MetaFilter posts tagged with Sweden

Basking in the warm glow of the television.

DoctorFedora — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:42:31 -0800

Sure, we all know that Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is broadcast every year in the US as a Christmas tradition, and that Sweden basically closes every year from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. on December 24th to watch Donald Duck, but what about other countries? Germany joins the party by showing an obscure British comedy sketch called "Dinner for One" (YouTube link) every year for New Year's Eve, famous enough that the phrase "The same procedure as last year?" will get you the response "The same procedure as every year, James," and that the parody "Dinner für Brot" ("Dinner for Bread" — YouTube links in German) was created with puppets, based on the original sketch. Japan takes an approach less akin to Sweden and Germany's tradition of airing the same program year after year, instead opting for something more along the lines of the US's Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, called Kouhaku Uta Gassen ("Red and White Song Battle" — Wikipedia link), featuring two teams of competing musicans, divided by sex. The show is by invitation only, and is such a cultural touchstone that when Jero, the African-American enka singer (Wikipedia link), was invited to perform at 2008's edition, there was hardly a dry eye in the audience when he talked about promising his late grandmother that he'd one day be famous enough to perform on Kouhaku. And of course, in the United States, who could forget the annual broadcasts of such traditions as It's a Wonderful Life, the Christmas Episode,, Frosty the Snowman (and its rather more poorly regarded '90s sequel, Frosty Returns), and, naturally, 1984's A Christmas Story, based on the novel by Jean Shepherd. A distinctly American cultural touchstone, it's been adapted from In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash (Amazon link) into not only a movie, but also into numerous stage musicals and a 30–second reenactment by animated bunnies. The annual 24–hour marathon of a dozen nonstop showings of the movie for Christmas on TNT (and now TBS) has become famous, but this year it's got competition from one of the Swaziest movies ever made. (Previously, and previouslier)

Nordic Quack

mr.marx — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:13:37 -0800

Sweden's bizarre tradition of watching Donald Duck (Kalle Anka) cartoons on Christmas Eve

En bränd bock gör ingen glad.

zamboni — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:15:40 -0800

Every Christmas since 1966, the Swedish town of Gävle has built an enormous traditional Yule goat of straw. And almost every Christmas, someone tries to set fire to him. To while away the time between conflagrations, he posts to his blog. If you'd like to help keep an eye out for arsonists, you can watch a Christmas Goat Webcam.

Voddler riding the hype as the Spotify for Video-On-Demand

filthy light thief — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:34:11 -0800

Last year, Spotify made news as a revelation in music availability, by providing ad-supported free access or paid subscriptions to more than 6 million streaming songs. This year, Sweden is the home to another streaming media landmark, with Voddler. Currently limited to Sweden but with goals of reaching the world, the streaming video-on-demand provider was well-received, but initial movie selection did not impress all. That should change, as Voddler recently expanded the potential list of movies when they signed The Walt Disney Company Ltd and Paramount Pictures, netting access to the Disney assets and the Paramount library. A deal with Sony may be forthcoming. Videos are accessed with stand-alone software, which is available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. The company released a new interface screenshot recently, and older screenshots and details have been compiled for people without access to the system.

Birgit Nilsson

Joe Beese — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:53:07 -0800

A big, blunt woman with a wicked sense of humor, Ms. Nilsson brooked no interference from Wagner's powerful and eventful orchestra writing. When she sang Isolde or Brünnhilde, her voice pierced through and climbed above it. It was not just the sheer size of her voice that overwhelmed recording studio microphones. It was the almost physical presence of her shimmering sound that made it so distinctive.

The Surprisingly Accurately Named Thirty Years War

Kattullus — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:32:07 -0800

The Thirty Years War is a website covers that ginormous kerfuffle that consumed Europe in the first half of the 17th Century from the Second Defenestration of Prague to the Peace of Westphalia. It has a handy map with a place locator which will help you tell your Schweidnitz from your Schweinfurt. Here are some other maps, The Religious Situation in Central Europe about 1618, Principal Seats of War, 1618-1660 and Europe in 1648 - Peace of Westphalia.

They shoot bunnies, don't they?

filthy light thief — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:26:18 -0800

There is contention in Sweden over the use of rabbit cadavers as bioenergy to provide heat in Värmland. The rabbits are invasive species, initially pets that were released into the parks in the city of Stockholm. Lacking any natural predators, the rabbits thrive on vegetation, eating their way through the city's central parks. The culling last year set a local record with nearly 6,000 rabbits removed from Stockholm's parks, mostly from Kungsholmen. Some concerned citizens have formed a group, Vilda kaniners värn (Society for the Protection of Wild Rabbits, Google translation). They speak out against the culling and provide alternatives to killing the rabbits, citing methods used in Helsinki (including plant protection) as more humane alternatives. (Biofuel details and more after the break.) Helsinki has had invasive rabbits since 1995, where the first appeared in Arabianranta and Kyläsaari, according to a 2005 article. The rabbits largely die out over winter, only to flourish in the spring. In 2005, they weren't reported as a nuisance, but the population increased in 2006 and 2007, to the point of costing hundreds of thousands of euros for the replacement of thousands of individual plants suffering from damage caused by rabbits, even eating holes in Olympic Stadium football nets. In 2008, the tactic was to catch rabbits in nets and humanely put down after being anaesthetised using carbon dioxide, and they were then given to researchers for further studies. The stable rise of the rabbit population introduced predators into Helsinki, such as lynxes and foxes, though there is not enough suitable habitat for these larger predators to keep the rabbits in check. Last winter, 500 rabbits were culled by the city's rabbit control program, and more recently captured rabbits have become food for large birds, big cats, wolverines, and bears at the Helsinki Zoo. (Helsinki's rabbits are the source of many more stories at Helsingin Sanomat.) As noted in the BBC article on the topic, Kovex (Google translation), a subsidiary of Danish group Daka Biodiesel, has worked on making animal waste into biofuels through the Biomal program, which followed from the mass disposals BSE-related animal waste.

"Want to play a chord? Try not to die."

zarq — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:46:28 -0800

Piano Stairs! (Not everyone thinks they're a good idea.) Also see "The Deepest Trash Can". Both videos are from Volkswagon Sweden, whose new English-language website, TheFunTheory is still under construction. But here's the Swedish-language version.

Cut & Paste.

grapefruitmoon — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:41:33 -0800

Cut & Paste - International exhibition of contemporary collage and assemblage is showing in Stockholm, Sweden (and also, on the interwebs). See it in person now through October 10.

In Search of the Swedish Soul

anotherpanacea — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 04:58:34 -0800

An examination of the Swedish soul must begin, I’m afraid, with sex. (via and related)

Pirate AB

mnsc — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:22:45 -0800

The Pirate Bay will be sold to a Swedish listed software company. The press release states that the intention is to "introduce models which entail that content providers and copyright owners get paid for content that is downloaded via the site". Other stabs at this worked out less than brilliantly. The purchase amount (60MSEK of which half cash/half in stocks) matches the fine a bit too closely, but the founders states that the money are going into a foundation to promote freedom of speech, freedom of information and the openess of the nets. Pirate ideals or gold loot on Booty Island? Stay tuned...

Parents keep child's sex a secret.

Four-Eyed Girl — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:01:03 -0800

A pair of Swedish parents are keeping their child's ("Pop") sex a secret. The parents believe that gender is a social construction, and they want to keep Pop from being placed into any categories based on his/her gender. Psychologists, medical specialists, and other researchers disagree on how this decision may affect the child, and some believe this secret is similar to the one David Reimer's family kept from him. Via Feministing.

A livingroom built inside the hollow, under a pier

dabitch — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:42:07 -0800

The room in the pier. Somewhere in Malmö, inside a pier, photographer Nils-Petter Löfstedt and carpenter Erik Vestman have been building a livingroom since January. Why? Why not? I might even have walked on it, not knowing that underneath the grey concrete lies a livingroom with white walls and oak wood floors. The duo will reveal its location on Friday and let the room meet its destiny. "Perhaps someone will move in here?" Erik muses in his written diary of the project. The duo would bike out to the pier late at night, swim through the water, crawl in through the tiny opening and then begin building "as quietly as possible so as to not disturb the guys fishing on the pier". Erik kept a written diary of the project, while Nils-Petter photographed. Two entries read: Feb: "It's strange that sometimes I stop and hold my breath when I hear someone walking above us. As if what we are doing is dangerous. Or evil. When it really should be wonderful. To reclaim a dirty old rotten hole and create something that is useful." May: "At four a.m. when Petter crawled out to see that the coast was clear before we'd start on nailing in the wood, there was a crazy early-bird fisherman out there. So we had to crawl back in again, pack all of our stuff as quietly as possible and go home" They've dug out old seaweed, raised the ceiling, added a classic security door and a window, laid the floors and even made a shelf out of an old mast that they found deep inside the pier. "It's probably from an old shipwreck" said Nils-Petter to Sydsvenskan Swedish only.

Life’s pretty good, and why wouldn’t it be? I’m a pirate, after all.

numberstation — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 03:25:28 -0800

"It used to be only movies, now even verdicts are out before the official release." Peter Sunde of the Pirate Bay manages a little black humour after hearing word of the trial judgement. 1 year in prison and a 30m Kronor fine (£2.4m). Streaming press conference to be held today at friday at 13.00 swedish time (GMT+1 / CET). Get your pirate phrases at the ready.

a.k.a. the "Spectrial"

tybeet — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 09:21:53 -0800

Today was Da y 1 of The Pirate Bay trial.

Sweden's version of R. Lee Ermey isn't scary, more like creepy.

zardoz — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 18:52:03 -0800

Do you have what it takes to be an officer in the Swedish Armed Forces? ["Headphones required", new window pops]

Purple Rain, Swedish Dansband Style

iviken — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 13:46:36 -0800

Larz Kristerz plays "Purple Rain". For some reason, Prince hasn't sued them. Yet. Swedish Dansband Larz Kristerz won the popular Swedish talent show "Dansbandskampen" Also: Sweet Child O' Mine, Hey Ya!, We're not gonna take it, Yester-me Yester-you Yesterday.

Room 747

Rumple — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 22:32:52 -0800

A narrated slideshow tour of Stockholm's Jumbo Hostel, which is inside a remodelled Boeing 747. The engine pods will be each become a room for two. Opens January 15th.

The Fortune

cashman — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:40:56 -0800

Sweden-born Yukimi Nagano has worked with José González, Koop several times and is now the lead singer of Little Dragon. When cornered to characterize Little Dragon's style, the answer was somehow "Disco Dub", though Yukimi herself is probably just better listened to than labeled. (Hover for descriptions) Little Dragon EPK (15:55 video). Soundwaves interview with Yukimi Nagano (7:26 video). Catalog.

Sweden - a safe haven for... innovation?

mnsc — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:47:59 -0800

Talking about Sweden and music has up until now either dealt with The Swedish Music Export Phenomenon or how Sweden is a safe haven for pirates. That might change now. Today Spotify launched (that is, for people in Sweden, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Finland or Norway). A streaming music application that provides full on demand playing. Available in ad-supported (30s twice per hour) free mode or premium mode (~$15 per month). And it wouldn't be a proper startup if you didn't get the mandatory "this is going to change the world" video. The Local has the details. But of course, this and any future discussion regarding any aspect of Sweden or Swedish people will forever be overshadowed by that heretic Engdahl.

flacid

plexi — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 08:14:42 -0800

"There is powerful literature in all big cultures, but you can't get away from the fact that Europe still is the centre of the literary world... not the United States," he said. "The US is too isolated, too insular. They don't translate enough and don't really participate in the big dialogue of literature... That ignorance is restraining."

Nobel literature prize judge Horace Engdahl comes down hard against Don DeLillo, David Foster Wallace, and other crazy American shit that just can't cross the waters.

Wait, this Nicol guy played with the SPOTNICKS? Oh, and that other little outfit from Liverpool, who were they again?

flapjax at midnite — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 02:56:57 -0800

These Beatles clips from a 1965 NME show are straight off the mixing desk, so the voices are way up front. Man, those vocals are so loud you can hardly hear Ringo! But let's back it up just a year, to Holland in 1964, and catch one of the rare performances without Ringo. Aside from his brief stint as a Beatle, session drummer Jimmy Nicol also played with zany Swedish instrumental surf rock band The Spotnicks. So, there you have it: Jimmy Nicol, a lucky fella who got to play with two of the greatest bands in the world! [NOTE: see hoverovers for link descriptions] The Spotnicks also had a few vocal numbers in their repertoire, such as Please Say Yes, complete with awkward lyrics typical of non-native speakers. Then there was their curiously unexpected version of Ol' Man River. Here's the Spotnicks playing just last year, and sounding great. But, whaddaya say, a little more Beatles? These clips from a 1964 Melbourne, Australia show (Ringo had recovered from illness and rejoined the band after their first few Oz gigs with Nicol) also feature some pretty up-front vocals, and they're a bit more hi-fi, as well. Must be those Sennheiser mics. You Can't Do That, Twist and Shout, She Loves You and Long Tall Sally. And finally, it should be noted that the Spotnicks were mentioned here previously. The Beatles, on the other hand, have never until now been featured on MetaFilter, and I'm just pleased as punch to have the opportunity to introduce them to everyone here.

Republican 1337

Artw — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:53:05 -0800

I was a Teenage Wares Freak? San Diego Republican Party chairman Tony Krvaric may have been Strider, co-founder of Fairlight. via Slashdot

Echoes of Latin America in José González's music

umbú — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 21:19:50 -0800

Guitarist and singer José González's myspace page mentions [lots of youtube ahead] Low and Elliot Smith. And no review of the Swede whose parents left Argentina in the 1970s is complete without a reference to Nick Drake. But what about the influence of styles from the hemisphere his parents left behind? After listening to González, Cuban Nueva Trova singer Silvio Rodriguez's early work sounds remarkably familiar, and Northeastern Brazilian rhythms picked on nylon-string guitar also resonate. Here are some examples by Gil berto Gil, Caetano Veloso, and Marisa Monte. Lyrically, however, in contrast to Rodriguez's poetic Marxism, and Gil and Veloso's dadaist Tropicália and subsequent MPB pop styles, González's new record "In our nature" is currently influenced by, yes, The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins.

The Wonderful World of Snus

spirit72 — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 12:26:25 -0800

This Is 'Snus'. Snus is a form of smokeless tobacco with a very long history in Sweden. Snus is gaining a bit of popularity in America; both Camel and Marlboro are launching their own brand. It is touted as a more discreet way to use tobacco in the wake of increasing bans on smoking, especially bacause it does not require spitting. A few Swedish compaines, such as Northerner and BuySnus.com ship it worldwide affordably. The Anti-Tobacco crowd is already manning the trenches and claiming that Snus is as dangerous as any other tobacco. However, the science that has been done to date appears to reach a very different conclusion.