SonyEricsson P990i

At the moment I have still P800. It has been a very good and innovative cell phone, but it starts to get old. I don't mind about scratches, but it's not anymore a reliable phone - it simply gets faults like any old cell phone. Perhaps I've dropped it too many times ;-) Anyway, I've been looking for a new phone already about a year, but there has been nothing for me... Untill now, when SonyEricsson is about to launch new P990i. It's (almost) perfect phone for me...

Mohammed Cartoons were published in Egypt in October

A week ago I was thinking if we're on the road to religious war. Quite a lot of amazing news have come out to daylight after that, see for example the articles of Brussels Journal and Egyptian blogger Sandmonkey. They show that already in last October one of Egypt's largest newspaper Al Fagr printed those same cartoons! Why the Muslim world did not react that time!?! Sandmonkey also tells how Arabic leaders used this cartoon conflict to their own purposes.

The photo is scanned from Al Fagr by Sandmonkey. Thanks for him to share this to rest of the world.

A Guide to Mobile Cooking

Wymsey Weekend: A Guide to Mobile Cooking

Many students, and other young people, have little in the way of cooking skills but can usually get their hands on a couple of mobile phones. So, check how to use two mobile phones to cook an egg which will make a change from phoning out for a pizza.

I have'nt tried this - yet - but perhaps I'll try to be a mythbuster next weekend ;-)

EDIT: this is a myth; Bzzt. Brainiac (an alternative to Mythbusters) tried this with 100 phones, and the phones were literally covering the egg, and they left the egg under there for a while. It definitely didn't cook, and they reported it didn't even get remotely warm either. The creators of this myth also forgot some basic things of mobile phone technology. Couple of traditional walki-talkies could have worked better, perhaps...

The Ultimate Flight

Steve Fosset is an American multimillionaire and modern adventurer. He is a famous aviator and sailor, and while writing this he is above the Arabian Peninsula, flying east with his new Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer. He departed on 8th of February from Kennedy Space Center to set a record non-stop flight around the world. The flight should last about three and half days. You can follow his flight online on tracking site.

Will we experience a "mini Ice Age" ?

Here's a really long range weather forecast for us:

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia -- A Russian astronomer has predicted that Earth will experience a "mini Ice Age" in the middle of this century, caused by low solar activity.

Khabibullo Abdusamatov of the Pulkovo Astronomic Observatory in St. Petersburg said Monday that temperatures will begin falling six or seven years from now, when global warming caused by increased solar activity in the 20th century reaches its peak, RIA Novosti reported.

The coldest period will occur 15 to 20 years after a major solar output decline between 2035 and 2045, Abdusamatov said.

Dramatic changes in the earth's surface temperatures are an ordinary phenomenon, not an anomaly, he said, and result from variations in the sun's energy output and ultraviolet radiation.

The Northern Hemisphere's most recent cool-down period occurred between 1645 and 1705. The resulting period, known as the Little Ice Age, left canals in the Netherlands frozen solid and forced people in Greenland to abandon their houses to glaciers, the scientist said.

(Source: UPI, 7.2.2006)

Can you guess where we live at the moment?

This is beautiful town, especially in summer, between two big lakes and here's beatiful nature around this town. This is not too far from bigger towns, so it's easy to go shopping to big outlets and special shops. If you're keen on sports, you can practice here nearly all sports known in the Finnish sports culture.

But... Here's two big stinking factories that spread pollutions over this town. This is very red i.e. socialdemocratic town that has led to very hermetic atmosphere. The amount of so called "large generation" i.e. people close to retirement is bigger than anywhere else in Finland. You may guess what does it probably mean to services this town will offer to it's inhabitants in future. More to pensioners, less to children and young people and young families. And probably soon this town will be just a dormitory suburb of a much bigger city north from here. You can already now see how the shops die here. It's even hard to find clothing for kids in this town, not to mention about any special items. You really must go shopping to those nearby cities...

If you're a Finn, you probably realised already that I'm talking about this town.

Why we still live here? I don't know... but I know it's time to leave soon...

A "Lost World" Found in Indonesia

An expedition to one of Asia's most isolated jungles in the mist-shrouded Foja Mountains of western New Guinea discovered a virtual "Lost World" of new species, giant flowers, and rare wildlife that was unafraid of humans.

The December 2005 trip by a team of U.S., Indonesian, and Australian scientists led by Conservation International (CI) found dozens of new species including frogs, butterflies, plants, and an orange-faced honeyeater, the first new bird from the island of New Guinea in more than 60 years.

"It's as close to the Garden of Eden as you're going to find on Earth," said Bruce Beehler, vice president of CI's Melanesia Center for Biodiversity Conservation and a co-leader of the expedition. "The first bird we saw at our camp was a new species. Large mammals that have been hunted to near extinction elsewhere were here in abundance. We were able to simply pick up two Long-Beaked Echidnas, a primitive egg-laying mammal that is little known."

The expedition found a new large mammal for Indonesia the Golden-mantled Tree Kangaroo, formerly known from only a single mountain in neighboring Papua New Guinea. Other discoveries included what may be the largest rhododendron flower on record almost six inches across along with more than 20 new frogs and four new butterflies. The new species of honeyeater, the first new bird discovered on the island of New Guinea since 1939, has a bright orange face-patch with a pendant wattle under each eye.

Take a look at the photos of these new species. And here's the wholy story how the lost birds of paradise were found.

It's simply amazing how there is still this kind of places in our planet.

Would you welcome unisex office toilets?

Would you welcome unisex office toilets, like in US comedy Ally McBeal? I would - at least in some places, like in our floor in our company premises, where we have 53 men and only 5 ladies. Both ladies and gents have two toilets, but the mens toilets are usually always reserved when you need it, but ladies toilets are free...

Electronic paper watch

Yet another electronic paper gadget: Seiko has developed a wristwatch using E-Ink's electronic paper in its display. A 3 x 9 cm electronic paper is curved and embedded along the watch's bracelet-shaped surface. The e-paper displays a constantly-altering mosaic pattern, in addition to the conventional time display. The watch is very slim, about 3.5 mm and weighs 134g. I really like this watch - and I'd love to have one. But... Seiko released only a limited edition of 500 units of their Spectrum SVRD001 and the price is "nice": 1900 Euros...

Latest Weather Conditions on Your Refrigerator Magnet?

Interesting stuff - almost futuristic - but something possibly coming by this summer. Maybe it shouldn't really be much of a surprise given how fast technology is changing and advancing. This article borders on the edge of computer geek-dom", but the future possibilities are interesting from a real-time weather standpoint, nonetheless.

"Spreading the e-word" ... E-Ink, made of electronically controlled migrating pigments, may change the way we read books, look at clocks and follow the weather. Imagine checking the latest weather update on your refrigerator magnet, then slipping on your flip-flops and shuffling off to the beach with, say, 80 of the books on your must-read list.

It could happen by this summer.

A new "electronic paper" technology called E-Ink will soon be available on two new gadgets. One is an "electronic book" that's easy on the eyes, and has the capacity for at least 80 novels. The other is a 10 cm weather display that updates every 15 minutes and sticks to the fridge with a magnet.

Nearly as thin as paper, with the contrast and sharpness of a newspaper, E-Ink electronic paper uses millions of embedded "microcapsules" to produce images - all black-and-white for now. But it's already headed for market on wristwatches, electronic meters, programmable public signs and sales displays.
Sony is using E-Ink's solution in it's new upgraded Reader. It has a rechargeable battery instead of C-cells, better contrast, more ports for memory devices and other design changes. The Reader should be ready for sale this spring. Prices are expected to be in the 300-400 USD range.

As promising as books on electronic paper seem to be, there are some cautions for users who take them to the beach. "From a readability perspective, they're great to have out in the sun," But unlike a print volume, "you don't want to drop it, slam it on the ground or pack it in a suitcase."

Anyway, very interesting thing!

(Photo in courtesy of E Ink Corporation)

Asperger - probably the best syndrome in the world

My son has Asperger syndrome. He has quite light symptoms when compared to many others, but anyway he is diagnosed as having an Asperger syndrome.

About a year ago I was still thinking that it's a kind of a disease, but nowadays I see the situation in very different light. Asperger syndrome is a human property and it can be a gift too. There's many well known people who have Asperger syndrome. They include Nobel Prize-winning economist Vernon Smith, comedian/actor Dan Aykroyd, BitTorrent creator Bram Cohen, industrial rocker Gary Numan and Craig Nicholls, frontman of the band The Vines. Even Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton are considered as having this syndrome.

Nowadays I can also identify the signs of Asperger's syndrome in adult peoples around me. It makes much easier to understand them, why they behave as they do and on the other hand, it's also much easier to approve their behavior.

Asperger syndrome is a gift and a curse. But without it, this world would not be the same as we see it now. Aspies have a big role in the diversity of mankind.

If you suspect that you may have this syndrome, see the link above but also check this one: Adults With Asperger's Syndrome

Are we on the road to religious war?

Why the heck christians must mock, in the name of liberty of speech, muslims by presenting caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed? And why the heck muslims must respond to mocking with violence? Christians should stop this mocking and muslims should bury their guns - and start to mock Christian God and Jesus instead. Then would both parties of this idiotic quarrel be even. I don't really understand the violence and everlasting grabbing of the guns. Muslims are humans like Cristians, but why so many of them are so violent - just in the name of Allah?

It would be much better, if there would be no religions in this planet... So many wars have been started just because of religions - so many people have been killed in the name of different gods...

(Art © Peter Kuper)

Beware of "soft mines" in Tampere!

OMG! Shit happens - literally! This is the parking lot in front of our premises... After this snow fall covered the "mine"... Welcome to Tampere!

(Photo © Jukka Mattila)

Glory

Have you ever seen glories? Glories are always directly opposite the sun, centered at the antisolar point and therefore below the horizon except at sunrise and sunset. Look for them whenever mist or cloud is beneath you and the sun breaks through to shine on it.

Glories are often seen from aircraft. Get a seat opposite the sun and watch them ring the aircraft's shadow - or more accurately, where your own shadow would be. I saw this glory in the 22nd of June last year when I came from Helsinki to Tampere. This was not very colorful glory, sometimes they can be very beautiful, see for example the photos at Atmospheric Optics.