To my complete expectations my Summer vacation has just started. Five weeks of non-work-related activities are in store. Which means I’ll be available for all kinds of suggestions and invitations of non-work-related nature. Be proactive, don’t let me invite myself over!
Archive for the ‘Current Matters’ Category
Benefits of Keeping Your Eyes Open
Saturday, April 18th, 2009This week I visited the local library on a whim. On my way out I happened to glance at a poster they had stuck on the door. This is nothing special, there’s always something to spam about. But this poster caught my eyes. They had a guest coming today, a real live astrofuckingnaut, Harrison “Jack” Schmitt, the last man to set his foot on the moon (he was second to last to leave Moon)!
He gave a small presentation about his the Apollo 17 mission he was on with, about his role as a trained field geologist. There weren’t that many interesting revelations, I was expecting a bit more on looking into the future, but the few comments (e.g. it would take a nation about 10 years to get back to moon, a private enterprise might make there in 15. The most likely nations to get there are US, Russia and China ) didn’t really reveal anything special, although he told all kinds of interesting things about their mission. Apparently the fastest way to move of foot on Moon is hopping from one foot to the other. Schmitt, with his mission mate Eugene Cernan hold the speed record on Moon, 18 km/h, downhill on the Moon rover.
There were the possibility of taking your picture with him, but I saw there were far too many, more eager people have one too, so I passed the opportunity. It was a shame he didn’t have any Nasa caps to share…
Time to Change
Sunday, November 23rd, 2008Not too long ago, I attended a cinematic event. Now that I can actually afford them I’ve grown to dislike them more and more. My biggest gripe are the advertisements. I’ve payed dear money for the priviledge and then they see it fit to show me probably the finest concentration of tripe known to man. Some of the ads are obviously mean’t for radio. Thats multimedia for you.
In that sea of meaninglessness something caught my attention as I was hoping to see Tropic Thunder instead. It was an ad for some jewelry which was apparently an improved version. Thus it had “2.0″ added to its brand name.
Internet, I’ve known since my Blog began in it’s present form that the name was already a tired joke and that there would be a time when even Stephen Colbert would announce that it’s done. At that moment, in that movie theatre, when that deep voice claimed the reason for naming that jewelry something + “2.0″ it was clear to me that now was that time. It’s time to get back to basics.
Ladies and Gentlemen, får jag presentera… Kimmo’s Blog (classic)!
I’m Officially Certified!
Friday, November 14th, 2008Certified ScrumMaster that is. I took a two-day course, led by Jens Østergaard and James O. Coplien, both outstanding lectureres. It wasn’t an impediment that the subject matter hit my local repository of human experience and values with good matches. Which means to say that I agreed on the explicit and implicit values and preconditions within Scrum.
It is kind of ironic but I recognize that the characteristics of Scrum that speak the most sense to me probably make it also incredibly difficult to wield in practice. For example, in Scrum, no-one and I mean no-one, can come and tell the development Team what they should be doing. The Team selects and co-ordinates itself, what it is going to do. But the Team itself is not responsible for the process and results, the ScrumMaster is. The ScrumMaster owns the process, i.e. is responsible that everything is running smoothly, including doing any- and everything to remove obstacles from the Team.
If there’s anyone wondering what’s the point of majoring in Philosophy in the Real World(tm), acquiring and assimilating different ways of thinking is probably a lot easier. I feel that I have at least one new one in my toolbox now.
Ninja Skill: Acquired!
Tuesday, November 11th, 2008I went bouldering for the first time in my life. This is the practice of climbing (in this case) walls with artificial holds, arranged to put up problems of most physical in nature. Since the climbs are only up to 5 metres tall, theres no safet equipment involved apart from common sense and cushions. To my surprise it’s not my arms that were the most to suffer but my hands. The skin in my hands and fingertips feels quite tender at the moment.
There’s always the problem of how much abuse are you going to subject yourself to when you are trying something physically demanding the first time. I think I did well. I expect to find myself a bit difficult to fist my hands in the morning and probably also my wrists will feel tense but probably nothing too bad to avoid me from operating a mouse.
Now I’ll just have to get to know the lingo involved.
Happy Birthday To Me
Saturday, September 13th, 2008I turn 34 ugly ones today. I’m a year shy from being middle-aged. Damn.
How I spent this glorious day? In the morning I attended an Aikido practice conducted by Bruno Gonzalez (5.dan Aikikai) which with the practice from last night left me quite well-done. Since Helsinki is having an annual serial arts festival I felt it my duty to at least go and take a look at it.
I was too tired to get interested in any of it. I bought me some comics and headed up to coffee and some light shopping. I bought myself a DVD box of the Black Books -series, one of the funniest comedies ever. Then I came home, got me some chinese take away and watched two movies. Now I’m off to bed. Fascinating, isn’t it?
The Dark Night
Friday, September 12th, 2008I went to see the new Batman movie, enticingly named close to one of the modern classics of serial arts (The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Returns respectively). I didn’t like the movie. I didn’t have much anticipation for it so I don’t think I was let down in anyway.
I’m left wondering WHY I didn’t like the film. There was nothing wrong with the film. It wasn’t bland. It wasn’t boring or alienating. A idea of an explanation came to me later. The film was somehow malignant, there was something deeply black about it. The film was in short depressing. There was something about the worldview of the film that rubbed me the wrong way, but my analysis stops there. I’m not interested in diging deeper into why that is. I can only suggest you to go and see the film itself.
It’s a very rare occasion when a film or any other kind of piece of art has almost a physical effect on me. Supposedly it happening verifies that I’m still alive?
The Big Triple-8 Entry
Friday, August 8th, 2008This entry exists on the sole merit of the date it’s posted on. This entry wouldn’t have been tomorrow because it would be too late!
I’m left wondering why I feel compelled to do something just to get it done on a nice symmetrical date. I’d say there aren’t enough of magic numbers people use to celebrate things. For example, when you turn 32 you turn 100000 also. In binary. I’m sure there are suggestions too and I dare my readership to post them for me. Come on! There’s enough bots among you that at least one of you has reached self-awareness!
It all makes sense!
When You have a Week to Spare on Low Budget and Lousy Finnish Weather
Saturday, July 12th, 2008Greetings from the finnish backwaters. I’m currently spending first half of my summer leave in the Savo region, in the north-eastern part of Finland. So far most of my trip has been according to my plans, apart from the weather-malfunction which is always something you shouldn’t bet around these parts anyway. I have cycled two 60km trips, seem my first ever traditional, finnish summer theater plays.
The play was everything I expected, set in a nostalgic rural setting, in the 50’s with some romantic interests and general hope flying around, with some light entertainment in the form of some swearing and rude sayings. I’ve also painted a shed, demolished some wall and heard unruly stories about life in the finnish countryside. It took a bit of leg-work but finally I found a spot with some wifi so I could deliver this fascinating piece of summery information.
Confession Time
Tuesday, April 8th, 2008Yes, last weeks entry dated on the first of April was indeed a an April fools. If you fell for it, this time you were in good company, thanks to S. and B., both outstanding gentlemen.
I guess the secret this time was not to aim too wierd. The scenario proposed is entirely possible, albeit a slightly optimistic one.
Carry on.