I met Östen Mäkitalo

Just a little while ago I met a legend. A gentle man with white hair and much wisdom. The inventor of GSM and NMT. The father of mobile phones. Yes. He is Swedish. He is here (at Mobile Future 2009 in Kista). He is Östen Mäkitalo. It is a little bit like having met... Jesus?

For years he was CTO at Telia, Swedish Telecom (main sponsoring partners to Mobile Future btw). Today he is here to lead the jury that nominates the winners for the Golden Mobiles at the gala later tonight.

The winners? Take a look at www.mobil.se tonight.

Speakers Mobile Future 2009

From early morning to late night - the speakers are addressing new topics. A minute ago Robert Hamilton, Product Manager on Google Mobile gave his view on whats coming in the future as regards mobile services. Östen Mäkitalo - grand old boy and inventor of NMT and GSM protocols gave insight on what he thinks is the mobile platsforms role in society and in doing business in the future.

Vist http://www.mobilframtid.se

Mobile Future 2009

The scene is set for this years' traditional Mobile Gala and conference in Kista Science Tower. What is really interesting right now - is the cutting edge startup lane - new innovation for mobile platforms like peas on a string. Tonight the gala dinner with nerv wrecking awards ceremony is on the agenda.

Go have a look at some of our hot entrepreneurs on Flickr

Later on more on the hot speakers and guests!
Blog you later!

Attractive regions - what is competitive?

Tomorrow the Swedish Agency for Regional Growth hosts a one day seminar on the subject "Attractive Regions". This made me think. What is an attractive region anyway? Kista Science City has really made its international reputation known by having Silicon Valley as a role model. I mean, everything is here; the universities, the city support, the business - but not the investments.

But does that make people want to stay after work? We have a fantastic mall - with cinemas, restaurants and shops. We have living quarters - pretty houses for reasonable rent, and we have good public transport. We also have Stockholm's best recreational area with meadows, forests and lakes - just around the corner.

But the space between the office and the other office, in the city core, does not leave much for the imagination. Said and done. Many initiatives are on the wall. There is no lack of creativity and passion for adressing the problems with a - rather - boring public facade. Art, new mall, new houses, new roads and new hotels are being built.

Pay a visit to Linz. If you cant go there in the physical follow this link. This - I can assure - is a completely new, and different role model for Kista Science City.

Maybe this is what is needed to stand out in the international competition?

#Mobilen som plånbok

At Scala Theatre in the center of Stockholm, Mobil:Business has their much awaited seminar on mobile transactions. Many interesting speakers. Follow #MW (as in Mobile Wallet.

Kista World Music Festival

Bazaar - www.myspace.com/asitahamidisbazaar

Kista Science City is not just about business and technology. For instance: Kista World Music Festival will be hosted in Kista Science City for the 8th consecutive year 2009. Several world artists in World Music have previously played the Festival and it is a cultural event that contains seminars, workshops and concerts among other things, held in Kista Science City and at the Culture House and The Royal College of Music in Stockholm according to the webpage.

The aim of the festival is to encourage the establishment of a national venue for world music in Kista, create a Nordic forum for world musicians and highlight Kista as a vibrant hybrid of cultures, religions, languages and nationalities, in which the democratic convergence of various groups (community, business and public sector) provide a platform for creativity.

I just have to say that I think this is brilliant - and we will make sure that this event will get relevant attention this year! Way to go!

http://www.kistaworldmusic.com

Towards a brighter future?

In retrospect - the crisis that the global economy has brought upon virtually every business and branch has brought something good to mankind.

It's not a controversial statement.

It's factual. Our planet can only sustain us for a short while longer, and I recently read an interesting article that stated that the downturn have resulted in a 20% lower "waste rate". This means that we - globally - are wasting less. Garbage, that is. And because of this sustainable recovery of lakes and oceans has been recorded. More fish, less carbon dioxide to toxify our watercourses.

This doesn't relate at all to ICT. But well worth mentioning just the same.