Grumpy Norwegian

What love looks like

2011-07-25T22:50:00.001+02:00

A few pictures of what Norway looked like tonight, when everyone gathered in every city, to show their compassion and empathy to those affected by the terror on 22.07.2011.

What these pictures show in unison, is love, compassion, empathy - we are strong, we are one, we are democracy. We are Norway.

Vi slår ring rundt hverandre

2011-07-25T20:33:00.000+02:00

Idag, klokken 12.00, ble det holdt et minutts stillhet rundt i Norge. På bilder jeg ser på nettet, ser man virkeligheten av hva det norske folket føler. Mennesker fra alle bakgrunner står ved siden av hverandre, hånd i hånd, i omfavnelse. Vi er alle nordmenn i dag - og sånn vil det fortsette.

Det som var ment å splitte oss, har forent oss. Det som var ment å ødelegge oss, har gjort oss sterke. Vi slår ring rundt de rammede, deres familier, alle pårørte - og vi slår ring rundt minnet av de som ble tatt fra oss.

Ingenting har for meg vist dette sterkere enn det jeg så på Torget i Trondheim idag, og det jeg ser fra bilder fra det ganske land. Ikke siden frigjøringen, har så mange vært samlet. I Trondheim anslås det 20,000! Det var faktisk så mange som hadde møtt opp i regnværet, at når fronten av fakkeltoget kom tilbake til Torget, var det fortsatt tusenvis som ikke hadde begynt å gå enda. Det ble bokstavelig talt slått en ring rundt hele Trondheim.

Himmelen gråter, men idag handler alt bare om kjærlighet, solidaritet og medmennesklighet.

22.07.2011 - The day that will change Norway

2011-07-25T04:21:00.001+02:00

I've taken the liberty to translate this well-written comment/article by the Norwegian author Roy Jacobsen, as published on Aftenposten's web. The reason for doing so, is that I believe many of my english speaking friends would also like this text. I really do hope neither Aftenposten nor Mr. Jacobsen will mind.

"It's already been established - nothing will ever be the same after this. This friday will be remembered, just like we remember the Kennedy assassination, 9/11, the murder of Olof Palme, the London Bombings.. Others' national tragedies and traumas, that we shared with them. From a distance.

That distance is now gone. The unthinkable has happened - here. It's desperately close and extremely painful, like phantom pain, even for those of us who 'only' experience it through the media. The focused evil that these atrocities are commited with lacks any comparison in history. It's one of a kind.

Not at all likely.

And in the days and weeks to come it'll be important to hang on to exactly the fact that everything must be done in order to investigate if there have been flaws in the security or preventive measures. But we must not forget that even the most closely scrutinizing dictatorships can't predict and prevent the twisted ideas and actions of individuals. The great builders of our nation knew this. That safety is forged through democracy and open debate, through unwritten social contracts and mutual trust - not with barbed wire and wiretaps. Of course, the debate around our so-called naivety will be fuelled by this, the debate around the fragility and premises of an open society - for it is an important debate, one that must never be silenced.

The main point, however, is that when this country now changes, we will be able to set the direction ourselves - whether to be provoked into a harder path by a twisted nationless nationalist, or to choose our own path.

We have a choice.

We have as good as already made it, by forming a circle around the wounded and the affected, by trying to take part in that impossible process they're in, to the best of our abilities. We picture those heroic youths that stood up for, and helped each other, staking their own lives when the terror hit; we feel pride for, and acknowledge the volunteers that showed up in masses, the scores of police, aid personell and health personell that through the last couple of days have gone far outside their duties to help. We gratefully confirm that they have shown us what we already knew, but might not always consider, that the Norwegian people is a people of solidarity and civility, a people with an ability for compassionate thought and actions.

We know who we are, and what we stand for. What we see on the TV these days, on the web sites and in the papers, is the soul of the Norwegian people. We see leaders that can speak, feel and think. We see wounded and affected in worthy, desperate suffering. We see a considerate media. As the foreign minister put it yesterday: "The Norway that emerges from this, will be recognizeable".

Everything suggests that he will be proven right. Exactly because of the fact that what we have witnessed, is not the symptoms of a sick society, but the catastrophic consequences of a warped mind - and ultimately: the ability of a living democracy to withstand it. That way, the perpetrator loses in every way."

Link to the original publication on Aftenposten: http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/article4182739.ece

What happened?

2011-07-23T17:56:00.000+02:00

This post will be mostly for my english speaking friends, seeking information on what has happened thus far in Norway.

On Friday July 22nd, at about 15.30 local time, a bomb went off in Oslo, causing a huge explosion in the heart of the political quarters in Norway. Police have so far not released any information as to exactly where the bomb went off, but it is believed that it was a car bomb, and that it went off in the vicinity of the governmental buildings in Grubbegata. Widespread panic ensued, but police, medical personal as well as firemen quickly arrived in the area and started securing the perimeter.

What we saw from media coverage in the area, reminded me of a war zone. Entire sides of buildings destroyed, windows blown out for at least a mile, rubble in the streets, people with blood on them. Not something one expects to see from Oslo.

Naturally, speculations started flying, and some media outlets started drawing parallells to islamic terror hits, while others tried to stay balanced and wait for more information.

Within the next few hours though, as if the bomb blast wasn't enough, we started getting information about a shooting in a summer camp. At Utøya (a small island where the Norwegian Labor Party Youth has a yearly gathering), apparently someone had started opening fire. We didn't know much at this point, but started talking among ourselves about the two incidents being connected. What made the situation even worse - if one can use a word like that - was knowing that the people on that island were mainly young people, ages 14 and up from what I can understand. Young people gathered to discuss politics, play football, barbecue, swim and generally have a good time.

As information started flowing in (much of it unconfirmed), it was mentioned that a person portraying himself as a police officer, had asked for a boat ride out to aforementioned island, under the pretence of informing the youth about the events that had taken place in Oslo.

Media was in shock. They tried collecting as much information as possible, all the while trying to stay balanced and not jumping to conclusions. A mistake by one of the broadcasters led to pictures being sent live from one of the choppers circling the island, and one could see a ghastly picture of some of the aftermath of the shootings.

When I went to bed at roughly 3 AM, police had started releasing some numbers. They said 7 were killed in the bomb blast, about 10 injured. They also said 10 were killed on the island, with 20+ being wounded, but they feared these numbers might go up. When I woke up, Norway was a different country..

The new numbers were simply unbelievable. At least 80 killed on the island, another 3 dozen or so badly wounded. The numbers from Oslo are unchanged as far as I know, but police have not yet concluded the search in the buildings to my knowledge.

An apprehension was made quickly after the shootings on the island took place. One man, an ethnic Norwegian (yes, that is a point of importance) 32 years of age, had been arrested. The gunman had been taken alive. What's known is that this individual had bought about 4 metric tons of fertilizer a few months back, that he has ties to right wing extremism and that he seems to be a succesful person. Anything else can only be deemed as speculations at this point. I will refrain from having any opinions about this person. First of all until he is convicted, but secondly because it won't bring back the people who were abruptly taken from us. No good will come of hating him. We will not forget him, but hopefully his ideas (if that was in fact his motives) will hopefully slide into oblivion with a whimper.

Now, to the best of my knowledge, those are the facts thus far.

But as in every tragedy, it's so much bigger than facts. Today, we have been getting eye witness reports, from people who escaped the island, people who aided them, statements from heads of state etc. Some stories are amazing, like the people who got in their boats and immediately drove towards the island to help the people that swam for their lives - to all the people involved in the supportive roles, like health personel, hospital staff, firemen, pilots, police and everyone else who dropped everything and came to help.

Other stories are so horrendous, I don't even know how to start describing them. Kids who saw their friends get killed in front of their eyes, swimming for their lives or hiding in terror, being lured to open ground by someone posing as a police officer - a person of authority that we usually trust with our safety. Young people trying to save their friends, conducting CPR on gunshot victims.

Throughout the events, I can't help but feel pride in how our politicians have handled the matter. All things partisan have been put aside, even though sneaky reporters have been trying to color the events in party politics. They acted calmly, expressed compassion and warmth, and strength - in a time where everyone were glued to their source of information. They insisted on not jumping to conclusions, to not demonize or point fingers. This was not the time for blame, it was a time for compassion. Our prime minister said in a speech "We must show that our open society withstands even these trials. The answer to violence is more democracy, more openess, but never naivety [...] Norway stands united in times of crisis [...] We are a small nation, but a proud nation [...] No one will frighten us into not being Norway".

And the people I know - I admire them. The compassion I saw expressed on facebook, people retweeting important information about contact numbers for family and friends, contact information for blood donors etc. They mostly acted calm, collected, and tried to be helpful. The few and far between that tried using the events to promote political ideas or hate, were quickly beaten down with a uniform feeling of compassion and solidarity.

But even so. The events that happened yesterday will forever live on as a memory. It will not break us. It will not discourage us. But it will always be there. My thoughts and compassion goes out to all those afflicted by these horrendous events. My heart cries for you.

For further reading, some fellow bloggers have written some excellent pieces. Some are factual, others about how something like this affects them personally. Links below:

http://www.oysteinrunde.no/#post18
http://prableen.origo.no/-/bulletin/show/672218_helvete-paa-utoeya
http://tabloggen.origo.no/-/bulletin/show/672232_bror-og-soester-imellom

Et samlet Norge

2011-07-23T02:31:00.000+02:00

Utpå natta har det kommet en god del mer informasjon enn vi satt med tidligere idag. En mann er pågrepet, bekreftet etnisk norsk. Navn og ytterligere informasjon synes jeg er unødvendig å nevne her da det finnes tilgjengelig i diverse media for de som ønsker det.

Det varmet hjertet mitt å se hvordan mennesker jeg kjenner taklet situasjonen i løpet av dagen. Folk var flinke til å oppfordre sine venner til å ikke overreagere, ikke spre frykt, ikke peke fingre og ikke demonisere folkegrupper etc. For det viste seg nemlig å ikke være tilknytning til den "enkle løsningen", altså islamistiske grupperinger. Det var til og med islamistiske grupper som påtok seg ansvaret i visse web-fora (riktignok ikke kredible kilder ifølge eksperter). Nå ser det altså ut til at vi ser at hat ikke har noen farge eller kultur. Hat er bare hat. Derfor synes jeg vi burde holde oss for gode til å hate mannen bak handlingene. Tro meg, han fortjener sin straff, som han nok også kommer til å få. Men det hjelper lite at vi bruker energi på å hate denne personen. Bruk heller energien på noe fornuftig!

Media var forståelig fomlende i starten, siden stort sett ingen visste hva som hadde skjedd, langt mindre hvem som sto bak. Det tok imidlertid ikke lang tid før et samlet norsk pressekorps så ut til å samle seg og utvise en profesjonell standard av ypperste klasse. De påpekte stadig at man skulle være forsiktig med å spekulere, og at man heller skulle avvente, la myndighetene gjøre jobben sin, og heller trekke konklusjoner når nok fakta lå på bordet.

Politisjefen, politikerne og Kongen oppførte seg også eksemplarisk, etter min mening. De avslo alle former for spekulasjoner, og la til side politiske agendaer og holdt seg for gode til å spre fryktpolitikk. Stoltenberg gikk til og med et steg videre, og oppfordret til at "Vold må besvares med MER demokrati og MER åpenhet, men ALDRI naivitet".

Jeg er stolt av hvordan vi som nasjon har taklet dette enn så lenge. Glassmesterne i Oslo er allerede ute og rydder opp og setter opp nye ruter, ryddemannskaper jobber natta gjennom for å rydde opp. "Vi skal ikke la dette påvirke oss" ser ut til å være det gjennomgående temaet i Oslo.

Det er også nesten befriende at mannen som er arrestert i forbindelse med handlingene ser ut til å være tilknyttet høyreekstreme miljøer. Befriende fordi det ville vært fullstendig ødeleggende for kampen for et multietnisk samfunn hvis dette hadde vært handlinger fra for eksempel en islamistisk gruppering. Det er fælt å si det, men så trangsynt er dessverre verden. Et annet punkt som jeg synes er bra, er at mannen ble pågrepet LEVENDE. Jeg kan tenke meg en del andre steder i verden hvor de ville kjørt på en "skyt først, spør senere"-taktikk i en slik situasjon. Uten en gjerningsmann i live har man ingen å spørre om motiv etc.

Jeg håper at dagen idag vil påvirke oss positivt, og ikke lede til en nasjon i frykt, slik vi har sett i andre land. "Norge står sammen i krisetider [...] Vi er en liten nasjon, men vi er en stolt nasjon [...] Ingen skal få skremme oss fra å være Norge [...] Vi må vise at vårt åpne samfunn består også denne prøven. Vold må besvares med enda mer demokrati, og enda mer åpenhet, men aldri naivitet", sa Stoltenberg. Det oppsummerer vel det meste.

Terror har kommet til Norge

2011-07-22T19:51:00.000+02:00

I dag har jeg vært vitne til bilder jeg ikke hadde ventet å se fra Oslo.

Det som i skrivende stund (om som langt på veg er bekreftet i media) ser ut til å være en bombe-eksplosjon rammet i 15.30-tiden Oslo Sentrum, midt i det politiske hjertet. Det er ikke kjent eksakt hvor bomben gikk av - det nevnes at det kan ha vært en bilbombe, mens andre skildringer kan tyde på at bomben gikk av inne i et av regjeringsbyggene. Det spekuleres også i hvorvidt det kan ha vært flere bomber involvert.

Viktigst av alt nå, må være at vi tar vare på hverandre, sørger for at de vi kjenner i området har det bra - og at vi ikke begynner med demonisering av folkegrupper. Vi må for all del IKKE la en slik handling gi nytt liv i gamle hat-diskusjoner. I Norge har vi vært flinke til å kritisere blant annet USA for slike tendenser, så nå får vi se om vi selv kan holde tunga rett i munnen.

Noen timer etter eksplosjonen i Oslo meldes det om at en mann - utkledd som politi og under påskudd av å skulle snakke med noen angående bomben i Oslo - reiste til Utøya med båt. Mannen var bevæpnet. På Utøya arrangeres for tiden AUFs sommersamling, og en av gjestene var Gro Harlem Bruntland. Det ble løsnet flere skudd, og ubekreftede meldinger sier at minst fem personer er skutt og såret. Jeg har enda ikke sett noe som tyder på dødsfall der ute.

Nyhetene på TV melder nå om minst 7 omkomne i eksplosjonen i Oslo, og dette er nok et tall som vil fortsette å stige.

At Norge deltar i krig og deltar såpass tungt i internasjonal politikk, har nå vist seg å få ganske kraftige konsekvenser. Det er dog fortsatt viktig at vi forholder oss rolige, får fakta på bordet, og ikke starter en slik "fear mongering" taktikk som ved flere tilfeller skremmer opp folk og gjør mer skade enn nytte.

Vet ikke helt hvordan man runder av en post om noe av denne karakteren, så jeg avslutter med linker til oppdaterte nyhetssaker:

http://www.aftenposten.no/
http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/norge/1.7723132
http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/norge/1.7722919
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14252515
http://www.vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/artikkel.php?artid=10080588

Awesome Dubstep

2011-07-15T23:47:00.000+02:00

Since I've already written a bit about filthstep, I thought I'd share a few of the tunes I currently favor. I'm in a pretty solid dubstep period at the moment, where 3/4 of the music I listen to daily fits into the genre somehow. Here are a few of the tunes:

First one can't be missed. DJ Fresh has accomplished what no other dubstep or d'n'b dj has managed; a UK #1. With the track "Louder" which features the brilliant Sian Evans, he's taking the world by storm, and by god - it's a massive tune. Here's the official video:

The mood of the video is simply brilliant. Worth checking out also is the remix done by Flux Pavilion and Doctor P (both from Circus Records). The video seen below is someone doing a great job with the track:

Next track isn't as fresh as the above one (pun intended), but still one of the tracks I really enjoy:

Now, Feed Me is the very same Jon Gooch who also goes under the name "Spor" when making hard-hitting, dark and menacing drum and bass. The man is nothing short of a genius, which he shows in one of the other tracks currently burning up my playlists:

Now, the next one also features a Doctor P remix, it's a real banger this time too:

The next one is a bit on the heavier side, and comes from Koan Sound (could only find a clip of this on YT):

The last two tracks is from a London duo called 16bit, which are currently signed to MTA (Chase & Status' label). First track is a properly heavy track, and the second one is just as heavy, but might seem a bit weird to some. I dig them both, and the second track feels like a very fresh variation in this genre:

So, that's it for this time. I'll try to make this a regular thing, and make it like a bi-weekly thing or something, where I post some of my current favourite dubstep tracks, for you to enjoy. Let me know what you think!

My definition of Filthstep

2011-07-13T22:50:00.000+02:00

So you might have been hearing about a style of music - or genre, if you will - called dubstep. Now, for many, this term is equally general to say "rock". So, I'm gonna give a few examples of a sub-genre I started calling "filthstep" about a year ago, when I first heard Freestylers - Cracks (Flux Pavilion remix):

Now, given, this is at the lighter end of the scale of what I call filthstep. Better examples would be Borgore, Noisia, Skrillex, Phear Phace, Dodge & Fuski. Here's two examples of properly filthy music:

So, in my opinion, the sub-genre characterized by heavy basslines, lots of fuzz and distorted sounds, should be called filthstep. Now, granted, there might be several people actually using other names for it - I'm just proposing a suggestion here.

Why? Well, allthough I agree that good music is good music, and doesn't really need a label or genre, I also believe it can be useful to have distinctions between certain "sounds" or "styles", when you're trying to get new impressions and tips similar to some track that you like. For example, a track by Joker called "The Vision (Jessie Ware version), is one of my absolute favourites these days. But it hardly fits the general dubstep label, nor the filthstep label. Some call it "chillstep". That might be a good term? Check it out yourself:

TLDR; I propose we introduce the term filthstep!

U MAD, BRO?

2011-06-21T22:32:00.000+02:00

In today's edition of Dagbladet, you can read about a sociologist who spews some bullcrap about 'Hurtigruten'. Instead of people actually - for once - gathering around something Norwegian on the telly, he wants us to focus on all the shit that goes on in the world - specifically Europe.

With the euro standing on the edge of a cliff, Greece in turmoil, and the entire European Union at risk, I am painfully aware of the fact that shit might hit the fan soon. But is that a reason to not take a fucking break from it all? Would he rather millions just delved into their books, movies, facebook, twitter and computer games?

I, for one, applaud 'Hurtigruten'. It's gonna be years until I can afford a cruise along these beautiful shores, so getting to see snippets of the truly stunning scenery, is completely captivating to me. Imagine the tourists on that boat. Every port (well, as near as makes no difference) greets them with bands, choirs, posters, flowers etc. Even in the dead of night! Do you think they're having the best cruise of their lives? Probably!

This show calms me down. I don't have to flick through umpteen channels to find out nothing's on. I find myself relaxing, watching beautiful mountain ranges and islands, lit by the midnight sun. National romantic? You can bet your sweet, hateful ass I am.

The flaw in certain logical arguments.

2011-06-15T14:08:00.006+02:00

There seems to be a widespread belief among certain individuals, that as long as someone cannot disprove your thesis/argument/point, it means you're right. This, of course, couldn't be more wrong, and is fully in line with the old Sophist way of reasoning.

The Sophists argued in such a way, that they either presented a theory or point that could not be proven or disproven, and then went on to attack anyone who opposed their views. With great success, I might add. See, they were trained in the art of speaking, reasoning and rhetoric. Their greatest skill came from poking whole in the oppositions arguments (in philosophy or religious matters, this is of course not hard to do), instead of coming up with their own ideas. The onlookers would then percieve the opposition to be faulty, or wrong, since the Sophists could poke holes in their reasoning, which in term had to mean that whatever the Sophists meant, had to be right.

We see the same kind of rhetoric from a number of the most famous conspiracy theorists in the world. Most notably, David Icke. He reasons that since he has called members of the Royal Family, high ranking officials, celebrities etc "malicious, conniving lizards from outer space" - and they haven't pressed charges, it must mean that he is correct. In other words, labeling someone something, and then having a lack of response, must simply mean that the labelling was correct.

This is, of course, a highly moronic way of reasoning. By using the same way of logic, one could argue the most bizarre things. If I say Barack Obama is a martian, and he does not come forward to disprove this claim or press charges, that doesn't mean it's true. Also, this is the same logic one could use to "prove" every type of religion. "You cannot disprove Ganesha, Reincarnation, God, Allah, The Great Pink Elephant etc, therefore they must exist"?

Conspiracy theorists rely heavily on this flawed logic. They present thesis and theories which are built upon evidence they claim someone is hiding. Hence, since the evidence is "hidden", the public can neither prove nor disprove these allegations. For the conpiracy theorists, this then, is presented as evidence to back up their story. And it's almost as silly as the famous witch hunts that took place all over the western world at one point. Since there was no way to disprove you were a witch (other than fatal ones), there was simply no way you could win.

People like David Icke, who has also mastered the skill of public speaking, are a threat to the feeble minded, those who don't think very far, or demand solid evidence for theories being presented to them. He hurls out all kinds of things, which of course, seem to make sense when he says them. And because the world ignores him, he then proclaims this is solid proof that he is right. Which leads to todays situation, where probably tens of thousands actually believe that the Queen of England is a lizard in a human costume.

It's the same reasoning behind the 2012 scare (or 2011, October). Lots of theories are presented as facts. when they are in fact, not. Take Planet X for example. Disregarding the most moronic of the claims about this unknown planet, and grabbing hold of the only one that matters - the fact that it's going to crash into earth or the moon in 2012 - is easily disprovable. For a heavenly body to have such a mass as to be a threat, and a course that would hit us withing that timeframe, the planet would actually be visible with the naked eye already (allthough only as a slightly larger dot in the sky), and very visible with a hobby telescope. It's not there.

Secondly, the whole mayan thing. It is claimed that the mayas predicted the end of the world in 2012. First of all, Mayas thought the world had been created 3114 years B.C. They count in baktuns (400 years), and there are 13 baktuns in a cycle (or are there?). 2012 is then the cycle starts over, according to some. However, consider this when putting too much emphasis on the mayan culture: they thought the earth was flat, with 4 corners, resting on the back of a crocodile. There are also several refernces in Mayan texts to dates set after 2012, among them the celebration of several kings ascencions. The mayan calendar actually makes a cycle in 4772, which is when the Pictun cycles (20 baktuns). Furthermore, there are no mayan texts mentioning any doomsday or apocalypse.

So, where does it all come from? Well, doomsayers, movie makers and writer who want to make money.

Don't believe the facts I've presented? Have a look at these sites, and just generally use Google and remember to check what source you're using. Is it someone having an opinion, or is there several peer reviewed experts? It's up to you. Of course, there are bound to be conspiracy theorists who will answer this blog post with "science is lies" or "these sources are no more credible than X" or "it's just a cover up for the truth!". Well, good sirs, you believe the fear mongering stuff you read, I'll just enjoy my life and know that we'll still be here in 2013.

http://www.2012hoax.org/mayan-prediction This site has several external links to actual reserachers and factual works.

http://news.discovery.com/space/the-2012-mayan-calendar-doomsday-date-might-be-wrong.html A decent article that also lists sources that are credible.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/11/091106-2012-end-of-world-myths.html Also very factual, and based on actual science.

http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/ask-an-astrobiologist/intro/nibiru-and-doomsday-2012-questions-and-answers A site that rounds up some of the most notorious theories and debunks them.

Old School

2010-07-04T13:45:00.002+02:00

So it's been a good old while since I wrote anything here. Don't know why, but today the spirit gripped me. And what I thought about was how I view things now, as opposed to how I viewed things 10 or 20 years ago.

When I was a kid, I always heard grown ups speak about how things were always better "back in the day", right? Ok, so now I'm 30 and I'm actually starting to realize how the mindset changes over the years.

My parents grew up with what I would call very strict manners at school, for instance. When it was my turn, the custom was to stand up when the teacher entered the room, greet the teacher (all together), then sit down. I never felt that this was tiresome or strict when I was in school. A couple of years later, when my kid brother went to the same school, this custom was no longer in existence.

Now, we can see kids using cell phones constantly in the class rooms, or laptops. Oh, and teachers can't even verbally put the students in their place without getting a warning or even losing their jobs. Ok, so I might be slightly exagerrating, but it's miles apart from the atmosphere schools had when I grew up. And all the statistics show that it's detrimental to our educational values as well!

Maybe there should be room for teachers to correct their students in a raised voice. I mean, for crying out loud, they're kids! If they understand that there will be no real consequences to their actions, they're not going to conform to sitting still and keeping quiet.

I'm all for progression and development, but not at the cost of our children's education.

Piracy vs. willingness

2009-08-30T03:18:00.003+02:00

Ok, so today my girlfriend and I decided we wanted to rent a movie at home. We had just been to my brother and his girlfriend, and they had a particular cable-box that allowed them to rent video-on-demand directly through it.

So we get home, and we had picked a movie - "Men who hate women (Män som hatar kvinnor)". So we start up Windows Media Center, go to SF Anytime (currently the best available VOD service), and see if we can find it there. No dice.

We decide to google for more VOD services available in Norway. We found a couple, searched them, and we only found one that had this particular movie. I googled that VOD, and found a large amount of negative critique, particularly about problems with playing in full screen. Which is part of the point when you watch a movie.

The point here is: it's saturday night, we want to pay for watching a movie (which we will not own afterwards), but we can't find a service that provides this. Out of curiosity we search TPB, and yes, it's there in full DVD quality. On another torrent-site, we found it in 720p resolution as well.

Take a guess what we did. Who's to blame?

How to tell time

2009-07-27T02:32:00.003+02:00

Today I found out how to keep track of how old you are. As in, not how many years has passed since you came to be, but in the "oh, that band was popular when I was young" kinda way.

I was watching some random sports show that summarized the previous year in sports. And then it hit me. You can tell time by how sports stars shine and then fade. Like, there was a time when Mario Lemieux was the greatest hockey player ever. Now you can see him in the VIP lounge in Civic Arena at home games. And you can tell he's getting old.

I can still remember Björn Borg on the telly. He's old now. The first footballer I remember looking up to, was Bruce Grobbelaar, for some odd reason. Gary Lineker, Peter Schmeichel, Cantona, Shearer etc. Faded names (compared to active footballers). I mean, most people even think of David Beckham as a fading star.

So the next time you're thinking "I wonder how long it's been since ...", just think of sports starts. Who was popular at that time? Then you'll know. "I wonder how long it's been since Spice Girls released "Wannabe"". Well, it was back when Hierro was at his best for Real Madrid, so must've been about 1996 or thereabouts. See?

The King of "How Low Can You Go"

2009-07-19T23:44:00.004+02:00

The past three weeks, I've been on vacation in Denmark. And the day before we left, Michael Jackson died. I expected a lot of news coverage sure, but what I got, was a sad indicator of how media works and in terms, how easily mankind forgets.

Michael Jackson was a legend in music, at one point. I will conceed to that. But from the mid-90s up until he died, there has been almost purely negative news connected to him, and for what I believe to be good reasons too.

One can speculate about his trials, but in my mind, there is no doubt he had inappropriate dealings with children. The pictures from the secret rooms etc, seems to me to paint a pretty standard picture of someone who is a pedophile.

Now then, about the music. Yes, he revolutionized music. He was everywhere and then some. Sold more than this and that, bla bla bla. That's all very well. But so did a lot of other artists who died, except they did NOT (as far as we know) molest children.

So what happened, people? Did we just forget the past 15 years of MJ's life when he died? Was all of it gone; forgive and forget? NOT TO ME! He died, I say good riddons. The quality of the world actually increased by a little, as far as I'm concerned. None of his music or goodwill can make up for what he (allegedly, they say) did to children. Also, don't put the last 15 years of his life on anyone else than him; he drove his own life into the dirt.

And for the love of all that is good, THREE WEEKS OF CONSTANT NEWS COVERAGE is taking it a bit too fucking far. MJ and the tiniest details surrounding his family, death, funeral and memorials were aired as fucking BREAKING NEWS, overshadowing fairly important news. Shit that actually means something in our lives.

If you were an MJ fan, sorry for your loss, but don't even try to defend him, or the news' coverage of this whole debacle either. Lay his soul to rest and be done with it, and let's get back to living in the real world.

Been a while now.

2009-06-10T03:20:00.004+02:00

It's been a while since I last wrote now. A lot of stuff has happened.

My girlfriend's father passed away a few weeks ago. That was a hard hit to take. More so for my girlfriend than me, naturally, but still. Went down there and was there for a very respectful and nice funeral.

In other news, my exercising is going well. My arms, shoulders and pecs are starting to get some shape to them, and I can actually physically feel them growing stronger as each week passes. The funny thing about pumping iron, is how utterly drained you feel after you're done. I mean, I can hardly lift my arms up when I shower after a hard set.

And yet, an hour later, after you've gotten some decent food into you, you feel extremely energized. I can't help but be awestruck at the way our bodies work sometimes.

Also, I am following the Stanley Cup Finals. My team has always been the Pens (Pittsburgh Penguins), and at this moment, they're battling to get a seventh game in this series. 1-0 lead at home in Melon Arena, and what a fantastic game.

Anywho, I think that's all for now. Sorry, I didn't have any rants lined up for today, but stay tuned, there will definately be more in the future!

Elitist?

2009-05-21T01:50:00.001+02:00

This post will probably be considered either discriminating, hateful, ignorant or stupid by a lot of people. Good, maybe it will spark a debate.

I started giving some thought to donations the other day. Like Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations. It was a news story that triggered it. Someone was interviewing Sarah Ferguson about her charity work, especially her work with kids who are being mistreated, locked up, chained, raped etc.

And yes, it's an absolutely horrible thought that this is going on. And yes, it's horrible that people are starving, or getting killed by civil wars, terrorists, hunger, diseases, earth quakes and other bad things. But then it struck me. Is it really? I mean, if the western world - if we can call it that - dig really deep, and think about preserving ourselves, is it really that bad?

It's a fact (go google it) that at the current growth rate, Earth won't be able to support the number of people living on it, in a foreseable future. Unless, of course, we come up with some ingenius plan to grow food from stuff that doesn't take anything out of the Earth's resources. Ok then, that means we have to take a long, hard look at what's going on in the world.

There are literally hundreds of thousands dying every day, to some of those causes I mentioned above. And we - as decent human beings and fellow citizens of Earth - try to help out by donating clothes, food, money and other material to alleviate the situation of those who need it. Which means, the growth rate continues.

Now, I know, this sounds extremely cynical, bordering on lunacy. But this entire post is just a mind experiment, and possibly an explanation to why certain influential contries don't seem too willing to help out countries in proper need - unless they have oil.

Think of it this way: by not helping third world countries, the death rate goes up, which means growth goes down. Thus, putting less stress on the question of whether or not the number of humans on the planet is sustainable. Less for them, more for us - so to speak. I mean, it's a very simple logic to follow, really. Turn away from the bad stuff, ignore it, and you're home free and don't have to worry about the environment etc.

Do you guys think that's what it's about? Do you think any western companies actually act that cynically? I mean, to save a huge percentage of lives in certain African countries, all we would need is about $10 million worth of equipment for cleaning water. Hell, even small time millionaires could cough up that much, yet it is not happening. Could this be the reasoning behind it?

I don't know. I really am in a state of shock when I look at some of the problems in this world, the possible solution, and the defiancy to give people the help they need.

Something fun, which is also free!

2009-05-12T14:57:00.003+02:00

Remember all those casino machines (slot machines) that used to be placed all over the shops? The ones that had all the blinking lights and robbed you of your student loans? Cough. Well, I remember them. I used to win quite a decent amount on those. Was a nice contribution to the freakishly small student payments.

Anywho, since they were removed from basically all shops in Norway, I've been half missing them. Saw a few online, but they were mostly for playing with real money. And there's just no way I am going to risk real money playing cash machines online, that could easily be programmed to not pay out.

My joy was therefore great when I found this online casino, which let's you play on all the machines on several casino sites, without risking a penny. Several of these are quite fun actually, especially the Devil's Delight, which has some incredibly fun bonus features.

Most of the mini games are available as "play with real money" machines on certain sites, like Betsafe etc. I just enjoy the time killers though, and the fun of it all.

Enjoy!

My beloved team is going down..

2009-04-28T00:35:00.002+02:00

After countless years of rollercoasting in Premier League, it looks like my beloved Magpies are going to get relegated to the Championship.

Years of idiots selling and buying, firing managers more often than Real Madrid, has put it's mark on the pride of the Tyne.

Thanks for the years in PL. Thanks for the thrillers. The ups and the downs. The 5-0 victory over a beaten Manchester United on Old Trafford. The 4-3 loss for Liverpool, and a match that almost broke me. For the Ginolas, the Shearers, the Toon Army being louder than anything, even on away matches, the Brown Ale jerseys. The tears and the laughs.

Maybe Championship is what we need. Big Al gets some time to sort us out. Mike Ashley sods off. Old, worn out players like Butt, Viduka and Owen can finally put their shoes in the rack. Yes, they were great in their time, but there is no room for them on todays pitch, sadly.

Bless you lads, for giving it your best. And bless you Alan, for having the guts to try. Let's get better next season.

"Embracing" technology isn't easy..

2009-04-23T12:52:00.003+02:00

As this article clearly shows. In an attempt to follow the times, some of the people who conventionally don't really mingle with the grass roots - have started hanging around on Twitter, Facebook etc.

Now, some have done this with great success. Several artists are posting snippets of new material, that (at least to begin with) only those who follow the artist on twitter have access to, this includes celebrities as well. I am myself following Stephen Fry, who is one of the smartest and funniest people alive, and Eddie Izzard - just to mention two.

The point of all this, is for the "famous" people to be able to communicate more directly with their fans and audiences. It's also a very good way to pick up trends, how people feel etc. But there are trap doors set along that road.

Twitter is a very easily used, and very unforgiving medium. It's almost as "immediate" as chatting, which has both an upside and a downside. The upside is that you can actually have conversations, allthough slightly delayed. The downside is that it's so easy to post, you can post a reply - like in the above mentioned article - in anger.

For someone of my caliber - someone who doesn't have a following of thousands - it doesn't really matter if I fuck up; I would be fucking up on a private basis. But when you represent a big company like Warner, everything you say in a public space - even if it's intended to be a personal opinion - will still be credited to said company.

So should some celebrities read this, please take heed to my words. Be careful, think before you post, and consider the consequences. Done correctly, both facebook'ing and tweeting can be a great way to communicate with your followers. Happy tweeting!

Torrent technology - evil?

2009-04-19T12:53:00.004+02:00

Or is it more than that? The PirateBay trial has ended - for now. Judge found the 4 accused guilty, and sentenced them to 1 year in prison and 30 million in fines.

On one side, you can claim that these people knew exactly what PirateBay would be used for - hell, even the name suggests the use.

On the other hand, you can make a comparison that one of my friends made: sue the road makers! They provide a road, on which people break laws by driving fast and recklessly. Or how about car makers? They provide the means to do it.

Actually, going by the ruling in this PB case, one could almost sue every ISP, Computer Brand, MP3 player brands etc etc etc, for providing the means to break copyright laws, and it would make just as much sense.

The issue here, isn't just PB isolated. It's every torrent-page out there. Yes, of course we know that probably most of them will contain torrents of copyrighted material. But there's also tens of thousands of torrents to legal material. Heck, several companies, including Blizzard, use torrent technology to distribute their own content.

Is it technically wrong to spread copyrighted material for free? Yes. Technically. But how come, when asked how much the net and piracy has meant for their music and revenues, most artists concede "a lot"? Established brand names (which you indeed may call Britney Spears, Kanye West etc) don't need the net, since they already have billions invested in marketing campaigns.

But for the "little" ones. The J.U.S.T.I.C.E's, the Kaizers Orchestra's, Kutuman's, Datarock's, Detektivbyrån's, the Basshunter's, et cetera ad nauseum. Sure, some people think their music is crap, but thanks to piracy and net distribution, these artists have made names for themselves. Some of them got picked up so quickly by the mainstream (through analyzing web trends), radio stations etc will still claim it was "their discoveries". Others simply would never have been known outside their countries if it wasn't for net distribution.

It's a way to discover new music, new tastes. If it wasn't for the net, I wouldn't have bought - well - about 75% of my CD collection. I would never have known about El-P, Dieselboy, Dry Kill Logic, Atmosphere, P.O.S., Aesop Rock, Herbaliser, DJ Shadow etc. By sharing with others, one discovers new influences.

Also, most studies conducted in the past 4 years, show that people who download music and movies - IN GENERAL - buy more music and movies than those who don't. Want links? Go google it.

In conclusion, the industry is desperately clinging to their old standards where the artists get fuck all, and the big shot companies take it all. Just imagine it, so many of those greedy bastards would be out of a job if more artists discovered they could distribute their own productions online, without their expensive help.

Just look at Spotify - it's brilliant. I pay 99 NOK a month, and I can listen to tons of music in excellent quality. Some record companies are of course resisting this, and in doing so they limit the content available to Spotify users. The more companies and artists embrace this, the sooner they can start making money in a new market. Not as much money as before for the companies - more money for the artists.

The Sweet Embrace of Spring

2009-04-12T01:31:00.004+02:00

Yes, even I, allthough cruel, can admit to softening up in the tender, sluggish warmth that is the easter sun.

Flowers are poking their heads up through the wet grass, dog and cat excrements are starting to smell, dust from the roads gets caught in yer throat. But most of all, the snow and ice is melting away. It's warm enough to not wear a jacket when the sun is out, people are generally more cheerful.

It's just that time of year. Enjoy.

Victimization on a grand level

2009-04-01T11:28:00.004+02:00

Earlier I've written some comments about how Israeli jews seem to have this idea of Norway being a massive anti-semittic force. This past week though, has seen unprecedented stupidity rise up.

According to Dagbladet, Jerusalem Post has printed an article sketching out Norway, and in particular SV's party leader Kristin Halvorsen, as not only anti-semittic, but actually hating jews so much she allegedly shouted "Death to Jews!" in a Gaza peace rally. Prominent norwegian jews were also badly misquoted, and their names used in ill intent, like Imre Hercz.

This is taking it too far. We're not talking "cry wolf" or "the pot calling the kettle black" anymore. This is serious shit. Allegations of that calibre, is just plain sabotage. It's so destructive, they probably don't even know the ramifications it could have. Those Israelis I've met as a tourist guide are already pretty much wary and prejudice against western countries. Now throw this on top of that, and you'll have portions of the Israeli jews hating Norway and norwegians, for no reason at all.

Even worse, after having made a fool of itself, Israeli media will be taken more lightly in the future, when it may need to world to really listen. This farce really doesn't server anyone any good at all.

Extremists are creeping up in every culture. Make sure they don't get a foot hold.

Spring should get fines for slow driving.

2009-03-31T14:57:00.000+02:00

So what's up with the winter this year? It's just fighting, tooth and nail, to hold on. It desperately struggles to maintain it's fragile grasp on us. The last bit of chill in our bones. That last period of "damn it, still too cold to sit in the living room without a blanket".

Couple of weeks ago, most of the snow was gone from Trondheim. We had close to 15 degrees celsius, sunshine and blue skies. People were starting to think we might actually get an easter where we could sit in a t-shirt, barbecuing hot dogs and enjoying the warmth along with the fresh air. Alas, winter wants it differently.

I'll keep my hoodie on, probably my hat as well, and pray that the cold snap of winter leaves me be.

Twitterfeed test

2009-03-27T13:45:00.001+01:00

Just testing some compatibility.

Jail time proportional to the crime?

2009-03-27T13:15:00.005+01:00

Not fucking likely in this case.

If I read the story correctly, the man in question was 51 when raping a 10-year old girl, in a fashion the court labeled "severe". So a man of 51 rapes a 10 year old, in a severe fashion. You'd expect maybe 10 years or so in prison? Think again. 2,5 years.

This is fucking ridiculous. Economic crime, like say stealing 100k from your company, often leads to 5+ years in jail. Sure, that's a crime as well, and worst case scenario someone loses the job, or the company goes under because of it. But jesus christ, raping children should, and I almost want this to be true, be punishable by death. In most cases, it ruins that child's life. Forever and ever. It should at least get you a solid 10 years behind walls, with psychological evaluation every year until release, and strict supervision after release.

Raping a child isn't something that "just happens". It's not like you "whoops, sorry I stuck my dick in you, little one". It's dispickable, wrong and infuriating. If the people who do these things are mentally ill, then for the love of all that is good, put them somewhere where they cannot harm others.

2,5 years. Ridiculous, is the only word I can think of.

Turbo Journalism

2009-03-26T13:06:00.003+01:00

Today, I see the headline "Women must wear burkas - this is how Stortingets politicians (the legislative branch of our Government) defines radical islamism". I'm thinking "wow, that's pretty direct".

Turns out, it's actually just Dagbladet who have been calling random politicians and asked them for their opinions. Furthermore, the person who they paraphrased from, is a nobody, a random representative from FrP. In addition, the quote is taken out of context. What the representative is actually saying is "Radical islamism is the wish to bring Islam in, with it's Sharia laws, on top of Norwegian laws. They are fundamentalists, with their view on women. They demand that women wear burkas, and not show anything."

My translation might be slightly off, but I think I got the general jist of it. In any case, it's a ludicrous butchering of a quote, from a person who doesn't speak for any majority, is not the spokesman or woman for any party or movement, and it's blown way out of proportion.

Headlines are supposed to catch your eye, sure. But when the headline is this misleading, I almost want to report Dagbladet to PFU.

This is Turbo Journalism at it's worst. Creating something from nothing.

Builders on Speed

2009-03-26T12:58:00.002+01:00

I am grumpy today. Goddamn builders that are setting up the new student houses (which in itself is a great thing) are doing so on an area that is extremely close to the bedrock (I think this is the proper term for the norwegian "grunnfjell"). So how does this annoy me?

Well, I am a night person. My biological clock seems to be set on staying up very late, and waking up very late. However, when you at 8 in the morning feel like there's an earthquake, and your entire house is shaking so hard things start falling off the dressers and night table, it's hard to stay asleep.

In addition, some of my neighbors take gaming a tad seriously. One of them spends his entire day shouting at his screen, for all kinds of retarded reason. Mostly he's calling other players retards. Extremely annoying when the walls are thin as paper.

So tired now.

Has The World Gone Mad?

2009-03-24T14:19:00.004+01:00

I get being "critical" of science, and not just gulping everything down and accepting it. I get asking tricky questions and trying to disprove theories; after all, it's what usually has to be done in order to confirm a theory. I get all that. But this teacher took it just a tad too far.

Writing about the theory of evolution as "just a theory"? The theory of Big Bang as "just a theory", and liken it to pure fiction and fantasy? Remember, this guy doesn't appear to be fronting Creationism or anything, so from what we can tell, it's just an article showing pure ignorance.

Here's what I got to say to that nimwit: Galileo had "just a theory", Sir Isaac Newton had "just a theory", Albert Einstein had "just a theory" (well, he had several). Most of the prevailing building blocks in today's science started out as theories, generally laughed at by the societies they lived in.

And how about this: who the fuck are you to shovel ignorance into children's minds? If you're trying to teach kids to be critical and analytical, show them how to conduct research, how to check for sources, how to break down arguments into theories and hypotheses and prove or disprove those. THAT'S science. Taking a piss on the theory of evolution, isn't. Now fuck off and get a real job. Or an education.

NEW: Also, have a look at my buddy's blog, where he presents a few interesting points, backed up by sources and credible scientists.

Additional sources:

Forskning.no
Dagbladet.no
What you'll end up with

The Revolution Is Now!

2009-03-22T03:19:00.005+01:00

Ever wondered how YouTube could evolve even further? How it could take creativity to a new level? Well, Kutiman is it. This is the revolution. This is how it happens. You will be here to witness it.

What Kutiman has done, might not be so revolutionary music wise. Several others have done this before, like 2 Many DJ's, DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, Kid Koala and god knows how many more. But not like this. Not through this medium. Kutiman seems to use YouTube clips only, making interesting, original and funky tunes, out of what separately seems to be random clips.

He uses sounds, pictures, entire clips, raps, verses, anything and everything he needs, from the massive universe that is YouTube. So what's so revolutionary? It's going to create a debacle the likes we have seldom seen. Who has the copyrights? Can it even be a copyright case, since all the clips are put out publicly for the world to see? What does the YouTube ToU say about this?

One thing is for certain, there's going to be heated debates over this. Dagbladet has already noticed it, and (thank god) seem positively amused by it. I hope a lot of people will contribute in various media, to spark a debate around this.

Bottom line, the music sounds good, regular John Does get featured. But whose music is it?

Semittism or not?

2009-03-20T16:38:00.003+01:00

Working as a tourist "guide" every summer for about 8 years, I've met my share of Israelis. Now, I am sure that those who have enough money to come visit Norway, aren't exactly a cross section of the Israeli people.

However.. What I see in this article, and this one goes far on the way of confirming my impression of Israelis. Judging from personal experience, news (and yes, a lot more than just the mainstream press) and books, it seems a fair share of Israelis (and very often those that have some media coverage) always shout "Anti-semittism!" every time someone criticizes Israel for anything. Or jews. Which is funny, since a lot of jews don't consider themselves Israelis.

Now, the Israel vs. Palestine conflict is not black and white, will not be solved in quite some time, and basically only has victims. That being said, I'm pretty sure the majority of people in the world would agree that building a massive wall between the two states, draws remarkable resemblance to another wall we've seen in the 20th century.

Certain things about Israel and the way they are handling the Palestine conflict, is absolutely questionable. The major difference, the way I see it, is that more "John Does" in Israel identify with their governments actions, than "John Does" on the Palestinian side identify with what the terrorists are doing.

Allright, let's just stop there. My points, which got lost somewhere along the line, is that I think Israelis, allthough somewhat justified, are crying "Wolf" far too often, resulting in real anti-semittism being shrugged off. Which is a bloody shame both for them, and the rest of the world who aren't anti-semites, or whatever the word would be..

The Perfect Criminal = Identical Twin

2009-03-20T01:21:00.005+01:00

In Germany, a pair of identical twin brothers have this week been released from custody, after it was determined that they couldn't determine which one of them had taken part in a robbery.

Really. So basically, if identical twins decide to start doing crime, they won't ever be charged on DNA evidence? That opens up a whole new world, I'd say. I mean, of course I understand the logic of it. Two brothers share the exact same string of DNA. When interrogated, they both deny taking part. Police knows that at least one of them were there, else there would be no DNA.

But the law clearly states that to get a ruling in these cases, it must be proven beyond doubt that the accused was there. And since they can't prove which one, or if indeed both, were there, they're at status quo.

Funny, and yet scary.

The Future Is When?

2009-03-19T13:42:00.004+01:00

So back when Minority Report came out, a lot of us thought "holy crap, that technology is going to be available tomorrow". Well, tomorrow is here.

Pattie Maes and her student has now made a device that is no less than tantalizingly futuristic, and by the looks of it extremely handy and practical as well. The best thing? It's not a giant silver robot trying to find your son..

The White Moose

2009-03-18T13:18:00.004+01:00

This animal is fantastic. A freak of nature, the white moose or albino moose has as near as makes no difference been shunned from all other packs of moose in Scandinavia.

But not here. Not in the border region between Värmland and Hedmark, between Eda and Eidskog. Somehow, in some extraordinary manner, they settled here. White and normal moose. Side by side.

I've only been lucky enough to see white moose once myself, and strangely that was also a calf and her mother. We had been on a sort of exploration trip throughout Eda and were returning home when they stood at the side of the road. The mum looked at us as if she was showing off her baby, saying "See, here you go". I don't think I'll ever forget that.

Piracy and a possible solution?

2009-03-18T01:56:00.003+01:00

I've been thinking a lot about piracy lately. Why? Well, I've done my fair share of downloading. Do I like to be labeled as a criminal? Of course not. Do I understand that it is criminal? Yes.

See, the thing about buying music and movies, is that it's so ridiculously expensive. Let's say I buy a new DVD release. That's 200 NOK right there. Almost the same price for CD's. How much, exactly, goes to the artist? I'd venture a guess and say "not much".

Last year, I found Spotify, which was just a whole new world for me. I mean, paying a monthly fee to get access to decent quality music streams? I was delighted. I found quite a lot of the music I usually listen to there, and it wasn't long before I didn't even bother to keep Winamp up. You could just queue hours and hours of music, and not grow tired.

So the concept is valid. However, it would need some slight changes. First of all, it needs a wider selection. For this to come true, the industry needs to cooperate. Which they won't, since the whole concept of Spotify renders several links in the chain obsolete, which in term makes those links earn no money on the music, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is definately something they will fight for.

I think basically the only thing holding the Spotify-concept back, is the expensive chain between the artists and the consumers. The powers making money off of artists, are too overwhelming, and too strong at the moment, for the consumers themselves to dictate the terms.

A lot of people I've spoken too agree that paying a monthly fee of, say, 200 NOK for music and movie access online, is an agreable option. Of course, it wouldn't be expected to gain access to "new things" until a fair time has passed since release. I.e. movies are available when the DVD is released, and music albums maybe X amount of time after they hit stores. I don't know, I'm sure something could be worked out.

Other issues that would need to be adressed are:

Whether or not we would be allowed to store data locally for personal use.
Pricing on the subscriptions, different kinds of subscriptions etc.
Online/offline problem.

The point is, the technology is pretty much there, the consumers are pretty much saying yes to this solution (ref. Spotify's user base, and how many of those are paying subscribers), and artists are warming up to the concept.

I just wanted to let it out there, for people to think about. Do we really need the money hungry middlemen?

(Related article from db.no here, from itavisen.no here)

Concerned?

2009-03-17T17:14:00.001+01:00

Sometimes, it feels like I am the only one who feels like the world is coming apart at the seems. But every now and then, I get confirmation that there are others who have indeed spotted our current predicament. Come now, don't get scared by the big fancy words.

This is my way of expressing myself. I like using words that might have more to do with academics than oral-style blogs. But that's the way I work. Language to me, is like a canvas. Or rather, the tools you would use on a canvas. There is such an abundance of words, so many words to describe even the smallest of nuances in meaning. But that's the point though, isn't it? To as accurately as possible describe what I am thinking.

I know I probably come off as a self-righteous bastard, throwing fancy words around with no intent. I am not though. Sure, I might be a bastard at times, but I do try my best to be fair when judging. I also try to not sound like a stuck up something..

And I do care about normal things as well. I listen to music, I watch movies, I watch reality TV shows sometimes (usually to laugh at how stupid the contestants are), I drink, I enjoy nicotine (not as cigarettes though), and I generally mistreat my body. No, I don't cut myself. I eat shit I shouldn't eat, and I don't eat what I should be eating. That's another therapy session though.

The point I'm trying to make is: even though it might sound like I want to be all political and philosophical, I'm actually quite "normal", if such a thing exists. I'm not raising myself above others by trying to sound all current and updated. And I don't pretend to know how to fix shit. I just voice my thoughts on how things work. Sadly, I don't give enough praise to the things that do work, and the things that are good.

Double standards.

2009-03-17T15:22:00.001+01:00

Why is it that people whine so much over the national television license in Norway? Fine, if you own a TV set, you have to pay something like 1000 NOK per year. These money, go towards funding NRK1, NRK2, NRK3/Super, P1, P2, P3, the web service etc.

The channels in question, provide what I believe is an important cultural alternative. It's government funded, and publicly available. Nowadays, people are joining facebook groups and what not, to protest against paying this fee. "Because we don't watch the channels, or listen to those radio stations".

Ok, so let's investigate this claim. A large part of the same people also have either cable or satellite TV. And I am willing to bet a large sum of money, that they pay a monthly set fee, for that service. I would also be willing to bet they don't watch most of those channels, maybe half at most. Where's my empirical data you say? Fuck empirical data, there's such a thing as common sense.

So why then, are they so willing to protest against paying for something that actually provides (at least partly) decent TV? Sports casts, balanced news, debates etc. There's plenty of things that are needed, important and valid, as an alternative to the messed up reality tv-shows, the annoying advertising, and all the fucked up shows telling you who you should be, or planting ideas in our heads that everyone needs to be and can be celebrities.

Most standard subscriptions to cable or sat tv, cost about 199 per month. Which amounts to about 2400 a year. Of which they might be watching half the channels, if that many. 1200 down the drain then.

I don't get these people. Going by the same logic, taxes should be individually set. You have a child that goes to school? You should pay more then. Are you a hermit living outside society? No taxes for you. The hermit probably wouldn't protest (he probably isn't paying taxes anywho), but I'm pretty goddamn sure most people plan on having kids, and wouldn't like paying twice the taxes of people not having kids in school.

Maybe they would stop whining if the general tax went up by say 0.01% (or whatever the number would be to compensate for the TV license), so they didn't get the bill in their mailbox. Maybe then it would be fine, since they didn't have to think about it.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Here we go, then..

2009-03-17T15:15:00.000+01:00

So this is apparently a blog. And this is apprently my first post. Is it called post? Or topic maybe? Who cares, really. This is just going to be somewhere to vent my frustration at this fucked up world. I doubt anyone will even read this. I need to write it none the less, though.

Call it therapy, call it madness. Somehow, expressing my views to the general populus seems to be the only thing that can set my mind slightly at ease. Ok, so, more to come when I figure out how this thing works.