and stronger. Of course there's also the Nac Mac Feegles (who destroy and rebuild a pub in Ankh-Morpork =), the Ankh-Morpork police and a couple of new characters, one of which is Preston, a smart castle Guard, who seems to fancy Tiffany. Again a very interesting and exciting read, the Cunning Man definitely has you in riddles who or what he could be, and it is nice to meet old familiar names along the way. At 432 pages it is a bit longer than Wintersmith.

Disclosure: Amazon Affiliate links above. I retire to Spain if you buy the books via the above links =)

memo shopping experience

2011-11-02T15:00:00.001+02:00

In the end of September, in need of some new envelopes and some paper, I decided to use the German memo Online Shop to purchase the goods I needed. I knew memo from a client I am working with, and I liked the recycled envelopes and paper which memo offers, for a very reasonable price as well. Being web savvy, I went to their online shop, and while being a bit cluttered and not optimized for my browser, it is easy enough to navigate and I quickly found what I wanted. Add to cart, checkout, register, give my VAT number (this was a company purchase) and hit send order.

A day later a member of the memo staff contacted me via Email, informing me that the shipping costs to Finland would be 15,00€. That seemed pretty expensive, but as the overall costs for the goods would still be lower than buying the same goods in Finland (and I honestly doubt that this stationery is available here), I let her know that it is fine and that she can send them. We're talking now about an order with a value of 34,75€, of which were 17,95€ shipping costs (15,00€ for a package, and 2,95€ for shipping - yes, it is pretty odd).

Then there was silence. Shipping a package from Germany to Finland takes on average a week to ten days in the economy class. As after four weeks there was still no sign of the package I dropped them a friendly email, inquiring what's the matter - that was last week Friday. On Monday morning another employ answered me that the package would be stuck somewhere with the post, but that DHL would get in touch with me to deliver it. Sure enough, a DHL guy called Monday afternoon and on Tuesday the package was delivered. Have a look what I got:

In front of the parcel are the 50 envelopes and the 100 sheets of A4 paper (weight is 1511 gram), behind it the parcel it was sent in, and on top of the parcel the 708 pages/ 1496 gram Mailorder Catalogue. Not shown is a free box of small paper notes and the invoice.

I don't know where to start with this, really. Maybe with saying that I was rather upset. I ordered via the internet. memo says it is sustainably good - in its slogan, even. Why they think I need a mailorder catalogue is beyond me. I haven't used a mailorder catalogue since the turn of the century eleven years ago, and I am even less interested in going though 708 pages of stuff, the majority being hugely uninteresting and useless to me. Needless to point out, it went straight to the bin.
Lesson: Don't send paper mailorder catalogues to people who order via the internet. They're smart enough to navigate your website. Also, calling yourself sustainably good and printing a 708 page mailorder catalogue doesn't go together. Ditch the printed catalogue, educate your clients to use your website [and hence invest in it - optimize it for different browsers and also for tablets].

Next would be the package size. The envelopes & paper I ordered are less than 3 cm thick, which means with some good will and clever packing it goods could have been sent as a Maxiletter. That would leave me without the mailorder catalogue and the block of paper notes paper, but I am very willing to forgo both. As that wasn't the case, it is worth to point out that the package itself is hugely oversized for what I ordered, and in hindsight it is not a surprise that I was charged 15,00€ for the parcel. I rather don't think about the possibility that I likely was charged that amount of money so memo could send me some useless junk.
Lesson: Minimize packaging and send at the best rate for the client. Don't include stuff they don't need/ want - shine through fast & great service, not with cheap promotional items.

The icing of the cake came today in the post, as I received the first reminder that I haven't yet paid the invoice. A tad difficult if the package is two weeks late - at least the reminder was written in an amusing way.

At least I got some nice envelopes and paper now.

Bottomline: I'm not sure if I will order from memo again. Even that 5€ coupon they include in there doesn't tempt me, if I need to again pay an unreasonable amount of shipping costs. The contact with memo's employees was friendly and quick, and I do like the envelopes and paper - recycled paper which is fun & interesting is hard to get in Finland. However, sending me stuff I didn't want on my own costs doesn't impress me much and leaves a bad impression overall.

What about you, have you ever had a similar shopping experience? What would you do if you'd be in my shoes?

Books Read August 2011

2011-09-26T21:38:00.000+03:00

August saw me returning to the average of three books per month quota I usually reach. In July I was hoping to start reading also during the day an hour, but somehow I am not able to really do this - emails, Netcycling, working, blogging has me glued to the screen too much. Lets hope I can change this and start this one-hour-reading habit.

Remote Exposure was a very quick read, really, and the outdoors related book I "consumed" this month. Being complacent and satisfied with the status quo is something I learned early in life and university to avoid. It pays to stay hungry for more knowledge, to try and push your own boundaries, and go new paths. This also does apply to my outdoor photography, and remote exposure was the book that helped me to focus, inspire and gain new insights into outdoor photography. The author, Alexandre Buisse, is a young French man, a climber, who lived in Copenhagen and has been travelling quite a bit. He doesn't deal with basics - so if aperture, shutter speed and ISO are new to you, then you might want to read up on them a bit before getting this book. If you're already a bit more advanced, then I am sure you will find his insights into weather protection, his workflow, exposure tips and a lot more very useful, and it will help you to refine your own photography, and practice new ways to capture the outdoors.

It has been, gasp, seven months since I read the last Pratchett! That needed to be improved. The Wee Free Man arrived within a week or two after ordering from Amazon (the books are half the price than at the local book store, and free shipping for orders over 25€), and I immediately started to dive into the adventure of Tiffany Aching and the Nac Mac Feegles. Set on the Chalk, which sounds like a lovely area, Tiffany stumbles into an adventure after her small brother is abducted by the Fairy Queen into the Fairy-Dreamland. Unexpected help comes from the Nac Mac Feegles, "Fairies" which are about 16 cm high but pack a punch, love a good fight and some booze. Tiffany finds out that she is a witch, and inherited the skills from her late Grandmother, and sets out to rescue her brother. In the Fairy-Dreamland she also encounters the son of the Baron; who helps her out a bit, though finally she helps him escape. Entertaining from cover to cover, I estimate a good week of evening bedtime reading.

A Hat Full Of Sky is the second part of the Tiffany Aching series. While you can read the book without having read The Wee Free Man, I think it makes for a nicer experience to read them as Pratchett intended them. After Tiffany rescued her brother and the son of the Baron, she sets off to learn witchcraft. Young witches learn about the craft by going into an apprenticeship with an older witch, and Tiffany leaves the Chalk and moves to the mountains to learn from Miss Level. She gets to know other young witches, and also finds out that witchcraft is less magic and more tedious work which no-one else does. As Tiffany is a particularly powerful witch, she attracts the attention of a hiver, a sort of ghost which occupies your conscious. The Nac Mac Feegles are also again there (Tiffany being their wee big hag and a former kelda she is under constant surveillance from the Nac Mac Feegles), Mistress Weatherwax, the best witch of the mountains, and a few other nice characters make this a very good read.

Disclaimer: I will be retiring to the Bahamas if you buy one of the books via the Amazon link above, because the riches it pours over me makes Bill Gates look like a poor wretch.

Books Read July 2011

2011-09-18T22:53:00.002+03:00

July had me reading two book. It was a "quality over quantity" kind-of-month, additionally I was on holidays for two weeks, which I obviously didn't use for reading. Fishing, sauna, swimming, eating and drinking with the family was on the plan, and it was highly enjoyable. Anyway.

Mike Clelland's "Ultralight Backpackin' Tips" book is a great short book, not only because of Mike's awesome illustrations. Among the 153 tips for ultralight backpacking there's something new for everyone, be it to try on Neopren Socks for autumn and spring, choosing bold routes or selecting your luxury item - you're sure to get a new idea, or remember an old one. Add in some guest tips by the likes of Ryan Jordan, Andrew Skurka and Glen Van Peski, and you're in for a treat of enlightenment!

The second book was REWORK by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson. A "work" related book, which looks at better ways on how to build, run and grow a business. These kind of books exist a dime a dozen, so it is essential to sort the worthy ones from the unworthy ones. REWORK definitely is worth your time. The first few pages themselves were so inspiring, that I got my notebook out and scribbled down some ideas, to better remember them in the future. While I thought that this book will help me to run my company more efficiently, it also helped with the Hiking in Finland blog and the Ultralight A-Z series - superb stuff. Examples? "Remove layers of abstraction", "Focus on things that last", "Gear doesn't matter" and "Don't let yourself be interrupted" are just some of the useful tips in the book. To get the full meaning behind these quotes, get the book. Each idea is explained in a page or three max, and it written in a no-bullshit way which is easy to understand.

Disclaimer: I will be retiring to the Bahamas if you buy one of the books via the Amazon link above, because the riches it pours over me makes Bill Gates look like a poor wretch.

Star Trek

2011-09-09T10:53:00.001+03:00

As I was a teenager, Star Trek Enterprise and Deep Space Nine were some of my favourite series to watch. I remember the discussions I had with mom, who thought I shouldn't waste my time with watching that "nonsense" though I still once in a while was able to watch it (I had no own TV in my room, which really was a good decision). I loved the fiction, characters, different races and futuristic gadgets, and was pretty excited about the newest Star Trek movie (which, btw, was pretty awesome in my opinion). Star Trek will always be a series I will fondly remember for many years to come, and this fine infographic at the past 45 years is so great, in so many ways.

Source: SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration

Books Read May & June 2011

2011-07-30T21:12:00.002+03:00

Better late than never, right? May and June was a slow month reading-wise, as I was mostly studying my bird, butterfly, plant, and tree guides for my exams, and also squeezed in a Bushcraft book by Mors Kochsinki. Gonna be a quick and dirty post, so might as well start!

The Collins Guides all are highly recommended if you're interested in learning about plants, trees, butterflies and birds. For wilderness guide students they're pretty much necessary reading, happily they're good (especially the bird guide is the de-facto standard guide in Europe for bird watchers, and really for a good reason). The tree and plant guides are giving a lot of very detailed information, so you're able to distinguish between every fern found in Europe, and also find your way discussing grass. Mors then. A classic book, so full of useful advice for every hiker and backpacker, that I think a complete review will follow on Hiking in Finland where it will be more appropriate. And that was it already!

Disclaimer: I will be retiring to the Bahamas if you buy one of the books via the Amazon link above, because the riches it pours over me makes Bill Gates look like a poor wretch.

Books Read April 2011

2011-05-02T12:25:00.003+03:00

April was a good reading month. Four books from different areas made me a bit wiser and gave me new, exciting ideas - especially Gary's book is a wealth of knowledge which has me pondering on how to develop my company further, and Hannu has me hoping I live long enough to see what the future holds for humanity.

The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk. I enjoyed Crush It! a lot and applied its knowledge to my hiking blog in many ways, and continue to go back to it. Thus it was just logical to get Gary's newest book, which continues the Crush It! ideas on a bigger scale. If you're an entrepreneur or working in a business and have any kind of interest in how to use social media to your success, this books belongs on your reading list. From explaining (internet) culture to giving great examples of how the TYE was used successfully, and how you can use it successfully again; and written in Gary's straight forward, no BS style, this was a great read.

The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi. Wow. What a book. A must read if you are only a slight bit interested in Science Fiction. So far the best book I have read this year, even when compared to Pullman's "His Dark Materials" Saga. So many mind-blowing new ideas, perfectly executed in writing, this book had me sit down and discuss many of its ideas with M or ponder about them myself. Rajaniemi, a Finn living in Edinburgh, with a Ph.D. in string theory probably is the hottest new entrant to the SciFi genre. Want some ideas? How about living on Mars in a walking city, paying for stuff in Time, having your mind robbed by gogol pirates, and that the greatest thief in time, Jean le Flambeur, has just escaped from a Dilemma Prison where he was for a thousand years, with the help of Mieli and her Oortian spidership Perhonen? Got you interested? This book is so good that I will read it again right away. And so should you. /edit: Please enjoy this excerpt from The Quantum Thief, the full 1st Chapter.

Spring-Heeled Jack by Philip Pullman is a children's book. Pretty illustrations and a good story, this was a very quick read. Definitely something I'd read to my kids when they're old enough (five, six, maybe?). What's not to like about a superhero who rescues children from the evil hands of gangsters and even meaner foster-home owners and brings them back together with their father?

Lyra's Oxford by Philip Pullman. After finishing the "His Dark Materials" Saga I longed for more. Lyra's Oxford is set a few years after the happenings in "His Dark Materials" and is a short story, wonderfully illustrated and has a beautiful fold-out map in the middle. As a map-geek I couldn't resist, and the story is very nice as well. It includes Alchemists and witches, and makes connections to the Saga, so if you, like me, need more of Lyra's world, then this is a great way to get a fix.

Disclaimer: I will be retiring to the Bahamas if you buy one of the books via the Amazon link above, because the riches it pours over me makes Bill Gates look like a poor wretch.

Books Read March 2011

2011-04-30T15:28:00.001+03:00

Puh, May is on the doorstep, so quickly writing up the books read in March before coming to April! Only three books in March, but I reckon that's already two more books than the average Joe or Joanne reads =)

The Subtle Knife is the second book of Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" Saga, and continues where part one left us. Lyra lost her best friend, is in a new universe, searches for help, meets new people, discovers gates between universes and has a lot of adventures. Her new friend, Will, who originates from the world as we know it - a world where people don't have dæmons - slowly becomes more than a friend. Pullman really is a master in weaving the storyline, and old familiar names make an appearance, as well as new ones.

The Amber Spyglass is the final installment of the Saga, one in which Mary Malone, introduced in the second part, takes on a quite prominent role. She sets out to find Lyra, and ends up in a world in which evolution created a different kind of skeleton, it alone already a brilliant idea. But the context Pullman creates around the creatures and their culture is on par with what Tolkien has done in The Lord Of The Rings. Of coure also Lyra and Will are very prominent in this book, in which a mighty war breaks out and is fought, God dies, and at the end the two main characters need to go separate ways in order for the universe to stay stable. If you're still in need for a set of books to fill up a few summer weeks, this is a sure bet to entertain and enlighten you.

Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson, relaxing yet exciting evening literature not only for kids. The Moomins are the Finnish trolls, very warm and interesting creatures. Usually they go to sleep during the winter, and wake up again in spring - but Moomintroll wakes up and can't fall asleep again, and sets out to explore winter. Sledding, skiing, digging tunnels in the snow and making plenty of new friends and having a few adventures made this a really nice read. Especially recommended if you got kids and need more bedtime literature!

Disclaimer: I will be retiring to the Bahamas if you buy one of the books via the Amazon link above, because the riches it pours over me makes Bill Gates look like a poor wretch.

Summer, Ice cream, NFC & Location Based Services

2011-04-23T16:58:00.000+03:00

So Finland finally got a bit of sun and the spring/ summer feeling starts to make an appearance about town. Narcissus, Crocus and other spring flowers shoot out of the bare ground, giving us a first taste of the warmer season. Ice cream season.

First ice cream of 2011.

So today, after grocery shopping, we decided to swing by at Laukontori in Tampere, where the Ingman ice cream stall was tempting passersby to try its offerings. We didn't resist and invested the 2,50€ for an ince cream. Sitting there and watching the people enjoying the fine weather, we witnessed how some people weren't able to buy an ice as the stall accepts only cash.

Those who don't live in Finland might now wonder about this, but in Finland you can in 99% of all locations pay with your bank or credit card, and people seldom carry cash with them. Lets not get sidetracked with the business sense of this, I am aware that shops pay a fee on each transaction and that it goes out of their profit, but here in Finland it is so widespread that shops can just add that fee in their prices (or, if they're customer oriented, take it out of their profit). So I think it is bad service to not offer the possibility to pay with card, because that are lost customers who'll not come back (closest ATM is a five minute walk away).

Now sitting at home and remembering all the talk about NFC enabled phones in the future it occured to me how sweet it would be for people to be able with their NFC enabled phones if they can't pay with their cards. You pretty much always have your phone with you, likely more often than cash (again, at least in Finland) so this would be a great alternative for those shops who do not want to offer card payments. Lets see if Nokia, Apple & Co. as well as ice cream shops (and other small shops) will get smart =)

Anyway, sitting at Laukontori and eating my ice cream it occured to me that location based services like Foursquare and Gowalla should get in touch with the ice cream stalls in Finland, (so Valio, Ingman and Sia) and offer their users deals on ice creams if they have checked in to a location - I'd love that, and I am sure that it would be unique and drive consumers to a specific ice cream stall if they can get a discount or something from there. There you go, make it happen, I won't charge you anything.

On a side note: Ingman, teach your franchise folks to make properly big ice balls. Paying 2,50€ for a tiny scope of ice cream doesn't make me a repeat customer, it sheds a bad light on you and makes you look that you prefer to save a bit on each scope. If I'd get a properly big ice cream I'm coming more often to your stalls, but if I get a tiny ice cream I'm going the next time to Valio or Sia and forgo your stalls.

etisbeW a fo kcaB

2011-04-20T20:16:00.000+03:00

Back of a Website. Really cool mockups of how websites look from behind. I like a lot.

Source.

Finland, Finland, Finland - The Country Where I Still Want To Be?

2011-04-18T21:07:00.001+03:00

So Finland has voted. The True Finns, the right-wing, anti-€, anti-Europe, anti-gay marriage, anti-abortion, and of course anti-foreigners party is the Party of the moment, quadruppling their seats in Parliment from 5 to 39. While it needs to be seen who will form the coaltion and starts governing Finland for the next five years, it sends a scary message to foreigners living in Finland.

Almost the final result. PS = True Finns.

"But they're not against you" is what my Finnish fiancée and Finnish friends are telling me. "Yeah, not yet" is what I answer to these statements. Yes, I speak Finnish rather well, I have a job, I pay a shitload of taxes (and couldn't even vote, which is fucked up in my opinion), and I don't look too much like a foreigner. But that doesn't change that I am one, and that the landslide victory of the True Finns creates a sense of unease.

Anyhow. Maybe it are less the True Finns I should be worried about, but more the 19,1% of the Finnish population which share their easy-to-understand opinions. Up until yesterday I always felt comfortable here in Finland, knowing that the people are open-minded, happy to hear that there are foreigners which love their country and culture as much as they do, and who want to settle down here and establish their roots. I'm here since January 2002, well over nine years. I call this country home.

However, this election result has me worried, and not sure if it is wise to stay. I am not yet packing my packs, and I will wait and see what this new parliament will mean for a German/ Dutch Entrepreneur who loves Finland and lives here. But it sure makes me sad and worried; a feeling I never thought I'd need to feel when thinking about living in Finland.

Netcycling

2011-03-26T15:40:00.000+02:00

I'm netcycling my old Apple MacBook. In case you're wondering what I mean by "netcycling" - well, Netcycler is a company I have been working with since late 2009, which enables people to swap and trade items they no longer need for items they want. It is a fabulous wat to get rid of stuff as well, as you can give away things for free - in this way a few items in our house have found a new place where they're used and appreciated! The idea was developed with the the environment, cradle-to-cradle and an alternative to consumerism in mind, and I am very proud to be part of this company =)

My old MacBook which is up for swapping on Netcycler.

So instead of trying to sell the machine away, which I always find a hassle - I hate eBay - I decided to put it up on Netcycler. This way someone can get a great laptop and prolong the life of the machine, instead of it possibly ending up somewhere on a field in Africa or Asia. I wished for a lens, or a small compact camera in exchange for the laptop. You can check it out here, in case you're interested. I encourage you to try it yourself the next time you want to get something, or want to get rid of stuff - sign up here (Netcycler is currently available in Finland, Germany and the UK). I shall update this post once the swap is complete, and report on it =)

The new laptop, next to its predecessor.

iPad For Working

2011-03-20T19:13:00.001+02:00

Since August last year I own an Apple iPad. While I fancied one from the beginning, I couldn't really justify the expense - 700€ is a lot of money for what then would have been solely a luxury item. Things changed as my trusty black MacBook, by then over four years old, decided to have hard drive, wifi and a few other problems. It was either fix the MacBook for a good amount of cash, buy a new MacBook or get an iPad. I decided to go for the iPad and make it my main working computer/ tablet/ machine.

A call to my brother in Germany - Finland didn't have iPads until December 2010 - took care of the procurment, and soon an 64 gb Wifi iPad was on its way to me. The decision to take the iPad and not fix the MacBook was a risk I was willing to take at that time, I am fairly good at writing on my iPhone and hence thought that it wouldn't be much of a problem to adapt to writing on the iPad. I opted for 64 gb of space as I truly believe that one can never have enough space, especially if you are also going to edit photos on it. You need access to a Mac or PC with iTunes on it to set it up and get updates, which I find a bit backward, but OK. Hopefully this changes in the future.

As it arrived, the search for a good set of Business Apps began. Apple themselves has Keynote, Numbers and Pages to offer, which I duly bought (8€ a App) as I use the Apps on my Mac as well and am satisfied with them. Really using I am only Keynote of those three, as I don't do too much with Spreadsheets and found a better writing App - that is iA Writer. It is excellent for writing as it has nothing to disturb you and some very useful extras - I wish Apple would include in their normal Keyboard the jump a word forward/ backward, so useful! At 4€ is is also cheaper than Pages. If you write a lot, then you will enjoy iA Writer in my opinion, as it really lets you concentrate on the flow of your thoughts, without fancy editing options. One of the core ideas of the app is that you should concentrate on writing, and make your written text look pretty in an app for that - be it InDesign or OpenOffice - once you are done. I have written several client reports, blog posts, and assignments with the App, and can thoroughly recommend it. Distraction-free writing at its best.

I used Keynote now already a few times to give lectures, and like its ease of use. You can import the Keynote presentations you have made on your Mac with ease to the iPad App, edit on the fly and giving presentations is made very easy as well - just tap the screen to go forward! All in all a very nice app if you do a lot of presentations. Prezi now also has a iPad App, though I haven't yet checked it out - I might soon, though, as more lectures at the University are coming up. I use the Apple iPad Dock Connector to VGA Adapter to hook it up to the Beamer, which has till now always worked.

iA Writer.

Keynote.

Another must have App when using the iPad as a Working Computer is Dropbox. I love being able to access my documents on any PC or from my phone, handy if you need to check a invoice, hoursheet or whatnot on the go. Apple's own iDisk seems to serve the same function, but I yet have to make proper use of it - Dropbox is just too handy. It allows me to work on the iPad on a file, save it, access it from another PC to maybe fix something, save it again and then send it forward via iPhone while I am commuting. Add in that the basic 2 gb account is free and you have a winner!

GoodReader is a useful tool for reading pdfs and all other kind of odd format types. I bought the Muji Notebook App as a means to write down quick notes, but am not really finding it very userfriendly - there's too much going on in it, and the controls are a bit akward. Maybe that in the future I get the Penultimate App and a Griffin Stylus Pen for Touch devices, but at the moment I either take notes in iA Writer or Notes on the iPhone (which is great for writing shopping lists and decreases the amount of paper I use!).

GoodReader is nice for reading and viewing odd data formats (or normal ones like pdf =).

Which brings us to Safari and working online with the iPad. I was editing a lot of files on GitHub with the iPad in the beginning, and it is possible to do so. This was even before Apple added a Finnish keyboard with Ä, ö and Å so always when such a letter was needed I needed to Copy and Paste it in - not easy but possible. Scrolling an online document as in GitHub or Blogger is also a exercise in patience, because of the limited window size of the online editor it is a bit complicated, but again, doable. Easy and fast is something else, however. Maybe copying the file in an offline editor would make this easier, but if you work with fickle code that holds risks.

The iPad 1 (Generation 2 just came out a week ago) I have can not really keep more than two pages in memory (you can open up to nine, though) so if you need to switch between a lot of pages for your work you might want to look for something else (MacBook Air 11" would be my suggestion). Two pages is the maximum that I can have open and keep loaded, if it goes over that the pages get reloaded each time which means you might lose data you have had unsafed in a window. Definitely a shortcoming, but one can learn to work with it - just minimize the windows you work with! Other than that Safari works great, and browsing the net is a lot of fun and very intuitive. Many sites seem to be already optimized for the iPad, so it is rare that I encounter websites which promt me to install Adobe Flash. All in all a great web experience is to be had with the iPad.

Open Tabs in Safari. While the Preview shows the open site, it will be reloaded it if wasn't one of the most recent ones.

Scrolling within Blogger Editor.

On to Email then, the application I use the iPad probably most for besides browsing the internet. Writing and reading Email is fantastic on the iPad, a very natural way, and efficient. As I have the Wifi iPad sending Emails from the road is not possible, but with busses and trains in Finland increasingly sporting (free!) Wifi connections 3G is less of a need. Besides, an urgent Email I can send via the iPhone. Anyhow. I use the time to commute regularly to answer emails, and they get sent once I am in range of an Wifi network. If you have a lot of Emails to answer AND commute a lot AND find your current Smartphone screen to small for efficient typing, then the iPad might be a great way for you to catch up on your Email processing needs. Other than that, it is Email =)

Email overview. See only mail for one account, or all in one mailbox.

On to some more Apps, some work related, some less. Instapaper is a fantastic App, and I it use a lot on a daily basis. In connection with Twitter and browsing the Internet I often find articles I want to read, but they're too long when I need to concentrate on something else. Enter Instapaper, a way to save the texts to the Instapaper servers and read them whenever you have more time. An absolute Must-Have app, both for business and free-time reading needs, and with 4€ not even expensive.

A few years ago I was still skeptical about Twitter. Well, that has changed since, and I am nowadays often on Twitter for chats with friends, following developments (News about anything, e.g. Japan and Libya, are a lot faster available than via normal News-portals), finding interesting information (and saving them to Instapaper) and blurbing around about my own stuff. It is indeed a great way to make connections online (and offline, I have met quite a few Twitter friends in real life). The iPad twitter App is great in that it opens linked website in-App next to the Timeline, the same goes for Conversations and checking out Profiles of other folks. For free.

I use a few Photo Apps on the iPad, most notably Photogene and Photo Share. Both work nice to edit and share photos (the latter I use to upload to Picasa, which the former sadly doesn't). Costs are 0,80€ for Photo Share and 4€ for Photogene. I am still using Picasa, hence the need for Photo Share, but I soon might make a change and settle on Flickr, so Photogene would be enough. The latter is a great editor, even if you usually work in Lightroom or Aperture you might find Photogene acceptable. To get the photos on the iPad I use the Apple Connection kit, and there mainly the SD Card Reader.

All work and no play makes Hendrik a dull boy. So I also have a few Games installed, though I play very seldom - unless there's a new Angry Birds Seasons update, which might keep me occupied for a bit =) I'm not much of a gamer anymore, so I can't really comment too much on the hot games et al. - and I got the iPad as a replacement for my MacBook to work on, after all, and not to play games!

Instapaper.

So back to some more interesting things. Like the Wifi vs 3G question many people might ask themselves if they want to buy a iPad. I went for the Wifi version, as the 3G connection in Finland is rubbish (unless you life next to an Antenna or Helsinki), so paying an extra 100€ for something of little use didn't seem smart. Besides, I still think it is good to be offline every now and then. I really see little use in a 3G iPad, because where I use it - at home, commuting, giving lectures, at client offices, at school - I am most likely in range of a Wifi network which I can use - for free. So in my opinion the 3G iPad is unnecessary and Wifi will in 99% of the cases be enough for most users.

Which brings us to the one short coming I immediately realized after working on the iPad: The lack of keyboard shortcuts. I use a Laptop since nearly five years, and am so used to navigating via keyboard and trackpad, that the inability to use shortcuts like cmd + tabs to switch between apps and copy & paste is a bit of a shortcoming for me. Apple did a great job on switching quickly between Apps and also copy & paste works fine, but coming from a physical keyboard where shortcuts are the main way for me to navigate and operate (cmd + s, cmd + f, cmd + h, et al.) it still is something that I miss on the iPad - even after over six months of usage. So if you are a hardcore keyboard shortcut user, be prepared to adapt or get a wireless Apple keyboard which connects via Bluetooth to the iPad and allows you make again use of those lovely keyboard shortcuts!

Quick switching between recently used apps - click the Home Button twice to get this bar and choose.

The battery life of ten hours which Apple is promoting is close to reality. I can use the iPad roughly for a few days if use is limited to reading Email, Twitter and browsing the Internet during breakfast and lunch, or a whole day if working non-stop with it. Battery life is indeed excellent, no complains, thumbs up to Apple. The only worry is that what happens if the battery life starts to decrease (Planned Obsolescence?), am I forced/ able to buy (expensively) a new battery for my iPad, a new iPad or does it fall under the warranty? We shall see, and I will report on this matter when the time comes.

Keeping it save was a concern from the beginning. As I am using it for business, something more professional was needed, and soon I found the Griffin Elan Passport Case, which looked the deal and was also very useful. There's a whole wide world of cases to be had, but I am very happy with the Elan. It can be propped up as a stand to watch a series, holds a few documents and cards, and if needed I can remove the iPad very quickly and effortless thanks to two elastic corners which keep it otherwise secure in place.

Additionally I have a Seal Line e-Case for it, for the occasion that I would take the iPad on the trail with me. As I am writing two books on hiking and trekking in Finland, having the iPad with me outdoors makes taking notes digitally a lot easier. The Seal Line case ensure that it stays safe from water and moisture, and even light bumps. Recommended if you take it outdoors!

The Griffin Elan Passport case.

Which brings us to the conclusion. Is the iPad able to completely replace a Laptop or Desktop? I'd say you should look at your needs. Are you going to be very mobile, using the iPad predominantly for researching online, writing, giving presentations, answering and composing Emails, and you can life without a physical keyboard? Then in my opinion the iPad is more than capable of being your one and only digital device besides a phone. I used it for three months as my main machine to write reports, edit in GitHub, translate text, and do all my surfing/ blogging/ email shenanigans. Of course there are shortcomings - it is not as fast as a MacBook Air, you can't have limitless Tabs in Safari open, no Keyboard shortcuts, you are limited to Apps which Apple approves in their App Store - but if you can live with these (and one can, let me assure you!) then nothing should hold you back on getting an iPad for working. It is a fantastic device which allows you to work pretty much everywhere - on the bus, plane, train, car, trail, hotel or the beach, for a pretty long time without needing to look for a energy outlet. Its compactness, lightness paired with its long battery life make it a great device for working anywhere.

To be honest, though, I need to tell you that I got a MacBook Air earlier this year, after I got the old MacBook fixed late last autumn. While I type pretty fast on the iPad, I am faster on a physical keyboard, and my computing needs (Video Editing!) needed a Laptop. Nowadays I use the iPad besides my MBA for reading/ answering Email, browsing the internet, and distraction free writing in iA Writer when on the go and at home. I still use it as the main device when holding lectures at Universities, and take it to meetings for plotting down notes - it looks professional and smart, and allows me to have my notes in the form and where I need them: Digital, at my fingertips.

Get Yours!

This article was written in part on the iPad and MacBook Air, while photos and links were added via the MBA.

Books Read February 2011

2011-03-16T10:56:00.000+02:00

Another month went by, and fast it went. With plenty to do before my internship, there was less time for reading.

Crush it! by Gary Vaynerchuk is a great book, short enough to read in an day or two, but with enough ideas to keep you going back to it for months. If you want to become an entrepreneur, start a text or video blog, or just want to get some ideas this book is on your must-read list. Gary shares his experiences from his site, Wine Library TV which is the most viewed wine show and generates a fine income for Gary. If you want to start to monetize your passion, buy this book - you won't be disappointed.

Northern Lights (Or, in the USA, The Golden Compass) from the His Dark Materials series of Philip Pullman. I saw the movie back when it came out in 2007, and since then decided that I need to read the books. Undoubtedly, the book is a master piece and I wasn't able to put it down. Pullman is a master and created with this series a fantastic universe, where humans have daemons (your spirit in animal form), ice bears, witches, cliff ghasts and other imaginative creatures exist besides humans. Add in some Steam Punk elements like Zeppelines, Hot Air Ballon, adventures in the Arctic and you have a seriously excellent book, in one class with Tolkien - if not better.

After being to Amsterdam last year August and visiting the Anne Frank house, it was just a question of time to read this book. It is an interesting story, very intimate as it was a diary, and showcases how life in the 2nd World War was for those hiding from the Germans. It is important in my opinion that we not forget these times and how they came about, and thus this book helps to keep the terrible time in our mind.

Disclaimer: I will be retiring to the Bahamas if you buy one of the books via the Amazon link above, because the riches it pours over me makes Bill Gates look like a poor wretch.

Books Read January 2011

2011-02-04T16:00:00.012+02:00

January is over and despite living a busy life with working, studies, blogging and general stuff, I managed to find the time to read four books. Well, actually four and a half as I am reading an online book on HTML5, but lets count just the lovely paper books this time around. The idea of this post is to a) remember me which books I have read and b) share to others which books might be worth your time.

The home library. It is already too small.

The first book of the year was Terry Pratchett's "Monstrous Regiment". I love Pratchett, his humour is so in line with mine that I can't help but pick up his books and devour them. The book is part of the Discworld series (Part 31, to be exact) and tells about a group of females which disguise themselves as males to enter the Army. It is a funny story with nice twists and plenty of good giggles. Its 352 pages will entertain you for a couple of days or a week, depending on your reading speed.

The second book is also a Pratchett, also a Discworld Novel (Number 28), a young adult book as well as a winner of the 2001 Carnegie Medal. It is "The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents". While it clearly feels aimed at young adults or children, it still is an excellent read for "adults". A very clever, enthralling story of a smart cat, a tribe of clever rats and a dumb boy, as well as a girl whose life evolves around stories, this was a very exciting read. It is only 271 pages long, so a lazy weekend's entertainment.

Third in January was an Agatha Christie book. M got me hooked on her books a year or three ago, and since then I devour them regularly. Excellent story development, great characters, and one can't but like Poirot. "Five Little Pigs" was the book in question, and it tells about a sixteen year old murder case being re-opened by Poirot on the account of a daughter who believes that her mother was innocent but searches for confirmation. As usually, I try to guess who's the guilty one, but Christie is so clever in her story development that not often I am right.

Finally, back to Pratchett and "The Truth". This is the 25th Discworld novel and in it we see the creation of journalism and the first newspaper in Ankh-Morpork, The Ankh-Morpork Times, as well as the first yellow-press paper. A really nice story including vampires, dwarfs, trolls, zombies, thugs on drugs, speaking dogs and a whole range of other beings; with a sarcastic look on our society. With 368 pages you'll have a few bedtime reading session before you're through with it.

Well, that were January's books. February looks to be at least as busy, with a few business oriented books and also again some novels. If any of the above books sound interesting to you, visit your local library or click the Amazon link and order your own copy.

Disclaimer: I will be retiring to the Bahamas if you buy one of the books via the Amazon link above, because the riches it pours over me makes Bill Gates look like a poor wretch.

Green Design

2011-01-24T17:21:00.002+02:00

I like design. Good, functional, minimalistic, environmentally sound design, that is. Like this.

Source.

A propellor in the top which powers a lightbulb, made for apartment balconies in urban areas. I love it, and if it would be available in Finland, our balcony would have one - Tampere is after all, the windy city. Here's more information in case you're curious.

Another example, on a bigger scale, is Light Wind from Demakersvan. It is an outside lamp, and the makers took inspiration from the Dutch Windmills. Again, if I'd own a house with garden, Light Wind definitely would find a space in it.

And even bigger is Windside, a company from Finland, which makes very functional, low impact wind turbines (sadly their website is terrible and usually kills any browser, but check out the article I wrote about them on ArcticStartup) for summer cottages and the like. I also would have one of these on my house or summer cottage, if I had one =)

It is refreshing to see such fresh takes on established products, and make them greener and better. I like that.

No, You Don't Need To Update!

2011-01-17T01:00:00.015+02:00

We live in a time and age where companies like Apple, Nokia, Adobe, The North Face, Therm-A-Rest, Sony, Panasonic and many, many other companies "surprise" us every six to twelve months with a new incarnation of a phone, computer, software, jacket, tent, TV, camera or whatever else. Often the changes in the new model are so super awesome and mind boggling that you will not survive without purchasing it right away - or will you?

I use the same computer, a MacBook, since nearly 4,5 years. I replaced the hard drive in it twice - those hard drives are the old kind and are hence very fragile, and a two year life span is about right - and updated the memory once, but otherwise the computer works fine - I can write papers and reports, emails, blog posts and books with it, edit videos and photos, and surf the net. It also plays music and movies without a problem, and I even could game with it if I wanted to (I actually have been playing The Broken Sword on it, now that I think of it). However, if I should have believed Apple then I should have got rid of this computer about three years ago and bought the new model.

I used a Gregory rucksack, a Mammut sleeping bag and a Therm-A-Rest sleeping mat for over eight years (until they burned in a bus accident). All three pieces of equipment were in tip-top shape and I had no problems with them. Sure, they weren't the lightest of their kind, but they worked very well, and after having traveled thousands of kilometers with them they also had a sentimental value.

The same can be told about garments of all kind, be they outdoor or normal life related. I am not a fashionista and you won't see me shopping for new clothes every three months to get the latest trends, but I'm neither looking like a dork who wears completely outdated clothes - or so I like to think!

My motto in purchasing any kind of "Stuff" is: Buy quality once instead of rubbish twice (or more times). Sure, there comes a time when a phone, computer or pants are so outdated that one can get a new model because the old one is barely working (The phone I used before purchasing an iPhone was a hand-me-down from my Dad, which was six to seven years old and the battery worked for about five minutes if calling). But replacing a phone every 12 or less months? Buying a new computer every other year? Buying new clothes every spring, summer, autumn and winter?

Nah, sorry. Not gonna happen. You can continue to spend billions on marketing and trying to convince me that I need the latest model of X, but I am smart enough to think for myself. Because I make the wise decision of buying quality, thinking about the environmental impact of purchasing stuff, and use stuff till the end of its life-cycle, your marketing money is wasted on me. Sure, I would fancy a new iPhone 4, but my 3GS is still going strong. Same goes for my woolen socks, my jeans, my coat, my backpack, my camera.

You see, and the point I try to make, is: You don't need to update once a "new" and "improved" version of an item you own comes along. Chances are that the update is only minor (but will be hyped by marketing to the end of the galaxy and back), and that your current one is still doing what it should, perfectly. And with a EU standard of two years of warranty on most stuff, you can still get it repaired for free (or, Uh-Oh, maybe even get a new current version if they can't fix it!) in case the lights go out after 18 months. Updating your phone or computer every six to twelve months not only generates a hill of toxic garbage, it also makes you look like a idiot which believes the marketing hype around a product.

A neat video on this topic is the underneath "Story of Stuff" video. It is a bit older already, but none the less current and of importance. Have a look at it before you go out and get more stuff.

PS: To be honest, a new laptop has been purchased just recently, and I am looking at retiring this Mac when the new one arrives. Though I intend on using the new one for the next three of five years, and won't update it once a new model comes along!=)

Take A Break!

2011-01-14T19:04:00.000+02:00

If your work consists of sitting in front of a computer, do yourself and your body a favour and install an App like Time Out. The app reminds you to take a break every 55 minutes (or whatever time you set), for as long or short as you want.

My settings are on a 5 minute break every 55 minutes. Then I get up, stretch a bit, drink a glass of water, stare out of the window. In case you're super busy with something and a break can't wait, then you can postpone the break for five or ten minutes, or even skip it. You can adjust the colour of the screen in any variation that takes your fancy, in case boring grey or bright green, as I have it, ain't to your liking. The App is free, Windows Users can use this one to take their regular break.

Smart, Not Dumb

2010-12-30T12:20:00.004+02:00

I'm not a big one on cars, not having a driving license et al, but the Smart always has appealed to me. This new commercial for the car is very well done, and if I ever would plan on getting a car then I'd be hard pressed choosing between the Smart and Aptera, which is still one of my favourite car designs ever. As it is, without a license, I will continue to rely on bus and train, even if they're getting more and more expensive and unreliable.

Shadowcities - First Impressions

2010-11-15T14:33:00.000+02:00

Shadowcities is a location based Massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) made by the Finnish start-up Grey Area Labs and came last week into open beta, exclusively in Finland atm. It is available in the Apple App Store (which means it is iPhone only at the moment) and is free, although there are in-game purchases possible. I have been playing the game now since last week, and it is time to plot down my initial impressions.

To start off, have a look at their nicely done Promo Video:

I really enjoy roleplaying games, and to put a RPG into a location based game is bloody genius and is likely going to be a Jackpot for Grey Area Labs. The game mechanic is fairly easy - build Dominators on Energy Gateways, harvest energy from your own and your Team's Dominators, capture spirits to level up and learn different spells. To work together with your team mates is crucial in the success of your faction and also to allow yourself and others to level up.

Basic screen in-game. It has a dark feeling while opponents, spirits and your own team are presented in light colours.

Cloudview on Tampere - the Animators had a pretty good grip on the city yesterday...

Speaking of factions, there are two - the Animators and the Architects. As I am playing an Architect I am not certain if there's any difference between the factions besides the colour of your avatar, but that might still develop during this beta. Last week it seemed there were more Architects around, but that now changed and the factions seem to be equally popular (in Tampere, at least).

A Domintaor pylon on the top left-ish, a Trap for Spirits on the right and a Energy Gateway down in the centre.

So off to game play. The menus and sub-menus might be a bit confusing at the beginning, but once you have read the help section on the Shadowcites website and Samuli's Beginner's Guide you should be confidently navigating around and getting the hang of it. The most used screen, besides the landscape screen, is that cast screen, which is located in the top centre. You pull it down and then draw your Rune of choice on it, and Voilá! you cast your first spell.

To cast Spells you need Mana. It regenerates automatically, and you also gain Mana potions through the Research Lab, fulfilling different missions - those range from simple Facebook Connects to gathering 2000 Energy for your Team. And then there is the option of buying them in the Store - prices go from 1,59€ for 10 Mana potions to 22,99€ for 300 Mana Potions. While you don't need to purchase Mana Potions, I feel to get ahead it is necessary - one of the weaknesses, as it does create an uneven playing environment: There are those who do not want to buy potions, while others feel it is no problem to throw 23€ in the game to have a more "comfortable" experience and get faster ahead.

Casting the Warp rune - a very essential rune, as it allows you to virtually travel between places.

You'll catch a lot of spirits throughout the game, and you're well advised to use them equally in the Research Lab and to donate them to your faction in order to win the weekly missions. The weekly missions seem a bit lame still at the beginning, though remembering that it is a Beta I am sure we'll see some added excitement through the coming releases.

When fights go one, the screen "shakes" with the impact of attack spells.

Mana is also used as the currency in the game. You can get a different Avatar and upgrade your Mage to a Frost, Fire, Lightning or Awesomeness Mage, though it has no effect in-game (well, except that people know you got money to spend ;). I hope we see some developments in this area as well, because if one spends 300 Mana Potions on being a Mage of Awesomeness I'd expect some more benefits!

What I like:
- Innovative game which allows me to travel and battle in my area virtually
- Great map
- Good gameplay - it keeps me checking in multiple times per day to harvest Dominators, catch spirits and travel around to destroy opponent Dominators

What I don't like:
- Mages don't have health and hence can't be killed
- If you attack an opponent they often just log out and log in a 30 seconds later - That shouldn't be possible, especially if there will be a health bar coming
- There could be more cooperation in the factions - sharing is caring!
- The current game economy and "Own Your Neighborhood". It has no benefits and is superficial
- No serious protection for structures - it is too easy to destroy structures
- Inherit in these games is the anti-social aspect to your real-life company. Your friends and family will take a critical look at you if you get out your iPhone at Stockmann or the Café to "Quickly battle the enemy and harvest some Dominators".

Improvements:
- Add a health bar
- Add numbers to (health) mana & experience bar
- Show costs of Spells in the Spell book
- Give the different Mage classes actual benefits
- Improve stability. Crashes/ Spell Failed/ Using a Mana Potion but not getting any Mana/ Shop unavailable are at the moment common and irritating
- Improve the game economy. I agree that real money must be made, but at the moment it seems to be that those willing to spend the money gain an advantage over those who do not want to. It sure is nice to be the Top Grossing App in the App Store, but also think about your Players!

An Animator Dominator about to be destroyed!

Some pointers for playing the game:
- Never put more than one Spirit into Research, and contribute to other's Research. You gain a Mana Potion per own & contributed Research, regardless of how many Spirits you have put in
- Use the Warp spell to travel your city and harvest unattended Dominators (Part of Missions, so important to level up!)
- Travel via Beacons to different areas (and harvest those Dominators!^^)
- Don't attack opponents - it is a Mana for Mana game at the moment and not worth it. Better just warp away to not get hit
- Help your Team mates: Contribute to their Research, put up Beacons (and have Dominators close by for a easy "Travel & Harvest" experience), heal friendly Dominators if you see it is low on health, don't attack spirits or structures your team mates are trying to capture or destroy
- Be nice =)

My nick is Skullmonkey and I am located in Tampere - feel free to add me as a friend and come visit me here, keeping the Animators in check!

A Beacon in Tampere near Ratina - Welcome!

Moments

2010-09-13T12:00:00.000+03:00

Flu. The thing goes around, and I got it last week, binding me to the bed during the weekend and today. Time to do some work from the bed, browse blogs, watch videos, eat, sleep, read, talk, think.

And then ULVER came out with a new song from their forthcoming album. Love it.

Amsterdam

2010-08-15T13:12:00.004+03:00

Holidays in Amsterdam were excellent. It was nice to see Mom, some of my uncles and aunts as well as my best friend Martin who came over spontaneously for the weekend. We had a truly great time, and saw heaps but still there is so much to discover in this vibrant city that we think to move there for a while in the future. Here a small collection of photos from the trip.

Crookshanks?

Rainy saturday as people start to line the Route of the Gaypride Parade.

We visited an organic market and bought some tasty food.

The parade in full swing despite the rain.

Dutch street art.

I love how the Dutch put beautiful flowers on the sidewalk in front of their houses.

Checking out the flowers at Hoorn railway station.

Impressions from Hoorn.

Where we stayed.

Strolling in the Jordaan.

My new business.

A'dam impressions.

At the Hortus Botanicus.

Charging point for EVs.

Kiss & Ride. Love it!

Cubic houses in Rotterdam.

Rotterdam, bombed to ruins by the Germans in WW2, is very different from A'dam. Skyscrapers, modern bridges and buildings are the complete opposite to the old buildings and architecture of Amsterdam.

Vondelpark.

At the Anne Frank house, got a warning from the security dude because of this photo :D

Thunderstorm brewing.

On the way home to Finland.

Amsterdam to Kuru

2010-08-04T15:30:00.004+03:00

Friday I am off to Amsterdam. I haven't been in the Netherlands since over ten years, unbelievable. It will be great to see Mom and relatives, and enjoy Amsterdam. There are also two trips to Hoorn and Rotterdam planned, visiting relatives. Rotterdam is also the city where I spent quite some time as a toddler and kid, so it will be very interesting to see how the city has changed.

Besides being totally excited to see Mom and relatives, it will be so good to eat the excellent Dutch food again, I can't await to land in Amsterdam and have a good meal! Add in good beer (Finnish beer = piss) and nice architecture, and I will be in heaven for a week!

Me, watching dawn last weekend.

Once I return to Finland I will move to Kuru, a small town some 50 km from Tampere, where I will start a ten month education to become a Wilderness Guide. It is full time, though I was able to arrange it so that I only am in class two to three days a week, the rest of the time will be dedicated to work. It will be an exciting time, and will give me the opportunity to pursue another career in the future, should I wish so (No, I'm not bored of being an entrepreneur and Korpi Consulting is doing very well at the moment!).

For the future of this blog, I decided to post interesting things I find on the net and which happen in my life. Being a digital citizen I find interesting stuff pretty often, and I believe this will be a good venue to share it. Expect stuff about design, architecture, environmentalism, entrepreneurship, nature, backpacking, movies, music, art, the web and more. Stay tuned!

Coalition Of The Willing

2010-06-30T11:23:00.003+03:00

Environmental matters still have a high priority in my life. That Copenhagen was a failure annoyed me mightily, and that the Finnish government is going to vote most likely in favour of two extra nuclear power plants today, and only a small renewable energy policy in comparison, is a disgrace. Slowly I am losing my trust in the government in Finland, and see that small business and private persons need to take action themselves, as we are just ignored by the politicians in favour of the few big companies who pay their wages. I think the underneath video is offering a good solution, and it would be nice to see a network like that emerge.

Dried Up

2010-06-28T16:52:00.001+03:00

I like this.

Motivation

2010-05-27T11:03:00.003+03:00

Saw this last week and thought it is a very interesting video, the animation is particularly interesting.

I'm off to Sweden now, to meet up with UL Outdoor bloggers from Scandinavia and we'll go hiking in Vålådalen for the weekend. Next week Tuesday then on to Oslo where I will visit the Oslo Cleantech days and cover it for Cleantech Scandinavia & ArcticStartup.com. Planning for the summer then starts also, holidays in Germany or to Estonia or Latvia? We'll sort it out during the next weeks and prolly, should we go to Germany, be in touch with friends in Munch & Berlin ;)

And then the € died

2010-04-28T19:41:00.004+03:00

A week away and the economy in Europe goes down the drain, can't even take a holiday without everything going wrong? Greece has a debt in such high number that mere mortals have difficulties to fathom them, and also Portugal, Italy and Spain don't look much better, according to a Rating agency called Standard & Poor's - fitting name, does it stand for "no standards for the poor"? I find it ridiculous, to be honest.

You and me, if we are not able to pay our debts, get into hell's kitchen, lose house, car, and everything else that is of some value (unless these kind of people value books, backpacking gear and a nearly four year old MacBook, they won't find much here) and end up on the street. A country, on the other hand, just says sorry, can't pay and then some other countries and banks jump in and pay, trés bien, all fine.

What I might try to say is: While I support growth entrepreneurship, I believe the current system of a stock exchange is utter bullshit. Sure, nice to be able to say your company is worth a kazillion in whatever fancy currency, but is it really worth it? I don't see much sense in it. If you need money for growth and you have a good service/ product, that money will come to you, so why try to do it on tick? I just might have a mindset which is too much orientated towards minimalism, sustainability and honor that I don't get what some idiot politicians and bankers are up too. Anyhow, rant over.

A wild camp last week in Ruka.

Tomorrow going for four nights into the forest with two Scotsmen, showing them how to use a wood burning stove, do some fly fishing, and having my first Scottish whisky. Should be splendid, even if there's supposed to be a bit of rain. Somehow I start to feel more safe in the forest & fjell than the city, thus it might be a good coincidence that I signed two weeks ago a book deal for a hiking guide of the Pirkan Taival trail - that allows me to go hiking as part of my work =) Another book deal is also in negotiations, would be grand if that one works out as well. Surely, nothing to get rich from - royalties are small-ish and hiking in Finland is small compared to e.g. the Camino in Spain, but it is fun and allows me to go out.

It Looks Like Spring Outside

2010-04-14T15:16:00.004+03:00

Almost survived winter, spring is about to start. The city is pretty much snow free, awesome as Tampere is they even already cleaned the sidewalks and streets from the grit so it is nice to go for a walk. However, go out of the city and you still find plenty of snow in the forests, also the lakes are still pretty much covered in ice. Thus to escape spring I'm going further up north, where winter remains.

Mountains and ice. Shot with the Panasonic Lumix GF 1and the 7 - 14 mm lens. Click to see it in big.

A week in Ruka, end/ start point of the Karhunkierros in a nice cottage will see us (Minna, her family and me) enjoy the last bit of winter, even proper temperatures of up to -6°C are promised. Splendid. Some day hiking, visiting the Kuusamo Uistin factory, sauna, and just be, that's the plan. Oh yeah, and photographing, might even get lucky with Northern Lights so a tripod and two cameras will come with me.

First sign of spring. Shot with Lumix GF 1 and the 20 mm Pancake lens. Click to see it in big.

Live is good. A significant change in career terms might take place, not replacing my current one but more being an addition to Korpi Consulting. Final talks in middle of May, then I am ready to reveal more. For environmental topics, keep your eyes on the Cleantech section at ArcticStartup.com, where I still write on a weekly basis - this coming Friday a very interesting article is coming up, so feel free to drop by there at noon ;) I'll try to keep this blog in a better shape from now on, maybe shift the focus a bit to include a wider choice of topics so there's more to write about, though days still are only 24 h which is not nearly enough to get everything done. That's it for now. Still not on Facebook, so email if you'd like to get in touch ;)

Updating from OS X 10.4 to 10.6

2010-03-18T09:42:00.007+02:00

A nerd post, so if this isn't of interest to you, go read ArcticStartup.com! Yesterday I updated my trustworthy 3,5 year old MacBook from Mac OS X 10.4 (aka Tiger) to Mac OS X 10.6 (aka Snow Leopard).

I ordered Snow Leopard from the Mac Store, and the price for both the software and shipping it was a steal, really. I did all my back-ups, and then threw in the single disc to upgrade the OS. 43 minutes later my old Mac was running 10.6, and a further 5 minutes later it had all updates and was running 10.6.2. I already can spot a difference, 10.6 is using a lot less memory than Tiger, the new graphics interface is even prettier, and the best thing was that it just used all my old data - Email accounts, bookmarks, etc - and ported them to the news system - I didn't need to re-install a single file! That's so efficient and time saving, that it really gets a thumbs up from me!

In case you're wondering why I updated, well, I bought the MacHeist nanoBundle 2 last week and most of the software only runs on Snow Leopard. I also felt that with the new OS I can get more use out of this Mac - I plan to update the Ram in the following weeks (I got a wish about 2 gb Ram up on Netcycler) and am thinking of installing a SSD drive in the machine, that would make it again ahead of the game and would be far cheaper than buying a new Mac. Moral of the story is, if you have a Mac which runs 10.4 and would like to update to Snow Leopard, go ahead and buy the CD and do yourself and your Mac a favour!

Test

2010-01-24T20:03:00.001+02:00

Test post. Trying an app for mobile blogging, as with the iPhone mobile logging is easy and convenient!

Keyboard on this app works quote nice, though I'm curious to see what Steve Jobs is going to present next Wednesday. Surely the iPad/ iTablet, maybe a new iPhone and a new iPhone OS. Patience is a virtue.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Public Transportation

2009-11-25T12:04:00.006+02:00

One would think that the topic of Public Transportation is something I am enthusiastic about, but sadly I'm just getting a worse and worse opinion about it. The idea of mass transportation of people to diminish traffic is generally in my interest, but there are two problems with the public transportation here in Finland.

First problem are costs. In my opinion, and also the opinion of the people I have spoken with, public transportation should be affordable, not to say cheap. It needs to be a cheap alternative to the car, both for short and long distances. There's not much sense to charge 4€ for a one way trip (that's what a Helsinki Region ticket costs), that is 8€ for going-return, if I pay less when I would go by car. Sure, the buscards are slightly cheaper, but you need to be a citizen of the city to get one. So for me, as a Tamperelainen, that is not possible.

So 4€, or 8€ a day, is still ok-ish. That's Helsinki prices, Tampere is slightly cheaper, though they too raised the prices. You can't move people from their cars to the bus if you run an expensive service. However, the prices for the bus are nothing compared to the prices the Finnish railway company, VR is charging. 60€ for a going-return trip from Tampere to Helsinki, 2nd class. Distance is 150 km one way. The longer the distance, the more expensive it gets, to the levels that it is cheaper to take an airplane to travel. That is ridiculous. If you're two people then driving by car is a lot cheaper, so its no surprise that many people still drive by car around. Imagine you have two kids and a wife and wanna go on a trip, with the train or bus its getting quite unaffordable, while with the car you're cheaper and most likely faster. So please, VR, bus companies, lower your prices if you don't want to encourage people to take the car.

Second problem is the lack of driving skills of bus drivers in cities and technical problems of trains. The trains are running late every fricking year again as soon as the temperatures drop beneath 0°C. It seems VR is surprised that its getting cold again, every year. On my last trips from Helsinki to Tampere, there always were technical problems with the train - energy gone, locomotive broken - and we run late an hour or more. Its the last thing I want after a long work week, to sit more as necessary in a train. Get trains that work in our conditions, and not Pendolino trains which were made for the Mediterranean. And be sure to keep your schedule.

The bus drivers here in Helsinki are terrible. They accelerate, and then break very hard. Their schedules have room, so there's no reason to drive in this terrible style which throws your passengers around in the bus. The drivers usually accelerate still 50 m before the bus stop, and then brake very hard in the bay. In my opinion it would be more efficient if you go slowly from the gas when you approach the bus stop, and brake more softly, but I don't have a driving license so what do I know, right? Maybe I should write YTV, the regions public transportation company, a complaint, and hope that they give their drivers some driving lessons on efficient, safe and environmentally friendly driving before they let them behind the steering wheel.

These two reasons are actually enough to make me think if I should get a driving license and a car. I like the Tesla cars, but my favourite would be an Aptera. As electric cars become more affordable, and an infrastructure starts to develop, they are becoming real alternatives towards a public transportation system which is over priced, uncomfortable and un-punctual. Add in the extended freedom and I can see many people make the move.

Veggies and Writing

2009-10-05T16:19:00.004+03:00

Or writing about veggies? Well, both, really. Minna found a company called Luomulaatikko Oy which sells organic vegetables and fruits from around Tampere. They work together with the organic farmers in Pirkanmaa, so the veggies and fruits don't travel far. The whole box, weight is between five and six kilograms, is delivered to our apartment, thus gone the times that we walk with heavy backpacks through the city. Some of the goods, like bananas and other exotic fruits, come from abroad, but are organic as well.

The "organic box" is enough for the both of us for about two weeks, so considering a price of 33€ that's not bad - we easily spend more money in the supermarket, and now (hopefully!) the farmers get a fairer share. We really like the concept, also because we get to taste new vegetables we usually wouldn't buy - so we need to innovate our cooking habits, a good thing. If you got curious but don't life in Tampere, don't get sad. In Helsinki there is a similar service, I don't recall the name but if someone from Hki is interested I can go through my bookmarks and look it up. I also believe that this system will spread further, so just keep your eyes and hears open.

Then some writing about writing. My Helsinki Times Expat View article is now readable without a subscription, yeah! I wrote a second, feature article called "Backpacking in Pirkanmaa" for their Travel Edition, it came out last Thursday so if you're in Helsinki grab a copy. All photos are from me, sweet stuff.

A second writing related announcement is that I will now start to write on a weekly basis for ArcticStartup.com's Cleantech section. While Päivi will cover Finland, I will be on the lookout for interesting Cleantech companies from Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark and the Baltics. My articles will be published on Fridays, so be on the lookout for them! Really excited about this opportunity, working together with Päivi, Antti, Ville, Karri, Paula and Miikka, and reporting about start-ups from the north is great chance to get to know new companies and improve my writing.

Finally, I also got written about! Aamulehti wrote a full site piece about me in their "Valmiina Hommiin" column, complete with photo and all - click the link to read it online! Really great PR for me and Korpi Consulting, and I immediately got some responses this morning!

So much from Tampere, which is enjoying a rainy autumn day.

Freelance writing, life

2009-09-04T11:18:00.004+03:00

I really enjoy writing. I've been very active on my hiking blog and also on Korpi's blog some new articles have been published. Furthermore, yesterday an article of mine was published in the Helsinki Times' Expat View, and today an article on ArcticStartup.com. Some more articles for those both are in the making, and I am even considering writing a book. Good stuff all around.

Autumn is in full swing here in Tampere, a bit of rain, much wind, still quite a lot of sun. This weekend hiking with some Couchsurfing mates from Hervanta to Valkeakoski, next weekend from Parkano to Kuru. Last weekend we were in Jyväskylä, visiting friends. Was nice, Jyväskylä is a beautiful city in the autumn. But its still too small for me, and I am very happy here in Tampere. Life continues, and soon its winter.

Air Guitar World Championships

2009-08-19T15:40:00.002+03:00

These start in Oulu today. 19 countries representing, USA defending last years title. Cool stuff, feel like going there and see the show.

2008 Champion.

2007 Champion. Supercool performance.

I will go hiking this weekend, got a new tent I want to try and get ready for my big adventure in September.

Reading

2009-07-13T20:28:00.002+03:00

Ah, another week by. Been to a wedding in Turku last weekend, which was fabulous. Spending the days working and reading, contemplating when and where to go hiking and how else to spend the summer. The days are long and call for to be used, I however, sit in my chair and read. While I usually read English books - currently a Discworld novel as well as Cradle to Cradle - I found a few excellent German articles over on Spiegel. They're excerpts from an upcoming book, and I enjoyed them very much. If you like humorous writing in German, give them a try. I will get the book when it comes out in August.

Desperado - Mein Leben als Loser
Desperado - Mein Leben als Zocker
Desperado - Mein Leben als Purist

Maybe I should take the book outside and read at the beach, once I get it. And take some beer with me as well.

Guest blogger on ArcticStartup.com

2009-07-03T13:34:00.002+03:00

I have been silent here for many weeks, but have been blogging nevertheless. Mostly on my Hiking in Finland blog, but I also agreed to guest blog for Arctic Startup during July. The first post went online today, so have a look and let me know what you think. My life is not that boring as that I couldn't write here more, thus I will try to at least write a post a week =)

HOME

2009-05-28T10:24:00.002+03:00

Please have a look at this, best seen in HD and Fullscreen:

Here's a link to the movies website. Its going to be uploaded to Youtube on June 5th, that's next week Friday, and also will be shown in cinemas all over the world. seems its not going to be in Finnkino or Niagara in Tampere, though :/

Kestokassi & Fast Food

2009-05-25T12:51:00.010+03:00

Finally my entry in the Kestokassi competition went online, and I present thee the Cargo bag:

If you have a moment, click on the link above for the description of the idea behind it and vote for it. The Colours bag is Minna's entry and you also should vote for it =)

Originally the competition was set to end last week Friday, but apparently there were only rubbish entries (besides the two above mentioned, of course!) so they extended the competition till the end of August. Lets see if there's gonna be a strong contender showing up.

We were out last weekend and went to see Asa and Soul Captain Band, both were very great and we had a good evening in Klubi. Was my first time there, and its a awesome place. I believe I will be there more often in the future, and if its just to sip a coffee on the terrace. On the way home we passed McDonalds, and apparently they are now selling a "Mystic Chicken Burger". I am wondering what's so "Mystic" about it, probably what all of the chicken is in it. I don't eat chicken, but I certainly would never ever touch a "chicken" burger or whatever from McDonalds, I might as well eat Antibiotics and what-not.

However, I am probably rather lonely with that opinion. In the current economic climate people go eating out more often to Fast Food restaurants, because its more affordable. Or at least thats what they think, I reckon to have a meal which will make you feel full you will spent a least 10 to 15€, and for that money you can already eat some real, healthy food in a nice restaurant. But, everyone like he wants. I stick to organic and vegetarian food. In that sense, "Guten Appetit!"

Garbage

2009-05-11T08:28:00.001+03:00

I have been busy business-wise and with my Hiking in Finland blog, so excuse the absence here =) I want to write today a bit about sorting waste, and how easy it actually is. In my opinion a photo says more than a thousand words, so here we go:

Click on the pic to see it completely.

Left: Plastic and bio-garbage. Right: Tin, cardboard and residual waste. Those roll-out carts cost about 60€ together, and are quickly installed, and a good solution to sort your waste. Additionally we have a normal paper bin and collect glass garbage on the counter, which I bring to the recycling centre around the corner. So now picture me if being at a friends house where they don't sort waste, one bin for all. Its a nightmare!

Next, I was cooking a week or two ago General Tao's Tofu and Minna brought the organic Broccoli, which happened to come from Italy. Why they see a need to wrap organic products in plastic packaging still is a mystery to me, but the Italians certainly won this competition:

That was about two meters of PP wrapping for a 300 gr Broccoli. While I was amused, I also thought that it is such a waste of resources. I would like my veggies not wrapped in excessive amounts of wrapping, I understand you need to for transportation reasons, but this was certainly a bit too much. Funny after-thought: Imagine if its your job to wrap those broccolis =)

Finally, we have a dishwasher in the not-so-new-anymore flat, and its very nice to be able to just throw your dirty dishes into it, wait till its full and then put half an environmentally friendly tablet in and put it on. We use these Ecover tabs:

As you see, they come in a cardboard box and are all singly wrapped in a bio-degradable wrapper which has no toxic components and isn't bad for water sheds and the like. As I didn't see the sense to wrap them singly, I contacted Ecover in Belgium and asked them why, and after a while they came back to me with an answer. It were transportation reasons, to not let the tabs possibly be damaged by moistness or the like. I imagine if you transport them in a reasonable way they shouldn't get moist and you can safe the costs for the wrapper, but then I am not an logistics expert. I just find it unnecessary to pack each tab in a wrapper. But well, maybe a smart person at Ecover sees my post and re-thinks their packaging. On a accompanying note concerning dishwashers, Minna read that you do not really need to put a tab in, as the water in dishwashers is getting hot enough to clean all but the most resistant "dirt". After some tests I can say that's true, so now I only pop in a half a tablet when we have some very resistant stuff in there - like the baking dish of a lasagne. Alternatively, you could just wash it by hand!

Finally, I started another Finnish course last week. The "Tampere kesällä" course goes only four weeks, and we go and visit places here in town - churches, parks, museums, TV studio, etc. - and listen to the guides and then discuss it afterward. Fun course which lets me improve my Finnish and see more of the city.

Vappu weekend

2009-04-30T12:49:00.003+03:00

Its the 30th of April, which means that in Finland soon the people will start drinking - or are already! - in the parks and streets and celebrate into the 1st of May. Tomorrow then they will traditionally go for a picnic in a public space, and drink a bit more. I'll join the festivities today, and have a few drinks in a park here in Tampere, though tomorrow I'll go hiking for the weekend to a nearby national park. My feet are fine again, thus there's nothing wrong with going to walk a bit over 40 km and sleep in nature. Looking forward to the peaceful silence of the forest, the only noise coming from the fire and wind.

I've been checking out Helsinki Times in the last months, but their writing style is polemic and I really don't like it. I find some articles are downright negative about Finland, which would be alright if it is based on some well-researched facts, but often it just sounds like the opinion of the (foreign) author. I prefer the motto of "If you don't got anything good to say, say nothing."

Otherwise life is good, the sun we have now again is splendid, warm sunny days are great for walks through the city, and also waking up in the mornings is so much easier. Minna and I will start a new business project, but as its still in its infancy I shall not write more about it until we have something concrete to show, though I can disclose that it has to do with the environment =)

In that sense, hyvää vappua!

Reusable diapers and bamboo clothes

2009-04-23T13:20:00.003+03:00

KELA, the Finnish social insurance agency, is distributing to becoming mothers a maternity package with baby clothes and other useful goods. The package is free of charge, which in itself is already a great thing. What's special about this years package is that more goods have been produced in a sustainable way, so instead of normal diapers there are now reusable diapers in the package. Also, the package includes now socks and mittens which are made from bamboo, and a winter overall which is made partly of recycled polyester (I guess PET bottles, the same system that Patagonia and other companies are increasingly using).

I find this a splendid move by KELA, because besides that it is what more and more parents want for their babies, its also a good first contact for those parents which normally are not to concerned about the environment. I hope that future packages continue this trend, and that it also jumps to other services which KELA offers.

Cool video

2009-04-18T12:17:00.003+03:00

Just stumbled upon this great video, and needed to share it:

Bathtub IV from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

Just love how the people look like miniatures, and such nice, sumer-feel music. Really well-made, wondering how to do something like that myself.

/edit: Just found this breathtaking video of some guys doing base/ cliff jumping in Norway with wingsuits on.

wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.

I need to go to Norway and try that. Its as close as a human can come to flying. The videos are so great, because they're not in crappy Youtube quality but HD, good music and well composed. They're from Vimeo, and the portal is full of such great videos.

Outdoor blog

2009-04-18T11:15:00.002+03:00

Have been a bit silent here, finishing some projects and also started another blog, which will deal solely with my Outdoor adventures in Finland, Sweden and Norway. Have a look over there if you're interested in ultra light backpacking and the nordic nature - I try to take a lot of photos of my trips to keep things interesting.

I'll present results next Monday for my thesis, and also try to visit some friends while I am in Jyväskylä. Otherwise all is fine in Tampere, spring is if full force and it looks like we'll have a great summer here. Business wise I finished my project and am now talking with some potential clients, need to see how that develops.

Madventures

2009-04-05T19:36:00.002+03:00

Madventures starts its 3rd season tonight on Subtv. Its the best travel show, so you might want to tune in tonight - if you're without TV like me, watch it from the net. Here's their new opening trailer as a teaser for tonight:

Starts at 22.00, I don't know if Subtv sets it online at 23.00 or at the same time the show is broadcasted. You also can watch it via TV kaista.fi, I'm positive that its gonna be screened at 22.00 there. Anyhow, on the Subtv website there are some online specials, so its a good idea to surf by there.

Where gadgets go to die

2009-04-02T13:33:00.003+03:00

Where gadgets go to die is a great photo gallery over at Wired Magazine. They illustrate what happens when you bring your old PC, printer, camera, phone, etc. to the recycling centre. Great pics. That's of course the way it should be. The way it shouldn't be is told by Greenpeace, who installed a tracking device in an old TV, brought it to the recycling centre, and followed via GPS where it ended up. And guess where it landed? In a pond in Africa. Nice.

/edit: Found another great article over at Wired, on how to reduce, reuse and recycle your old gadgets.

Earth Hour 2009

2009-03-30T08:43:00.004+03:00

So last Saturday was Earth hour, the worldwide event where people wanted to set a sign against climate change and switched off their lights for an hour between 20.30 and 21.30 local time. I switched the lights and Mac off, lighted the beeswax and soy candles and sat down with a Discworld Novel for an hour, it was very relaxing.

Earth Hour's Flickr Photostream has some really great before/ after photos, have a browse. And here's a cool video of Earh Hour in New Zealand, Australia and Fiji:

Did you take part?

Green Shopping

2009-03-30T07:59:00.004+03:00

Lets start the week with some shopping, green shopping. My friend told me about Etsy which is an online marketplace where you can buy (& sell) all kind of things which are handmade.

If you're able to read German, check out this site which writes about the green fashion scene in Berlin, and where to get it. Note down the addresses of hip German Fashion Stores in the capital for your next trip.

The Clean Clothes Campaign tries to improve the working conditions for people working in the garment industry, from their site's search function you can find information about companies and their working conditions - a cool tool.

A useful tidbit: To grow 1 kg of cotton can require up to 29.000 liters of water, depending on the way the plants are watered. Drip-irrigation only uses 7.000 liters, whereas in Pakistan, Egypt and Central Asia its common to go to the max as the fields are flooded. So to get the cotton for a jeans can use between 3.500 l and 14.000 l of water, for the cotton in a T-Shirt you need between 2.000 l and 9.000 l. And on top comes the water for colouring the garments.

Some more organic Fashion companies:

Kuyichi

room to roam

Good True Beautiful Webshop

Finally, my favourite green company is still Patagonia - they're using solely organic cotton since 1996 for their garments - since they make functional and stylish outdoor clothes. Since 1993 they offer fleece clothes made from recycled polyester, with the goal to have the 2010 collection of synthetic materials made entirely of recycled polyester - in 2009 it were 61% already.

Wind energy in America

2009-03-28T17:31:00.002+02:00

Here are very positive video on how people are using their old skills in the renewable energy sector:

This gives such a positive vibe, really like it. I wish there would be similar stories to tell from Finland, and while there are, I find there aren't nearly enough. Companies like Windside for example could do a lot more, they have a Class A product, but they think not nearly big enough in my opinion. Lets hope that the renewable energy industry is taking off soon here, before they plan to build even more nuclear power plants =)

Another take on nuclear energy

2009-03-26T15:34:00.006+02:00

I've been reading James Lovelock's "The Revenge of Gaia" lately, and although I knew before that Lovelock is in favour of nuclear energy, I wasn't aware that he sees it pretty much as the only solution for the planet, sorry, Gaia, to survive. And he makes good arguments, who even seem reasonable to a nuclear sceptic as myself.

For one, according to Lovelock nuclear energy is a lot more save than the green lobbyists want us to know. People mention Chernobyl and how many people would have died there, but the truth is that "only" about 160 people died from the aftermath. Whereas a lot more people died from the emissions of coal plants, and a lot of people died in the construction of dams and digging for oil. And if you think what might happen if a dam like on the Yangtze river breaks, then what happened in Chernobyl seems very small in comparison.

Lovelock argues that to save the planet we should keep the nuclear power plants we have at the moment running, instead of shutting them down. They produce emission free energy, what can't be said of coal, gas and oil. And while we keep them running, we develop renewable sources which produce enough to quench our thirst for cheap energy. Seems like a valid argument to me, however, I remain sceptic of nuclear energy - that's why my electricity carries the Norppaenergia-merkki ;)

Anyhow, the main idea in my opinion should be to start saving energy, instead to look for ways to satisfy our ever-growing demand. Switch the lights, printers, and PCs off at the office if you go are tiny steps to save a lot of energy. Instead of driving with the car everywhere, take a walk or get the bike out for a spin to the supermarket. And please tell me that you already have LED or CFL bulbs - they save you money and are good for the environment.

Here's the Greenpeace blog on the nuclear topic, in case you now need an opinion from the other side. And if you're curious what the Finnish nuclear power is up to, read here. And if you think that climate change seems a threat of the distant future, have a look at this 3 minute video of the world's first climate change refugees in Papau New Guinea.

Limiting population growth

2009-03-20T18:19:00.004+02:00

Here Jonathon Porrit discusses how simple measures to limit population growth could help the planet survive. At the moment we're scheduled to have 9 billion people on this planet by 2050 (or 2060 in some other estimates), which would decline to 7 billion (or 8.5 billion according to those other estimates) by 2100. Currently we have around 6 billion, in case you didn't know. In a nuthell: No more than 2 children per family - everything else is "unsustainable". I agree, and if starting a family some day "two children and then stop" are my idea.

Well, if the planet survives till 2050 or 2100 - the Global Carbon Project published some numbers this week, according to which CO2 in the atmosphere rose to 385 ppm (that's parts per million) in 2008, despite the recession. An "alright" level should be 350 ppm, in case you're wondering. Oceans and forests aren't absorbing as much CO2 anymore, indicating that they might be saturated. Sounds like trouble, if you ask me.

Back to the people. Less people means less resources used, means less emissions. It also means that maybe we still will be able to eat fish in 2050, and have enough drinking water for everyone. Clean drinking water is running out quickly, its just a question of time till "the thirsty ones" will start to wander to places where there still is water - Finland and Sweden, for example. These limiting reproduction ideas are less of an issue in Europe and North America, were the reproductive rates are around 1,2. The children-rich families are mostly to be found in the less fortunate countries of this world, as many children are seen as a "Pension" - they will take care of the parents in the future. So we should help the less fortunate nations to catch up to the developed countries, in a sustainable way, and educate them on the way about limiting their reproduction. Certainly no easy task.

Anyhow, that where some thoughts for the weekend. Have a good one - in Tampere the sun is shining and the thermometer show's plus 5°C - spring is arriving!

Lost Generation

2009-03-17T21:26:00.002+02:00

Another very good Youtube video, which has a great twist:

The message? That we can reverse the road we currently are walking down, and make the world a better place for the generations which will follow us. So get your priorities right ;)

Entrepreneur

2009-03-11T11:13:00.004+02:00

As some might already know, I took the step to become an entrepreneur in January, and am now running my own business, Korpi Consulting. Its a small environmental consulting company, consulting only well-known environmental management systems and environmental labels - no own systems no-one has ever heard of, but high quality systems that are established. My main clients I am at are small and medium-sized enterprises, as these make up the majority of any countries enterprises and also are most lacking a environmental management system.

Besides the company's website, I have a blog for Korpi, and also tweet quite regularly on Twitter for the company. This far it has been very interesting, I have been working with my first client and yesterday visited a EMASeasy Seminar in Helsinki, which was very educating - talking with the man who developed EMASeasy and Ecomapping, Heinz-Werner Engel.

I'll try to write in this blog regularly, though if there's a "break" here just check the company's blog or Twitter to see what's going on =)

Lex Nokia

2009-03-06T07:31:00.003+02:00

Wow, I can't believe it, really. The Finnish government indeed did pass Lex Nokia this week Wednesday, now allowing employers to check on their employees email metadata if they suspect breach of confidentiality. Nokia, Finland's biggest taxpayer, threatened to leave the country if the government would not pass the law in their favour. So what are huge scandals in Germany and other countries is now completely legal in Finland.

What I find most surprising though, is the fact that around 50 members of parliament weren't present, and only 56 voted against it. One would think that a MP would be present if such an important law is voted upon. Happily I am my own boss, so no one who's checking on my email =)

Clean Coal

2009-02-27T12:24:00.002+02:00

A small post from Germany, with another ad which is great:

Have a good weekend!

Environmental Advertising

2009-02-20T14:34:00.002+02:00

Just found this great Ad, which I wanted to share with my readers. Street art which comes to life, how cool is that?

Nuclear power - almost naked

2009-02-20T13:45:00.004+02:00

Seems in Russia the clocks go slightly differently than in the rest of Europe. Not only will Russia invest $60 billion to build 40 new nuclear power plants, no, they also have a beauty pageant called "Miss Atom". So while in Germany people chain themselves to train tracks and unroll banners on nuclear power plants, some Russian women nearly undress in order to advertise how save, and apparently "beautiful" nuclear power can be. I am amused =)

On other news, The Pirate Bay trial started last Monday in Stockholm, and already on day two the prosecution dropped 50% of their charges against the defendants- YARR! There are various pages who keep a tab on what's going on in court, I found TorrentFreak the best source, though #Spectrial is great too. I hope that TPB will win this, as the outcome of this trial will pretty much decide over the future of the internet and digital rights - besides that in my opinion the prosecution's case is rather shallow, they don't even understand the technology behind BitTorrent.

I am off to Germany next week to visit my family and friends, so don't wonder if there's no updates. Have a good weekend ya all!

Movie

2009-02-13T20:41:00.002+02:00

Youtube is the modern TV, and I just found a Pearl there: The movie "We Feed The World" about which I wrote earlier already is now completely available on Youtube, cut into 10 Episodes of 10 Minutes. So if you're curious what's the difference between fish and fresh fish, why tomatoes travel 3000 km to a supermarket or what kind of smart guy the CEO of Nestlé is, have a look at this great movie. Underneath the first Episode as a teaser.

An article

2009-02-08T15:25:00.003+02:00

Clive Thompson, one of my favourite journalists, on "How More Info Leads To Less Knowledge". According to the article, ignorance increases nowadays, and that's why more and more people know less and less. If you think about climate change, a popular topic in today's media, everyone seems to have a different opinion on it, knowing different truths. But what's the one, true truth? Have a read, I go and have a walk.

Nuclear energy = solution?

2009-02-06T17:51:00.003+02:00

Is nuclear energy the solution to climate change and CO2 emission? If you read the news nowadays, you might start to think so. Sweden just announced that they will renew their power plants, passing a 30 year old law which forbid just this. A law, which was passed in 1979 with a referendum. Think about that - what the society wanted in 1979 isn't good enough anymore 30 years later.

And they do this for the environment. Yes, that's not a typo. For the environment. Because it doesn't emit CO2, and the operating companies, which make huge amounts of money with them, even start to advertise that its an ecological solution. And that extremely dangerous stuff that comes out of the nuclear power plants? Well, its just a tiny little bit, and we just dig a whole, put it in and close it.

Also the Germans, under their false Chancellor Angela Merkel, are starting to think about this too - should they revoke their decision to get out of nuclear energy - because the rest of the world isn't? Of course its the Christian Democrats who are behind this, the bloody lapdogs of the industries. One can just hope that they don't win the elections in autumn, because they already have some of their weasels saying that it will be revoked if they win.

So instead of really concentrating our efforts on clean and sustainable energy from the sun, wind and water, we go back to nuclear energy. Because hey, you can promise the people cheap electricity, because that's what counts. And Fredrik Reinfeldt, the Swedish Premier who is going to take over the Presidency of the European Council in July, already said that "The Swedish energy strategy is an example for the world". Its a sad world indeed we're living in - sometimes on just asks himself "Why care?"

Your Ecological Backpack

2009-02-05T09:38:00.006+02:00

I just found this great site which lets you calculate your ecological backpack. Here is mine:

Well below average, thanks to not having a car and traveling by public transport, using green electricity and being a pesce-lacto-ovo vegetarian (OK, Reindeer I do eat once in a while, nowadays =). Try it yourself, and let me know what's your score!

Small Green Steps: Clothes Shopping II

2009-01-28T07:49:00.002+02:00

A little addition to the previous post of green clothes shopping, I found with the help of my girlfriend some online stores which carry green fashion which also looks good. Without further ado, I present to you:

Most of them have a winter sale going on, so you can save some cash.

Another important point on this topic is to buy good quality. The majority of clothes which you can buy at shops like H&M and whatever their names are offer poor quality - throw it ten times into the washing machine and it looks five years old, and you're off to buy a new one. Good quality stays well for a long time, and that's why it costs more [among other things, of course]. Consider this, when you go shopping the next time - its Quality over Quantity.

More tough thoughts

2009-01-28T07:11:00.004+02:00

After thinking a bit more about the "tough topics" I came to realize that every human in his right mind should be aware of the topic of climate change, to name the most acute one. But how does society react to it?

It ignores it. Climate change is too complex a topic for society, so people dig their heads into the sand like a ostrich [I know that they don't bury their heads into the sand if they are pursued!] and ignore it, and continue driving alone in their cars, buying all king of gadgets and generally consume, consume, consume. [edit: This video gives you an idea:]

And that is the problem. Society thinks politics and industry will fix the climate through technical solutions, so that everyone can continue with business as usual and does not need to make any sacrifices. Because, "Woooo - Stop! I should make a sacrifice to slow down climate change? I can't do anything about it! Let the government and industry take care of that." Humanity, or the majority of it, doesn't realize anymore that they depend on the planet. They see it as the nice place where they can go and spend their weekends, and otherwise just as free resources for industry [wood, coal, oil, metals, etc.] and society [water & air].

So instead of only looking for technological fixes - which do exists, but have been delayed as long as possible by various industries and governments - we also should look for social changes. Humanity needs to realize again that they need to life with the planet, and not off it. Everyone can help save the planet, and every little step helps. Its the social revolution to save the planet, which probably won't come around. Because, hey, I got some sixty to seventy years more here, why should I care?

Tough stuff

2009-01-26T22:29:00.003+02:00

After having a conversation with a friend last weekend, and before that wit my girlfriend, I realized that it is indeed some tough stuff I write and think about. I mean, climate change, pollution, hunger, thirst, natural disasters and the like, its not exactly what you wanna talk over a cup of coffee or relax and watch a movie about. But I am so interested in it, and its also my job, that I don't even realize it. You could say that I am immune to it, and don't realize the effect this topics have on people who don't think actively about it.

So I decided to read some easier literature in my free time, away from "The Revenge of Gaia" and "The World Without Us" to more amusing books, like Calvin and Hobbes, Discworld and Henning Mankell. And on the movie side, away from "The 11th Hour" and all the inconvenient truths to more simple movies like The Fall and The Illusionist. And its feeling good to read and see something else.

However, we just watched Recipes for Disaster, which was a very amusing movie even if it covers a "tough" topic. Its a Finnish movie, and tells of a family of four which decide to go on a low carbon diet for a year. Its very entertaining, as it approaches the topic in a humorous way, and shows the every day implications such a lifestyle change has. If you don't know which movie to rent, definitely give it a try - check the trailer:

Small Green Steps: Clothes Shopping I

2009-01-23T08:32:00.003+02:00

Its time to take it to the next level, and share some thoughts on clothes shopping and how this can be positive for the environment and society. Shopping for new clothes seems to be one of the favourite past time activities of some people, and while that can be fun, often the only thought going into it is "to look trendy, sexy, cool". However, you also could get s bit more conscious of social and environmental matters.

Your clothes nowadays are made to 90% in the developing world, because labour is cheap and manufacturing garments is a work-intensive business. Thus to make those peoples situation better, you could consider buying clothes which are manufactured under fair conditions - often shown with the Fair Trade label. You also could support your national clothing manufacturers - of which in Finland exists only one anymore.

Finding Fair Trade clothes is difficult, no question. You often find them in eco shops, but it certainly isn't everyones style (there are exceptions!). So instead you could look for garments which are made from environmentally friendly fibers: organic cotton, bamboo, and recycled polyester. Those fibers have a very low impact, and have the added benefit that they're natural (not in the latter case =) so no chemicals and pesticides which come close to your skin. There's a host of companies which are using these fibers in their products, like Patagonia, Fjällräven, Levi Strauss, and many more - in Finland, JC has started to offer a wide variety of organic clothes from different brands, and some stores even got the Nordic ecolabel. They're as hip and fashionable as other clothes, and they also help the people who made them and are good for the environment.

And finally, a very social and environmental way to shop clothes is to check your local 2nd Hand Store. We have a great system here in Finland, and often you find completely new clothes, far cheaper as in the store (those come normally from the trendy folks which sell their cloths after they're no longer "In" or "Seasonal" but still like new). So think about these hints the next time you head out to buy new clothes!

Small Green Steps: Food Shopping I

2009-01-22T15:00:00.003+02:00

Today some thoughts on what we eat. In our Western Society, we have so much food that we throw much of it away on a daily basis, while in the southern Hemisphere famine is killing people. But that shall not be of concern today, though you can spend a moment thinking about that issue - or have a look at this excellent documentary, We feed the world.

The obvious recommendation to minimize ones ecological footprint is to eat less meat. Meat production, especially beef, uses enormous amounts of water, as well as grain to fatten the animals. Furthermore, we burn down rain forests to have grazing areas for the cattle, and places to grow their food. A big part of Finnish beef is coming from Brazil, so it has also a long trip behind itself before it lands on your plate.

If you can't do without meet, at least try to eat it not every day. Pork is a good substitute to beef, as it is a lot less environmentally damaging in its production - cattle produces huge amounts of methane gas in its stomachs, which is even more damaging to our atmosphere than CO2. A tasty alternative from Finland would be Reindeer and Elk, as these wild living animals don't eat grain and drink away water of people.

Another idea is to eat locally produced food. That means apples from Finland instead of China, and berries instead of exotic fruits from overseas. In case you wanna have your banana so much, try to buy organic/ Fair Trade ones - with that you help people in the producer countries to have a better life, and it will taste even better!

The next step is to buy seasonal food. In the old days you couldn't get strawberries in winter, and the people were fine. Your out-of-season fruits and veggies often have a long flight or sea voyage behind them, and especially the former mode of transport is very damaging to the atmosphere. Try to cope with the seasonal food you have available in your country, your ancestors were able to do it, and so are you. If you need some tips to get you started on local and seasonal food, then I can recommend the book "Härkäpapua sarvista" - its gives great insights and has very tasty recipes. In that sense, Hyvää Ruokahalua!

Small Green Steps: Energy I

2009-01-16T16:36:00.003+02:00

Today some hints on how to save energy at home. For those from Finland, the easiest step is to visit Sähkön hintavertailu and start comparing prices, it takes a minute or two and is highly interesting. It gives you a bar which shows how green the energy providers are, so green means energy from renewable energy sources while red mean coal and yellow means nuclear.

Against common perception, energy from renewable sources is sometimes even cheaper than the energy from the nuclear and coal power plants, so you even have possibilities to save money! To learn more about energy in Finland, visit the Norppaenergia website.

However, if you really want to save money, you won't get around switching your lightbulbs to fluorescent lamps. Besides having a life span of five to ten times that of a normal bulb, they use only a fraction of energy - between one fifth and one third - and thus help you save money. If you are standing in front of the task to buy new appliances for kitchen and bathroom, make sure to check the energy label of the appliances your shopping for. Also here you can save a substantial amount of money over the lifetime of the appliance, thus some research is recommended. The same can be said about other electronic goods, also here you can find very energy efficient ones while the vast majority are energy hungry - thus check before you buy that new PC, printer or Flatscreen TV!

Small Green Steps: Transport I

2009-01-11T12:54:00.006+02:00

I have a few friends who ask me, if we come to talk of the topic of my studies and business, what they personally could do to decrease their own ecological footprint. So I decided to write in the following weeks a few small entries about how an individual can life life in a more sustainable way. The ideas presented are easy to implement and don't require huge investments - they actually might help you to save some money! To keep it short and simple, only a few tips per post, no need to write 15 pages.

I start with the topic of personal transportation. Thus, to decrease your personal CO2 emissions, and live a healthier life, start to walk or bicycle more - to work, to the shop, if visiting friends and so on. Leaving the car standing also saves you money on gas. Some numbers: An average car (I took an Audi A4) uses 9,5 l of gas in city use, and emits around 165 g of CO2 per kilometer driven. If you thus drive 10 km to work and back you have have emitted around 3.300 g of CO2 and used about 2 - 3 l of gasoline. Take that times five for your weekly use, and it adds up quickly.

If you absolutely can't go by bike or walk, consider at least to share your ride to work and back. Most people drive alone in their cars, when it wouldn't be a problem to have a colleague or three come with you in the morning/ afternoon. You can rotate who drives on a weekly basis to make it fair. Ask at work if there are colleagues who would be interested to participate in a Car-sharing program, and explain them the benefits - save money and the environment - and you should in no time have a plan set up. If you find three colleagues, you only would drive every fourth week for your group, thus you can save quite a nice amount of money. (Car-sharing in Finland).

That's it for today. I hope you enjoyed it, and I would be curious if you found the tips useful - leave a comment. The next time I will give some hints on how to save energy, thus stay tuned!

Ego or Eco?

2009-01-07T07:36:00.006+02:00

I often get the feeling that being environmentally conscious has a lot to do with your ego. While humans are naturally resistant to change, it seems to me that environmental decisions have even more to do with one's ego than being resistant to change.

Being environmentally friendly still is perceived as an lifestyle in which you need to minimize and abstain yourself from doing something - this is not true. An environmental lifestyle just means that you are more conscious about your decisions, especially in regards to where a product comes from, how it is made and what is environmental impact is. There are environmentalists driving cars, even good looking ones, just that they have a smaller ecological footprint than your average Mercedes, Audi or BMW. Environmentalists also fly, but they compensate for their emissions when they do. They do buy gadgets, but make sure that these have a sound environmental background. I am sure you get the idea!

However, the persisting idea in many heads is that going down an environmental road means decreases in your lifestyle - no more car, no more meat, freezing in your house and scratchy cloths from the flea market. This is simply wrong, as shown above. But if you want to do something good for the environment, you need to be ready to enact some changes in your life. These can be simple ones like switching the light-bulbs in your flat and switching your energy provider to a more environmental one (This is very easy in Finland, just check Sähkön hintavertailu to find a provider with a energy mix of 100% renewables, contact them and they will do the switching for you so its without much hassle). If you are ready to pay slightly more for your food, go shopping in a Bio-Supermarket (I wish we would have those in Finland!). If it is possible, take the bus or subway to work, or use a car-sharing program with your fellow employees. And if you check that new cloths maybe are made from environmentally friendly fabrics like organic cotton or bamboo you are already doing quite a lot. And it didn't hurt, or?

On the other hand, many people who life in a environmentally friendly way often also have an overly high opinion of themselves. They believe their environmental footprint to be smaller, although research has shown that this is not always the case - sometimes they are even bigger! They see themselves as saints, and look down on their fellow people. That neither is a positive approach, and does scare people off. Instead they should try to educate other people in a non-intrusive, friendly way. But that's easier said than done, believe me.

To finish, have a look at this video from Denmark, Eco Not Ego which shows how WWF and a clothing designer worked together to create a Eco Certified, Fair Trade collection for summer 2009. That might even be something for the non-Environmentalist!

A positive thought on the financial crisis

2008-12-22T08:28:00.010+02:00

So while every newspaper seems to be writing about "The Global Recession" aka "Armageddon" and how now everyone will not be able to go out and shop like mad, lose their job, industries dying, etc. journalists and society seem to forget that this also can have a positive effect on society and the environment.

But first off I would like to mention that it really was no surprise that this happened. I mean, it couldn't have continued the way it went, bankers speculating with money which wasn't theirs, managers paying themselves exorbitant wages while the worker down the line has problems paying for everything and folks in general buying all kinds of stuff which they don't need. However, I strongly believe that first the media's "hype" about the "recession" is really creating it. Tell people that they will be facing bad times, and of course they will save money and spend less. The media should think a bit further and edit themselves appropriately.

Anyhow, maybe it isn't that bad that this hit us now. I believe it can have a few good sides, too, this whole recession. First off, people will likely spend less money, which means they will buy less stuff. Which is great, because it will ease the burden on the environment, a) by less raw material demand and b) by less garbage. That also has a positive influence on CO2 emissions, which should come down slightly. Maybe people will also start to value quality again, instead of quantity.

Secondly, people will hopefully start to interact again more with other people. During the Finnish recession in the 90s, society was as close to each other than it was possible. People cared about each other, and helped each other out. They felt that they were all in the same boat, and so society moved closer together. In my opinion this would be a good thing, if people would move again closer together.

Next, some dirty industries will need to rethink their approach to doing business. The big three car manufacturers in the US are dying (and while the Volt looks promising, it comes a bit too late), and also the German car industry finally woke up and put its armada of engineers to work on electric car designs. Also the energy industry will need to change, and now is a good time to start to create these green jobs with solar and wind-power farms, biogas plants and look for further innovative, sustainable energy solutions. The USA, with President Obama at the helm, will be leading the way while we Europeans are slacking behind and try to stop the US of moving ahead with their inventive approach.

Finally, because people will move closer together and buy less material things, they might move out into nature and experience our beautiful environment again. Then they might start to value a clean environment again, consume more environmentally friendly products and check their environmental footprint. Well, that would be the ideal case, anyway.

I am looking optimistic in the future, and am positive that we will survive this crisis and come out on top, with a more caring society and a cleaner environment. 2009 will be a though, but surely exciting year.

USA goes green

2008-12-16T09:20:00.002+02:00

With its new Energy minister, Nobel prize laureate Steven Chu! This are great news, and with the other new nominees for jobs at EPA and the Ministry of the Interior Obama is on a good way to make his country a leader in the environmental movement.

And who is sleeping? Ah ja, its Angela Merkel and her EU buddies, which still think that the environment can take a back seat while they try to fix the economy, the old-fashioned way. But also we have elections in 2009 in Germany, and I hope that the Greens will become one of the more dominant players in the parliament, so that this kind of backwards thinking diminishes.

Green Cities

2008-12-13T12:48:00.003+02:00

Via Wired, which often has good articles on environmental topics, I found this site. From the quick look I had at it, it looks rather interesting and gives good ideas on how our cities should look in the future. I will write more on this topic later on, I gotta go now =)

Environmental politics in Germany

2008-12-08T14:46:00.005+02:00

The worst thing which ever happened to Germany is Angela Merkel and her government. I mean, its a complete standstill compared to the years of (r)evolutions in which Schröder and the Greens were leading the country, doing what needed to be done after 16 years of standstill with Helmut Kohl. And because Schröder needed to fix things which were broken for so long, things which are not your short-term solutions the CDU is implementing but long-term thinking which helped Germany substantially, he got the boot in 2005. Sure I don't think its good Schröder jumped in bed with Gazprom after he failed to win the elections, but I still like him a lot better than Merkel.

And now Angela says she won't support climate change resolutions which might cost jobs in Germany - and that after she tried to create a image of herself as being the leading environmentalist in Europe. It shows that she has no backbone, and is an environmentalist only if it looks good. And now she would have a great opportunity to look good, striding ahead and creating "green" jobs in Germany, boosting its economy and making Germany truly the leader in environmental issues.

But no, instead she prefers to give money to the Germany car industry, so that they can continue building the BMWs, Porsches and Mercedes' which are so "environmentally friendly". Also she made their life easier with voting against lower emission limits. I guess she is nothing else than a puppet of the lobbies. I hope that she is not re-elected next year, and that the change Obama brought to the USA would appear in Germany. Instead the majority will be ignorant and vote her again, for another four years of gridlock. But maybe in 2013 we will get our German Obama!

Hiring policies in Finland

2008-12-08T07:27:00.003+02:00

I wrote last Spring that I was looking for a job once I graduate - or actually already before I graduate. And as I mentioned earlier, I was working on a project basis at a small environmental consulting company, and now that it came to the contract negotiations the result is that I will need to start to look for another job.

While I am aware that we are currently on the slope down with the world economy, to try to hire people under ridiculous conditions is just something I can not understand. People need a fixed income, as they have fixed expenses - rent, electricity, water, internet, phone, food. While I am a good hearted person, I will not work for free, even as a foreigner in Finland.

And on the same notice can go the nepotism that is common in this country when it comes to giving jobs away. According to one study around 75% of jobs in Finland are given to friends or known people, even if they are advertised to everyone the decision is already made beforehand. And often this nepotism means that people which have no education in the respective field to get a job, while a person who studied for it goes away empty-handed.

In case this seems I'm upset with this situation, I actually am doing good. I have a clear vision of what comes next, and its gonna be a exciting year ahead of me. Stay posted!

GreenPeace movie

2008-11-30T15:30:00.004+02:00

Just found this entertaining and educating Greenpeace video called Coalfinger:

Its well made, and a great way to increase environmental awareness in the society. I think we would need something similar here in Finland, just that the topic should be about nuclear energy instead of coal. Finland is operating already four nuclear power plants, building the fifth (which is late and should have been online already a while ago) and one political party is calling for a sixth. Lunatic, if you ask me.

Finland has many promising renewable energy companies, like Windside and WinWinD as well as a few companies which work on creating technologies to use ocean currents. Anaerobic digestion is also growing in Finland, and I really like the possibilities of that technology; using bio-waste, liquid manure and other organic waste to produce biogas - which can be used as car fuel or for energy and heat production - and natural manure. Its a closed cycle, and one which has a promising future.

Green holiday shopping

2008-11-29T20:43:00.008+02:00

Well, its the time of the year again where the average citizen in the western society starts to act strange, he/ she is even more stressed than during the other 11 months of the year, and runs on his weekends from shop to shop in order to buy more, for himself and also for the others. It would be useful to show these holidays with your money what you think is environmentally sound and what is not.

Some simple ideas for the start. What's good to buy, and what not? Good are gifts which have for example the Fair Trade label, which can be recycled or are made of recycled materials, gifts which are made from natural materials like wood, organic materials like bamboo or organic cotton, and goods which have been manufactured locally. You might want to shy away form gifts which are the opposite to the before mentioned, so stuff from far away, unsustainable materials or materials with a huge ecological footprint. I think some common sense will help in deciding what's good and what's not.

Green shopping does not need to be difficult. If you prefer it easy and don't wanna run into the store, use the internet and let Mr. Postman bring the presents to your door. A simple exercise in googling should bring up a webstore which sells environmentally friendly gifts in your country.

If you're more into the holiday shopping and like the atmosphere of dozens of people acting like the world is going to end soon, you can try your local eco-store (eg where you can buy vegan and local food), they often also have a section with cosmetics, cloths and other small gifts. Here in Finland that would be Runsaudensarvi, Ruohonjuuri, and Ekolo. All three have cloths, gifts and cosmetics for sale, and are run by friendly and helpful staff.

If you, like me, feel that material gifts are often unnecessary (and end up collecting dust on some shelf), try to give a service as a present. This can go from a hand and/ or foot massage over a afternoon in the Spa to a nice evening eating out. Visiting a concert or a night at the movies are also nice gifts, and you will be able to spend a goof time with the people close to you.

And for these girlfriends and mom's which still buy socks and underwear for their loved ones, try these for a change! However, the best option in my opinion is to give nothing. Be with your loved ones, talk, walk in the nature, eat and drink, you will see that you don't need tangibles to make each other happy.

Mac goes green

2008-11-25T09:16:00.003+02:00

Apple just set up a new website which announces how green they have become with the new MacBooks released: Free of many (but apparently not all?) toxins have been eliminated, the new MacBook is made out of one slab of Aluminum which is of course very easy to recycle (is it maybe already made out of recycled Aluminum? That would be great!), uses less energy and the packaging has been reduced. However, on GreenPeace's list Apple is still in the lower ranks, but then I am not sure if they already had the new MacBooks when they made their report. Watch the Green Apple ad here.

E-Waste

2008-11-21T08:38:00.004+02:00

I just came across this documentary which showcases what happens to our old electronic waste, where it ends up after we drop it the recycling station. It tells the viewer that e-waste is the biggest growing waste stream, as in the world of electronics the equation newer = better is the motto of manufacturers and retailers, and obviously the consumer believes this without much own thinking.

e-waste is highly toxic, and it is expensive to dismantle and to recycle, so recycling companies, from Europe as well the USA, often export the stuff to Asia and Africa, where low environmental standards and cheap labour make the process more affordable. And probably also the "Out of sight, out of mind" principle can be applied here. That the people who do the recycling thus for us often have no protection and thus suffer heavily under the toxics released is obvious, but they stay in the job because it is better than having no job at all.

I have read a similar story on e-waste in Fred Pearce's "Confessions of an Eco-Sinner" in which he made a trip to China and India to follow his e-waste. Pearce finds the same conditions, people with no protection extracting gold and silver from old circuit boards with medieval technics and burning of garbage which can't be recycled further. But he also points out that the recycling is very effective and creates employment for these people. Its a good book, and if you come across it you should definitely read it.

Personally I still got my two year old MacBook, and once it has done its duty I will resell it, or maybe one of my siblings will inherit it. Apple has been in the critics by Greenpeace for having still many toxics in its Laptop and Desktops, upon which Steve Jobs addressed the issue at the annual Keynote speech and promised to make Apple also a leader in environmental matters. Currently it looks like they are well on their way, and will reach their goal by the end of 2008.

Its not that difficult to be responsible in your operations, and I hope that these kind of illegal operations are shut down soon. We can make a difference in our actions, and when we return our e-waste we should ask questions and show concern of what happens with it. That hopefully sends the message to the people who only think in quarterly reports and the bottom line.

Energy from the sun II

2008-11-19T14:23:00.005+02:00

Desertec, the company about which I wrote earlier this spring, won the Utopia Award 2008 last week. Desertec won in the Ideas category and also won the audience price! Congratulations! This showcases that the idea is gaining momentum, and maybe we see first investments soon, which will decrease CO2 emissions, increase save, clean energy and create jobs, income and infrastructure in a region which dearly needs them. Its thus not only a environmental sound idea, but also a social one.

In other sun related news, Solarworld just offered GM 1 billion €s to buy out Opel, the German car manufacturer. They said they would keep the current product line, but also start to develop the company into Europe's first green car company. Its a good idea, and the CEO Franz Asbeck told the media that it is not a PR gag, but I am skeptical if they would be successful - after all the car business is quite different from the solar business! Maybe they better stick to their trade, and let Porsche take over Opel - after all, they already took over VW and increased its profitability!

Recycling

2008-11-07T18:51:00.004+02:00

So as I wrote yesterday, I moved to Tampere. The whole finding a flat was a complicated story, but in the end we found the perfect flat. Its in an old factory building, and next to the lake and also the Park/ nature area. We really love it here.

But before moving in it needed renovating. So two weeks of taking of the old wall paper, painting the walls, installing lights, book shelves, cleaning, moving in the furniture and filling the shelves. It was fun, but I only can say this now, after its all done. We became quite a bit of experts now, with all the colours and things we needed. We made our choices mainly with the environment in mind, for example choosing colours which do not have any toxic chemicals in them, and are good for our health.

After the renovating was done, it was time to start decorating. As we're both minimalists if it comes to decorating, it was clear that we didn't need much. We recycled our "old" furniture, bought two cool chairs at a 2nd Hand Store, as well as new desks from Ikea (we couldn't always make the best environmental choice, as we had a limited budget). The furniture we had from the previous flats we sold, and cloths and other things which you collect during the years we sold at the Flea Market (the Finnish flea market system is perfect, you rent a table for a week, bring your stuff there, equipped with tags which include the number of your table and the price, and then you go there a week later to collect your money and the stuff which didn't get sold).

In the same direction goes this video, which I found from the viral video award site:

Its quite funny that I saw this today, as the book I am currently reading, Confessions of an Eco-Sinner by Fred Pearce, has one chapter which explains exactly this chain. Very interesting book, definitely worth reading. Anyhow, this is it for me today. Hyvää viikonloppua!

The reappearing blogger

2008-11-06T09:42:00.003+02:00

So, have been away for a long time. Moved from Valencia to Finland, and since July I'm living in a nice flat in Tampere. Got busy writing a Marketing Plan for Climate Counselor Oy for whom I am now also working on a project basis. The master's thesis is going forward very well, already had three interviews and the next one is soon. I still aim to graduate in December, and hope that it is possible with the amount of work I have for Climate Counselor.

Anyhow, yesterday I felt hugely optimistic, as Obama was elected to be the 44th president of the USA. Its such a positive sign, and I have the hope that it will help to make the world a greener and more social place - he has some good policy ideas in that direction.

And although I haven't been very active here, I have been posting some short bits and pieces over on the CEM blog, so in case you started to follow that you have a glimpse of what I have been up to. For the next few months I will try to write more here, so stay tuned!

Back again!

2008-05-20T13:27:00.004+03:00

So, I have been a bit absent in the last weeks, this was due to my best friend Martin from Germany coming over for a visit. We had a blast, and went on a road trip through the south of Spain. Our first stop was in Granada, home to the picturesque Alhambra. It is a gorgeous palace, and words can't describe the beauty of the place, with its lush green gardens, ornamental walls and fountains. I'll try to upload some photos at some point, but at this point you will need to check them from somewhere else.

As we were traveling on a budget, we used what we have been using already on our trip through Ireland last summer: Couchsurfing. Its a worldwide network and helps to make connections between travelers and locals. Basically you ask people on the website in the area where you will visit, if they would be willing to host you. This has the added benefit that they can supply you with a wealth of knowledge, and direct you to the best sites, restaurants and cafés and you don't will end up in a tourist trap. So in Granada we actually stayed in a small, beautiful village up in the mountains, Quentar. It was a very typical little Andalucian village, and the villagers were friendly and helpful. We had a good time in Quentar =)

Our next stop was Córdoba. The city looks a lot nicer than Granada (which suffered heavily from urban sprawl and ugly apartment buildings), and the Mezquita is one of the main attractions. We paid the 8€ to get in, but honestly it was a waste of money, as it was way to Christianized, with small chapels all along the walls, and nothing of the magic of the original structure remained, except of course the pillars. As we say, if you have seen one Christian Church/ Cathedral/ whatever you have seen them all, they don't differ much from each other. Anyhow, the city with its small, friendly cobblestone streets and flower boxes in the windows was very pretty, and Martin and I went to a Hammam which was a very relaxing experience. Córdoba had temperatures of 35°C and more plus high humidity, so a dip in a pool and a massage were great way to slow down a bit and let the mind rest. We ate very well in Córdoba, in a place called Morilles - Pata Negra, which was recommended to us.

Our trip to our next destination, Toledo, took us through high mountains and rolling plains, and showed that Spain has more to offer than sun and beaches. We arrived in the late afternoon in Toledo and met our host, rested for a while and heard what would be worth to see in the city. We took a bus to the city, which is located on a hill and surrounded by a river on three sides, and its very majestically looking with its Alcázar and the Cathedral. We strolled through the city, went to eat and headed back to our host, where we sat on the balcony and had a good conversation in which we improved the world! The next day we started early and headed back to the city, and took a ride around it, after which we had a good lunch and a siesta in a park, before we headed to the Art Museum where we visited a exhibition, De Goya a Sorolla, which was a stunning exposition. That evening we enjoyed dinner with our hosts, had more conversations in which we improved the world and then hit the hay, as we'll have a longer trip the next day to Valencia.

The road to Valencia goes past by Cuenca, which is famous for its hanging houses, and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site (all four cities we visited where UNESCO World Heritage Sites =). Cuenca is also pretty much in the middle between Toledo and Valencia, so it was a good site to make a stop and make the trip less tiresome. The hanging houses are actually only one (or two, depends on how you count), so we felt a bit fooled. Anyhow, we had lunch and then continued our trip, past pine forests, fields and mountains until we finally reached Valencia in the early evening. It felt good to be home again, and the last few days Martin was here we went to visit the beach (and went to swim. That was the first time since I arrived in Spain that I was in the sea!), climbed on old city gates and strolled through the parks.

Well, also for me the time in Spain is drawing to an end, 10 more days and we'll fly home to Finland. We're still searching for a flat, but there's also some other stuff happening which can have an influence on that. I guess I'll reflect on my time in Spain some time in June, when I have settled again in.

Energy from the sun

2008-04-29T17:29:00.013+03:00

Just read an interesting article about how Europe can get rid of its dependency of oil and gas. Its with an technology which is already established since the 80s, but then got abandoned in favour of cheap oil and gas. Well, now that oil is selling at over 115$ a barrel and gas is coming (or is not coming) from Russia, its time that the European countries start to look for alternatives.

The article introduces us to the hidden assets of Northern Africa and the Middle East: the Sun. In a technology which is called Desertec the sun energy which goes down in the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA for short) can be easily transferred into energy for Europe and the region. Its a simple as it is brilliant: using mirrors which travel with the sun to optimize the solarization, steam is raised which drive steam turbines and electricity generators. Excess heat is saved in tanks and make it possible that the turbines can operate also at night. In case weather doesn't play along the turbines can be powered by biomass, natural gas or oil (I go for biomass!). In case you now think that the whole Sahara needs to be covered by mirrors, nope. If you would want to power the whole world with this power, an area the size of Austria - that are around 84.000 km2 - would need to be covered.

To get the energy to Europe, you're using something that's called High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission lines. These lose only about 3% of energy every 1000 km, and these losses make up by the increased solar radiation in the MENA region, which are about twice of that which we have here in Southern Europe.

An added benefit of this technology: it can be used for desalinating seawater. As we're facing water shortages especially in the MENA region, this appears to me like a brilliant opportunity to tackle two problems at once!

Finally, the energy from the sun is free and constant - resources can't be depleted. You don't need to dig wells and build pipelines (through the Baltic Sea, for example) for transportation. Prices can be kept stable because of these reasons. And with the building of each new solar thermal power plant energy gets cheaper.

So, these developing countries could create their own drinking water, create environmentally friendly energy which they could export to Europe, and create jobs for their people. We in the developed world would no longer depend on oil or gas, wouldn't have nuclear waste and don't need to build more coal power plants.

So what's the problem? To start with, if people hear solar power they normally think about panels which you install on your roof or which power street lights. People need to be educated about the possibilities of having solar power plants produce the energy for whole countries. Also our politicians prefer to concentrate on other sources and put our money into coal power plants and their dirty and dangerous friends.

Another criticism of this technology are the high costs. However, parabolic troughs (or what I referred to as "mirrors") are the most cost-effective alternative in comparison with parabolic dishes. There's a whole book on the shortcomings of solar energy, too I didn't yet have a look at that. This technology, in comparison with the solar panels, is also less harmful for the environment in the production. Overall I see this as a working technology, and we need to act now if we don't wanna ruin our planet for future generations.

Anyhow, slowly this technology is spreading. In Algeria, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates the construction of solar thermal power plants has already started, and investors are at the moment happily funding renewable energy projects. Time to start building! If you want to help TREC, sign their form and they will forward to your politicians!

By the way, here in Spain the first solar thermal power station will go online this summer. Its close to Granada and is called Andasol (Wiki link), and will be able to give enough energy to a city the size of Granada - around 200.000 people. It will avoid the emission of around 150 million tons of CO2 per year, and created 50 new jobs (Funnily enough, it seems to be operated by a German company =). Plant two and three will go online 2009 and 2010, and together the three plants will produce around 160 million kWh per year. Together with the PS10 Solar Power Tower, Europe's first commercial solar power plant, this is a very great effort of Spain to switch to renewable sources!

To draw to a close, I find the technology very attractive and can see the use for the developing countries and the developed countries. We don't really use the deserts, so we might as well put solar thermal power plants there to satisfy our thirst for energy, desalinate water and create jobs. Expect a future post on sustainable biogas production from wastes and energy crops!

Widgets, Gadgets and other Apps

2008-04-28T16:33:00.006+03:00

Hmmm, new apps on this blog! You already saw the Snap Shots, those handy little windows which show you the content of links, for a while now. I also decided to make a technorati account, where you can add my blog. Sweet. I'm looking into getting a del.icio.us account, would seem like a handy idea to have my bookmarks all online. However, I came across an article by Clive Thompson in the new Wired Magazine which introduced me to Twine - which seems like hundred times better than del.icio.us. Its like my own assistant which sorts my bookmarks, surfs the web for similar websites and then sends me the links. It sounds fantastic, so I right away signed up for the beta test, and hopefully receive a invitation soonish. Then I'm tracking which software I'm using how much with Wakoopa, and which music I'm listening too with LastFm. I upgraded my BitTorrent client a few weeks ago, and now am using Vuze, and NeoOffice is my preferred application for writing and office stuff. However, for presentations, nothing beats Keynote from iWork. Its so fricking fabulous, I can't imagine going back to PowerPoint ever - even my Professors love it! Safari is my favorite browser, although I also use FireFox every now and then. Finally, you can even check out my CV at LinkedIn! Its wicked, I know. Just one thing is missing. FaceBook. Never been there, never will be there. Enough geekdom for today.

/edit: So, just found two great Apps that I just need to share right away: Dimdim is fascinating. Its an online, free conferencing service in which you can share presentations, videos, and desktops. It has VoiP and supports webcams. Did I mention that its free? You don't need to download anything to your computer, which is an added bonus - it just works from the comfort of your browser! I think this is an excellent tool for SMEs as well as the big multinationals which are spread out over diverse locations. With this its so easy to brainstorm and communicate over the internet, I can't start to imagine how useful this tool is for business.

The next app isn't from bad parents either. Its bubbl.us, an free online app which lets you brainstorm with friends and colleagues. It lets you create mind maps, which you can save and print out later, email to yourself or friends, supports a host of features - another app that I can definitely see used in business! With this kind of apps you don't need to travel anymore to meetings, you can do it from the comfort of your own office or home. Saves money and is good for the environment!

Weekend!

2008-04-21T20:40:00.016+03:00

Valencia is situated at the coast of the Mediterranean, and we have beautiful weather at the moment, and gorgeous parks in the city. So at the weekends, my girlfriend and I normally grab a book, a bottle of water and something to eat and head over to Jardín del Real, or my favourite, Jardín Botánico and have a good time chilling in the silence of the park. In the evenings we treat ourselves with a good dinner at one of the various vegetarian restaurants, or have dinner together with friends and then head out for a beer or some "Agua de Valencia".

Valencia is a business city, and its noisy and hectic in the streets, thus some silent time in a green and shadowy place is like heaven. On Sunday I'm planning to go on a hike to a nearby hill, so I'm looking forward to have some good time in nature - especially since at the moment trees and flowers are in bloom and give off their delicious scents, I can't imagine something better. In that sense, a good weekend to all of you =)

Water and food

2008-04-21T20:12:00.005+03:00

Those two basic necessities for human life to survive are in high demand at the moment. International Alert, a UK independent peacebuilding organization, published in November 2007 a paper called "A Climate of Conflict" - just shortly after the IPCC published its "Summary for Policymakers" Report.

And surely enough, five months later we heard and saw how people, driven by hunger and thirst, are rioting on the streets, governments authorize subsidies on bread to calm its citizens down, and other countries limit food exports so they don't run short.

But nowadays we forgot about it again, and are more worried about the financial crisis and how it might affect us personally. So its good that a movie is trying to guide our attention to it. We Feed The World is a stunning documentary which shows what the world of mass produced food looks like. I was impressed to learn that we produce enough food to feed the world population twice! But instead the Europeans burn their corn and wheat to generate electricity while importing soya from Brazil to feed chicken. And the CEO of Nestlé wants to put a price tag on water, but he says it in such a difficult way that I ask myself how he became CEO of the company in the first place.

Anyhow, I am happy that such opinions are becoming less and less popular, and that now more and more people realize that it can not continue in this way. A research by SYKE shows that Finns in south Finland become aware of the fact that global warming is a reality, and they are scared that their children won't see snow in the year 2020. SYKE, which stands for "Finnish Environment Institute" has a lot of information available on their website, so if you're interested in Finland and have some free time, check out their Envelope newsletter, its full of fascinating facts!

Being green is for everyone!

2008-04-21T18:05:00.032+03:00

Often environmentally aware people are being elitist. We think we're better people, because we buy Fair Trade cloths and organic, locally grown food and beverages. We drive with the bike to work, don't fly on holidays and if we do we buy carbon emission certificates. We vote for the Greens, discuss about climate change and read every information we get our hands on. And at the end, we try to educate everyone about what they do wrong and how they should do it. And that's where the problem is.

Humans are reluctant to change, and we don't like to be educated by our green friends. If we want to know something, we will ask or look it up ourselves. Just don't play a smart ass and try to educate me, you will meet deaf ears in that case. And that is not the opinion of one or two persons, but the way the majority of society thinks and feels.

Thus I can understand the mother or father of two, who would like to buy environmentally and socially sound products, but often supermarkets only carry a limited amount of Fair Trade and organic products; the eco-shops are often somewhere hidden plus that you might feel strange when you go there, because its full of alternative elitist people and they look at you a bit odd - "What does that person want here?" sort-of-look. And with two kids and a job you have plenty to do, so a extra round to the eco-shop often is just not possible. Finally, you're also concerned that some of the products don't work as well as their inorganic friends - you heard those rumours that ecological detergents and washing-up liquids don't clean as well as the chemical ones, didn't you?

As my girlfriends parents were visiting us in Valencia, the topic came to my studies and what we do at home to decrease our ecological footprint. They are normal Finns, both in their fifties, working and living in their own house in the middle of the forest. We spoke what kind of future is in store for us if we continue to life the way we do, and why we are trying to live a sustainable lifestyle. We didn't try to persuade them what they could do, that is not our style.

They asked us at one point simply, "What could we do?". That really was awesome. We gave them simple tips that don't require lifestyle changes, things like sorting waste, building a compost in the garden, switching of the light and using energy-saving light bulbs. The greatest thing is that they already heat the complete house with wood, and that already since some seven years or so. I really loved that! My girlfriend went on to look up various eco-tips (from Greenpeace, its a very good resource as the tips are customized for countries!) and sent them to her parents, who enjoyed them and put some of them into action, like trying some organic food products.

So how to go about it if we can not go around shouting it out on the streets? Try inspiring people with your actions. Be friendly and honest with what you say. Don't assume that you have the moral high ground to demand from other people what to do. If you want change from corporations, then initiate that change with your money and your buying decisions, and if you demand change from you government vote for it, or become a politician and make the laws yourself.

For the eco-shops, try to make yourself more open to the normal part of society. The eco-folks are already coming, no matter where you're situated, now try to open up to the other part of the market (which, by the way, is about four to five times the size of your current target group). A good example is the Ekolo Shop in Jyväskylä, it just moved downtown to the main shopping street. They have friendly and open-minded staff, fair prices and, being downtown, don't require people to make a extra round to get to them.

The supermarkets, with their huge bargaining power, also should offer even more environmentally sound alternatives, and aim them at the bulk of your clients. That means, keep the prices fair but reasonable. If the non-environmental person needs to choose between organic milk (around 1,80€/ liter) and normal milk (around 0,60€/ liter) and the two are next to each other, the choice will often be for the cheaper one. Sure, this is a slightly biased example, as normally Fair Trade and organic products are not at all more expensive than their unfair trade and chemical counterparts, though I wanted to illustrate a point here. On the positive side, Kesko, one of the leaders in the Finnish retail business, introduced already in the summer of 2007 biodegradable plastic bags, and are pushing their stores to use green electricity, energy-saving light-bulbs. Now start just offering Fair Trade bananas!

To come to a close, being green is for everyone if we make it easily accessible. We need to learn to step down from our high moral ground, and share our knowledge in a friendly way. We need to make information easily accessible and guide people to them if they ask for it. It needs to become natural to buy Fair Trade and organic, and not something special. Finally, we need to make the people feel that they can help change the situation, and make them feel good about it! And by the way, those rumours about ecological detergents, well, they're just that - rumours. They work perfectly well, and they come in a re-useable bottle, which you can refill in your next visit to the eco-shop!

Of eggs and chicken

2008-04-21T15:34:00.018+03:00

What was first, the chicken or the egg? Or in my case, what should be first environmental responsibility, or social responsibility? Do you buy Fair Trade or do you buy organic coffee? Fair Trade or organic clothing? You can continue this question with various products which we purchase during our lifetime, and its maybe not a simple question to answer. But where's the problem, you might ask, aren't both good for the environment?

True, most Fair Trade products are at the same time also produced with the environment in mind, and vice versa with organic products. And why wouldn't you implement a system that is both good for the people and the environment? Well, because you only have that much money to spare, to begin with. As a company you need to think what brings you (more) profit, and how do you want to be seen in society? Environmentally friendly, or socially friendly? Preferably both, of course, but certifications are expensive and you might not be able to finance both at the same time. What would be the right decision to make? I think in the end this comes down to the managers of the firm and their view of the world. Other obstacles are that you might not have control over what happens downstream, and if you would tell your supplier that you want from now on better working conditions for their workers as well as an environmentally certification he might suggest that you start to look for another supplier. Needless to say that this is an overly simplified view, though I hope it illustrates what I try to examine.

As a consumer, you also only have that much disposable income which you can spent, and you want to make good decisions, both for you and your family, the people who produced what you purchase and the environment. You want that it is healthy, and that no person needed to work for fourteen hours and got paid a low wage, and that the environment didn't need to suffer badly. You might not have all the information you need to make the decisions, and you don't necessarily want to search for the ultimate product.

And then there is the question how the two take effect on the people downstream at the manufacturing end. How much do they benefit from an environmental working practice, which means, do they see it in their pay check, in their surroundings? Will they understand an environmental working practice, even if they need to work for twelve hours a day for a lousy wage? And on the other hand, would the Fair Trade worker, with his better wage and working conditions care more for the environment?

This is the basic question for me. If we employ people under Fair Trade principles, they will be able to rest, their children get educated in schools, there's enough water and food for everyone and they might be able to afford some luxury. This in turn should give them the possibility to contemplate over the environment, and they can begin to understand that it might be better to not cut down the forest and kill all the animals living in it.

Thus, to go back to my opening question, of what's first, social or environmental responsibility, in my opinion first should be social responsibility. If people get a fair wage under safe and good working conditions, they will be able to think about environmental problems. This can lead to them understanding that they better do not cut down a forest, poison rivers and throw away their garbage where they please, but that the environment needs protection. If on the other hand we employ people under dangerous and inhuman conditions, we might not give them a better alternative than hunt and kill endangered animals and burn down the forest for a plot of land for growing food, even if that forest and those animals are protected and what they produce is organic.

To sum things off, more often than not products are both environmentally friendly and produced under sound social standards - just look for the various environmental and fair trade signs. Personally, I care for the people and the environment equally, and make my purchase decisions based on these principles, and products which are both organic and socially sustainable are preferred.

Finally, a colleague from JYU started a blog in which he posted our ideas, where we're distributing product, reading and movie tips. Its still under construction, but it should fill up in no time at all!

Sharing is caring

2008-04-20T19:57:00.006+03:00

Sharing is caring, and in this case I refer to sharing movies and music via BitTorrent. Imagine it like a address book, which tells your BitTorrent client from where to get the parts, and then puts it all together. The benefit of this is simple: Instead of downloading one huge chunk from one person, you download many small chunks from many different persons, making it faster and more efficient for all involved.

So how is this good for the environment? Well, I don't like stuff like DVDs and CDs flying around in the house. I listen music via iTunes and also watch movies from my Mac, so the physical material is just taking up space, and most movies I only watch once either way, so no need to buy something just to put it on a shelf. You could say, by downloading movies and music via P2P you save the environment, as there are no resources wasted on the production of physical material, no transportation to the store takes place, no extra electrical equipment like DVD and CD players is needed. In summary that means less CO2 emissions from production and transportation, less electrical garbage which ends up somewhere in the developing world, and a lot of resources are saved.

But is it not prohibited? Well, it depends on where you are. Here in Europe we have quite lax laws on downloading, which is good in my opinion. If a movie or a band is worth my money, I purchase their record (as a download, iTunes or directly from the artist or label) or go to the cinema/ concert. However, some people are trying to change this, and they sued The Pirate Bay - the worlds largest BitTorrent tracker - in an attempt to scare people from using this medium. But as it seems, the big guys are fighting with dirty tricks. I can just hope that our European politicians do not bend to the will of multinational companies, and if they decide one day to make a decision in this mater, that they at least bothered to understand the whole thing instead of just listening to the multinationals' lobbies. I think this summary on TorrentFreak puts it nicely together.

Finally, a picture says more than thousand words =) Have a good Sunday evening!

Here I am

2008-03-31T19:14:00.003+03:00

It took me a few months of contemplating, but here I am writing my first blog entry. I guess reading No Impact Man and some others gave me the final inspiration.

Well, as a first entry I guess an introduction would be in order: I'm a 26 year old European (son to Dutch/ German parents) who currently lives in Valencia, Spain and studies Corporate Environmental Management (CEM for short) at the University of Jyväskylä (JYU) in Finland. I already am a Bachelor of Business Administration, though I felt that I wanted to study more and so I was very glad as I got accepted to the CEM program at JYU - this is more in line with my own principals of social and environmental responsibility. I throughly enjoy my studies and am looking forward to start working in the field, and making the world better.

In my free time I practice traditional Japanese martial arts, Hyoho Niten Ichi Ryu Kenjutusu and Hontai Yoshin Ryu Jujutsu. Furthermore, I paint and play tabletop games, and I spent a big amount of time reading both online and offline. Together with my girl friend I like to go for a stroll in the park, talk about ideas and thoughts, drink coffee or watch a movie. Music is a big part of my life, and if there's one band which I truly adore, it ULVER.

So, why did I start this blog? I want to use this as a platform to talk about things which happen in my life, so you will read about environmental and social matters, what its like being a student who is writing his master's thesis and is looking for a job, nerd things and the occasional rant about anything else happening in my life.

I'm looking forward to your comments, questions and observations!