Finland's answer to Turner Prize: Ars Fennica Award

(image copyright by Charles Sandison)

Charles Sandison won Finland's answer to Turner Prize in 2010: Ars Fennica award.

Have a look at his amazing portfolio. Now that's what I call art. WOW!

More info:
www.sandison.fi
www.bbc.co.uk

Cut Copy in Helsinki on Saturday 12.3.2011

Founded in Melbourne in 2001, Cut Copy are one of today's most successful indie electro acts along with Hot Chip, Empire of the Sun and LCD Soundsystem. Cut Copy's debut album "Bright Like Neon Love" earned the band an ever increasing following already in 2004 but the trio's popularity skyrocketed upon the release of their sophomore album "In Ghost Colours" in 2008. It topped the Australian album charts and the band played sold out tours in the U.S. and Europe with Daft Punk, Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand, to mention a few. Cut Copy are currently finishing off their third album "Zonoscope" due February 7.

Tickets 35 euro + possible service fee.

www.tiketti.fi

Interactive bar opens in Tokyo

Do you remember MultiTouch screens?

The world’s largest hospitality multitouch display installation has been opened in Tokyo’s Graffiti Bar. Patrons can draw their own graffiti on the MultiTouch displays, and can browse drink and food menus, interact with their waiters, play games, and enjoy media content provided by the bar. Interactive special effects, including virtual champagne bubbles and lightning bolts, react to touch and objects placed on the tables. VIP cards placed on the MultiTouch displays will trigger exclusive VIP content.

More info:
MultiTouch.fi
tokyo-graffiti.com

Microtask loves the work you hate

DO one assigned task on your computer. It shouldn’t take you more than two seconds. Repeat 14,399 times. Congratulations! Your eight-hour work day is complete.

No such workplace yet exists, but with the fiendishly clever creation of standardized two-second tasks, delivered to any computer connected to the Internet, it is now technically possible to set up.

Microtask, a start-up company in Finland, has come up with the software that delivers such tasks. The company offers to take on "dull, repetitive work" — like digitizing paper forms or business cards — for prospective clients. As it says in a video on its Web site, "Microtask loves the work you hate."

More info:
Read the full article from NY Times (October 30, 2010).

www.microtask.com

Opengreenmap.org: documenting the green world

Green Living Sites. Nature. Social and Cultural Resources. You will find them all on the OpenGreenMap.org! I checked the status of my hometown Helsinki and there seems to 36 sites listed when posting this article. Many sites are missing like these ones:

Pyykkis - New ecological laundry service (Helsinginkatu 16)
Eat&Joy Farmer's market
Ecomarket Ruohonjuuri
Anton & Anton local food

Anyway, Open Green Maps are designed to be explored, customized and enhanced by anyone. Please share your insights, ratings and images or suggest, compare and share sites.

I try to suggest the ones listed above.

More info: Opengreenmap.org

Rat Nights (Rottenetter) - When we will see the premiere in Finland?

Wondering why the entertaining norwegian movie Rat Nights (Rottenetter directed by Arild Østin Ommundsen) has not been premiered in Finland yet?

Rottenatter combines elements from the movies Wall street, American Psycho and Snabba cash. If you liked some of those movies you will probably like Rottenetter as well. Soundtrack of the movie is by Thomas Dybdahl and with that soundtrack he won the Best Norwegian soundtrack award (Amandapris) in 2009.

Alternate Reality Game (ARG) concept was the driving force for marketing the movie in Norway. Or what do you think about this campaign?

Rare Exports

This Christmas everyone will believe in Santa Claus.

More info:
www.rareexportsmovie.com
www.facebook.com/RareExportsMovie

The Daily Ape show - facts about Finland

The Daily Ape Show is an animated comedy series made for the World Expo 2010 Shanghai. Everything aped; the world, celebrities, news, politics, countries... Everybody and everything.

You can follow the series at:
www.dailyape.com
Daily Ape Youtube channel

Kill Arman in 104 countries worldwide

Kill Arman –martial arts travel show has been sold to 104 countries. The reality television series follows the Iranian-born Finnish tailor Arman Alizad’s confrontations with masters of different martial arts. The tailor has four months to prepare himself for combating ten masters of different martial arts in ten different countries around the world.

Since last year the international distribution of the programme has been handled by Rabbit Films production company and the contract includes ten English language episodes of the series.

At the moment Kill Airman’s largest channels are BBC Africa and BBC Asia covering a total of over 70 countries.

More info:
www.killarman.com (only in Finnish at the moment)
Good News from Finland

Angry Birds are heading to Hollywood

According to Variety the "Angry Birds" are flocking to Hollywood.

Rovio, the Finnish creator of the hit iPhone and iPad game, which has sold more than 6.5 million downloads, wants to turn the property into a major franchise that crosses over to other platforms - from TV shows and movies to toys and comicbooks.

The rest of "Angry Birds" stats are also impressive: The game, which sells for 99 cents in the U.S., and about $1.14 in other markets, hit the 6.5 million sales mark this month. A more limited free version has been downloaded 11 million times. An iPad version, for $4.99, has racked up 200,000 sales.

Game is launched on other platforms like Google's Android, Blackberry and Palm in the coming months. Rovio also intends to expand the game to handheld videogame systems like Nintendo's DS, Sony's PSP Go and consoles like the PlayStation 3.

More info:
www.angrybirds.com