This Bed Is Not Available At IKEA....... At Least Not Yet

Sweden is famous for many things, including seatbelts, Volvo, Ikea, zippers and it's welfare system. Add to that "Duxiana" and "Hästens" (made out of horse hair,) comfortable although expensive luxury beds that will make it easier to sleep through the long and dreary darkness of October through March. But for those of you that intend to stay awake, there is now more than Gevalia Coffee to rely on: Try the latest addition to the list of famous Swedish innovations (based on an old idea from India) -- The Nail Bed!

A Bed Where Comfort Is Not the Point 

Hans Sandberg

Penn & Teller - Circumcision

The Most Stupid Argument For Circumcision - "The Son Should Look Like the Father"

I was watching a piece about circumcision on the Today Show. The piece was not bad, which was a nice surprise in itself, but it ends with a rather stupid statement by the blond co-host (I don't know the names of the hosts that day.. it was not the regulars, Kathy and Hoda): 

Dark-haired host:

"...a tough decision, and I made sure for my son that I stood there with him, because it was so hard on him..."

To which the blond host adds:

"No, no, I wasn't there for the actual 'nippin' or whatever you want to call it...but I thought also that for a lot of dads, because they want their sons to look like the way they look, so their sons can identify with their fathers."

The dark-haired host laughs:

"Why are you laughing?"

"I don't think it is a good enough reason!"

I've got a couple of questions for blond host:

How often does a father look at his son's penis past diaper changing age? And how often does the son inspect his father's penis? Would it really hurt the son's self-esteem if he saw that his father's penis looked like his when the foreskin is rolled back? And what father would be so stupid as to feel troubled if his son wasn't surgically altered as a baby? 

If a son can't identify with his father is he doesn't look like him, does that also go for the hair color, eye color?
Should a blind father make his son blind too? And if the father is missing a leg, should he make his son look like him in that respect to?

Hans Sandberg

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The Dark Dreams of Christian Fundamentalists

Not a lot unlike Islamic fundamentalists, some Christian extremists are dreaming dark dreams, but their prayers for Obama's death can't stop change. Even if they succeeded in killing Obama, change will go on, like it did after Martin Luther King Jr., was assassinated. What Would Jesus Do? Grab a gun and kill the President... for some reason, it doesn't sound like something he would do... If you want to pray, maybe you should pray for the fundamentalists speedy return to reality.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

The End Of Journalism Is Around the Corner....Unless the Government Steps In

Stockholm Panorama

Stockholm - Allways beautiful, and it's one of the most livable cities in the world for at least 5 months of the year. For the other 7 months, there are plenty of art, culture and museums, plus all those wonderful cafés and restaurants.
Click on the Stockholm link at the beginning of this post to see a great panorama photo (from the Swedish daily newspaper Svenska Dagbladet.)

John Pavlik Discusses New Technology, Journalism And Storytelling

In this interesting video clip, Rutgers professor John V. Pavlik talks about new technology's impact on storytelling in media, and his 2008 book Media in the Digital Age. I interviewed John Pavlik when he was at Columbia University back in 1996. He was then involved in a research on a Mobile Journalist Tool, which would help journalists in the field using advanced computer and database technology. The article is included in my new book Amerikansk press under stress. It is also available on my Swedish website Sandbergs hörna.

Hans Sandberg

Windows 7 Is Here, And Guess What, It Seems To Live Up To Its Promise

Microsoft officially launched Windows 7 at a party held at Skylight Studios just around the corner from Manhattans' meatpacking district. Windows 7, the multiplatform, multitouch and relatively slim operating system offers hope for us stuck with XP, and an escape route for those of us who where unfortunate enough to upgrade to or buy a system with Windows Vista pre-installed.

Steve Ballmer was his usual self, jolly, engaging and straight-talking. The demo worked without glitches and the focus was totally on user experience. Not a word about gigabytes and gigahertz. It looks like the PC finally has caught up with and maybe even surpassed the Mac, displaying the look and feel of an iPhone. Steve Ballmer said that Windows 7 finally has reached the goal Bill Gates put forward many years ago, to put Windows everywhere. It aims to be the new digital home entertainment center, running everything from audiosystems and wireless picture frames to TV's, Internet TV's and allowing you to connect to your home network while traveling.

I'm not a big fan of Microsoft, but neither am I one of those who allways have to find faults in everything they do. Vista was a disaster that set them back tremendously, opening the field for Apple and Google, but with Windows 7 they have a strong foundation to build on.

We have two Vista systems in the family, one 32-bit XP and one 64-bit XP in our family, plus a bunch of other systems mostly gathering dust. Microsoft Sweden sent me a copy of the 64-bits Windows 7 last week, and even though the install on our 64-bit XP system was anything but painless as it refused to recognize the 32-bit networking card, webcam and mouse driver. The installation program suggested that we find help online, but that was hard without access to the network and router, so my 18-year old son Erik had to download "homemade" drivers on another system and copy them over via an USB stick. However, he eventually got his system up and running, and now loves it. It's fast, looks damn good and runs everything but the sticky notes, the webcam and the mouse which works so and so....
"Now I understand why the Logitech's webcam was on sale, and they are not going to provide me with 64-bit drivers as they rather sell new webcams," he tells me.

Well, well, that's nothing compared to my futiles attempts to install OS/2 many years ago. I swapped out every possible part and driver. I still never installed! And that may have been my good luck as IBM eventually would throw in the towel on their "Windows killer"...

As I write this, Alex, my 15-year old son, comes by my office and reports that his upgrade from 64-bits Vista to 64-btis Windows 7 went smooth. No problem at all. "It seems pretty good so far," is his first comment.

Hans Sandberg

New Report Suggest Government Support For Journalism