End of the Line

« In the fog, at the Arabia terminus of tram 6, is Light X by Kazushi Nakada which was unveiled on 25 January 2005. »

There is no X in Light X and there is precious little light as well. I was lured to the end of tram 6 just to see something glow in the dark by a blurb I saw in a neighbourhood paper and I was sorely disappointed. Why bother spending some outrageous amount of money on a bit of public artwork that involves light if you place it in an area where street lights drown out any light it might actually be emitting which, in this case, was scant? The fog and the black and white film make it look a lot more interesting than it actually is. [Apparently there is quite a lot more public art in store for Arabianranta. The site is a bit stale, but it's nice to wander around in. There's even a project blog. It seems strange that neither of the sites mention the Light X project (#8).] And anyone with a camera in the area might consider giving the Arabianranta photo album some love. :)

The apartment building next to the big flickering fluorescent tube of Arabia was a nice surprise. On two sides of the building there were some lights that vaguely suggested a caduceus, but the roof had a really funky, brightly coloured, spinning air vent that could have been designed by Gaudí. I didn't take any pictures of it as I was on my way somewhere and didn't take my tripod with me, but its uniqueness in a sea of boring modern glass and brick featureless buildings certainly made me very curious to know more about it.

And, a few new books of interest. I'm going to be very sad when shipping costs make it just too expensive to bother ordering books from Amazon at 25%-50% less than Akateeminen prices with the exchange factored in. I think that will be very soon.

• Superstud: Or How I Became a 24-Year-Old Virgin ∞ More comedy goodness from the guy who wrote Freaks and Geeks which has such stunning realistic detail from the era of my own childhood that even if it sucks it'll be a lovely bit of nostalgia.
• Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything ∞ Me and George Carlin ask goofy questions like this all the time so maybe there's a new career waiting for me as a brilliant economist.
• Chatter: Dispatches from the Secret World of Global Eavesdropping ∞ Everything you always knew about Eschelon but didn't feel like asking the NSA about.
• Assassination Vacation ∞ Sarah Vowell, I love you. I miss crazy road trips to random US destinations like carhenge. I wish I would have thought of something as morbid as this. :)
• Culture Smart! Finland ∞ A natural progression from the Culture Shock! series, the Culture Smart! guides look to be cashing in on the business traveller market. It'll probably be great comedy, like reading Virtual Finland's website after living here for a while, since it has sections titled 'Sex and the City' and 'High Culture'. Maybe because it's written by a Finn the hyperbole won't be quite so thick. I'm an optimist actively seeking disappointment.
• Black and White Photography, Third Revised Edition ∞ Finally, after a year of waiting....
• Edward Teller: The Real Dr. Strangelove ∞ Teller was a very strange and interesting man.