Euroloppet 1/8: Biela Stopa (Slovakia)

At the start

On Saturday I skid my first Euroloppet marathon – Biela Stopa in Slovakia. Euroloppet is a series of long-distance skiing races. Unlike in Wordloppet, all of their member marathons take place in Europe. I achieved my Wordloppet Master title (you have to ski 10 different member marathons, at least one of them outside Europe) in 2007. At the end of the last year I decided I will also go for the “smaller brother” title of Euroloppet – Euroloppet Master. To achieve that I need to complete 8 different Euroloppet races in less than 10 years. Biela Stopa in Slovakia was my first marathon in achieving this feat.

We went there with my father, having both registered to the main distance – 45 km freestyle. Friday morning 3:30 AM my alarm clock rings, 20 minutes later my father picks me up and we start driving to Tallinn airport.

My first game – Nuvelato – published!

I’m happy to announce that this morning the first game I designed was published in iStore. The name of the game is Nuvelato. It’s a game designed to bring meanful enjoyment even in short stretches of playing.

Nuvelato is a simple yet elegant game that uses Tic-Tac-Toe mechanics on a more sophisticated level. In current version the player plays against the AI (artificial intelligence) – the iPhone. While in TTT it is very easy to play optimally and all the games tend to end in tie, in Nuvelato the strategy is much more sophisticated and a simple mistake would end in a loss to the AI. Yet, the game and main mechanics are easily learned in a minute or two.

The reason I designed the game especially for phone is that I couldn’t find a short yet entertaining game to be played on phone from iStore. The only games I had on my iPhone are Bejewelled-type games that take ages to finish. Well, now I have also Nuvelato – a great little tactics/puzzle game to play in short breaks.

The AI is designed so that it plays well, but not optimally. You are virtually certain to lose the first game, but will probably pick up the strategy pretty quickly. But can you get to the level where you beat the AI on constant basis?

Nuvelato is a premium game and if you have an iPhone, you can buy it here (only €0.89). Let me know how you like it!

Why I believe that Estonia will surpass France and other countries in live quality?

There’s no hurry in Southern Europe: It took me almost seven months to receive that diploma (from the time I made the exam). For easier levels such as A1 and A2 it probably takes less time to study for the exam than wait for the diploma..

About a month ago, OECD released a report named Looking to 2060: Long-term growth prospects for the world. According to the report, by 2060 the living standard in Estonia will be higher of that in France, Spain, Greece and Portugal. The reactions in Estonia to the report were mixed. On one hand, the media was delighted, on the other hand, the new head of the Bank of Estonia called the report a “fantasy”.

Well, I totally agree with OECD. In fact, I would give Greece 10, Spain 20 and France 30 years before Estonia surpasses them in the living standard (measured by GDP per capita). However, there are of course a couple of presumptions for that to happen. And they are mostly connected with how people think and act.

Most importantly,

Why I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions

The principle “If something is worth doing, it is worth doing now” holds true everywhere. This summer when we thought that It’d be cool to bike the longest trail in Estonia, we immediately set the exact time to do that..

The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is Now. Chinese Proverb.

A friend asked me a few days ago: So what are your New Years resolutions for this year. Well, I don’t have any. Why not? Because I’m already doing the things I want me to do.

This does not mean that I don’t have any vices. I do. For example, I eat large quantities of chocolate (dark, exclusively). I do have a few drinks every once in a while. And I skip stretching every fourth or fifth time I go skiing, cycling or running. I’m a coffee addict. But I’m fine with these habits. For now, at least.

The reason I don’t do New Years Resolutions is much more blunt:

My favourite Board Games

All of my life I’ve been a fan of Board Games. At home I have a big chest full of board and card games and I have even more of those in my iPad these days. Without further adue here are my all-time top three*: