Mikael Fernstrom

>So, with the new policicy of the Brits, we can’t go to, or through, England. Many computer scientists in my generation have:
1. Long hair.
2. Beard.
3. Rucksack with laptop and a gazillion of electronic gadgets.
4. A haunted look in their eyes, as we’re mentally preparing to present our excellent and clear thinking to some ignorant bastards somewhere.
If you look like this, you’ll be shot in England.
Also, if you have a problem not being a native English speaker and with 3 people in civillian clothes running towards you with hand guns, looking like they’d like to kill you… yes, They probably will.
The only thing to do is to NOT go to Blair’s Fascist England. I hope that one day, we’ll have the equivalent of the Nurnberg trials, where Bush and Blair are sent to jail forever.

>ICAD2005 is done. I think it was a great success. I enjoyed it immensely, both intellectually and socially. I hope everybody else did as well.
This evening has been a really good wind-down for me. I sat outside in the garden until midnight, in just shorts and a shirt. The weather here right now is NOT typically Irish. It is more Mediterranean. But, we enjoy it while we have it.

>Finally, we’re rolling. the INternational Coneference on Auditory Display ICAD2005 is on the way. Delegates have started to arrive, our organisation is kicking in. I’m really looking forward to this week, but I hope I will have the energy to see it through. It is really fantastic that after more than one year of planning, people are finally arriving here to meet and discuss. Let the Good Times Roll.

>I love it. I’ve been laughing, crying, everything. If the young people, or all people, of today get the point, we can make a change. If we don’t there’s no hope. Not for you. Not for me. Not for your children, Not for anybody.
So, if you care, surf in to life8live and sign up.

>I just read on Aftonbaldet’s web site that Totta Näslund passed away. I’m sad. Totta was one of the best bluesmen I’ve ever known. I got to know him in the mid-70’s when he was with Nationalteatern. I worked at AVAB. When the Tent Project (Tältprojektetet) started, Totta was one of the anchors. We, at AVAB, built all the equipment, but also discussed the political and ideological grounds for the narrative. Later, when the Tent Project was over, I had left AVAB and running my own company (working together with Musik Utan Gränser), Totta, Bernt and Nicke (now Totta’s Blues Band) often called in to our shitty lab in Gothenburg city.
One particular occasion I remember is a wintry day. Tottta had bought a new Davy Crocket hat. When he walked into our lab (a.k.a. Gruvan [the Mine]), our St Bernard “Bastian” went apeshit. It was the fecking hat! Also, around the same time, Bernt’s Hammond B3 motor failed. We ordered a replacement, but it was for 60 Hz, not 50. So, overnight, I designed an inverter that took 50 Hz mains and converted into 60 Hz. As we didn’t have the parts to make it spot-on 50, we decided to cut a hole in the left-hand panel of the Hammond organ to fit – a pitch-wheel! So, after that Bernt’s B3 was probably the first (perhaps only) B3 to have a pitch wheel.
I’ve been listening to my Totta’s Blues Band tracks on my iPod tonight.
Peter Sikström, Bruce, Roger, Kent Flood, and many others, if you happen to read this, you should comment!
The blues goes on.

>After rebooting our exhibit in the City Gallery a few times, I have decided NEVER to use Microsoft Windows again for a public installation. Despite the fact that it’s running on a fine little machine (Shuttle), and works fine on any Mac OSX, on Windows XP you get all kinds of trouble. In my case you’re talking about a pretty normal multimedia file (Flash), about 230 Meg. EVen when everything seems to be running smooth, suddenly the evil Microsoft stuff pops up a dialogue that perhaps we need a Windows Update! No, no and no again.
So, from now on, if we’re putting up machines in public installations, it should be Linux or OSX.
Goodbye Mr Gates. May you rot in reboot hell.

>
Sean and I (softday) installed our inflatable pool in the (Limerick City Gallery. The exhibition opens on Thursday… We had a great day out, as always, immersed in creative thoughts and action (pumping, inflating the bloody pool!).

>
This evening we had our home-grown artichokes for dinner. Wow. I love artichokes and normally buy them either (semi) fresh or canned. But I have never tasted artichokes this good, cooked 10 minutes after harvest.
So now you know that artichokes can be successfully grown in Ireland!

>I hate it. And love it.This evening, in so called semi-finals, I loved Moldovia. Slightly ethnic, good stage show, interesting music with contemporary flavour. In all the acts the scenography (the set) was great. Well down to Ukraine.
My main worry is that the backing appears to nowadays be backing tracks, not a live real orchestra, which results in lack of real live performance emotion. Why?
[well I can think of a number of reasons why, but it’s kind of counterproductive]

>Wow. Quite a difference, from one Sunday to another. Last week, it was all score, this week, all blues and rock. The Olde Band got together and we palyed the Globe, or rather, Thermights. Small audience, but if word spreads and we agree to another gig it could be a good venue.