Iceland's last non state-owned bank is nationalised, with subsidiaries shut down in Finland, refusing to pay depositors in the UK and in adminstration in Luxemberg. Iceland has had to shut down trading on the stock market to stop panic dumping, and has become one of the most state run economies in the world. For everyone who wondered what true worst case is, this might be it (saving the Weimar scenario, but the US is too sane for that).
posted on Oct 9, 2008 - View this thread

Icelandic internet bank Icesave has closed its doors. The Icelandic government has told the UK chancellor that it cannot pay back the money of UK depositors.
posted on Oct 8, 2008 - View this thread

More subprime collateral damage. Iceland's now getting a $5B bailout from Russia. What does Russia want in return? Access to shipping lanes? The old US base? via
posted on Oct 7, 2008 - View this thread

While the Wall Street financial crisis gripped the world Icelanders woke up one day to find that the Icelandic state had forcibly taken over the country's 3rd biggest bank, Glitnir. The worry is now that one of the two larger banks could also fail and the state wouldn't have the resources to do anything as the two remaining of the big 3 have assets totaling 10 times the GDP of Iceland. While the Central Bank claims it was the only option in a bad situation, prior bad blood between one of the Central Bank's directors, a former Prime Minister, and the main owner of Glitnir have some wondering if Icelanders have just been witness to "the biggest bank robbery in Icelandic history." [Warning: The story you are about to read may make you reconsider the verisimilitude of soap operas]
posted on Oct 3, 2008 - View this thread

Surtsey was first observed on November 14, 1963, as a pillar of smoke on the water some ways south of Iceland. The very next day lava and tephra broke the surface of the Atlantic and by May, 1964 the formation had grown to 2.4 km². Over the next three years lava eruptions continued, coating the loose debris in a hard shell and protecting it from erosion. An island born. Naturally, Surtsey has been under close scientific observation since its emergence, and courtesy The Surtsey Research Society you can read published reports on the geology and biological colonization of this new earth.
posted on Jul 17, 2008 - View this thread

The Most Civilized Country. Fascinating article challenging conventional notions of how best to have a society.
posted on May 17, 2008 - View this thread

A few years ago when I was visiting Alaska, one of the more interesting portions of the trip was the 45-minute drive from Anchorage to Girdwood along the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet. This is one of the world's rare bodies of water that features bore tides, an amazing scene. The highway is one of only 15 roads in the United States that have been designated an "All-American Road." What about some of the world's greatest highways?
posted on Apr 17, 2008 - View this thread

An Artist's view from her tent. Listen to the view. Yes, listen. Katie Paterson via mobile phone and underwater mike at a glacier lake in Iceland, captures underwater sounds of melting and cracking Jökulsárlón Glacier. Hear it piddling away. Call to listen what the seals are talking about, if they're nearby.
posted on Apr 2, 2008 - View this thread

About 10% of Iceland is covered by glaciers. Thanks to the ongoing catastrophy of global warming, we Icelanders have noticed drastic changes in our poor glaciers. On of the more concerned individuals regarding this is the now retired physician Leifur Jonsson, who is seen in this report by National Geographic. The report does not contain, however, the story about when Leifur almost died on a glacier. In his younger years he got lost in a blizzard, skiied off cliffs and fell 900 feet into the crater of Grímsvötn, an active volcano underneath Icelands largest glacier Vatnajökull. Decades later, two people, also lost in a blizzard, accidentally drove off the same cliffs, as is reported here. The interesting part is that when they were brought to the Emergency Department of Landspitali-University Hospital in Reykjavik, the physician taking care of the was Leifur...
posted on Mar 3, 2008 - View this thread

The new UN Human Development Report is out. Lots of interesting stuff on climate change. But for me, nothing beats the Human Development Index, a number that means different things to different people.
posted on Nov 28, 2007 - View this thread

John Lennon’s lighthouse. He said, ‘Well, actually, I invited you because I wanted to know if you can build the lighthouse in my garden,’ and I said: ‘Oh, dear, no, no. It’s just a conceptual idea. I don’t know how to build anything.’ Yoko makes a dream of John's come true in Iceland. It’s geothermal. Amy Goodman's take on the subject. And, of course, video.
posted on Oct 17, 2007 - View this thread

The Icelandic coastline. A gallery of photos of the rugged, cold, and beautiful coast of Iceland.
posted on Aug 7, 2007 - View this thread

"I'm a control freak-- but I was not in control." Lars von Trier made his latest movie without a cameraman. The Boss of It All (trailer), a comedy, was made with "Automavision", allowing a computer to decide when to tilt, pan, or zoom. The film also employs Lookey, a game that challenges the viewers to spot objects that don’t belong in a scene. The first viewer in Denmark to identify all the Lookeys correctly wins a cash prize and a chance to be an extra in von Trier’s next film.
posted on Jul 4, 2007 - View this thread

Jónas Hallgrímsson (1807-45) was an Icelandic Romantic poet and natural scientist. Dick Ringler, a professor at The University of Wisconsin, has a site that contains 50 poems and prose texts by Jónas in parallel English/Icelandic versions. Also on the site, a guide to traditional Icelandic verse, a biographical sketch of the poet and a map of Iceland with places Jónas wrote about marked. Here's his short Above the Ford: The cliffs on life's swift current/are cleft by shallow valleys./Masses have queued to cross there ---/crowds of billy-goat milkers./We'll go upstream, God willing,/to walk the hawk-high ridges/and pitch ourselves --- impetuous ---/plumb in the roaring torrent! [Today is Iceland's Independence Day]
posted on Jun 17, 2007 - View this thread

MMORPG maker to create oversight committee of elected players -- The makers of Eve Online, are taking a bold step in combating charges (previously discussed here) of favoritism towards one of the dominant in-game groups: holding elections for player ombudsman who will be flown to Iceland to audit the company's practices and report back to the game's subscribers.
posted on Jun 12, 2007 - View this thread

Make Bjork's next music video. She'd love for you to take a stab at making the video for Innocence (streaming music on her myspace page), if you're up to the challenge. Lyrics. Previously.
posted on Apr 23, 2007 - View this thread

Bomb Iceland instead of Iran is the modest proposal of Princeton Professor of Political Economy Uwe Reinhardt in today's Daily Princetonian. Some enterprising Aussies are way ahead of him on that one. Heck, it wouldn't even be the first time the U.S. and Britain occupied Iceland. [via RÚV, the Icelandic state broadcaster]
posted on Apr 9, 2007 - View this thread

"In 1964, a computer - the IBM 1401 Data Processing System - arrived in Iceland, one of the very first computers to be imported into the country… The chief maintenance engineer for this machine was Jóhann Gunnarsson, my father. A keen musician, he learned of an obscure method of making music on this computer - a purpose for which this business machine was not at all designed… When the IBM 1401 was taken out of service in 1971, it wasn't simply thrown away like an old refrigerator, but was given a little farewell ceremony, almost a funeral, when its melodies were played for one last time. This "performance" was documented on tape along with recordings of the sound of the machine in operation." The whole story with samples, pictures and video at Jóhann Jóhannsson's site. [via]
posted on Feb 26, 2007 - View this thread

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, but do you know Stekkjarstaur, Giljagaur, Stufur, Thvorusleikir, Pottaskefill, Askasleikir, Hurdarskellir, Skyrgamur, Bjugnakraekir, Gluggagaegir, Gattathefur, Ketkrokur and Kertasnikir? They're the Jolasveinar, the impish "Yuletide Lads" of Iceland, and those are only some of their many names. During the thirteen days before Christmas, legend says that they do their best to monkeywrench the celebrations with hijinks like stealing sausages, milk, and candles, and peeping into windows and up skirts. The children of gruesome child-eating trolls Gryla and Leppaludi, who were known for snatching naughty children, the elves got their start in the 17th century. In the years since, their image has apparently mellowed, and now they leave children presents in their shoes and limit themselves to mild pranks.
posted on Dec 22, 2006 - View this thread

OK, I’ve been a good American. I’ve done the turkey and stuffing routine for more than three decades now. But next year is gonna be different. Next year I shall celebrate Thanksgiving by flying out to Iceland, where I intend to harpoon a big ugly shark. My friends and I will then bury the bugger in a gravel pit. After several weeks, it’ll be good and rotten. Then we’ll hang the strips of meat up to dry. When it’s ready, we’ll slam down some shots of the local liquor and consume dainty little cubes of fermented shark flesh. We’ll finish the feast with pumpkin pie.
posted on Dec 2, 2006 - View this thread

Bobby Fischer vs. the Union Bank of Switzerland: Chess master doesn't like his Swiss bank unilaterally closing his account. Letters go back and forth, lawyers get involved. Fischer posts all letters sent and received on his website. [Link goes to coral cache, original site is hosted at Geocities Japan. via namics weblog]
posted on Nov 12, 2006 - View this thread

Type, handwriting, and lettering
posted on Aug 20, 2006 - View this thread

Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga is a Smithsonian webpage (with a pretty cool Flash intro) about the Norse in North America. Along with highlights of the exhibit, there's also an interactive map of the Viking voyages. (Although L'Anse aux Meadows, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the only confirmed Viking colony in N.A.). The Saga of Eric the Red contains the story of the voyages and discovery, but there are other primary sources as well. The Viking Ship Museum has information on the famous longboats that made the voyages, which were as much a matter of luck as navigation. To mark the millenium, some crazy Icelanders sailed a longboat back to Norway (NPR story).
posted on Jun 6, 2006 - View this thread

The Answer : A one minute video shot in Iceland. (google video)
posted on Mar 5, 2006 - View this thread

smugMaps , photo-sharing mixed with Google Maps, allowing you to associate your photos with geographic locations. See the mysterious lost mountain city of Machu Picchu, the spectacular, lonely landscapes of Iceland, and an apartment building in St. Louis. They can't all be glamorous, folks.
posted on Aug 30, 2005 - View this thread

Incredible feat of engineering or environmental disaster in the making? Despite continued protests, the Karahnjukar project rumbles onwards. Some people are desperate to see it stopped, although the Icelandic public aren’t so sure. In fact, Alcoa - the US company driving the project – is proud of its environmental achievements. Whatever the truth, there’s no denying that the area under threat contains some stunning scenery. Take a look while you still can.
posted on Jun 16, 2005 - View this thread

Add one part Icelandic Aerobics Champion, one part Child Broadway actress, add some synthpop music, CGI green screen work, and some latex puppets and prosthetics, and what do you have? Lazytown! Comes complete with music videos guaranteed to give you earworms.
posted on May 2, 2005 - View this thread

EGIL: The Electronic Gateway for Icelandic Literature. Digitised texts related to Iceland.
posted on Mar 16, 2005 - View this thread

Iceland awaits grandmaster Bobby Fischer ...if he doesn't first get extradited to the United States for tax evasion. Fate hangs in the balance for a man who played a uniquely patriotic role during the Cold War, ending more than two decades of Soviet domination of the sport of chess.
posted on Mar 10, 2005 - View this thread

Vikings with ... issues. And for complete amusement, check the google ads on the right. Big swords, baby, big, really big.
posted on Feb 25, 2005 - View this thread

Cartoon History of Iceland, chapter 1, for those of us who need a quick and painless (except for some of the puns) introduction to the history of one of the claimants to the title of Oldest Democracy. (other chapters inside).
posted on Dec 3, 2004 - View this thread

A beginner's guide to whaling.
posted on Sep 22, 2004 - View this thread

Snorri Sturluson, author of the Prose Edda and the Heimskringla, was also a hot tub enthusiast.
posted on Aug 30, 2004 - View this thread

Virtual Iceland Field Trips. 'Interactive geological map of Iceland showing 7 areas for which virtual field trips can be viewed. Choose, for example, according to the geology or age of the country to see the variation in landscape. '
posted on Jul 20, 2004 - View this thread

Where Would You Send Someone You Love For Christmas? If you had unlimited funds, what would be your Hannukah or Christmas present for someone you thought really deserved one? For instance, our genial host and the owner of MetaFilter, Matt Haughey. A lot of us are presently engaged in clubbing in to offer him a short visit to Iceland. y6y6y6 has even set up a website to solicit funds and suggestions, following enormous interest on MetaTalk. Well-known weblogs like boing boing and anildash are chipping in too. isn't it time we showed our appreciation? (Matt, please don't read or delete this!)
posted on Dec 8, 2003 - View this thread

Elves in Iceland. Many modern Icelanders either believe in or won't rule out the existence of supernatural beings like the álfar, or elves. In the town of Hafnarfjordur, they are respected citizens. If you want to learn more, consider attending the Álfaskólinn, the Icelandic Elf School. (Iceland also has trolls, but then don't we all.)
posted on Nov 15, 2003 - View this thread

Bleak photography of deserted farms in Iceland (farms? Iceland?) is what photographer Nokkvi Eliasson specializes in, and this gallery (one of two - here's the other) showcases some of his best stuff.
posted on Jul 19, 2003 - View this thread

Björk's music videos (some NSFW) are among the best. Her directors are the cream of the industry, and draw affecting ideas from her music. Here's the latest one, and here's my favorite.
posted on Feb 7, 2003 - View this thread

The Icelandic company Decode Genetics may have the lead in creating a catalog of the deviant genes that cause most diseases. Led by Dr. Kari Stefansson, the project uses a novel combination of genotyping living Icelanders and comparing the results to Iceland's unique genealogical database that extends back 1100 years. With Iceland's other project to completely switch from fossil feuls to hydrogen power, my admiration for that island of Vikings keeps growing stronger. (2nd and 3rd links are nytimes, free registration required).
posted on Jun 18, 2002 - View this thread

Bette Midler gives one hell of a nose job The weblog of Ívar Páll Jónsson, a 27 year old student of economics from Iceland. As he says himself, "Insanity is just a state of mind."
posted on Feb 2, 2002 - View this thread

Iceland moves to become the first country to replace fossil fuels with hydrogen for all its energy needs. I find it fitting that a society descended from Vikings will become the world's first hydrogen society.
posted on Dec 27, 2001 - View this thread

Predictions from an Icelandic prophet for 2001: Total war in the Middle East, a worldwide natural disaster, money market instability, the spread of mad cow disease, and oh yeah - an Oscar for Bjork. I'm not sure what to comment on; what safe bets these are, or the interesting addition of Oscar picks in the predictions.
posted on Jan 2, 2001 - View this thread