the mboloblog

Like a Fergie, Uuh!

2007-03-28T17:34:00.000+02:00

I have to say, I've never really liked Fergie all that much.

Come to think of it, I actually thought she was one of the most irritating artists of modern time. In hindsight I realise that the only thing that fueled this opinion was her relationship with The Blackeyed Peas. Yes you're right. They're one of the most over-rated, over-produced and over-payed groups ever. I simply can't stand their lack of persona or modesty.

But then this came along, and suddenly Fergie rose to a whole new level. Post Blackeyed Peas, she stepped out into the light. The mbololight.

As a result I think it's fair to say that if her coming albums resemble anything like this single, I think we're looking at one of the biggest female stars since Gwen or even Madonna.

Now Gwen, I know your're reading and I want to let you know I appreciated your work from the start. Madonna, what can I say. You're not a favourite in the mbololight.

But Fergie.. Hmm.
Remember, you heard it here first.

Some say it's madness. Others say it's genius. I say it's Guinness.

2007-03-15T16:32:00.000+01:00

As lot of other things in the UK, Marmite represents a product & routine which you're either completely devoted to or prefer would never even have entered your world. As the Brits quite elegantly phrase it: "you either love it or you hate it".

For those of you who aren't educated in Great Britains "Crazy Scientist" approach to cuisine, Marmite is reputed to be quite a nutritious spread for use on toast, made from yeast residue. Jupp, yeast residue.

But here's the interesting part. If you're in the cut-throat industry of FMCG:s and foodstuffs, you're bound to want to create a stirr with the UK audience and it's neighbors. So what would you do? Well you'd lure consumers in by exploiting one of their most obvious weaknesses. Beer. And how do you differentiate your product from others? Well by the notion of even more beer of course..

So, as a limited edition feature, Marmite have now launched Marmite Guinness- just in time for St. Patricks Day.
As a fan of molecular gastronomy and "Crazy Scientist" cuisine in particular I elbowed myself through the aisles of Waitrose in search of a specimen or two. After tearing people a few new ones, I got my hands on two.

Obviously, I haven't tasted it and most likely never will, but if you feel you haven't done enough damage to your body just yet this year- I'd recommend you try and snap up a can or so soon.

Mmmm.. Marmite..

Wii're on a strike

2007-03-04T14:30:00.000+01:00

The Sedgebrook Retirement Community in Chicago has begun organizing bowling tournaments. Nothing strange about that, expect the fact that the average Sedgebrook resident is 77 years old, and the bowling is done via Wii.

Initially, grandchildren taught the residents how to play and use the interface of the Wii. Several games are apparently played but none has proved as popular as the Wii bowling competition. It activates, creates genuine interaction and competition among residents and most importantly gets them off their chairs and into the modern world.

I don't care that much about processor- speeds or if the 60gb PS3 has a silver detail on the front. What I do care about is how interaction and play affects peoples ordinary lives, and especially so the demographics which were until now completely ingored by the gaming industry. It's not only heartwarming to hear about the Sedgebrook example, it's a significant example of technology playing a role in helping people smile.

Well done Nintendo, while everyone else is focusing on realistic graphics in a virtual world, you managed to create happiness in the real world.

"Didelidelit-didelidelit"

2006-11-17T23:12:00.000+01:00

This just in!

The average bottle of Champagne contains 44 million bubbles.
The average grown-up woman tells 28.000 lies during her life.

Fishy photography

2006-10-05T23:25:00.001+02:00

You know the kind of images in which you can actually feel the cold? Or the kind of images where even though it freezing outside, the warmth of the characters takes that all away?

Or how about those kind of pictures that take you somewhere else just by looking at them. Somewhere where you feel at home straight away, even if it's somewhere you've never actually been to.

well, that's the kind of pictures Corey Arnold captures. Brilliant work & thanks for sharing Corey.

Public arcade

2006-07-20T15:29:00.000+02:00

And for all you people on a lunch break, here's a little Space Invaders, but with a twist.

Excellent execution of a simple idea. Just gather a few hundred friends, buy a cinema and then you can play as long as you like.
Simple..

Life by text

2006-07-20T15:08:00.000+02:00

Wow..

This just might be one of the most interesting inventions I've seen in a very long time..

Imagine leaving notes, pictures or messages to friends at any place, at any time and in any part of the world for as long as you'd like..

The possibilities here are actually amazing. Post-it notes, tombstones and sightseeing tours, tremble in fear.

Ze lord of ze Ring

2006-07-05T00:28:00.000+02:00

This weekend I flew to Germany, in order to take a taxi.

Besides the event relating to the kicking of a leather ball, Germany can also boast having what is internationally known as the fastest taxi in the world. After this weekend, I can therefore conclude two things.

1. The world cup is a fantastic event and the Germans are worthy winners of it (provided they won't get kicked out by Italy, which they just got..) D´oh!
2. The taxi I'm refering to is indeed quite remarkably fast..

This was a birthday present for my brother, and luckily he was well-mannered enough to let me go with him. Unluckily, the two of us were then unwise enough to ask our father to come along too. Not that he's bad company, quite the contrary, it's just that.. well.. he's never been fond of roller coasters. And let me be very clear here.. 9 minutes in the Grüne Hölle is a pretty rough roller coaster.

That's why some of the worlds best drivers come here, with some of the worlds best cars and that's why you'll also find Sabine here. She's the worlds fastest taxi driver.

It's probably the most expensive fare I've ever had to pay, and it didn't even get me anywhere, we ended up where we started. But I can still say it was the most worthwhile taxitrip I've ever taken. Well, at least sober anyways.

Arggh! pirates with a following

2006-06-11T20:06:00.000+02:00

Yepp, the people I've been raving about for quite some time are finally back..
Entourage have their season premiere tonight on HBO.

Although we're having trouble finding slots for the series on European channels, I do suspect you'll be able to pick up the episodes in a bay with severe pirate- presence pretty soon..
Nudge nudge, know what I mean?

If not, you probably deserve being stuck with HBO. Hug it out, bitch.

Fussballfest mbolomap

2006-06-09T22:59:00.000+02:00

It's been some time now, so I thought it's about time we get to know each other better. As a matter of fact, I thought it's about time you followed me back home..

If you can find it that is. I'll give you a hint.
It's number 12..

First prize is free cold beers & crisps during the entire World cup, in front of the new HD flat screen.

You follow?

Shapeshifter

2006-06-07T00:33:00.000+02:00

It's been a while now, but I felt if I was going to sacrifice a few minutes from what is proving a rather hectic schedule, it should be for this creative mind.

Thomas Heatherwick.
The best thing is, he's just getting started.. Well, at least we have that in common.

A Lincoln on the tracks

2006-01-16T00:27:00.000+01:00

Oohh, busy week coming up here, and should be an exciting one too.
You know, in some peculiar way that first line brought me onto something entirely different. So we'll just see where that takes us. Nowhere I assume, but I'll give it a shot. This is extreme- blogging, at it's best, don't you think?

Anyway.
Over christmas I rode in one of the smallest commercial airplanes I've ever been in. Walking down the aisle (no, not that one) it reminded me of a nightmare I used to have when I was a kid. Of course, it didn't really help that the stressed out indian father- of- four had to dash to the toilet for emergency diaper- duty even before we taxied off either..

Nevertheless, the flight proved to be somewhat of a success and we all landed with a cheerful smile and dry bottoms. Always an advantage when traveling, don't you think?

On another note, as Walter Cronkite would put it, I thought I'd let the inspiration from a book I'm presently reading, slowly linger onto these pages. Actually, I'll skip the inspiration part and simply move on to a curious fact I stumbled upon when reading it. Oh, I've actually sailed with Walter too come to think of it, and that ties neatly into the subject I'm trying to introduce too..

Lincoln was a president who's career ended in a rather abrupt but truly Kennedyesque- kind of way. He was murdered.
This is news which I suspect is fairly well known by now, considering he's been murdered for quite some time, but there's more to it. The assassin was a fellow named Booth, and as a result of the shooting & murdering he was soon considered a rather unpleasant person. This changed not only the life for himself, but also that of his brother, one of Americas first showbusiness celebrities. He was naturally rather disappointed his brother had gone off and killed someone, and was not entirely pleased it was the president of the USA either. As a result he became deeply depressed and gradually left acting.

One day years later while waiting at the platform at the central station, he heard screams close by. He then found that a young man had just then fallen off the platform and onto the tracks. Without hesitating, he rushed over, jumped off the platform and rescued the young man from an oncoming train, barely avoiding being hit by it himself.

Some time later, he received a letter from the governor, thanking him for his brave rescue and saving the life of the governors protege, a young man by the name of Lincoln Jr.

Booth had managed to save the life of the person who's father his brother killed. He went back to acting and carried that letter in his inner pocket for the rest of his life.

Syncronicities, they're the new black.
Now remember, you read it here first..

2006-01-13T13:51:00.000+01:00

The germans.
What's there really to say.

Anyway, their local people- car- manufacturer has yet again managed to impress me. I mean, if things go on in this manner, I might even consider looking at the cars too..

Oh, and Thank's DDB for convincing the Germans to let you choose the music too.

Closed for the holidays.

2005-12-28T11:18:00.000+01:00

In the event of an emergency or a personal request, please feel free to use our complementary customer comments area.

Park a park

2005-12-20T15:30:00.000+01:00

This may be the single most interesting idea I've come across this year. And that's rather impressive given it's almost the end of the year. Well, either that or it might just be that good ideas, beside my own naturally, don't come my way very often..

Nevertheless, here's a group of people who've found the Achilles heal of real estate and property prices. Imagine the sponsorship potential and socio- economic benefits at hand. Besides parks which is in itself a brilliant idea, why not donate parking space to house other activities?

Like mini on- the- go shelters for homeless people?
Or little al- fresco love- studios for expressing exhibitionistic and amicable feelings to one and other?
Or very tiny public pools for instant refreshment on hot summer days?

Oh, just don't take the car.
I hear parking's become quite a problem..

mini chameleons & pool- dwelling women

2005-12-20T15:09:00.000+01:00

Recently saw the trailer for M. Night Shyamalans new movie and, enticed with Christmas spirit, I have to say that it was pretty darn refreshing. Instead of the conventional accelerating- clips- combined- with- pompous drums approach, this caught my attention with its rather humble & pleasant vibe..

On a side note, the spell- check recommends replacing "Shyamalan" with the words "smallness" or "chameleon". In my experience, never has a little spelling program been so outspoken and opinionated..

I mean come on, that's just not nice, is it?

Bamwho?

2005-12-09T14:25:00.000+01:00

Winter's here.
And with a vengeance..

Around here, winter tends to be rather determined to make an impression this time of year.
Can't really see why, as we're all rather familiar with it by now and see it as somewhat of a regular..

There's really not very much else to do than accept it. And in contrast to what the majority of people here seem to think, avoiding to change to winter tires until the very last minute is not a clever way of tricking winter into delaying it's entrance.

This for instance, is what it did to the pond. A mirror reflection of the bamboo, not entirely comfortable with the ice canopy surrounding it..

Oh, and speaking of ponds.. Frogs are brilliant aren't they?
And for no particular reason at all, it's also worth mentioning that Amsterdam is a truly remarkable city.

People there probably always change their tires in time..

In dust we trust

2005-12-06T18:38:00.000+01:00

Spike Jonze is familiar in some circles for knowing a thing or two about revolutionizing the video- format.

Apparently, he's found a Gap in the market again.

2005-12-04T23:25:00.000+01:00

"If god wanted us to be vegetarians, then why did he make animals out of meat?"

You can't argue with logic like that, can you..
Nevertheless, if you're a militant vegetarian who'd like to express an alternative opinion directly, here's a useful source for finding out where this guy lives.

Just watch out for the dog. Oh, and grandpa..

Birthday Box

2005-12-04T21:46:00.000+01:00

When I reached the mature age of One, my grandfather gave me a set of wooden cubes that he'd painstakingly handcrafted since the day he heard he soon would become a grandfather. The cubes were beautifully crafted and pedagogically came in several different sizes. Obviously, I thought they were a complete bore and didn't give them any attention what so ever.

Initially.

As the batteries gradually ran out on the blinking, flashing other toys, my attention slowly turned to the wooden cubes. I soon realized the alternatives were endless and developed a fascination for testing what could be built and what would instantly tumble to the floor. The parquet flooring never looked the same, but those wooden cubes did enable me to establish a genuine interest in construction and architecture. Something my grandfather in all his windom probably intented in the first place, the old engineer..

Now, to many of you this may seem a trifle irrelevant, and in all honesty it most probably is.
My main point is, I'm just glad I'm in good company..

Love is in the airwaves

2005-12-04T12:36:00.000+01:00

Sunday mornings celebrating excessive drinking habits of the night before, have found a new partner.

Entourage.
The series is simply put a package combining the writing of Seinfeld and the authenticity of Curb your Enthusiasm with the feel- good cleavage frenzy of Baywatch. In other words, a rather watch- worthy series..

Co- produced by Mark Wahlberg and inspired by his rise to stardom, the series illuminates the Hollywood we want to see and the Hollywood we suspect lurks in the background too.

It's Sunday in the sofa again, so let's hug it out, bitch.

Extras! Extras! Pod all about it!

2005-12-02T19:00:00.000+01:00

Apparently there is this new phenomenon called an "iPod", produced by what seems to be a form of organisation with affiliation to New York City..

Anyhow, this product is apparently creating somewhat of a stir in certain areas of the community, and especially so within contexts where sound is popular. As a result Ricky Gervais, who is without a doubt one of the most brilliant comedians alive, has chosen to present a series of podcasts via The Guardian.

For those of you who appreciate sound or humor for that matter and are also vaguely aware of what is generally defined as podcasting, this may be worth a closer listen..

Three is a charm

2005-12-02T13:19:00.000+01:00

Aviation is a fascinating industry.
Not only is it in my humble opinion the most aesthetically pleasing industry around, it is also subjected to the most spectacular forces and fantastic risks. On a daily basis.
Don't get me wrong, I love flying, it's just that things have changed..

The perils of aviation have over the years become somewhat of a rare commodity, at least compared to the adventures travelers experienced a hundred years ago. This is something which is rather neatly encapsulated by Harold C. Brinsmead, the head of Australia's Civil Aviation Department in the early days of commercial aviation.
More precisely, in 1931.

Brimsmead took a flight from London in order to arrive swiftly and safely in Australia, and thereby demonstrate the reliability of modern airplanes to his fellow countrymen. The plane from London flew elegantly for approximately thirty seconds, then crashed, still during take- off. No one was seriously hurt but the plane was written off and no replacement plane could be found. Instead, Brimsmead boarded a flight with another carrier, the new Dutch airline KLM. This flight almost instantly, with admirable devotion and elegance, also crashed while taking off. This time, five people were killed and Brainsmead suffered injuries of which he never recovered. Instead, he died two years later, never making it to Australia.

Meanwhile, the surviving passengers of the KLM flight, determined to reach their destination, carried on in a new replacement flight. This plane instead chose to crash during landing, effectively killing the remaining survivors of the two previous crashes.

Brings a little perspective to modern dilemmas of flying doesn't it.

2005-12-01T21:58:00.000+01:00

6 -2 isn't that bad either. My estimate held an impressive 1 minute 4 seconds too..
Yep, quite an oracle aren't I?

They did wear gloves though.

2005-12-01T15:08:00.000+01:00

The bets are on, the gloves are off.
Well technically, the gloves will be put on as a matter of fact, but nevermind.

Tonight's the night, at least in terms of my hometown hockey team playing ruthless northern rivals.
While Henke is over playing for the Rangers, we're all hoping they'll find their stride and secure the title this year too.

I'll update you on the score tonight, but I'm predicting 3 - 0.
Remember, you heard it here first..

Boxing day

2005-12-01T10:12:00.001+01:00

Just a little note.
The Tate Modern is running Rachel Whiteread's exhibition Embankment until the 6th of April. As far as a collection of boxes is concerned, this one is really quite spectacular.

If you're already in London you probably already know this. If not, I'm not entirely sure you fully master the alphabet, as I just told you.

Nevertheless, it's worth a trip.
The closest tube station is Southbank but taxi- drivers need only verbal direction. A great option for that illiterate cultural- elite crowd, who desperately wan't to make an entrance.

Go.
It would be a shame to write it off, don't you think?

Two revelations & one apple

2005-11-30T21:17:00.000+01:00

So, New York is nice.
And actually, so are friends.

Two weeks ago these two brilliant insights provided me with a stunning realization. I would go to New York and I would do so immediately.

I did.
The results were mindly speaking, simply mindboggling. Both New York and the friends were still nice.

To commemorate this splendid occasion, several activities & individuals were documented by means of what is commonly referred to as a camera. I won't bore you with what I actually did or why, instead I'll let the photos do the talking. And possibly let the odd comment & observation slip through here and there too..

As a matter of fact, in no other city can a steel curtain be this interesting.

Erik lives up there to the left. So does Adriana Lima actually.
Nice one erik..

I sincerely believe these are the two most common vehicles on Manhattan today. Come to think of it, If everything and everyone was in the same place, none of them would have very much to do.

Mr. Da Silvano over there never drinks & drives. Well he tries to drive, but mostly drinks. Chris here manages to combine the two into an artform.

Ok folks, snow's over..

2005-11-29T23:04:00.000+01:00

"I repeat. There's nothing to see here. Please clear the area."
Remember the movie?

Ok, what about this.
Harbour? Police murder? Stern officer lecturing a curious crowd of two elderly citizens?
Ring a bell?

Well. It's the movie that without a doubt had the greatest impact on my entire adolesence. Was it just me and my faulty hormone distribution or is it that they just don't make movies like it anymore? I mean come on. Where has humor gone since National Lampoon's Naked Gun? Where's slapstick when you need it?

It's certainly not here, that's for sure. This little blog is apparently already shaping up to contain nothing by wry comments & complaints anyway.

Oh, but there was one funny little joke there in the title though, don't you think? See in Swedish we call that an "ordvits".

And there you go. Another thing to add to my introduction. I'm Swedish.. What do you know. We really are getting along you and I aren't we?

The big question now is, are you still interested? Has the curiosity faded now that you know. A boring old Swede with a boring old blog?

What do I know.
You might be right, there really is nothing to Swede here.

2005-11-29T00:27:00.000+01:00

This just in..
It's snowing.

Oh, and I've also called my girlfriend. Phew, what a night..

Midnight Run

2005-11-29T00:03:00.000+01:00

Oh yes. I'm back already.

By now you're probably thinking "well this guy clearly doesn't have any life what so ever", or some of you are just calmly concluding that "this guy just found out he can run a weblog." As it were, you're actually all right.

No, I have not a single clue of how to properly manage this thing yet and No, I really don't have anything better to do at midnight on a weekday. Well, except call my girlfriend maybe.

Ah, there you have it. Now we're really getting along aren't we?
You now know I'm web-technically illiterate, I have a rather flexible schedule post midnight and I also have a girlfriend. See, we're getting along swimmingly already, and just after my second post, or whatever you're supposed to call it.

Nevermind, I think this relationship I really going somewhere..

Aha..

2005-11-28T23:29:00.000+01:00

So this is it. After many a day of mindless surfing, I end up here. Which come to think of it, by either misfortune or interest you have too. On my very own little weblog.
Or mboloblog to be a trifle more precise..

A great future awaits us, have no doubt. Well, quite frankly that might be completely incorrect, but that doesn't really matter. Instead, lets try keep things upbeat now as we start things up. You know, jolly bloggers and all that..

Before we introduce ourselves properly, I think it's fair we lay down some ground rules. You know, to get to know one and other better.

Well actually, I'm still working on these rules so for the time being you'll have to suffice with not knowing me at all. Since you'd probably never even heard of me before you came across this little blog anyway, I'm sure you'll be able to hold your horses until then, won't you..