Tuesday, September 8

This morning the forecasts predicted rain, so I left on the bike with trepidation and an umbrella. (Score 5 points if you spotted the zeugma.) I got the metro all the way to the centre and then walked around pointlessly for some time because I was too early.

By 9:00 I was ready to enter the Design Museum. By 9:05 I was wandering around the building with Henrika, a student, looking for an entrance. By 9:10 we had registered for Time Machine, one of the events that form Helsinki Design Week, and we had seen most of the others.

Jutta and I had decided to bring the second and third years to see the whole-day seminar, because we felt that we should not pass up a chance to see what a range of world-class designers had to say. WE had about twenty five students with us, and Andrej had also come.

Now we have broken for lunch and Andrej, Jutta and I have gone to a pizza restaurant that he recommended. I had a large and lovely Four Seasons pizza. We are walking back and Jutta is pointing out a classic Helsinki night kiosk. The design is a classic of its kind, and apparently the food is too. It is not a nakkikioski because it does more with potatoes.

We will spend the afternoon in the seminar, where we will hear some extremely interesting presentations and some not so interesting ones. Bethany Koby of Technology Will Save Us will be among the most interesting, as will Richard van der Laken from What Design Can Do.

At 17:00 I will be at Pixelache for the monthly members’ meeting. This will be a good one in which a lot will get done and fun will be had. Afterwards we will walk across to Stadinpanimobaari, inside the Suvilahti complex. This has its own microbrewery and I will sample one Gasworks Afternoon Pale Ale, befoe leaving for Puotila to pick up my bike. Before I leave John will suggest I act as co-host for two or three of his weekly talk shows there in September and October. I will agree if only to see how they will work from the inside.