Urban challenges & sustainable solutions

This week, a three day long conference on the theme urban challenges and sustainable solutions for city development is being held in Stockholm. The Mayor of Stockholm Sten Nordin is host to some 300 delegates consisting of mayors, vice mayor, deputy mayors and other political decision makers from all around Europe. More on the conference on http://www.eurocities2009.eu

Today, some of them are coming to visit Kista Science City, to learn more about the triple helix cooperation model for sustainable growth. We will show them practical examples and demonstrate a couple of innovations that were born here.

I think (but I don't know for sure) that there is a recent trend among all policiticans to get more involved in new parameters like sustainability and environment for city development. Climate and sustainability is no longer only for left-wing radicals or fiery environmeltalists, it has become a concern for us all, no matter what political view. Which is good, of course. But - is the development too slow? And is it too late?

By contributing to isolated events such as this Deep Dive in Kista Science City today, I think humankind will create an aggregated level of efforts to save the planet. Or at least - I have to believe that.

Mobile Open Source - open for all?

What are the benefits and pitfalls with Moblin and Android? What can be done and what is available to help developers? How is the ecosystem around mobile evolving?

Today, an open source seminar on the above and more has tempted over one hundred participants. Not only developers. Many SME CEOs are here to meet peers and listen to the latest trends within mobile open source development. It is important to have a mobile foresight, when you are a small entrepreneur in the mobile industry. So I've heard. And the number of participants is the evidence that this subject is clearly one of the hottest available.

On the intense agenda today are Moblin, Intel® Atom™ Developer Program, MobileSorcery / MoSync, Apegroup and STHLM Traveling and Isglaset.

But - I would bet that the after-seminar-mingle and networking is at least, if not even more so, attractive as the actual content of the seminar.

For me it is. So many wonderful people and free spirits in this evolutionary industry! You gotta love 'em. (Pics on http://www.flickr.com/photos/mobilemultimedia/sets/72157622875589908/)

Future Internet Assembly

The Future Internet Assembly is one of the most prestigious conferences this year, held in Kista Science City. Next week (24-26th of November) over 300 participants join forces and dicuss the future of the Internt as being one of the most important factors for the development of society in general. It's about R&D, it's about implementing research into solutions that benefit a wide range of societal challanges. To me it's about laying another dimension to democracy.

Communication is democracy. Being able to communicate and connecting with others is at the core of any democratic process. So this conference is important. Proven by this fact: more than Euro 600 million are invested by the European Commission to support a substantial footprint in Europe on the subject of the Internet of the future.

Thank you Royal Institute of Technology, for contributing to this happening! http://www.fi-stockholm.eu

Meeting somebody that thinks like you

To explain what a "cluster" is can be difficult. It is an economic term, but it can also be a lump of something - like chrystals for example. Or companies. Kista Science City is a cluster, i.e. a "lump of companies". How exciting. Yes - actually it is.

Of course we do not market Kista as "a lump of companies" (although it is). The actual lumping is at the core of the system that makes it all work (and what is working is growth). As the companies (and universities, research institutes and service providers etc) are lumped together the people working, studying or doing research in the cluster (the lump) enjoys a clear benefit: they have immediate access. To eachother, to networking, to shopping, to relaxation etc and so forth in all eternity. Within walking distance. And that creates (they say) cross fertilization. And innovation (which is new ideas but with a fancier word).

This is a cluster. Got any of that? If not. I'll give it a go again - after christmas. Tomorrow we are blogging about something entirely different (to paraphrase Monty Python).

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!