Topic: Helsinki

Marimekko - The History Of An Innovative Company

A strong Finnish design movement emerged after WW2 and received decisive impetus by the International Triennials in 1951 and 1954, which defined the idea of a "Finnish design". By formally incorporating design into manufacturing, ...READ»

Helsinki Design Lab 2010: A Summit Built on History, Focused on Solutions

Beyond its pop art textiles by Marimekko, Artek furniture, and Nokia's mobile phones, Finland as a whole is a hotbed of innovation, home to highly-educated workers, technologically-advanced consumers and ...READ»

A Zoo Design a Polar Bear Could Love

A French architecture firm, Beckmann-N’Thépé, has just won a competition to redesign the Helsinki Zoo. Their  design looks a bit like a glacier, which is wholly fitting, since the new zoo would host a bevy of polar ...READ»

Helsinki Named World Design Capital for 2012

The Finnish capital that's become a global center of furniture, fashion and technology was plucked from a list of 46 cities vying for the distinction. Here's our design primer.READ»

Work vs. Life

Apropos yesterday's discussion about dream time: I arrived here in Helsinki to be reminded me that it is European Union policy to promote "a better work:life balance". This sounds all very advanced and mature until you realise that ...READ»

Ultra-Green Underground Data Center Will Heat Helsinki

Companies like Google and IBM are constantly clamoring to prove that they have energy-efficient data centers, but a new cloud computing hub located in the bedrock below Helsinki's famous Uspenski Cathedral might have them all beat. ...READ»

In Finland, the Accordion is Still Cool

I'm currently on a short vacation in my home country of Finland, and even through the relative isolation of a television set at my parents' summer cottage, have been reminded of the country's famed musical heritage. Last night's ...READ»

Global Fast Cities

They speak English, and they have the right mix of technology and tolerance to attract talent. They're the international cities competing with the United States for the global talent pool.READ»

Country As a Brand

Yesterday, I was watching the World Championships in track and field held in Helsinki. Now, whenever there is a big sports event, the organizers always present estimates of how the event will improve the country's image in the world. ...READ»

Quality of Life Redefined

I don't know about you, but I'm always a sucker for those surveys ranking cities against each other on a variety of arbitrary criteria: Best Places for Singles! Top Cities for Entrepreneurs! America's Most Livable Cities! Granted, ...READ»

Global Greening Lifestyles: Japan

What factors are influencing different countries in their approaches to green design and green living? Here we look at Japan.READ»

Digital Matters - Issue 36

"Today, we face a genuine threat -- the wireless-technology gap."READ»

Jeff Bezos Wants to Fly You to Space and 10 Other Tryptophan-Free Stories This Week on Fast Company

We still haven't found a better way to sleep off a turkey feast than beach ourselves in front of the boob tube. But that doesn't mean there aren't better ways to watch TV: Roku wants to, well, rock you--the Web-to-TV device is upping ...READ»

The Whole World Is Watching

Meet Risto Linturi, an influential futurist, consultant, and venture capitalist with a unique vision for the future.READ»

Digital Update - Call Back Later

The world of PCS.READ»

Complaining in Song

I recently paid a visit to the P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center in Queens that, through the summer, has hosted an exhibit entitled Arctic Hysteria: New Art from Finland.  As a native Finn, I generally consider it my patriotic duty to ...READ»

Who Runs This Team, Anyway?

Well, in part, the fans do. And maybe that's why it's winning more! A soccer club in Finland marries grassroots enthusiasm with cell-phone interactivity. The result looks to be quite a kick.READ»

Dirty Business, Bright Ideas

You don't have to be glamorous to be cutting edge. Finland's SOL Cleaning Service combines radical innovation with disciplined execution -- a winning formula that mops up the competition.READ»

Nokia Rocks the World: The Phone King's Plan to Redefine Its Business

Nokia already owns the global cell-phone market. Now Tero Ojanperä is launching the world's biggest delivery system for services, apps, and entertainment.READ»

• Infographic: Big -- But Not Bulletproof

Q <amp></amp> A - Walter Bender/MIT Media Lab

What's the future of personal news?READ»

No Small Beer

Fast Company is an ideas-driven magazine and every now and then readers report back on how those ideas are working in practice. In the spring of 2002, Liam Mulhall and his pals had called time on plans to quit the ailing Australian ...READ»

Airport of Tomorrow

In Germany, engineering giant Siemens tests features designed to make air travel less awful.READ»

Schmoozing with the Enemy

How does Google deal with folks who try to trick its search engine? By throwing them a party, of course.READ»

Mobile Communication, Pervasive Computing, and Collective Action

Howard Rheingold was one of the creators HotWired, as well as editor of The Whole Earth Review and editor-in-chief of The Millennium Whole Earth Catalog. More recently, Rheingold wrote the book Smart Mobs: The Next Social ...READ»

The Finnish Company that's Never Done

And never started. The mock history , unreal inventions, and growing influence of Bonk Business Inc. -- and by the way, hold the anchovies.READ»