You twit

No, I'm not calling names, just wondering about the new web solutions they come up with. The latest I noticed is something called Twitter (http://www.twitter.com). It seems to be a cross between SMS and blogs, and the idea is to post max 140 character "tweets", updates of what you're doing at that very moment. Kind of like the status update thing of Facebook I guess, but independent. Thus designed for smart phones. There is also "twitpic" for posting photos (taken with the smart phones). People can then post comments on the "tweets". I learned about this when I made my way to Stephen Fry's website (I am an admirer of his work). He seems to be on Twitter and eagerly posts updates, whether going to see a performance or out swimming with the sea lions in New Zealand.

It's kind of fun to follow as Mr. Fry clearly gets around. But I do wonder: would I want to broadcast what I'm doing at all moments of the day? Especially since most things most people do during their day are quite ordinary. Things like going to the grocery store to buy some groceries. Not very interesting eh? I think I'll stick to the ol' blog. To each their own I guess. Some people do like it public it seems, as you can see in this picture:


Found in the windows of a metro station. It's a suggestion, translated: "My place?"

Of course, it's best to never say never about a thing like Twitter. Maybe in the next concert or other event I'll go to I find myself I find myself busily twittering!

And now, status update (more than 140 characters): I think I'm off to do some photography. Gives me a bit of fresh air and energy for work too, apart from the enjoyment of creating something. I'm trying to get the draft of the article about done this weekend, so have things to do (though thankfully there's not a huge amount of it left). It has to be sent off by 1st of April, so there needs to be enough time for the fine-editing and getting it proof-read.

I'll take my words back

Well how about that! The Lions Club may have been right after all. Today was the most brilliant late winter/early spring day you could ever wish. And as ever when there's snow on such a day it was SO white and SO bright, you could get snow blindness with too much of it I bet. Took this one on the bayside promenade in the city. Perfect spot for a bit of sunbathing!

I was fascinated by the stark contrast provided by the bright light and the white of the snow.

I was so happy that I got up in good time and so got going to the library early, so I had time to enjoy the sun, because some clouds started to gather by about midday. Amazing what a spot of sun can do for work energy too!

Spring is coming this sunday

That's what the local Lions Club seems to know anyway. Their banner here advertises a "Spring stunt" at the local beach this coming sunday. Seems awfully optimistic to me, what with the sleet today. :-)


But you never know, eh?

I and I

Got me an iPhone yesterday! Can't say I actually NEED it as such. I mean, my phone WAS rubbish, switching off in the middle of typing a text message etc., but I COULD have gotten a good, basic phone. But well, I just couldn't resist. :-)

It's a ridiculously, obscenely fantastic gadget. Along with the normal phone and text functions, camera, ipod and net, it has among other things automatic satellite navigation and route planner, so you can, for instance, have it map out a walking route from destination A to destination B. Of course a huge amount of additional software available for install from Apple too. Really, with a gadget like this, the traditional phone functions are in a side role. :-) Surprisingly cheap too: I got one of those combination packages where the phone itself costs 1 euro upon purchase, and then the deal is for two years and you pay a monthly sum for the phone in addition to the service package fee. I saved in phoning costs since I'm not a big talker on the phone; got limitless data transfer for about 15 euro a month, and in entirety I pay about 50 euros per month.

As a result of getting the gadget, however, I had to give up and reinstall Windows XP, because there isn't support for iPhone in Linux. Funny thing that: Apple offers support for their biggest competitor Microsoft but not Linux which is not a competitor at all, being free. Well, money talks: Apple of course wants plenty of Windows users to buy their iPhones and iPods. I did have some other problems as well, because I couldn't get Wifi to work, and the external sound card refused to work with many things. Ubuntu is a fantastic OS, but it started to feel a bit troublesome to try to solve the various issues and browse the web endlessly for solutions. Was damn troublesome to restore XP, because the boot disk did not work until I completely wiped out the hard drive. As a compromise, I'm trying to use as few Microsoft programs and as much open source software as possible. :-)

It's good to be liked

I went to my brother's yesterday. When I arrived, my younger nephew (4), was outside playing with his friend, a little girl of about the same age from the neighbourhood, her father watching over them. When my nephew saw me, he exclaimed:

"That's aunt Maria!!! That's my aunt!!!"

The three exclamation marks are not an exaggeration. He frequently talks with multiple exclamation marks. :-)

People

These were all taken in the last few days. What I'm currently most interested in is taking unforced pictures of city life, of people in the city: ordinary situations, sometimes "point and shoot" photography, sometimes using special stylistic choices if and when the situation seems to be suited for that.

People by a metro station.

I like the gentleman with the beard, and just generally the composition.

A waiting man.

This was in the same square, close to the metro station, as the first picture. Excellent pose here!

School boys

These boys were coming from the comprehensive school nearby. I love the swagger of the kid in the middle, especially the scarf hanging from his back pocket. :-)

Workman

I think this is installation work of broadband cables.

Waiting for the bus

Black and white seemed to fit the mood here. Other than that, in colour the lights in the buildings at the background might have distracted from the subject.

Thought for the day

"Music is a universal personal experience."

I like that one, came up with it whilst walking today. All cultures, ever since the human being discovered that banging bones or sticks at surfaces brings up rhythms, have had music. Different cultures have different traditions of music which influence the ways their people experience and understand music. Within the cultures, a large number of things affect the ways music is experienced (background, education - music education vs. lack of it, experiences of music and in life in general etc.). And finally, because music is in the end about direct emotional effect, each individual's musical experience is intensely personal.

Last week I had a cold but now I'm in rather a good mood. I FINALLY got around to going to the camera club. I've been meaning to, but there have always been some other things at the same time with the meetings, or else I've come up with some excuses to postpone it. Anyway, earlier this evening I went to the monthly meeting of the camera club, and well worth it it was. The speaker was photographer Tuomas Uusheimo (http://www.thomastribe.net/index.html) who told about his work and showed pictures he had taken, in Shanghai and in Finland on a small punk festival. He is mostly into street photography, and I really liked his work: a strong sense of presence and life in them I found. I am hoping to become better at street photography, and something like Uusheimo's pictures are definitely something to look up to in that regard. As far as the people present, they were mostly men with the average age upwards of 50, judging by the grey-haired heads. Well, perhaps the study club which is next week or some of the other activities have more participation by younger members. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against people of mature age, it's just that I hope to find new friends closer to my age as well. :-)

Another thing is that I have started a campaign of one person (myself) to eat plenty of vitamines. My parents like to carry lots of berries to me whenever they visit, because they grow strawberries and also have some raspberry bushes, plus they are maniac wild berry pickers (blueberry, lingonberry, the latter I don't like). I haven't been very good at eating them but got to it very well recently. Strawberries and raspberries, melted from the fridge, with plain youghurt, add a bit of sugar, is very tasty. So is porridge with blueberries added frozen. At the moment I'm a fan of porridge made of four types of grain.

Hm... to go or not to go? The new research lecturer of the Finnish Institute in Rome is giving a talk on sunday in Tampere, on the topic of the Jewish War, the Flavian emperors and the urban image of Rome in the late 1st century A.D. I even wrote an undergraduate level paper on the Jewish War at the university some - good heavens! - 10 or 11 years ago. It's two hours in each direction on the train, but if I went early I *would* have time to do some photography as well. I quite like Tampere. Depends on the weather I guess.

Another to go or not to go? I've been thinking I'd quite like visiting Holland as I've never been there (apart from Schiphol airport). The thought feels more and more attractive. In the spring maybe? Amsterdam and Rotterdam, perhaps have a chance to meet up with the lovely Val and Koos as well?

To end, here are two little films I shot just yesterday. I have to admit that the audio of both is from www.freesound.org (thanks to nicStage). There were noisy cars driving past on the street close by so I couldn't use the original sound. Hm... maybe these are actually better as silent versions? Well, the sound can be turned off.

ICE AND WATER

Ice and Water from Maria Niku on Vimeo.

COLOUR WAVES


Colour Waves from Maria Niku on Vimeo.

There was ONE sunny day this week, on monday. These are all from that day, taken of or from the steps leading to the city cathedral in the city center.

Reefs in the Wind

A long time since I've done a video. In fact the last video I uploaded was six months ago! I got a bigger camera bag that has room for the PowerShot S5 along with the SLR stuff, so it's lovely to carry everything around and take out whichever camera happens to suit the situation. Just the sort of thing I like.

This one was yesterday. Such a beautiful day again, very sunny and not so cold as on saturday, so I walked some of the way to the library, along the shore. I thought the reefs (I don't know their real name) were so beautiful in the wind.


Reefs in the Wind from Maria Niku on Vimeo.

Now back to Alan Partridge. The Alan Partridge box I ordered from HMV arrived today so I'm having a fabulous time. Not only does the box have the entirety of Knowing Me, Knowing You and I'm Alan Partridge, it's also got lots and lots of extras, including Alan's Christmas special, Alan's Yuletide and commentary audio track for the first series of I'm Alan Partridge - two separate commentary tracks: one by Alan and his PA Lynn, the other by Steve Coogan and the director of the series. Looking forward to that. :-)

Snow is VERY white

Have you noticed? Well, it's occasionally a bit blue as well. 

The clouds FINALLY parted so of course I didn't want to let it go to waste. Also cold, -10 C (cold is about the only time at this time of winter that the sun comes out here, otherwise it's cloudy), but I didn't mind. Now that there's a lot of snow it really is magical, the whiteness and the sun. The sun still sets about 4 pm, and after that it's freezing. But when the sun is up, I actually love winter.

Nothing particularly remarkable going on, only that I have developed a medium-sized obsession about Steve Coogan's comedy. Alan Partridge of course, but I also like the lovely Pauline Calf a great deal. I tend to get these "phases" about English comedy. The last time it happened was when I started listening to the Goon Show. Then I just HAD to watch all of Peter Sellers' films.