Wednesday, November 25, 2009

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

Thursday, November 19, 2009

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



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.



Sunday, November 8, 2009

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.)

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

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