MetaFilter posts tagged with helsinki

ringtone

infini — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:46:25 -0800

Helsinki Mobile Phone Orchestra playing Phones in C [slyt] by Otto Romanowski

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.

Carola Standertskjöld

vronsky — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 21:13:28 -0800

Finnish female singer Carola Standertskjöld -- All Alone Am I::Kielletyt leikit::Perfidia::chain of fools '69::::Exotic Carola

Great station cafes

MrMerlot — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 03:49:51 -0800

The Gare de Lyon in Paris has Le Train Bleu. Grand Central Staion in New York has a superb Oyster Bar; Washington Union Station has this neo-classical wonder; while Prague this prime example of art nouveau; Helsinki, meanwhile, offers something suitably democratic. With cafes as good as this, railway stations become destinations in themselves.

Let's sit down and talk this over.

Free word order! — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 04:30:46 -0800

President Martti Ahtisaari wins the Nobel Peace Prize. A former Finnish President, an UN envoy, a social democrat, a school teacher and founder of Crisis Management Initiative has negotiated for peace in many troubled areas for three decades. Last fall and last summer CMI (without Ahtisaari's presence) called former Northern Ireland and South African militants to use their experience for finding Iraqi factions a way out of bloodshed. A plan for Kosovo. Negotiations ending 30-year conflict in Aceh, Indonesia. Negotiating Namibia independence. Got conflict? Mr. Ahtisaari is your man.

Vappu - The more you know.

Lord_Pall — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:04:05 -0800

If you find yourself in Finland on the evening of April 30th or on May 1st, you must be aware of the following information. Today is Vappu. Also known as Walpurgis Night, Vappu is a traditional holiday in Finland, and there are a number of unique social customs and dress you must be aware of in order to avoid embarrassment and ridicule. At it's core, Vappu is about drinking. This is not normal drinking. This is Finnish Drinking.. But this is not about the common aspects of the celebration. This is about the unique and sometimes confusing traditions of this national holiday. First and foremost, there is the traditional student cap. This hat is worn by graduates, both young and old. Not just for cranial warmth or academic reward, this hat is used in a wide variety of social displays. The most famuous takes place in Helsinki, where he statue of Havis Amanda is capped by a team of local students. This tradition spreads to many other statues. In addition to traditional hats, students also wear a traditional drinking uniform. These overalls are a relatively recent adoption by Finnish students. Before 1970, the traditional drinking outfit for university students was the Spyfrack, or "Vomit Frock". This was typically a decorative coat purchased from a local thrift shop. In the Early 70's, students from the Royal University of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden began to wear their labwear and overalls in social situations. It turns out that in their mad rush to begin drinking, they simply neglected to change into normal clothing. However, more than just convenient, they discovered that these overalls were resistent to drinking related wear and tear. This trend rapidly caught on and replaced the less robust Spyfrack. In 1979, The University of Technology in Espoo hosted a student from the Royal University. Finnish students were so intrigued by his choice of drinking-wear that they began to borrow overalls from the local power company for their school trips to Germany in 1980 and 1982. This rapidly caught on, and in 1982 and 1983 schools began to formally adopt colored overalls as the official drinking uniform. It is important to note that these are not simply protective outfits. Each color corresponds to an individual professionor major. While there seems to be a commonly accepted set of color definitions, there are a wide variety of subtle variants. More importantly, these coveralls are customized with a variety of patches, and other markings. But Vappu is more than just an excuse to drink until you cannot drink anymore. There is a traditional drink, Sima. It is basically a homemade mead, naturally carbonated with yeast. You can also eat Tippaleivät. These are similiar to the German Schneeballen or for those more familiar, like a crunchy Funnel Cake. But it isn't just drinking, overalls, hats, mead and fried desserts. You have your choice of Humorous Magazines, published on Vappu and sold on any city street in Helsinki. Each magazine is published by the students of the Helsinki University of Technology. Julkku is published for even years, and Äpy is published during the odd ones. For additional reading, I would suggest - Coverall Analysis More Coverall Analysis Jolly Dragon Vappu Thread Caveat - I am an American in Finland and a lot of this information is non-obvious. I think I have pieced together a proper portrayal of the holiday with this information, but it is possible I have crosslinked something in swedish or misunderstood a translation. If you come to harm because of any of these mistakes, I apologize profusely.

Being alone and dead as an acceptable lifestyle choice

Free word order! — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 10:18:37 -0800

Life and death of an urban recluse Odd and beautiful newspaper story.

The end of the bus timetable

MrMerlot — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 05:23:43 -0800

Is this the end of the bus timetable? It can be bloody cold in Helsinki in January. The last thing you want to do is hang around too long for a bus or tram. Soon you won't have to because Helsinki City Transport is currently fitting *its entire fleet* with Linux servers. Not only will each bus or tram become a travelling wireless hotspot, but you will be able to see exactly where in the city your new bus actually is. Meaning that you only step into the bitter cold the minute before it arrives. (its in beta but you can see the effects of the live trial) Moreover, using Near Field Communication embedded in the bus and tram stops that allow you to boot the whole caboodle on your Nokia, without going online or having to imput lots of fiddly Finnish names (try inputting Kalasatama at minus 15). You can then track the upcoming stops on your mobile and see where exactly are your connecting buses are in the city as well. Its almost as if you can route your way around a city using packet switching I think i've seen the future of mass transit. And it doesn't involve a timetable.

It's not fair - life was good before

madamjujujive — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 11:28:58 -0800

If you overdosed on being thankful yesterday, the Birmingham Complaints Choir or the Helsinki Complaints Choir might be an antidote. (YouTube alert) More on complaints choirs.

Pala beibi pala, disco inferno!

taursir — Fri, 05 May 2006 15:47:41 -0800

Downtown Helsinki seemed semiapocalyptic tonight while a set of warehouses near city-center burned to the ground. The buildings were previously owned by the State Railway, and (as Wikipedia tells) recently had become an unofficial cultural center hosting BDSM conventions and heavy metal festivals. The buildings were previously scheduled for destruction on Monday to make way for a new music hall, but it looks like the demolition happened early. Fire trucks had visited the scene earlier this week when it was last set on fire during a May Day eve protest-- or was that drunken revelry? Strangely, this wasn't considered significant enough for the police to worry about it. More photos.

Street fashion in Helsinki

Slithy_Tove — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 06:28:15 -0800

Hel Looks. Street fashion from Helsinki, Finland. You're probably familiar with Japanese street style, and how they're dressing in Shibuya, but what are things like on the other side of the world? Some Hel fashions look familiar. Very familiar. Some recall the 'world between the wars'. Shemagh are popular, although not for the head. Sometimes just...eek! If Death Metal marries Neko Musume, in which religion will the ~~kittens~~ children be raised? Of course this is Helsinki: "When I dress up the most important thing is not to be cold!" [via]