It has been a bit quiet here lately... There are many reasons really. I have been a bit unhealthy and it feels like I have managed to pick up every imaginable ailment in the last few months. This has caused my regular "healthy" dose of pessimism to skyrocket. I felt that if I wrote something, that it would just be complaining (even more than usual). So I didn't.

Then I started feeling very grown-up thinking that everything that I had ever written was just silly and childish. There were few of these moments that were near fatal to my web site. Then Facebook came along and kept me entertained without making me think to much. Then the spammers decided to drown my site in rubbish. If I have accidentally deleted or ignored any proper comments, I apologize. I am now updating the site to gain better control. This means that some things might not work right now.

No, this is not a blog entry to say that mediumgeek is back stronger than ever. This is a blog entry to say that mediumgeek is trying to decide what to do with this space. Whether to use it for random stuff, to write about books, or for some greater good that she hasn't quite figured out what is. Then there is the option that I might just go offline. So if you want to secure evidence against, me in case I ever become famous, now might be the right time ;) .

I was too reduced last week to read the news and get irritated over things due to my new found pollen allergy. So to make up for it I am simply going to nominate myself for last's stupidities.

Why?

For thinking Norway was so much cooler than Iceland because it has trees and then develop allergies for them after moving there....

I have an evil masterplan though. From now on I will always buy things made out of birch whenever possible. So from now on only furniture made out of birch, any firewood I use will be birch, and they even seem to have various foods made out of birch that I can buy. Maybe one day I will manage to make those damn bastards extinct. Muahahaha *evil laughter*.

While I am at it I think I will pass that last paragraph off as this week's stupidities:).

Back to my roots...I just found out that Hanso Foundation's in my favorite TV series Lost has an institute in my tiny little home town of 300 people...

At least according to my my home town's wikipedia article.

Now, how cool is that!?!?

They even have a job opening. Time to make a drastic career change and move back?

Can a one person hobby project compete with Google?Last year I got a little idea for a cool web site showing the origin of books. I started thinking, planning, and even bought a domain name for it. Last week I finally set down and started coding. Fair to say that I had barely started, but I had managed to get quite enthusiastic about it. After thinking about it for a long time I had gotten quite attached to the idea in general. I got a big shock when I came home today and saw on the news that Google had been thinking along the same lines (sorry only in Norwegian). Google has started making a map of all locations mentioned in books (as a part of their book project).

While my little idea wasn't identical to Google's it is quite similar. So what does one do when a scary super power like Google throws out their own version of your little pet hobby project that you had just started? Give up or do it anyway even if you know it is a dead end project that will take you ages to finish?

Oh well, at least I will use this evening's coding hours on being disappointed, angry and sad!

Are you a little cute underdog?A week ago, Norway chose the ad of the year (award called Gullfisken). The fascinating part was that it wasn't a high budget ad that won, and it was even an ad that most people hadn't seen. It just seemed to go straight to people's hearts and I think more people than me identified themselves there. I think there is a little cute underdog in most of us, and we are desperately hoping that one day the bullies in our lives get what they deserve!

Whether it was the puppy eyes that did it or just that we identified with the underdog, it is an ad worth watching. Oh, and I should probably mention that this is an ad for the blind association. It is an extra nice bonus that it was their ad that won!

If we just refuse that global warming exists will it go away?I know my blog is turning into a propaganda blog but I just cannot watch this happening without at least raising my blog voice.

The schools in Federal Way, Washington have put a restriction on showing Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth movie about global warming.

If the movie is to be shown, it now has to be approved specifically and "credible, legitimate opposing view needs to be presented". This is the result of a complaint made by a parent. The parent Frosty Hardison believes that the earth is 14 000 years old and since the Bible says that in the end times everything will burn up this cannot be true and hence shouldn't be shown in school. I don't think I have to mention that the same person pushes creationism and opposes sex education...

I guess this ultimately boils down to the film not being shown. I think it will be difficult to find any credible, legitimate opposing views unless someone reading from the Bible counts?

This is especially sad keeping in mind that scientists claim that 25% of the globe-warming gases is emitted by Americans (which are only about 5% percent of the world population). Again, religion is harmful and this time to our Mother Earth!

Learn my dirty secrets...Eirik tagged me today. So now I am supposed to tell 5 things about myself that you probably don't know. Or at least the ones of you that only know me through my blog. Similarly to Eirik, I put in one false statement. Feel free to guess which one;-).

• I am registered as having 5% disability in Iceland.
• I am Björk's (a world famous Icelandic singer/songwriter) seventh cousin.
• I have gotten an award in an invention contest where I designed a backpack that could be turned into a tent and sleeping bag.
• I collect or used to collect playing cards backs, christmas/birthday cards, postcards, match boxes, stamps, pins, napkins, pens soda cans, and even old bankbooks.
• My great great great great great great great great great grandmother was captured by Algerian slave hunters in Iceland and she spent almost a decade in slavery in Algerie.

I am tagging few people whose dark secrets I want to know;-)
Aadil, Tiram, Susann, Mistress Åse and Peter.

This years New Year's Resolution involves a lot of honesty...Yet another year has passed and most of us are ready to grab the new years by the balls and make our lives so much better in every way imaginable. In the past two years I have posted my New Year's Resolution on my blog but after failing every single one of last year’s resolution I am a bit more reluctant to put ambitious goals for myself.

I have decided to only set myself one goal this year. As the few of you that still read my blog might have noticed, I was very silent and subdued the second half of last year. I realized recently that I had been actively doing what I criticize others for doing. I had started censoring myself.

Every time I started writing or thinking about writing something I started thinking that I would upset this and that person. At the same time I have been criticizing people that do not dare to say what they mean, and the ones that are forcing censorship. Very Hippocratic!

I realized that if I don't dare to say something out loud then there could only be two reasons behind it. Either that what I am thinking is simply wrong and it is time to rethink it, or that I am simply a coward. I admire people that are willing to stick their head out for their beliefs but I cannot really expect that others do all the unpleasant work.

So, this years New Years Resolution is to openly discuss things that I think need to be addressed. So beware there are certain things that I do not like that I will probably discuss at one point or another.

For example, I do not like naive socialists and people that are hypocrites. I am a true believer in freedom of speech and that problems should be discussed and not hushed down because it isn't politically correct to discuss them. I believe in capitalism and that you should be rewarded for making an effort. At the same time I believe that we are responsible to help the less fortunate in society to have a good and dignified life. I also believe that everyone that makes a mistake in life deserves to be helped to get a second chance but my limit of goodwill ends with people that are too lazy to work or try to abuse the system. I believe in respect for the place you live in, people living in that place, and that culture. I also believe that if I move someplace that I am obligated to adapt to the place so that I can live in harmony with the people and society. Oh and by the way, I believe religion is evil if you hadn’t already realized that:-).

You have been warned. If you disagree with me on some of those issues you have two choices. Stop reading my blog or keep reading and have your beliefs challenged. Maybe we learn something from each other? I like to have my beliefs challenged as long as that involves more than “one word conversations”. Ready?

I stumbled across PostSecret which features secrets sent in on postcards. The Valentine section was heartbreaking!

Worth the visit! Wondering if I should dig up some nasty secret and send in...

What is better than finally managing to win your boyfriend in Norwegian Trivial Pursuit on a calm Saturday morning?



Not much I can promise you! Well, except keep reminding him all day long... hehehe.



Let me tell you that this isn't easy since Norwegian Trivial pursuit has a lot of questions about Norwegian children TV, Norwegian politician from before I was born etc. In other words, things I have no way of knowing. Today was finally my victory day.