Das E-Business Weblog

[ English ]

But why Finland?

Well, you know...

[ English ]

In Germany

An old friend was waiting for me in Berlin:

Everybody speaks German here. It's like music to my ears.

I left Berlin today, going west and south, to help Oliver Gassner facilitate a World Café at Wirtschaftsforum Singen on Tuesday. Very much looking forward to it.

Four more weeks in Germany and Luxembourg ahead. Drop me a line if you'd like to meet or do some business.

#back2blog

[ Martin lobt Kunden über den grünen Klee ]

Joel Jyrinkis Karten

Joel Jyrinkis Karten sind gestern bei mir angekommen - die erste Auflage in deutscher Sprache. Heute nehme ich sie nach Berlin mit. Ich möchte Joel und Hans helfen, die Karten weiter zu verbreiten. An der Übersetzung habe ich zusammen mit Tanja Korvenmaa seit Ende letzten Jahres gearbeitet.

Ich werde bis Ende April in Deutschland und Luxemburg unterwegs sein und herausfinden, wo die Karten ankommen. Wenn Ihr welche haben möchtet oder einen Laden oder anderen Ort wisst, in den sie gut passen könnten, sagt gerne Bescheid!

#back2blog

[ English ]

Much work

I haven't kept up with a daily rhythm blogging here, but then I never had a daily rhythm, or the ambition to build one, anyway.

I have been busy preparing for and working on a new project, analysing a research project's survey data. The schedule has been tight, so I locked myself up and crawled into datasets. It has been more fun and more interesting than I thought. Analytical work is good. Grounding.

I enjoy working at The New Factory: I really like the space, it helps me to concentrate. It's nice enough to want to go there, and ugly enough to not stick around too long. I come, I get work done, I meet people and chat a bit, and go. Back into town.

I enjoy the city more every day.

This was yesterday:

Another busy day tomorrow, then out to Berlin on Saturday.

#back2blog.

[ English ]

Maailman toisella puolen (on business in Finland. and Germany.)

Maailman toisella puolen ("on the other side of the world") is a Finnish Popsong of 2011 that is still popular here. It played at the Salad Bar yesterday, where I had lunch, just before I restarted this blog.

(The Salad Bar, in Tampereen Kauppahalli is one of my favourite lunch places. Susanna, the owner, is a friend and former client of mine.)

"On the other side of the world" is what it sometimes feels being here. The language is so different from anything I know. Sometimes it feels that everything here is somehow separated and very far apart from what I used to know.

And then it is just two hours flight to be back where the ground is green (not white) and it's warm (not cold) and there are _so many people_.

RyanAir flies Bremen-Tampere and back / Green grass, on a business trip to Germany, February 18th

I am finding a connection between the two and getting a sense of the distance: Where is Germany? Where is Finland? What can I do, being here? What can I do over there? What are the connections? Is there value in making, or being, a bridge?

Business has been good here. In one of my first weeks after deciding to stay here, I walked into a crowd in Uusi Tehdas, introduced myself and said: "I have two empty hands. I can do things. Come talk to me." And people came (talk about the Finnish being shy) and I had work. (Forget Marketing. Study the Ten Oxherding Pictures.)

I would like to settle in one place again, or maybe in two places. :-) One could be here, in Tampere, the other in Germany, maybe in no specific place there. Another Bahncard 100?

Business is important. I enjoy work. Give me a good project and a bit of security in it and I am likely to go to where it requires me to be. And travel a lot. Can't help it. I like travel.

Enough for today. This is day 2 of the #back2blog Challenge. Over to you.

[ English ]

Hello, World (again)

Hello, hello, is this thing still on? Inspired by Stephanie Booth's "Back to Blog" Challenge and the activity of the Going Solo Conference crowd on Facebook I am picking the metaphorical pen up again and write to this page.

It's been five years since I closed this blog. It has been almost three years since I have returned to business after two years at Won Kwang Sa International Zen Temple. Time to get back. Time to think. Time to write.

I am in Tampere, Finland. Tampere, the beautiful. Industrial city, the second largest municipality in Finland. Still, a "small" place if you compare to the German cities that I am used to. I enjoy it here.

Pispala, Tampere; where I live. Photo taken from the frozen lake on Feb 25th, about here.

This week brings me an appointment with Ensimetri - the advisory center for starting entrepreneurs in Finland. I want to find out what it takes to formally establish my business here. Then, I am back to Germany and central Europe for a month, do business, meet friends and family, and maybe experience spring. :)

My travel plans are up on roell.net/wo as they used to.

There I go, a first step after a long hiatus. I am back, I am here (I am also here and here and here and here), I am well, I am ready. Looking forward to hearing from you.

[ Meta E-Business Weblog , Roell.Net ]

Die Gründe

Weil Ihr gefragt habt und ich es inzwischen - so hoffe ich - auch verständlich genug erklären kann, einige Zeilen zur Begründung, warum ich mein Weblog schließe:

[ Meta E-Business Weblog ]

Ich schließe das E-Business Weblog

Oh my life / is changing everyday / In every possible way

(Cranberries - In Dreams)

Herrschaften,

es war eine gute Zeit mit Euch. Unsere Wege trennen sich hier. Ich schließe das E-Business Weblog.

Die Archive bleiben selbstverständlich erhalten. Ich werde sie in den nächsten Tagen geringfügig umbauen, damit sie etwas übersichtlicher werden. An dieser Stelle und im Newsfeed nebenan ist aber Schluss.

Wenn Ihr mögt, sehen wir uns an anderer Stelle wieder. Naheliegend wäre in meinem Newsletter, den ich weiterführen werde. Andere Stellen im Netz werden vermutlich auch folgen. Aber alles zu seiner Zeit.

Danke für die gemeinsame Zeit. Macht es gut.

Martin

[19.01.2007] Einige Zeilen zur Begründung.

[ Europa ]

Willkommen!

Salut! Здравейте!

1. Januar 2007: Bulgarien und Rumänien treten der Europäischen Union bei. Willkommen!

(Im Archiv: 1. Mai 2004)

[ Gesellschaftliches ]

Zur Lage der Zivilisation

[ Unkategorisiertes ]

Gruß aus Luxemburg

Schöne Feiertage Euch.

[ Systemik und Komplexität ]

Die Zukunft, rückwarts

(Auch) eine Weiterführung der Überlegungen zu Gegenwart und Zukunft.

Charlotte Nordahl brachte mich darauf, dass wir auf Konferenzen wie dem "Zukunftsforum" oft viel zu viel über "die Zukunft" reden (womit wir vor allem "unsere Pläne für die Zukunft" meinen) und dabei unsere Vergangenheit vernachlässigen.

Wir treffen uns und fragen "Wo willst Du hin?" ohne dass wir verstehen, wo der andere herkommt, welche Erfahrungen er hat und was er meint, wenn er "nach vorne" sagt.

Wir würden uns besser verstehen, mehr lernen und effektivere Entscheidungen treffen, wenn wir uns die Zeit nähmen, die Vergangenheit zu betrachten und dieses Wissen zu nutzen, um klarer auf unsere Handlungsoptionen für die Zukunft zu blicken.