Estonia

CIA: Population of Estonia: 1,315,912 Mobile Telephones in Estonia: 1,445,000 Industries: engineering, electronics, wood and wood products, textile; information technology, telecommunications Or, as my friend, the astute Aaron Azlant quipped in an IM conversation: “haha one of these things is not like the other. specialties: web 2.0, cell tech, cedar”

Apparently our exploits last weekend got us some Estonian media attention. Thanks!

And yes, there’s WiFi at this pub. Could Estonia get any better than this?

Thanks to Veljo Haamer and his band of WiFi minions, there’s now free WiFi on the Hiiumaa ferry, a journey that takes an hour-and-a-half to complete from the mainland. It works via a long-range EVDO modem, connected to a WiFi access point, and provides free Internet access in the on-board restaurant. It took Veljo and two assistants just a short couple of hours to get the new maritime access point set up this morning. I never cease to be amazed…

I’m off to spend the weekend in Hiiumaa. Not sure what the Internet sitch will be, but have a great weekend, otherwise!

This is all too true: There are people all around, but few of them are passengers. They are touts, hawkers, vagrants, drifters, thieves — a melee of dubiously intended hangers-around, each of them eyeing you with the stubborn, languid glare of a vulture. Set against a back wall, the sole ATM is flanked by armed guards, whose duties are particularly effortless, since the machine doesn’t work. There is nowhere to sit, no seats. Which really is all right because the…

You know, there are worse places to do research besides the Kohvik Moskva. Who knew that in summertime they had an outdoor patio?

Wow, I can’t believe that in the last two-and-a-half years I’m now on my third trip to Tallinn. (First, Second). I just did an interview with Sten Tamkivi (See: The Economist, August 17 2006) — the Skype offices feel exactly like every other startup I’ve ever seen. They even showed me off a Skype payphone prototype that used to be in their lobby! Now, Veljo and I are having lunch at my favorite spot in town, the Mauruse Pubi, a…

I’m en route to Breda, The Netherlands to visit Giselle de Grandis this weekend. Then I’ll take the train to Berlin on Monday, and catch an EasyJet flight to Tallinn on Tuesday night. I’ll spend two weeks there doing research, and then will swing back via Berlin and one night in the new Yotel at Gatwick airport in London. I’m back in Oakland on July 28.

Slate: Cyberwar I: What the attacks on Estonia have taught us about online combat. By Cyrus Farivar Posted Tuesday, May 22, 2007, at 12:14 PM ET In Estonia, you can pay for your parking meter via cell phone, access free Wi-Fi at every gas station, and, as of two months ago, vote in national elections from your PC. The small, wired country can now add another item to this list of technological achievements: It’s the first government to get targeted…