This is a very interesting piece by ABC news recapping 2005 in technology and predicting what is to come in 2006:
Technology Trends of 2006
In my own opinion, they're absolutely right about all of the trends (Wireless expansion and TV-meets-Computer entertainment centers particularly), though I'm not totally sold that they have the time frame exact. I think that while all of these phenomena will inevitably become our future world, they might be a bit ambitious to say it definitely will happen in 2006. I think perhaps mid-2007 might be more accurate, though it's hard to say for sure. Also, something they left off, but is equally important (and might be very important to 2006) is RFID.
Any thoughts from you guys?
31 December 2005
30 December 2005
Christmas in Riga
Hey everyone, I'm back from Riga. I got back 3 nights ago, and had a wonderful time. It wasn't home, but it was a close second, and I'm definitely glad to have had the experience.
Sorry it's taken me a few days to get this up here, but I've just been doing other stuff and haven't had the time to write something thoughtful, put the photos online, write captions, etc. etc. etc. It can be a production sometimes to keep the blog, but I like doing it, so here goes. :)
Our trip began on the morning of 12/24, and when I say morning, I mean it. I met up with the seven others in our group at 7 in the morning, braving a snowstorm to walk to the bus station. On the trip, it was me, Maya (Swedish), Knut (German, pronounced ka-noot), Michele and Daniele (Italian guys, both are Italian-sounding names), and Guillaume, Amelie and Anne (Ah-may-lee and Ahhhn, all French); a truly International affair.
Our bus was semi-crowded, but we all got to sit together, and while everyone in our group slept, Anne and I ended up talking for the first few hours, which was nice. My friends couldn't figure out why weren't tired, but I think it had to do with the two cups of coffee I slammed down before leaving that morning. Hehe.
We made it down to Riga safe and sound, and with friends, the 5 hour bus ride passed relatively quickly. We then consulted the map and found the location of our flat (that's 'apartment' for all you American readers... :) ), which was actually labeled as a bed and breakfast, and it was quite nice. After dropping off our stuff, we tracked down a local supermarket and acquired the necessary ingredients for our feast. Everyone made a dish specific to their home country, so as the American, I had the most trouble since we've stolen most everything from everyone else, and I didn't feel like cooking hamburgers (not really Christmas dinner food). So we began cooking up a storm: I made the same tasty salad I made when Jon was here (mandarine orange balsamic vinagrette dressing with blue cheese and fresh pears and tomatoes), Amelie and Anne made quiche, Michele and Daniele made lasagna, Knut made fruit salad, Guillaume made a chicken and Maya made Swedish meatballs.
After gorging ourselves on the delicious food and having a few glasses of wine, we waited until midnight and then opened the presents we'd bought for each other. Before leaving Tallinn, we drew names from a hat and each person recieved two names of people they were to buy presents for, with a maximum limit of 60 kroons (roughly $4). I got the French connection: Guillaume and Amelie, and I got Guillaume a book called "150 Classic Cocktails" (wihch was later put to good use!) and for Amelie, a very nice smelling handmade candle. Daniele and Michele gave me darts and a dart board, which was a great present (though perhaps a bit unpractical considering the fact that I don't want to tear up my walls in my apartment....hah! But still fun.
We ended up partying the night away and didn't get to bed until late, which in turn, resulted in our sleeping the next day away. I woke up at noon and was by far the earliest one up, so I made the coffee, and attacked my book, Pattern Recognition, by William Gibson. It was great and I actually just finished it two days ago, even though I got it for Christmas. If anyone like a thriller with a technological bent, I recommend it.
So we ended up just lounging on Christmas, playing around with the piano, singing terrible karaoke, and of course, eating more. Then that evening, we got around to sightseeing a bit and saw a bit of the nightlife in Riga, which was (as I had been told to expect) largely based around sex tourism. To avoid this, we went to the only place that was open on Christmas that wasn't focused on dancers and prostitutes: TGIFridays. It was actually kind of fun; the themed drinks were perfect for a group like ours. After a few drinks half the group went home, and Dany and Miki and I ended up trying to go to a dance club, but the one we had heard was best was closed (it being Christmas), so instead we went to a pool hall and did our best not to stink up the joint. It was quite fun, and very cheap, so we stayed there for a few hours.
The next day, we got up a little earlier and actually got to see the city. It was much bigger than Tallinn, but that makes sense because the population in Riga is 75% larger than that of Tallinn. All in all, the city was beautiful despite heavy snow, and we continued to just have a blast as a group. I couldn't imagine a better group to be with, and even though these international students all leave on/around January 15, I've definitely made some lasting friends, all of whom have offered places to stay should I come visit their respective countries. Of course I've made the same offer to them, though the US is a bit farther away than Europe for everyone. Who knows, though? I'd love to have any of them stay with me!
At 6pm on the 26th, we had to catch a bus back to Tallinn, and the ride was uneventful. I got 2 new stamps in my passport, which is always nice, and it's almost full!! (that is my goal).
We had a great time, and many pictures were taken. Check out my album:
Christmas in Riga!!
Hope you like the photos! I miss you all and I hope you all have a happy and a safe New Years!! My plans are to go to a place called Otepää in southern Estonia with a bunch of these international students (all of the Christmas crew and then some)...it will be about 45 of us, from what I hear!! We're renting a house and it should be a blast. I'm actually running out the door to meet up with the group right now, so I gotta jet. But don't be a stranger and send me an email or leave me a comment! :)
More updates and photos (I'm sure) when I return from Otepää. See you in 2006!!!
-J
Sorry it's taken me a few days to get this up here, but I've just been doing other stuff and haven't had the time to write something thoughtful, put the photos online, write captions, etc. etc. etc. It can be a production sometimes to keep the blog, but I like doing it, so here goes. :)
Our trip began on the morning of 12/24, and when I say morning, I mean it. I met up with the seven others in our group at 7 in the morning, braving a snowstorm to walk to the bus station. On the trip, it was me, Maya (Swedish), Knut (German, pronounced ka-noot), Michele and Daniele (Italian guys, both are Italian-sounding names), and Guillaume, Amelie and Anne (Ah-may-lee and Ahhhn, all French); a truly International affair.
Our bus was semi-crowded, but we all got to sit together, and while everyone in our group slept, Anne and I ended up talking for the first few hours, which was nice. My friends couldn't figure out why weren't tired, but I think it had to do with the two cups of coffee I slammed down before leaving that morning. Hehe.
We made it down to Riga safe and sound, and with friends, the 5 hour bus ride passed relatively quickly. We then consulted the map and found the location of our flat (that's 'apartment' for all you American readers... :) ), which was actually labeled as a bed and breakfast, and it was quite nice. After dropping off our stuff, we tracked down a local supermarket and acquired the necessary ingredients for our feast. Everyone made a dish specific to their home country, so as the American, I had the most trouble since we've stolen most everything from everyone else, and I didn't feel like cooking hamburgers (not really Christmas dinner food). So we began cooking up a storm: I made the same tasty salad I made when Jon was here (mandarine orange balsamic vinagrette dressing with blue cheese and fresh pears and tomatoes), Amelie and Anne made quiche, Michele and Daniele made lasagna, Knut made fruit salad, Guillaume made a chicken and Maya made Swedish meatballs.
After gorging ourselves on the delicious food and having a few glasses of wine, we waited until midnight and then opened the presents we'd bought for each other. Before leaving Tallinn, we drew names from a hat and each person recieved two names of people they were to buy presents for, with a maximum limit of 60 kroons (roughly $4). I got the French connection: Guillaume and Amelie, and I got Guillaume a book called "150 Classic Cocktails" (wihch was later put to good use!) and for Amelie, a very nice smelling handmade candle. Daniele and Michele gave me darts and a dart board, which was a great present (though perhaps a bit unpractical considering the fact that I don't want to tear up my walls in my apartment....hah! But still fun.
We ended up partying the night away and didn't get to bed until late, which in turn, resulted in our sleeping the next day away. I woke up at noon and was by far the earliest one up, so I made the coffee, and attacked my book, Pattern Recognition, by William Gibson. It was great and I actually just finished it two days ago, even though I got it for Christmas. If anyone like a thriller with a technological bent, I recommend it.
So we ended up just lounging on Christmas, playing around with the piano, singing terrible karaoke, and of course, eating more. Then that evening, we got around to sightseeing a bit and saw a bit of the nightlife in Riga, which was (as I had been told to expect) largely based around sex tourism. To avoid this, we went to the only place that was open on Christmas that wasn't focused on dancers and prostitutes: TGIFridays. It was actually kind of fun; the themed drinks were perfect for a group like ours. After a few drinks half the group went home, and Dany and Miki and I ended up trying to go to a dance club, but the one we had heard was best was closed (it being Christmas), so instead we went to a pool hall and did our best not to stink up the joint. It was quite fun, and very cheap, so we stayed there for a few hours.
The next day, we got up a little earlier and actually got to see the city. It was much bigger than Tallinn, but that makes sense because the population in Riga is 75% larger than that of Tallinn. All in all, the city was beautiful despite heavy snow, and we continued to just have a blast as a group. I couldn't imagine a better group to be with, and even though these international students all leave on/around January 15, I've definitely made some lasting friends, all of whom have offered places to stay should I come visit their respective countries. Of course I've made the same offer to them, though the US is a bit farther away than Europe for everyone. Who knows, though? I'd love to have any of them stay with me!
At 6pm on the 26th, we had to catch a bus back to Tallinn, and the ride was uneventful. I got 2 new stamps in my passport, which is always nice, and it's almost full!! (that is my goal).
We had a great time, and many pictures were taken. Check out my album:
Christmas in Riga!!
Hope you like the photos! I miss you all and I hope you all have a happy and a safe New Years!! My plans are to go to a place called Otepää in southern Estonia with a bunch of these international students (all of the Christmas crew and then some)...it will be about 45 of us, from what I hear!! We're renting a house and it should be a blast. I'm actually running out the door to meet up with the group right now, so I gotta jet. But don't be a stranger and send me an email or leave me a comment! :)
More updates and photos (I'm sure) when I return from Otepää. See you in 2006!!!
-J
23 December 2005
Winter Equinox Photo Essay
I've been talking for a while now about how short the days are here, so I decided that in honor of the Winter Equinox-- the shortest day of the year-- I would try to capture just how short these days really are rather than simply talk about it.
What follows is a 14-photo 'essay' if you will, cataloguing the progression from day to night here in Tallinn-- by far the darkest place I've ever lived. On 12/21/05, the sun rose at 9:17am and set at 3:21pm. I sure these photos won't do it justice, but hopefully they give you some idea what life is like over here. Enjoy!
1:47pm
1:55pm
2:07pm
2:14pm
2:27pm
2:40pm
2:45pm
2:51pm
2:57pm
3:04pm
3:43pm (I had to take a shower, hence the break in the action) :)
3:57pm
4:22pm
4:32pm
What follows is a 14-photo 'essay' if you will, cataloguing the progression from day to night here in Tallinn-- by far the darkest place I've ever lived. On 12/21/05, the sun rose at 9:17am and set at 3:21pm. I sure these photos won't do it justice, but hopefully they give you some idea what life is like over here. Enjoy!
1:47pm
1:55pm
2:07pm
2:14pm
2:27pm
2:40pm
2:45pm
2:51pm
2:57pm
3:04pm
3:43pm (I had to take a shower, hence the break in the action) :)
3:57pm
4:22pm
4:32pm
21 December 2005
Häid Jõulupühi!
...which means Merry Christmas in Estonian!! And to all of you out there who celebrate Chanukah or Kwanza or Chrismakkah (thank you O.C.), I wish you a very happy holiday! I'm not 100% positive, but I think the phrase in Estonian for happy holidays is something like 'Häid Pühi!' or at least that is what the translation would suggest. But if I've learned anything about the Estonian language, translations can be deceiving and words can have many different forms or cases, all of which (to the outsider...me!) seem to have no relation to one another. In any case, all of you Estonian readers out there can correct me if I'm wrong, but in the mean time, 'Häid pühi' will suffice.
Things have certainly been slowing down since the days have been getting shorter and the holidays are approaching; but this isn't all bad. I'm finally making some progress in my research, which I hope will really pick up some steam after the New Year. From my bosses at eGA, I've gotten some suggestions of people I might talk to in order to get more Estonia-specific information about technology, but I'm holding off on sending out emails to these people until the first week of January. The last thing I want to have happens is to have my email get lost in a virtual 'pile' somewhere, only to be forgotten about. I'm hoping this won't be a problem, and I don't think it will be.
It is quite apparent that it's the holiday season here in Tallinn. But the 'Christmas Spirit' is very different here than in The States. The holiday is not about 42" plasma TVs and Xbox360s and iPod Videos and hot toys, but rather, about simpler things like family and friends, good food and relaxation. Not to say that Christmas for us in the U.S. is completely devoid of these things, but we're much more focused on materialism and extravagant gifts than the Estonians. Perhaps this is because of the general disparities in wealth between Estonians and Americans, but I think it goes deeper than this. Here, family means a lot more than it does in the U.S., and it's important to remember that giving thanks and appreciating all that we do have is really what this holiday should be about. Particularly since I'll be away from my family this holiday, I'm trying to take something away from this and really appreciate all that I do have. I have my family and friends and an incredible opportunity here, and I'm going to try to make the most of it when I return to work in 2006. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm using Christmas as a springboard into my New Year's resolution.
But while activity in the malls remains normal, holiday lights have gone up all around town, which is evident in my latest batch of pictures, which you can see here:
Happy Holidays from Tallinn!
In this album there are only 16 pictures, but it gives a sampling of what I've been up to of late, and what Tallinn looks like, particularly at night.
It's strange to think that some of my Fulbright friends are already home, and the rest of them head home Wednesday through Friday. I'm the only one staying here for Christmas, and even though I'll admit I'm jealous of them, I really can't imagine what it would be like to go home right now and be back in American culture. I think overall, it would take away a lot from what I'm going through. I live here now, so to go back to the States would be culture shock, and then to have to come back here would be like culture shock all over again, not to mention the fact that it would require hours and hours of travelling (and more than a thousand dollars in travel expenses!!).
So, not only will I stay acclimated to Eastern Europe, but I'll save some of my grant money to use to travel to a few other spots around Europe. Which brings me to my Christmas plans: a 3-day trip to Riga, Latvia with a bunch of friends I've made over here!! It should be a lot of fun. These French and Italian exchange students (though all are older than me) I've met over here organized to stay at a bed and breakfast in Riga, and on Christmas, we'll prepare a big traditional feast, which should be fantastic. It will be nice to be with some friends and to do something new. I'm really looking forward to the trip, and we leave Saturday morning (12/24) EARLY (7am, AGH!) and return on Tuesday (12/27) in the evening.
As for other stuff I've been up to recently, my friend Andrew (Fulbrighter studying Estonia's choral music tradition) had a holiday concert last week at Jaani Kirik (which you can see in the aforementioned photos), which was tremendous. The music was very nice and the acoustics were fantastic. They did songs in Estonian, Russian, French, German, Latin, and even did a rendition of Jingle Bells in English, which was...well...different than I was used to, but by no means bad. Andrew blended in nicely with the group and we were all happy to be there to support him.
The evening before, we met up with Tartu (Estonia's 2nd largest city) Fulbrighter Cindy Wang, who was in Tallinn because she flew back to the U.S. the next day. We haven't seen much of her since she's 3 hours away by car/bus, but we all went out to dinner at a place called Meister Michel, which is a restaurant in the old town that has a them of "apples." Everything on the menu has apples in it, and it was very tasty (and not too pricey!) Definitely recommended for anyone coming to Tallinn.
Continuing with the themed restaurant tip, last night was eGA's Christmas dinner, which was held at St. Michael's Juusturestoran (St. Michael's Cheese Restaurant). The food was extremely good, and let's just say I was happy the bill went on eGA's tab. Thanks Ivar and Arvo!! :)
Well, that's about all I got for now. But Riga should be fun, and I'll certainly post about that when I return. As for new years plans, I'm not quite sure what I'll be doing yet, but I'm sure I'll have something fun to do. Maybe a club or something with friends, maybe have a few people over to my place. Regardless, it should be a blast!
I'll be thinking of all of you this holiday season, and I miss you a lot.
All my best, and happy holidays!!
-John
PS: this was too cute to leave off the blog. My baby niece Lindsay with Santa (I'm a proud uncle!):
Things have certainly been slowing down since the days have been getting shorter and the holidays are approaching; but this isn't all bad. I'm finally making some progress in my research, which I hope will really pick up some steam after the New Year. From my bosses at eGA, I've gotten some suggestions of people I might talk to in order to get more Estonia-specific information about technology, but I'm holding off on sending out emails to these people until the first week of January. The last thing I want to have happens is to have my email get lost in a virtual 'pile' somewhere, only to be forgotten about. I'm hoping this won't be a problem, and I don't think it will be.
It is quite apparent that it's the holiday season here in Tallinn. But the 'Christmas Spirit' is very different here than in The States. The holiday is not about 42" plasma TVs and Xbox360s and iPod Videos and hot toys, but rather, about simpler things like family and friends, good food and relaxation. Not to say that Christmas for us in the U.S. is completely devoid of these things, but we're much more focused on materialism and extravagant gifts than the Estonians. Perhaps this is because of the general disparities in wealth between Estonians and Americans, but I think it goes deeper than this. Here, family means a lot more than it does in the U.S., and it's important to remember that giving thanks and appreciating all that we do have is really what this holiday should be about. Particularly since I'll be away from my family this holiday, I'm trying to take something away from this and really appreciate all that I do have. I have my family and friends and an incredible opportunity here, and I'm going to try to make the most of it when I return to work in 2006. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm using Christmas as a springboard into my New Year's resolution.
But while activity in the malls remains normal, holiday lights have gone up all around town, which is evident in my latest batch of pictures, which you can see here:
Happy Holidays from Tallinn!
In this album there are only 16 pictures, but it gives a sampling of what I've been up to of late, and what Tallinn looks like, particularly at night.
It's strange to think that some of my Fulbright friends are already home, and the rest of them head home Wednesday through Friday. I'm the only one staying here for Christmas, and even though I'll admit I'm jealous of them, I really can't imagine what it would be like to go home right now and be back in American culture. I think overall, it would take away a lot from what I'm going through. I live here now, so to go back to the States would be culture shock, and then to have to come back here would be like culture shock all over again, not to mention the fact that it would require hours and hours of travelling (and more than a thousand dollars in travel expenses!!).
So, not only will I stay acclimated to Eastern Europe, but I'll save some of my grant money to use to travel to a few other spots around Europe. Which brings me to my Christmas plans: a 3-day trip to Riga, Latvia with a bunch of friends I've made over here!! It should be a lot of fun. These French and Italian exchange students (though all are older than me) I've met over here organized to stay at a bed and breakfast in Riga, and on Christmas, we'll prepare a big traditional feast, which should be fantastic. It will be nice to be with some friends and to do something new. I'm really looking forward to the trip, and we leave Saturday morning (12/24) EARLY (7am, AGH!) and return on Tuesday (12/27) in the evening.
As for other stuff I've been up to recently, my friend Andrew (Fulbrighter studying Estonia's choral music tradition) had a holiday concert last week at Jaani Kirik (which you can see in the aforementioned photos), which was tremendous. The music was very nice and the acoustics were fantastic. They did songs in Estonian, Russian, French, German, Latin, and even did a rendition of Jingle Bells in English, which was...well...different than I was used to, but by no means bad. Andrew blended in nicely with the group and we were all happy to be there to support him.
The evening before, we met up with Tartu (Estonia's 2nd largest city) Fulbrighter Cindy Wang, who was in Tallinn because she flew back to the U.S. the next day. We haven't seen much of her since she's 3 hours away by car/bus, but we all went out to dinner at a place called Meister Michel, which is a restaurant in the old town that has a them of "apples." Everything on the menu has apples in it, and it was very tasty (and not too pricey!) Definitely recommended for anyone coming to Tallinn.
Continuing with the themed restaurant tip, last night was eGA's Christmas dinner, which was held at St. Michael's Juusturestoran (St. Michael's Cheese Restaurant). The food was extremely good, and let's just say I was happy the bill went on eGA's tab. Thanks Ivar and Arvo!! :)
Well, that's about all I got for now. But Riga should be fun, and I'll certainly post about that when I return. As for new years plans, I'm not quite sure what I'll be doing yet, but I'm sure I'll have something fun to do. Maybe a club or something with friends, maybe have a few people over to my place. Regardless, it should be a blast!
I'll be thinking of all of you this holiday season, and I miss you a lot.
All my best, and happy holidays!!
-John
PS: this was too cute to leave off the blog. My baby niece Lindsay with Santa (I'm a proud uncle!):
16 December 2005
It's that time again....
What time is that you ask? Say it with me now, kids: WEATHER-TIME!!
It's winter here, and believe it or not, it's a-snowin again! But the difference today is that the snow is actually expected to stick around, not blast us and then melt away, or turn to slush with the following rains like it has been doing. Initially, you might think snow is a bad thing, because it means the weather's colder and what-not. But in reality, this is a very good thing for Tallinn.
See, Tallinn's a port city; we're right on the water. As a result of the ocean and air currents, the temperatures stay warmer (again, 'warmer' being a relative term) here in Tallinn than they do in southern Estonia. Thus, snow is not as prevalent here as you might think, or is at least not as abundant as in other parts of Estonia. While it's a good thing for drivers not to have snow, Tallinnians pray for it. Why?? you ask? Believe it or not, it's because in Winter, the days are so short here, that snow gives the little bit of sunlight we have something to reflect off of, and consequently makes the days brighter!
It makes sense, but it's still bizarre in my book. Since when do people pray for snow?!?
Also of note, those little icy thermometers on the right side of the graphic signify temperatures of -4 C and -9 C, respectively. Time to bundle up!
It's winter here, and believe it or not, it's a-snowin again! But the difference today is that the snow is actually expected to stick around, not blast us and then melt away, or turn to slush with the following rains like it has been doing. Initially, you might think snow is a bad thing, because it means the weather's colder and what-not. But in reality, this is a very good thing for Tallinn.
See, Tallinn's a port city; we're right on the water. As a result of the ocean and air currents, the temperatures stay warmer (again, 'warmer' being a relative term) here in Tallinn than they do in southern Estonia. Thus, snow is not as prevalent here as you might think, or is at least not as abundant as in other parts of Estonia. While it's a good thing for drivers not to have snow, Tallinnians pray for it. Why?? you ask? Believe it or not, it's because in Winter, the days are so short here, that snow gives the little bit of sunlight we have something to reflect off of, and consequently makes the days brighter!
It makes sense, but it's still bizarre in my book. Since when do people pray for snow?!?
Also of note, those little icy thermometers on the right side of the graphic signify temperatures of -4 C and -9 C, respectively. Time to bundle up!
13 December 2005
Recap: Hot Technology for Chilly Streets in Estonia (NYT)
The New York Times had an article today on Estonia and technology, focusing on Skype and KaZaA, and I thought you might find it interesting:
Hot Technology for Chilly Streets in Estonia
For reference, Linnar Viik is my original sponsor for my Fulbright, and I see him ever so often. Also, a funny thing to note is that the picture they show in this article is actually of a bar here called "Nimega," not a public Internet hotspot...though they certainly do exist here in Tallinn. And as far as I know, Nimega didn't actually have WiFi when this article was written (my boss and I installed the WiFi about a month ago and I wrote the advertising in English for it)!
Also, Estonian WiFi made ripples elsewhere online at FreshInc's blog, in the post Estonia's Online Outpost, which comes in response to the aforementioned New York Times article.
FreshInc actually had some facts wrong and, like many, had no idea of how tech savvy Estonia is:
I posted a thoughtful comment which I hope will get to readers so they have a better sense of what Estonia really is:
Posted by: John Heywood at December 13, 2005 06:58 PM
Tallinn?? Absolutely. You'd never guess it, but Tallinn is one of the world's technology hotbeds. I'm living here now for another 7 months studying the rise of networking technologies, with a specific focus on wireless communications. There are over 700 wireless hotspots here, about 2/3 of which are free (the "pay" hotspots cost only about USD$1-2 for 24 hours), and the stat you had about 1 in 8 people having a cell phone is drastically wrong. It's more like 7/8 people have cells, some even having more than one! I don't have the exact figures in front of me, but like 85% of people using e-banking, and you can pay for your parking meter or hourly/daily/weekly/monthly bus tickets with an SMS message. Estonia also just rolled out a 3G cell network for citizens, and last October was the first country in the world to use e-voting on a nationwide scale.
So yeah, to say Skype, Kazaa and Playtech are 'it' and leave it at that would be simply touching upon the very tip of the iceberg that is technology in Estonia. Expect big things.
--
Also, just wanted to give a special shoutout to Erik Bergset, Anna Hermann, Brett Gerson and Misha Leybovich for pointing me toward this article. You guys rock!! And that goes for all of you out there in blog-land: if you see something you think I might be interested in, please, please send it along!! Thanks everybody!!
-J
Hot Technology for Chilly Streets in Estonia
For reference, Linnar Viik is my original sponsor for my Fulbright, and I see him ever so often. Also, a funny thing to note is that the picture they show in this article is actually of a bar here called "Nimega," not a public Internet hotspot...though they certainly do exist here in Tallinn. And as far as I know, Nimega didn't actually have WiFi when this article was written (my boss and I installed the WiFi about a month ago and I wrote the advertising in English for it)!
Also, Estonian WiFi made ripples elsewhere online at FreshInc's blog, in the post Estonia's Online Outpost, which comes in response to the aforementioned New York Times article.
FreshInc actually had some facts wrong and, like many, had no idea of how tech savvy Estonia is:
Innovation clearly flourishes within energetic, youthful societies that embrace technology as a means of transforming great ideas into major businesses. Take the Estonian town of Tallinn.
Tallinn?
On Tuesday, the New York Times touted this port city on Europe's eastern frontier -- home of Skype and Kazaa -- as the "Silicon Valley on the Baltic Sea." In a country of just 1.5 million people, the Times reports, one in eight have cell phones and gas stations are Wi-Fi ready.
A better comparison might be Dodge City. Tallinn, a frozen outpost between Stockholm and St. Petersburg, is taken with a kind of high-tech, frontier-town lawlessness. Both Skype and Kazaa, for instance, operate on peer-to-peer file sharing technology-- the cattle rustlers of the Internet. The city also has an upstart online gambling firm (insert saloon shootout scene here).
But then, along with the occasional gunslinger, frontier towns have always drawn plenty of true pioneers, too.
I posted a thoughtful comment which I hope will get to readers so they have a better sense of what Estonia really is:
Posted by: John Heywood at December 13, 2005 06:58 PM
Tallinn?? Absolutely. You'd never guess it, but Tallinn is one of the world's technology hotbeds. I'm living here now for another 7 months studying the rise of networking technologies, with a specific focus on wireless communications. There are over 700 wireless hotspots here, about 2/3 of which are free (the "pay" hotspots cost only about USD$1-2 for 24 hours), and the stat you had about 1 in 8 people having a cell phone is drastically wrong. It's more like 7/8 people have cells, some even having more than one! I don't have the exact figures in front of me, but like 85% of people using e-banking, and you can pay for your parking meter or hourly/daily/weekly/monthly bus tickets with an SMS message. Estonia also just rolled out a 3G cell network for citizens, and last October was the first country in the world to use e-voting on a nationwide scale.
So yeah, to say Skype, Kazaa and Playtech are 'it' and leave it at that would be simply touching upon the very tip of the iceberg that is technology in Estonia. Expect big things.
--
Also, just wanted to give a special shoutout to Erik Bergset, Anna Hermann, Brett Gerson and Misha Leybovich for pointing me toward this article. You guys rock!! And that goes for all of you out there in blog-land: if you see something you think I might be interested in, please, please send it along!! Thanks everybody!!
-J
12 December 2005
Extended Forecast For the Week of 12/12/05
Extended Forecast For the Week of 12/12/05
I love how they come up with different ways to tell me it'll be snowing, or it'll be cold. Like the one I feature this week: -1 Celsius: Snow of Varying Intensity. Last week my ForecastFox had the audacity to tell me that it would be "Warmer, with snow, -5." Warmer. Sounds good right? Not so much. I think that that's the first time in recorded history that "Warmer" and "-5" have been used in the same phrase.
Anyways, that's it from here. Think warm thoughts (and by warm, I don't mean sub-zero temperatures).
11 December 2005
Thanksgiving, Culture, and My Life
Greetings after a long hiatus from the blog!
It's taken me quite a while to get back here and actually write this blog entry, so I apologize for the delay. I don't know what happened, I've sat down to do it each of the past 6 days, but for some reason things kept coming up or I found that I just didn't have the motivation to write it. In any case, if you're reading this, it means that I've finally gotten through it!
Since I last checked in, it wasn't even Thanksgiving yet and the days were MUCH longer than they are now. I was just on the phone with my sister Karen and wasn't until I put it into words that it hit me just how short these days have gotten. 18 days ago, the sun was rising at 8:34am and setting at 3:40pm (which is still abnormal, in my book!) and today, the sun rose at 9:07am and set at 3:21pm. In the last 16 days, we've lost 52 minutes of daylight! We've lost between 2 and 5 minutes PER DAY. It's nuts.
Anyways, the recap:
Thanksgiving was a lot of fun. It was 12 of us, 5 Americans with the rest of the gang from Estonia, Germany and Finland and we had a feast. Trudee was able to track down some Turkey (though instead of getting a whole bird, we ended up with 3 massive "pterodactyl" legs) and everyone brought a sidedish. Personally, I was responsible for the green beans and everything went smoothly on that front. Trudee was a lovely host and it was so great that she had us over.
A quick aside: One of my professors at Wheaton, Kersti Yllo (who herself is Estonian and has been a great resource for me) forwarded me an email from a guy named Tim King who is an American living in Estonia, a professor of anthropology. In any case, she suggested I send him an email and maybe the two of us could connect. He's got a blog: LettersFromEstonia in case you're interested. In any case, Thanksgiving rolled around and I hadn't gotten around to emailing Tim (it had only been 2 days). And who is one of the 12 at Trudee's place? None other than Tim King!! Talk about a small country, and in this case, capital city.
But back to the bird(legs). The food was really good and we introduced the non-Americans to our holiday and when they quizzed us on the history of the holiday we were forced to admit that our remembrance of the first Thanksgiving is rather idealized. In large part, the Native Americans provided the food and the land and everything and the settlers provided diseases. In any case, we explained what the holiday stands for now and it was clear that our entire group was thankful for each other, particularly those of us that are still quite new to Estonia.
The last 2+ weeks have been rather uneventful on the work front, unfortunately. The good thing is that I'm learning a lot about wireless technologies in a general sense, but I'm not learning as much as Estonia-specific information as I would like to, which, in my eyes, is the point of all this. I've also been having trouble carrying out some of the side projects I'm working on because my bosses/colleagues have their own agenda independent of my presence here. With this being said, I'm somewhat of a low priority to people, but this is understandable and comes with the territory. It's still a tad bit frustrating though.
My evenings have been much more interesting than my (shortened) days here. I got to attend a fashion show that my friends Elina and Mikko had designed clothes for, and Trudee designed some jewelry for Mikko's collection, including an elegant 'hood' that words wouldn't do justice to. I'll make sure to put a picture of it in my photo album, which you can see here: Estonia Album #9 - Thanksgiving, Fashion Show, Various Photos from around Tallinn
Some of the clothes were classy, others notsomuch. Fashion, in my eyes, is like modern art- you'll love some, you'll hate some, and the rest will just make you wonder...
Our friends' collections were some of the best in the show, which made the evening a smashing success. Trudee and Mikko's work was even featured in the "Picture of the Day" on Estonia's most visited website: http://www.delfi.ee. After the show we grabbed a bite and drinks to celebrate. Good times were had by all.
The next night, I was lucky enough to be invited to the opening of a film festival here in Tallinn, called PÖFF (forgetting at the moment what the acronym means, but it's something in Estonian you probably wouldn't get anyways, so whatever...). Anna had gotten tickets through her job at the U.S. Embassy; the Ambassador had been given complimentary passes which she kindly gave us to use (as Anna pointed out, if the Ambassador went to all of the events to which she is invited, she'll never have any time to get anything done!). So we gladly obliged and took the tickets and had a great time. We saw 9 short films that students at the media school in Tallinn had written and directed. Like the fashion show, some were better than others.
It was funny though, when we entered the theater, we got sort of an odd look from the ticket-taker. Because the tickets were addressed to the "Her Excellency" the Ambassador, they looked at Anna and me and were just kinda giving us the "YOU'RE AMBASSADORS???" look. We strolled in and enjoyed the moment.
Another highlight from the last few weeks was that my German friend Raphael and I checked out an Estonian Basketball team, where we saw the Tallinn team, Kalev BC absolutely decimate their Greek opponent, 127-76. We went out for a drink after the game and ended up running into two obviously American guys who we got talking to, and we mentioned that we'd been at the Kalev game that night. "Funny," the taller of the two says. "I play for Kalev." Turns out his name is Andre Perry, and he told me he played at Alabama back in college. Well I googled him and it turned out he was pretty good back then and played with such NBA stars as Latrell Sprewell and Robert Horry. Anyways, he's only been here a month, so I think he was glad to meet another American. We exchanged cell numbers to go out some time, but we'll see if that materializes. It'd be fun so we'll see.
Those are the major highlights of my life right now. I keep saying it but I mean it this time: I'll try to post more frequently but sometimes the motivation is hard. The increasingly bad weather and the short days just make it hard to do anything. Luckily we're through the steepest part of the curve and in less than 2 weeks the days start getting longer again.
I miss you guys and we'll be in touch soon.
-John
It's taken me quite a while to get back here and actually write this blog entry, so I apologize for the delay. I don't know what happened, I've sat down to do it each of the past 6 days, but for some reason things kept coming up or I found that I just didn't have the motivation to write it. In any case, if you're reading this, it means that I've finally gotten through it!
Since I last checked in, it wasn't even Thanksgiving yet and the days were MUCH longer than they are now. I was just on the phone with my sister Karen and wasn't until I put it into words that it hit me just how short these days have gotten. 18 days ago, the sun was rising at 8:34am and setting at 3:40pm (which is still abnormal, in my book!) and today, the sun rose at 9:07am and set at 3:21pm. In the last 16 days, we've lost 52 minutes of daylight! We've lost between 2 and 5 minutes PER DAY. It's nuts.
Anyways, the recap:
Thanksgiving was a lot of fun. It was 12 of us, 5 Americans with the rest of the gang from Estonia, Germany and Finland and we had a feast. Trudee was able to track down some Turkey (though instead of getting a whole bird, we ended up with 3 massive "pterodactyl" legs) and everyone brought a sidedish. Personally, I was responsible for the green beans and everything went smoothly on that front. Trudee was a lovely host and it was so great that she had us over.
A quick aside: One of my professors at Wheaton, Kersti Yllo (who herself is Estonian and has been a great resource for me) forwarded me an email from a guy named Tim King who is an American living in Estonia, a professor of anthropology. In any case, she suggested I send him an email and maybe the two of us could connect. He's got a blog: LettersFromEstonia in case you're interested. In any case, Thanksgiving rolled around and I hadn't gotten around to emailing Tim (it had only been 2 days). And who is one of the 12 at Trudee's place? None other than Tim King!! Talk about a small country, and in this case, capital city.
But back to the bird(legs). The food was really good and we introduced the non-Americans to our holiday and when they quizzed us on the history of the holiday we were forced to admit that our remembrance of the first Thanksgiving is rather idealized. In large part, the Native Americans provided the food and the land and everything and the settlers provided diseases. In any case, we explained what the holiday stands for now and it was clear that our entire group was thankful for each other, particularly those of us that are still quite new to Estonia.
The last 2+ weeks have been rather uneventful on the work front, unfortunately. The good thing is that I'm learning a lot about wireless technologies in a general sense, but I'm not learning as much as Estonia-specific information as I would like to, which, in my eyes, is the point of all this. I've also been having trouble carrying out some of the side projects I'm working on because my bosses/colleagues have their own agenda independent of my presence here. With this being said, I'm somewhat of a low priority to people, but this is understandable and comes with the territory. It's still a tad bit frustrating though.
My evenings have been much more interesting than my (shortened) days here. I got to attend a fashion show that my friends Elina and Mikko had designed clothes for, and Trudee designed some jewelry for Mikko's collection, including an elegant 'hood' that words wouldn't do justice to. I'll make sure to put a picture of it in my photo album, which you can see here: Estonia Album #9 - Thanksgiving, Fashion Show, Various Photos from around Tallinn
Some of the clothes were classy, others notsomuch. Fashion, in my eyes, is like modern art- you'll love some, you'll hate some, and the rest will just make you wonder...
Our friends' collections were some of the best in the show, which made the evening a smashing success. Trudee and Mikko's work was even featured in the "Picture of the Day" on Estonia's most visited website: http://www.delfi.ee. After the show we grabbed a bite and drinks to celebrate. Good times were had by all.
The next night, I was lucky enough to be invited to the opening of a film festival here in Tallinn, called PÖFF (forgetting at the moment what the acronym means, but it's something in Estonian you probably wouldn't get anyways, so whatever...). Anna had gotten tickets through her job at the U.S. Embassy; the Ambassador had been given complimentary passes which she kindly gave us to use (as Anna pointed out, if the Ambassador went to all of the events to which she is invited, she'll never have any time to get anything done!). So we gladly obliged and took the tickets and had a great time. We saw 9 short films that students at the media school in Tallinn had written and directed. Like the fashion show, some were better than others.
It was funny though, when we entered the theater, we got sort of an odd look from the ticket-taker. Because the tickets were addressed to the "Her Excellency" the Ambassador, they looked at Anna and me and were just kinda giving us the "YOU'RE AMBASSADORS???" look. We strolled in and enjoyed the moment.
Another highlight from the last few weeks was that my German friend Raphael and I checked out an Estonian Basketball team, where we saw the Tallinn team, Kalev BC absolutely decimate their Greek opponent, 127-76. We went out for a drink after the game and ended up running into two obviously American guys who we got talking to, and we mentioned that we'd been at the Kalev game that night. "Funny," the taller of the two says. "I play for Kalev." Turns out his name is Andre Perry, and he told me he played at Alabama back in college. Well I googled him and it turned out he was pretty good back then and played with such NBA stars as Latrell Sprewell and Robert Horry. Anyways, he's only been here a month, so I think he was glad to meet another American. We exchanged cell numbers to go out some time, but we'll see if that materializes. It'd be fun so we'll see.
Those are the major highlights of my life right now. I keep saying it but I mean it this time: I'll try to post more frequently but sometimes the motivation is hard. The increasingly bad weather and the short days just make it hard to do anything. Luckily we're through the steepest part of the curve and in less than 2 weeks the days start getting longer again.
I miss you guys and we'll be in touch soon.
-John
05 December 2005
Fulbright Newsletter, Vol. 1
Hey guys, I just wanted to share an article I got asked to write for Volume 1 of Fulbright's Newsletter. Hope you like it!
Fulbright Grantee Newsletter Vol. 1 – John W. Heywood – Estonia: Information Systems
Project Title: Researching the Social Impact of Wireless Internet in Estonia
Host Insitutions: Estonia’s e-Governance Academy & WiFi.ee, Estonia’s Free Wireless Initiative
December 5, 2005
Tervitused Eestist! Greetings from Estonia!
I write from Tallinn—Estonia’s capital city—where I am already almost 1/3 of the way through my Fulbright grant!! I can’t believe how fast the time has been flying by, but I’m having a great time. I’m making progress in my research, seeing different parts of Estonia, meeting Estonians both on professional and personal levels, and doing my very best to learn an extremely difficult language! All in all, this is exactly what I could have hoped for when I left my home of Oakland, CA 3 months ago.
I arrived in Estonia not knowing what to expect. I mean, one can read documents about a place, but my arrival in Estonia is proof that you can only truly know a place once you have set foot on the native soil. Estonia has changed quite a bit over the past 3 months, going from the tail end of a warmer-than-average summer to full-blown winter, complete with snow, temperatures of -10 Celsius and days that have been getting shorter and shorter since I’ve been here. Needless to say, quite a change for this California boy.
On the research front, all is well, though admittedly progressing slower than I might have hoped. I’ve had the ability to attend conferences and meet some of the leaders in information technology and e-governance in this tiny technocracy, and despite making many connections early on, the policy-makers here are extremely busy with their daily goings-on, as could be expected. Thus, at this point, I’ve acquired more hard, quantitative data from websites and other public sources than qualitative data from interviews and questionnaires. Both are valuable to my research, and I am hoping to secure some interviews and distribute a detailed survey regarding wireless technologies to all types of people with whom I am connected across Estonia very soon. With this data, I expect to extent the gait of my research from steps and strides to leaps and bounds.
So far, the Estonians that I have been able to get to know despite my language constraints (many Estonians speak English, particularly the younger generations) have been extremely warm and friendly once you get past their tough exterior. I have also developed a small ex-Pat network that is always growing and changing based on who is arriving in country and who is leaving. Estonia’s size (1.4 million) makes it a country unlike anywhere else I’ve been; I’m constantly meeting new people: Estonians, Americans, Finns, Germans, Nigerians and Russians, just to name a few, who have both become my friends and in a few cases even proven useful in my research.
There is a saying that “Everyone in Estonia knows everyone else,” and whether or not it is true, if people don’t know each other (yet), they’re certainly connected with one another through the Internet and other networking technologies. Estonia’s early focus on wireless technologies sets it apart from the other former Soviet satellite countries and, in fact, many other countries in the world. To be here studying this fascinating subject at such a crossroads for the world has been an amazing experience so far, and I truly can’t wait to see what the next 7 months hold.
Overlooking Tallinn
Fulbright Grantee Newsletter Vol. 1 – John W. Heywood – Estonia: Information Systems
Project Title: Researching the Social Impact of Wireless Internet in Estonia
Host Insitutions: Estonia’s e-Governance Academy & WiFi.ee, Estonia’s Free Wireless Initiative
December 5, 2005
Tervitused Eestist! Greetings from Estonia!
I write from Tallinn—Estonia’s capital city—where I am already almost 1/3 of the way through my Fulbright grant!! I can’t believe how fast the time has been flying by, but I’m having a great time. I’m making progress in my research, seeing different parts of Estonia, meeting Estonians both on professional and personal levels, and doing my very best to learn an extremely difficult language! All in all, this is exactly what I could have hoped for when I left my home of Oakland, CA 3 months ago.
I arrived in Estonia not knowing what to expect. I mean, one can read documents about a place, but my arrival in Estonia is proof that you can only truly know a place once you have set foot on the native soil. Estonia has changed quite a bit over the past 3 months, going from the tail end of a warmer-than-average summer to full-blown winter, complete with snow, temperatures of -10 Celsius and days that have been getting shorter and shorter since I’ve been here. Needless to say, quite a change for this California boy.
On the research front, all is well, though admittedly progressing slower than I might have hoped. I’ve had the ability to attend conferences and meet some of the leaders in information technology and e-governance in this tiny technocracy, and despite making many connections early on, the policy-makers here are extremely busy with their daily goings-on, as could be expected. Thus, at this point, I’ve acquired more hard, quantitative data from websites and other public sources than qualitative data from interviews and questionnaires. Both are valuable to my research, and I am hoping to secure some interviews and distribute a detailed survey regarding wireless technologies to all types of people with whom I am connected across Estonia very soon. With this data, I expect to extent the gait of my research from steps and strides to leaps and bounds.
So far, the Estonians that I have been able to get to know despite my language constraints (many Estonians speak English, particularly the younger generations) have been extremely warm and friendly once you get past their tough exterior. I have also developed a small ex-Pat network that is always growing and changing based on who is arriving in country and who is leaving. Estonia’s size (1.4 million) makes it a country unlike anywhere else I’ve been; I’m constantly meeting new people: Estonians, Americans, Finns, Germans, Nigerians and Russians, just to name a few, who have both become my friends and in a few cases even proven useful in my research.
There is a saying that “Everyone in Estonia knows everyone else,” and whether or not it is true, if people don’t know each other (yet), they’re certainly connected with one another through the Internet and other networking technologies. Estonia’s early focus on wireless technologies sets it apart from the other former Soviet satellite countries and, in fact, many other countries in the world. To be here studying this fascinating subject at such a crossroads for the world has been an amazing experience so far, and I truly can’t wait to see what the next 7 months hold.
Overlooking Tallinn
01 December 2005
New Addition to the Blog
Check out the newest addition to my blog-- a few "friendly blogs" as I call them. The section is on the right and as I meet people with blogs, they'll go there! So far I have the e-Governance Academy's News (eGANews), Tim King's Letters From Estonia (LettersFromEstonia), my eGA colleague Steven Segaert's blog (StevenSegaert), James Delaplain's TechnoHybrid (TechnoHybrid) and fellow Fulbrighter Trudee Hill's Blog (TrudeeHill). Check them out, and keep an eye out for more blogs!
-J
PS- New post coming soon...
-J
PS- New post coming soon...
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