6 ms·

Bjork, Icelandic Singer and…Venture Capitalist?

18 points by atestu 18y ago

deleted 18y ago
[deleted]
gaius 18y ago
That is the fun thing about Iceland and its people; everyone has 2-3 wildly disparate jobs, and they're just as good at all of them. No-one in Iceland thinks it's odd that a musician should also be a VC. Tho' they have deep, deep structural problems with their economy; compared to the Icelanders the British were sensible with credit. I'd wish them luck sorting it out but they don't need it, they'll have their act together long before we do.
- motoko 18y ago
  Iceland needs some serious answers to some serious problems. This is PR fluff. Edit: I had written something much more critical before, but maybe Iceland needs the morale boost. It's unclear to me how $800k is going to save Iceland's economy through feminine values and environmentalism, but maybe it could work. However, I think it's more likely that Iceland will simply be forced to compromise and pay its debt for the next several decades selling energy and toxic dumps to smelt aluminum. I hope that they can do so without sacrificing their environment and culture entirely. I already pity the scabs the heavy foreign industry will be pressuring to emigrate to Iceland...
  - gaius 18y ago
    They're an optimistic and resourceful people. They'll be over this before we in the UK are (as we are neither these days). I'd love to emigrate to Iceland. They have the great policy of requiring immigrants to take on Icelandic names, I've wasted considerable time looking at the list and wondering what mine would be :-) I think it's more likely they'll get loans from a coalition of Scandinavian nations and perhaps forfeit some political/economic independence rather than allow the predators in.
    - euccastro 18y ago
      > They have the great policy of requiring immigrants to take on Icelandic names Nonsense. I've been there for 3 years, begged to be called Stebbie because it sounded more like my name than when they try to pronounce Esteban (they always stress the first syllable), to no avail. Truly great place to live, though.
      - gaius 18y ago
        Are you a citizen? If so, was it straightforward?
  - rms 18y ago
    You want to move to Iceland with me and do some economics? We're going to need 5 or 6 really nice aluminum briefcases full of cash.
    - motoko 18y ago
      Yes, but let's go with another material for the briefcases. Iceland will have plenty of aluminum, I promise.
  - euccastro 18y ago
    Pity those forced to emigrate to Iceland? Where do you live?
- DabAsteroid 18y ago
  No-one in Iceland thinks it's odd that a musician should also be a VC. http://www.google.com/search?q=bono+u2+venture+capital http://www.google.com/search?q=bono+u2+venture+capital
  - gaius 18y ago
    Oh, Bono was always in it for the money. It's worth noting that Bjork intends to invest in Iceland and Bono has moved all his money out of Ireland and into offshore tax havens.
  - deleted 18y ago
    [deleted]
motoko 18y ago
All that I read in this article was: Slam dunk for economic hitmen in Iceland! Ding ding, here come the smelters!
- motoko 18y ago
  MacGyver! Save Iceland! Ok, what do I have? Girl power, Gaia worship, $800k, and Bjork. You have one year to make 61 billion dollars, and you can't exploit any natural resources. Oh God...
Prrometheus 18y ago
>“If the money for the next aluminum smelters would go into supporting these businesses, we would be in a much better position in Iceland in five years’ time, both economically and also just image-wise or dignity-wise,” I won't comment on the image and dignity aspects of this statement, that's not my specialty. However, the idea that green tech will be an economic winner is still magical thinking, a largely unproven assumption. Most green tech is still a money pit, and near 100% of it would be if not for massive government subsidies. And if you're not eligible for US or European subsidies, then you're probably not going to make money in green tech.
- gaius 18y ago
  Reykjavik runs on geothermal power. Green tech is very real in Iceland. Of course, it may not work so well where the geology isn't so suitable...
  - motoko 18y ago
    "Green" is subjective. Iceland is attractive to industry because - it's largely unpopulated - it's on the ocean and near both Western Europe and the Eastern US - stable and modern government - energy is cheap Also, Iceland has not only geothermal potential, but hydroelectric potential. In short, Iceland is an potential industrial wonderland ---and all powered "green" tech, too. However, just because one isn't burning coal doesn't mean that industry is consequence free. The problem isn't environmental as I understand it, it's cultural. Icelanders pride themselves as an extremely educated, egalitarian nation. They don't want their nation polluted with the socioeconomics of heavy industry including unskilled labor, pollution, obvious social classes, foreign industrial oligarchs, and, yes, the non-Icelandic. To them, the heavy industry is tacky and crass, just like how McDonald's advertising on elementary school textbooks would be to us. Both are examples of "economical effectiveness," but neither are widely appreciated by people who would know better to choose otherwise.
    - euccastro 18y ago
      "Green" is not only about the energy sources themselves. There are lots of viable business opportunities that don't involve screwing with the landscape and environment. For example, a MMO that will soon have as many paying subscribers as Iceland has inhabitants: http://www.eve-online.com http://www.eve-online.com How much heavy industry do you really need to support a country of ~300.000 inhabitants, with a culture of work, integrity, ambition and optimism, abundance of geothermal energy sources, a healthy fishing industry and a touristically attractive landscape?

18 points by atestu 18y ago

deleted 18y ago

[deleted]

gaius 18y ago

That is the fun thing about Iceland and its people; everyone has 2-3 wildly disparate jobs, and they're just as good at all of them. No-one in Iceland thinks it's odd that a musician should also be a VC. Tho' they have deep, deep structural problems with their economy; compared to the Icelanders the British were sensible with credit. I'd wish them luck sorting it out but they don't need it, they'll have their act together long before we do.

motoko 18y ago
Iceland needs some serious answers to some serious problems. This is PR fluff. Edit: I had written something much more critical before, but maybe Iceland needs the morale boost. It's unclear to me how $800k is going to save Iceland's economy through feminine values and environmentalism, but maybe it could work. However, I think it's more likely that Iceland will simply be forced to compromise and pay its debt for the next several decades selling energy and toxic dumps to smelt aluminum. I hope that they can do so without sacrificing their environment and culture entirely. I already pity the scabs the heavy foreign industry will be pressuring to emigrate to Iceland...
- gaius 18y ago
  They're an optimistic and resourceful people. They'll be over this before we in the UK are (as we are neither these days). I'd love to emigrate to Iceland. They have the great policy of requiring immigrants to take on Icelandic names, I've wasted considerable time looking at the list and wondering what mine would be :-) I think it's more likely they'll get loans from a coalition of Scandinavian nations and perhaps forfeit some political/economic independence rather than allow the predators in.
  - euccastro 18y ago
    > They have the great policy of requiring immigrants to take on Icelandic names Nonsense. I've been there for 3 years, begged to be called Stebbie because it sounded more like my name than when they try to pronounce Esteban (they always stress the first syllable), to no avail. Truly great place to live, though.
    - gaius 18y ago
      Are you a citizen? If so, was it straightforward?
- rms 18y ago
  You want to move to Iceland with me and do some economics? We're going to need 5 or 6 really nice aluminum briefcases full of cash.
  - motoko 18y ago
    Yes, but let's go with another material for the briefcases. Iceland will have plenty of aluminum, I promise.
- euccastro 18y ago
  Pity those forced to emigrate to Iceland? Where do you live?
DabAsteroid 18y ago
No-one in Iceland thinks it's odd that a musician should also be a VC. http://www.google.com/search?q=bono+u2+venture+capital http://www.google.com/search?q=bono+u2+venture+capital
- gaius 18y ago
  Oh, Bono was always in it for the money. It's worth noting that Bjork intends to invest in Iceland and Bono has moved all his money out of Ireland and into offshore tax havens.
- deleted 18y ago
  [deleted]

motoko 18y ago

All that I read in this article was: Slam dunk for economic hitmen in Iceland! Ding ding, here come the smelters!

motoko 18y ago
MacGyver! Save Iceland! Ok, what do I have? Girl power, Gaia worship, $800k, and Bjork. You have one year to make 61 billion dollars, and you can't exploit any natural resources. Oh God...

Prrometheus 18y ago

>“If the money for the next aluminum smelters would go into supporting these businesses, we would be in a much better position in Iceland in five years’ time, both economically and also just image-wise or dignity-wise,” I won't comment on the image and dignity aspects of this statement, that's not my specialty. However, the idea that green tech will be an economic winner is still magical thinking, a largely unproven assumption. Most green tech is still a money pit, and near 100% of it would be if not for massive government subsidies. And if you're not eligible for US or European subsidies, then you're probably not going to make money in green tech.

gaius 18y ago
Reykjavik runs on geothermal power. Green tech is very real in Iceland. Of course, it may not work so well where the geology isn't so suitable...
- motoko 18y ago
  "Green" is subjective. Iceland is attractive to industry because - it's largely unpopulated - it's on the ocean and near both Western Europe and the Eastern US - stable and modern government - energy is cheap Also, Iceland has not only geothermal potential, but hydroelectric potential. In short, Iceland is an potential industrial wonderland ---and all powered "green" tech, too. However, just because one isn't burning coal doesn't mean that industry is consequence free. The problem isn't environmental as I understand it, it's cultural. Icelanders pride themselves as an extremely educated, egalitarian nation. They don't want their nation polluted with the socioeconomics of heavy industry including unskilled labor, pollution, obvious social classes, foreign industrial oligarchs, and, yes, the non-Icelandic. To them, the heavy industry is tacky and crass, just like how McDonald's advertising on elementary school textbooks would be to us. Both are examples of "economical effectiveness," but neither are widely appreciated by people who would know better to choose otherwise.
  - euccastro 18y ago
    "Green" is not only about the energy sources themselves. There are lots of viable business opportunities that don't involve screwing with the landscape and environment. For example, a MMO that will soon have as many paying subscribers as Iceland has inhabitants: http://www.eve-online.com http://www.eve-online.com How much heavy industry do you really need to support a country of ~300.000 inhabitants, with a culture of work, integrity, ambition and optimism, abundance of geothermal energy sources, a healthy fishing industry and a touristically attractive landscape?