As a good Norwegian citizen I occasionally take part in the traditional booze cruise where Norwegians go to Sweden for shopping. The government is continuously implementing new taxes and tolls on foreign products so that we can advocate free trade globally while favoring subsidized Norwegian agriculture. This leads to a growth in the cross border trade at the expense of domestic businesses.
So the last time I was over I bought a piece of wild boar steak. These animals have returned to Sweden after having been more or less extinct, and now they many enough to be hunted.
The interesting thing about this steak is the absence of detailed information on the packaging. Instead, they use a QR code to link the consumer with their web site. So that is where I went and found a recipe that I used. And the verdict from the family was that this was tasty, so the next time I go over I will look for more.
It is reasonable to expect these animals to appear i Norway as well. At the moment they are not welcome, but I do not think the government will be able to regulate them back over the border.
This video presents how the FAIR equips schools with computer labs built from recycled computers. Linux is the platform that makes this economically viable, and the result is a spread of IT knowledge among people that would otherwise miss out on this cornerstone of modern society. Unfortunately, you need to know Spanish or Norwegian to understand the audio or subtitles, respectively.
But you get the idea, don't you? Even though you have the latest in computer technology for yourself, the equipment you phase out can still be of use to others.
In Scandinavia, large amounts of computers are being discarded each year. They are thrown away because they are not fast enough, or do not have enough disk space etc. We replace them for new computers that are faster, more modern, and have up to date features and functions - rarely because the old computer is broken! In developing countries, institutions such as schools, universities and hospitals, have a great need for IT in order to join the global information community, and enjoy its many benefits. Information technologies are an important prerequisite for the development and sustainability of democracy, education and health-care.
FAIR is working to bridge the digital divide between countries that are technically more developed and those that are technically disadvantaged. Schools in recipient countries are provided with integrated and effective computer solutions for use in IT classes - based on open source software and reused hardware, which otherwise would have been discarded and destroyed during recycling.
You can help FAIR in its efforts by donating your own equipment, convincing your employer to become partner, or by becoming a personal member. The choice is yours, but the responsibility is with us all!
And by the way, I am biased as I am a member of FAIR's board.
Last Sunday I was reminded that it was time to harvest nuts from my Hazel shrubs - a pair of spotted nutcrackers were robbing me.
I seem to remember that the thieves of previous years have been eurasian jays. Last year they took everything. But this time I joined the harvesting and managed to secure more nuts than I have ever had before. And still there were more on the shrubs that I let the birds handle.
I don't think I have seen spotted nutcrackers before. They were beautiful birds, and I hope they stay in my area. They are welcome to more nuts, and maybe they will contribute to spreading hazels in the neighborhood.
My stores of cowberry in my freezer have been running low. So last Saturday I made a trip into the woods to pick some more. I brought my berry collector (red thing in my right hand), and I set off to harvest.
I remember when I did this last - I ended up overdoing it. It resulted in many jars of jam that still have not been consumed in addition to frozen ones. This time I was not going to make the same mistake again, I thought. On the picture I am carrying a framed backpack I found as a kid. It has been my faithful companion on berry picking excursions ever since. Usually I am satisfied if I fill the backpack, but there were so much cowberry that I simply had to fill a shopping bag as well. The berry collector of course made the picking easy, but there is the need to sort through the harvest afterwards.
My yellow sweater was an attempt to avoid the interest of the annoying deer fly. This leather-like insect may appear in large numbers and they settle on anything that may resemble an elk. Experience shows that that may include me! But maybe the sweater worked since the deer flies didn't bother me this time.
But when I came home I could not find my berry sift, so I ended up hand sorting into the night. The result was 16 liters of cowberry, and again I can make cowberry chocolate cake and other delicacies
It has been a wonderful week. A week back a friend and I celebrated that we both had turned 50.
We had a big party in my garden with friends, live music, good weather, food and drink and everything else we could wish for. As you can see by the picture I was all smiles!
And it didn't stop there.
On Thursday I had my last day at my job in TraceTracker. I handed in my resignation some time back since I got an offer for a new challenge in a major engineering company. But first I cashed in a gift certificate for spa treatment on Friday to "wash off" my old job. And yesterday, out of the blue, I learnt that a musical wizard from earlier times, Ken Hensley, was performing at Eidsvoll Rock & Blues Klubb not far away.
So I got to get my head cleaned out with old Uriah Heep music as well. Big success!
I start in my new job tomorrow, and I look forward to coming back to low level programming in the hardware/software interface.
This spring carpenter ants have yet again tried to take posession of my cabin. As before I have employed chemicals to convince them to move elsewhere, but this year I made a small experiment as well - I applied a sauce of chili peppers and chili oil to the foundation.
The foundation is made up of stones and concrete, and the near horizontal "stripe" starting on the left hand side is the chili sauce. This picture was taken after a couple of weeks, and by then there were no carpenter ants to be seen.
However, when I applied the stuff there was a single one that found its way blocked by my product. It (she?) tried to cross in multiple places, but each time turned back to try somewhere else. The ant also performed a series of "washing" operations, as if the chili had got stuck to it and it tried to clean it off.
I think maybe that I next year shall apply a similar mixture early in the spring. Maybe it will discourage the carpenters so that they find a home somewhere else.
At Kobberhaughytta in the forrests surrounding Oslo there are two Leantos that can be rented. This place is part of the Norwegian Trekking Association's
chain of cabins that allow people to enjoy the great out-doors.
During Pentecost we were four dads and 5 boys renting the leantos for two nights. The weather was warm and the water temperature was so high that even adults enjoyed swimming.
At the same time we were there so early in the spring that the mosquitos were not active. Combined with the bog volleyball field, the superb dinner served by the cabin's personel on Sunday, and the wonderful view from the nearby Kobberhaugen the trip was almost perfect. Something to make the plank floors in the leantos softer to sleep on would have been nice, though!
