Mane

All revved up and nowhere to go. Ramones Helsinki GP On Wednesday evening, I went to see a track and field event for the first time in my life. I also visited the Olympic stadium of Helsinki for the first time. Both firsts were pleasant and worth repeating as seconds. The stadium is old, for 1940s I assume, but in decent shape and rather cute. It is not covered, has wooden benches and is small, only for some 50000 spectators. On Wednesday, we were some 10000 and we did have good time. There were some decent performance in women's triple jump, women's javelin and men's long jump. The Finns were brave, but not good enough as the foreigners. I found observing the careful preparation and the deep concentration of the athletes very interesting. It is something one cannot usually see in the TV. Also the work of the field hands (officials) is worth some time — their work is important, but taken for granted. The athletes do appreciate it, though, a lot. One strange official w...

Why argue when one can use ridicule? Feyerabend Weekend It was time for the traditional tour of Eastern Finland. First, we visited S's uncle and his wife (Seppo and Sirpa) with S's sister in Valkeala, some 30 kilometers north-east of Kouvola. They are a nice couple, always full of joy of living and endless stream of stories of the past world and of their large kin. Sirpa has done some research and now know who-was-who in their kin from 1620s onwards. Quite impressive. Then, on Saturday, we drove further east, close to the Russian border, to Joutseno. Olli, Maritta, and Tarmo spend their summer holiday's there by the lake Saimaa. Saimaa is the largest lake in Finland, with broken shoreline and countless islands. The house they stay in is the former residence of the gardener of the Rauha (Peace) mental asylum. What a place, so nice. In the past, being insane meant spending years by the great lakes, in beautiful places. What is there to do in the countryside in the summe...

There are two sorts of death: death of the body and death of the spirit. Stress hastens both of them but laughter, however trivial its cause, has the opposite effect. Obsessive worrying is an unforgivable waste of living organism's most precious commodity, one that could be better used to pursue trivialities that promote laughter: time. David Inman Prejudices Prejudices are strange. Everyone has them, but nobody knows his own. The only way of getting to know them and get rid of them, is to confront them. Facing any of one's own prejudice is always startling. I remember how shocked I was in early eighties when I first saw a woman driving a bus. I almost refused to get on the bus! If one loses curiousity, one cannot get rid of prejudices. What a failure will life be then! Alun perin julkaistu kuukausikoosteessa "Blogs July to September 2006".

The belly rules the mind. Spanish Proverb A dream I had a dream. I was in a party, in a house. It was a boring party with no food. Nobody talked to me and someone stole my shoes. Luckily, I found a door in the living room. The door opened into a staircase, which lead to the buffet restaurant of a youth club (nuorisoseura). The buffet restaurant was large, maybe 300 sq meters, and quite empty of people. It was full of food, though. And not just any food but all my favorite dishes were there, in great abundance. I guess I did not have large enough a dinner yesterday. Alun perin julkaistu kuukausikoosteessa "Blogs July to September 2006".

There's a need for accepting responsibility - for a person's life and making choices that are not just ones for immediate short-term comfort. You need to make an investment, and the investment is in health and education. Buzz Aldrin On work ethic Yesterday, I wrote that I consider myself as an ethical mercenary. S pointed out that this does not make sense, or at least gives totally wrong impression of me. I did, however, have a more fundamental point to make. I have always (well, at least from 1990) considered my work ethic as that of a mercenary in the following sense. A rational employee is as loyal to his employer as the other way round. Current corporations are not very loyal, or committed, to their employees. If the stock price goes down, employees will be fired and then later re-hired. Thus, adopting a mercenary attitude pays off: select (using whatever personal ethical framework and principles) an employers/corporation, sign a contract, and serve the corporation as ...

A man who is well looked-afer becomes fatter. They are just like cattle. That is well-known. Mma Ramotswe in Tears of Giraffe Experiment is over I have cancelled the experiment for several reasons. First, I cannot stop writing my blog (and when I try, my memories fails and I do now know what I did the other day, or yesterday). Second, I think my cover letters have not been state-of-the-art and they never will be, but I try to obey the rules and expectations by experimenting with new formats. Third, if an employer decides that its/his shareholders interest can only be served by docile, non-liberal employees, I do not want to have anything to with them. If all employers are such, I will start my own company. Fourth, some recent developments have been very promising. I want, however, note that I have been working with those who believe in gods, or God, and those who do not and even those who are agnostic (I am ignostic myself). I have not noticed any difference in their ability to wor...