72' 54"

Sometimes life just goes on swimmingly.

I managed 2000 meters in 72’54” recently, a new personal best on this particular distance. Good average speed but I should be able to do better. Maybe next week?

No gas, no direction

Sweden continues through a phase of jobless growth. Any quarter now things will begin to look brighter! So we’ve been told for years. The phenomenon is not unique to Sweden but our dysfunctional labor market makes matters worse. 

Time is running out for the government so they’ve announced a big scheme to create jobs in the public sector. This is yet another temporary effort designed to fix permanent structural faults. It has nothing to do with the creation of real jobs. It has everything to do with an upcoming election. PM Persson intends to bring down the unemployment figures, no matter how. With no idea about how to solve the real problem he wants to appear energetic and committed. With an oversized public sector and extreme levels of taxation he intends to spend even more tax money on temporarily expanding the public sector. His concept is embarrassing at best. 

No gas, no direction. Power without vision. The Labor party has reached the end of the road. Sweden needs a change.

US action complements hot air from Kyoto

Global warming must be taken seriously. We cannot predict the future with certainty but there is plenty of evidence on the table that something's going on and the principle of caution requires careful handling of this little planet. It’s the only one we’ve got. 

The UNFCCC-initiated Kyoto Protocol was an attempt at reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. The good thing about Kyoto was that it took place at all, increasing global awareness. But Kyoto came too late, provided too little and was a misguided effort. The protocol fails to require action from the most rapidly growing economies, like India and China. 

The American criticism of Kyoto has been substantially correct but still the Bush administration hasn’t been entirely credible on this issue. Specifically: disputing global warming is certainly a reasonable position. The scientists are far from certain about cause and effect and how to interpret our changing environment. Still, claiming that global warming might be a problem but we won’t do anything as long as others don’t do their part was an awkward standpoint for a global leader. 

Now, at long last, some constructive action on the climate issue. America has taken the lead, much like we expect them to do on any issue. The six-nation initiative, announced in Vientianne, focuses on clean growth, developing new technologies as well as actively promoting good existing energy sources like civilian nuclear power. The kind we’re dismantling in Sweden, in case you forgot.

Serves him right!

Prime Minister Persson intends to build a house worth 2M Euro. Could this kind of “news” possibly lead to an inflamed debate in any other country? In our Land of Envy this causes all sorts of criticism. The great irony here is that his own Labor Party has thrived on exactly this kind of envy for decades. So the opposition could be forgiven for thinking that such a storm, in fact, serves him right.

August by Bråviken

Abborrberg, Norrköping

It was one of the warmest days of last summer and I celebrated my visit at Abborrberg by Bråviken outside Norrköping with a gigantic ice-cream. Go see.

dab-i-doo (I do)

Updating the DAB story... I finally decided to face my responsibilities as a citizen of the digital age and get myself a digital radio.

When my TV broke down a couple of years ago I imagined I’d have that fixed in a jiffy. But I soon discovered how much time I “saved” by not watching (at best) semi-intelligent televised stuff and these days I have no intention of re-enabling television in my home. Not a chance.

Radio is different. Radio is for people with imagination. Radio is cultured. Radio can be enjoyed while watching the sunrise. Or while closing my eyes and relaxing. Or just about anything. Radio is a non-intrusive resource. And from now on, my radio is digital.

The sound is great, there is additional information (for example what song is playing now) in the display and I get six new non-FM-channels. Future receiver models will even provide pause or rewind if I have to take a phone call or need to go get a pen to write something down.

So I’ve done my part, I’ve joined the tiny DAB-population and now I expect our minister for culture to put together a comprehensive strategy incorporating commercial as well as public radio. Ten years of experimenting without listeners is quite enough.

dab-i-dab-i-doo

You remember the ketchup bottle analogy. First comes nothing, then nothing and then… it’s tomato sauce party time.

The visionaries behind Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) in Sweden might be hoping for their own ketchup effect. From what we’ve been told, DAB is a great success already. The technology is here, Sveriges Radio is distributing six new channels digitally. The FM-band is already fully occupied with no room for new channels. Handheld digital music devices are everywhere. Public service radio should go digital to remain relevant and attractive. So all the good reasons are already in place.

There’s just one slightly annoying factor: no one’s listening. Well, very few. 930 receivers were sold last year, nationwide. With that kind of stellar success, we'll all remain in FM-land for the rest of our lives.

It started ten years ago when Sveriges Radio and BBC introduced the very first digital channels. The British government wisely included commercial stations in their DAB strategy. Not so in Sweden where SR was left alone to pursue experimental broadcasting. We're now entering the second decade of DAB in Sweden and amazingly there's still no political decision about its future. In fact, DAB has been shut down outside our major cities in an effort to cut costs! dab-i-dab-i-doo, what a government we've got!

To find some listeners SR has decided to distribute its digital channels via the web. Understandable but a mixed blessing really. The obvious advantage is that anyone with reasonably "semi-broadband" internet access can listen. (I've tuned in to SRX while writing this.) But with web radio available there is even less incentive now to go buy a digital receiver.

To Boldly Go

The Space Shuttle has returned to flight after being grounded for a couple of years. Now follows a twelve-day mission and then we can all breathe easier when the crew has been brought safely home. 

Space exploration is of paramount importance for science and for the spirit of humanity. It is frequently criticized as being costly in a world with lots of down-to-earth problems. This criticism is unfair. As long as the world can afford to spend $950 billion on the military I cannot imagine why anyone would consider peaceful space exploration costly and unnecessary. 

We need to boldly go where Discovery just went. That’s what humanity is all about.

Go see!!

 

Konstmuseet, Göteborg in January 

A wild idea turned into a project with a significant budget and a strictly limited time plan. SEK 65000 for a rail pass and twelve months to go see Sweden. My hypothesis was that it would all be doable with public transportation. Others might have rented a car now and then but I didn’t have that option. Boats, buses and trains it had to be. 

All in all, I made 44 journeys. I spent 95 nights on trains and in hotels. I used nine days of saved vacation time. It was an incredible year - here’s a recap. 

Jan 6 Sundsvall 

Jan 9-10 Malmö 

Jan 24 Göteborg 

Feb 6-7 Östersund 

Feb 21 Karlstad 

March 6 Växjö 

March 19-21 Storlien 

April 1-3 Malmö, Trelleborg, Smygehuk, Lund 

April 11 Västerås 

April 17-23 Visby, Fårösund, Burgsvik 

April 29-May 3 Storvallen, Storlien 

May 17 Oslo 

May 27-29 Falsterbo, Lund, Malmö 

June 4-7 Köpenhamn, Malmö, Sofiero 

June 11-13 Härnösand 

June 20-22 Mölle, Kullaberg, Malmö 

June 23-28 Storulvån 

June 30 Linköping 

July 8 Gävle 

July 11 Hudiksvall 

July 14 Katrineholm 

July 15-19 Vålådalen 

July 21 Norrköping 

July 27 Linköping 

July 29-Aug 2 Storulvån 

Aug 4 Norrköping, Abborrberg 

Aug 11 Linköping 

Aug 12-16 Humlebaek, Malmö, Hässleholm, Kristianstad, Lomma 

Aug 18 Norrköping 

Aug 19-23 Östersund 

Aug 25 Örebro 

Sep 2-6 Malmö, Köpenhamn, Halmstad, Tylösand, Lund 

Sep 11-18 Duved, Åre, Storlien, Storulvån, Östersund 

Sep 23-27 Växjö, Kivik, Simrishamn, Båstad 

Oct 9-16 Falsterbo, Skanör, Höllviken, Smygehuk, Humlebaek 

Oct 21-24 Uddevalla, Strömstad, Kosteröarna, Smögen 

Oct 28-Nov 1 Storlien, Strömsund, Östersund 

Nov 5-7 Göteborg, Skara 

Nov 11-14 Helsingborg, Malmö 

Nov 18-21 Kalmar, Mörbylånga, Emmaboda, Karlskrona 

Nov 25-28 Funäsdalen, Östersund 

Dec 3-5 Härnösand, Ullånger, Veda 

Dec 17-19 Karlstad 

Dec 25-31 Vålådalen 

My biggest mistake was trying to travel cheap in the first months. It wasn’t until April that I finally had a hotel night. I certainly saved a dime or two but those winter trips were hectic and not very pleasant. 

The best idea I had was to throw in a series of brief summer night excursions. Using X2000 I was able to reach places like Linköping, Norrköping and Gävle, spend a few hours and then return to Stockholm with the last train watching the sun reluctantly set after another long summer day. 

Weather-wise I was remarkably lucky all year long. Very little rain, lots of sunny days but few of them really hot. You know me, I can’t stand the heat. And when it did rain cats and dogs, like in Bohuslän on October 22, I was already on my way back from Strömstad after a great day at Kosteröarna and didn’t really mind. Lucky guy. 

The worst day was the very first one, in Sundsvall. It was Epiphany and the entire town was closed. I spent half the day walking on slippery, icy sidewalks and the other half in a café that had somehow forgotten to close. On that day I learnt to do my research and be prepared. Bring a map, a list of phone numbers; always check opening-hours and connections. Have a plan A for good weather and an alternative one just in case. What a valuable lesson that was! 

Biggest disappointment? Got to be the fact that I missed Dalarna entirely. Unforgivable, really. I was planning to go there several times but something else always turned up. 

My rail pass was the golden version, enabling unlimited first class train traveling. Was that really necessary? Definitely. For example, there are several options for traveling from Stockholm to Malmö but this card includes a single compartment with my own toilet and shower on the night train. I can rely on a good night’s sleep; I won’t be tired upon arrival. On top of this, a hotel breakfast is included. I’ll be just as alert as if I had slept in my own bed and ready to make the most of the day. I could certainly have traveled less expensively but there’s no way I would have managed these 44 journeys in twelve months. 

My only companion was my digicam. I took thousands of pictures, a few of them can be seen in my galleries for northern and southern Sweden. 

It’s been a while now. I keep thinking about where I was and what I was doing at the same time last year. Great memories. There’s just one regret. I didn’t get to see all of Sweden. SJ doesn’t cover the entire country. There’s a lot to be seen north of Åre and Härnösand. So my project will have to be augmented. Somehow. Sometime.

Did our future just blow up?

Things looked real good. But now my sense of optimism has been weakened. All it took was a couple of disastrous referenda and four bombs in London. The momentum for peaceful integration and prosperity has served us remarkably well since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Can it be regained? Let's hope so. Fortunately, the Union has got a strong leadership now.