Why have small countries like Finland and Scandinavia produced such global power house like Ikea, Nokia, Ericsson and Volvo? I think it’s down tot he national character that is prevalent in these Nordic countries. Both Swedes and Finns tend to be quiet, modest people (at least compared to Brits and Yanks, who seem loud and egotistical by comparison). Let’s face it, if you live in a climate which is dark

WiFi on every street corner (most of it free). Technical excellence at local technology universities. A young and hungry population. Widespread e-banking and even e-voting. A reputation for producing the talent that coded Skype. Estonia is powering ahead as a technology hub, and not just because it’s wages are lower than comparatively expensive Sweden and Finland. Everything I’ve seen here in Tallin, the capital, says Estonia has what it takes

Meeting Cecilia Stegö Chilò of the Timbro thinktank was an experience. A former journalist, she is a passionate believer in the future of Sweden as a liberalised economy. The problem, she says, is that in a globalised world, the Nordic “social model” of high taxation, expensive public services won’t work, and nor will it create the jobs Sweden’s young people will need in the next few years. She is also

I wandered back to the hotel, through Helsinki’s dark, icy streets. Past the brutish contrasts of the heavy, carved stone of Central Station, looking like a set piece from a Gothic Batman movie, and the blinking illuminated signs on the side of the angular glass office buildings. After packing the essentials into a back-pack I flicked robotically through the TV channels, from CNN to the Russian variety show and the

Steve Bowbrick, former co-founder of Webmedia, the seminal web agency of mid- 90s Internet-crazed London, will no doubt be delighted to learn that there is now a “Webmedia” in Estonia, according to the New York Times. I guess it’s no coincidence that the new tech boom has moved over to former Soviet Union countries and emerging economies like India. Webmedia London, RIP. Webmedia Estonia, may you live long and prosper…

I have been trying to catch up with blogging, but with a hectic schedule, limited access to decent Wi-Fi (make that decent and affordable Wi-Fi), not to mention sub-zero temperatures – it’s getting tricky. Suffice it to say I’ve met a lot of people on the way so far, including Prof. Chip MacGuire (who told me why mobile operators are dead meat), Stina from Cypak (which will probably one day

Meeting Cecilia Stegö Chilò of the Timbro thinktank was an experience. A former journalist, she is a passionate believer in the future of Sweden as a liberalised economy. The problem, she says, is that in a globalised world, the Nordic “social model” of high taxation, expensive public services won’t work, and nor will it create the jobs Sweden’s young people will need in the next few years. She is also