Mobile Snowman / Liikkuva Lumiukko

An important request to ALL our readers

2010-07-10T04:39:00.001-07:00

Dear Readers of all our blogs,

It is with great sadness that we have to announce that we will now have to make all our major blogs accessible only to those who register with us.

The subjects we have covered over the years include the wrestler Dara Singh (probably the most popular and controversial blog entries, ever), St. Stephen's College, Delhi, Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai, Bishop Cotton School, Bangalore, the UN, talk Shows in the USA, politics, the Kandathil and Maliyakal families, Kampitie, Vesaisentie, Annikki's creative art, achievements of our children and grandchildren, CHAFF (Chamber for Assistance of Finns and Foreigners), Findians, our numerous friends, relatives, our travels, recipes, and life in general. Above all, t they contained the nostalgia the people love.

Due to circumstances far beyond our control, which affect the lives of many of our loved ones, we have to create the SETTINGS of our blogs so that only those whom we invite can read them. This is very sad as our blogs have reunited many friends across the continents.

With over 120000 readers around the world, some reading more than one of our blogs, for a decrepit old blogger and his wife sitting near the North Pole, this will prove to be a Herculean task, but one which has to be done for the safety, security and well being of many of our loved ones.

Please take the time and effort to send us an email telling us which of our blogs you want to be added to so that you can access them freely.

Our sincere apologies to each and every one of you lovely readers who have kept us going for almost a decade and a half by your readership, your inputs and your outputs!

Yours in great sadness as technology besides being a positive aspect of life can also be a very negative one.

Annikki and Jacob Matthan
Oulu, Finland

One from my Snowmen archvies

2010-03-11T11:25:00.000-08:00

Ever since I was a little girl I have created hundreds of snowmen, each year an unique one. Mobile snowmen is my recent creative thought which started in 2007.

I think one of my best snowmen was when I made one for my husband, Jacob, after he had gone to bed on the eve of his birthday in 2006.

I worked for a couple of hours after midnight, so that when he woke up at 4 am and looked out of the kitchen window, he saw this sight!

From Mobile Snowman / Liikkuva Lumiukko

He was laughing for more than a couple of hours! I think he appreciated that one almost as much as he appreciates his special birthday cakes! :-)

Making the snowmen comfortable

2010-03-09T06:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a very windy day, so I thought I would make my snowmen in Vesaisentie comfortable with a scarf and a hat.

From Mobile Snowman / Liikkuva Lumiukko

Also the snowman on the swing was very lonely, so I built him a companion! I also gave them both scarves and hats to keep them warm on this blustery day.

From Mobile Snowman / Liikkuva Lumiukko

2010 Model of a Mobile Snowman

2010-03-02T14:33:00.000-08:00

Day-before-yesterday and yesterday, the temperature was + 1 C after a massive snowfall in Oulu. It was ideal as I had plenty of snowman snow in the garden.

I first cleared the pathways in the garden and created a huge mound of snow at the back.

There I made snow caves and put in coloured lanterns, so we had a beautiful coloured snow garden last night. (Unfortunately, neither Jacob or I took pictures of this!)

I did do something else, but I did not tell Jacob in the evening.

When he came home yesterday afternoon, I asked him whether he had looked around the garden. He looked out of the kitchen window and burst out laughing.

There, sitting on the garden chair was an enormous snowman, relaxing.

Then he turned his eyes towards the garden swing. Sitting there, ready to be pushed, was my this year's creation of a mobile snowman!

The snow under the swing is a bit too much at the moment. We have been promised temperatures of around -7 C in a day or two, which should freeze this armchair, swinging snowman.

Hopefully these snowmen will last till the grandchildren arrive!

Moon landed in our garden

2009-04-25T12:39:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post this on Annikki's Snowman blog about winter.

It was the picture of the moon which landed in our garden, thanks to Annikki!

For a more complete report about this, go to CNN, iReport, and search for Moon landed in our garden.

Happy 90th birthday, Nelson Mandela

2008-07-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

Happy 90th birthday to the world's greatest politician, leader EVER - Nelson Mandela. May he have very many more.

Copyright: Photograph from Dismantling Apartheid

He has taught mankind through his sincerity to his cause - the people of Africa.

Thank you Nelson Mandela.

Jack Frost, the Mobile Snowman

2008-04-06T09:45:00.000-07:00

Jacob was watching our satellite TV channels the other day when he stumbled on a movie called "Jack Frost". This is the description from movieweb.com.

Release Date November 2nd, 1999
Genre Fantasy
Studio Warner Home Video
Production Year 1998

Plot

Michael Keaton stars in this special-effects-heavy Christmas film about a boy who discovers, after his father dies in a car accident, that his dad is still alive in the form of a snowman.

Unlike the horror film of the same name, Jack Frost is a children's film designed to warm the soul during a chilly winter season. Think of this film as a live-action version of the children's classic Frosty the Snowman.

The story starts with Jack Frost (Michael Keaton), a harmonica-playing blues rocker who spends too much time pursuing his musical career, leaving little time for his wife (Kelly Preston) and son Charlie (Joseph Cross). Feeling guilty for his absence and missing his son's hockey practice, he decides to forego his big audition to spend Christmas with his family.

While driving home for the holidays, however, Jack dies in a tragic auto accident.

The following Christmas, Jack's son builds a snowman and decorates it with his father's old clothes. When Charlie plays his father's harmonica, Jack Frost returns home in the body of the snowman.

Jack has to show Charlie how much he loves him and also has to teach him the ice hockey shot he never got around to when he was alive. Along the way there are snowball fights and sled chases, and Jack finally realizes the great times he was missing with his son.

~ Arthur Borman, All Movie Guide

As was told to me by Jacob there were "sled chases" which were animated effects.

So I cannot claim to be the first who thought of the idea of a "Mobile Snowman" but probably the first who has made a real one and actually allowed it to move unattended down a snow slide!

Hopefully back on line

2008-03-26T23:00:00.000-07:00

(Posted on all my major blogs)

Yesterday, after some 33 days of being without my internet connection, I was put back on line. Several errors were found at the connections outside our premises and also in the Gateway.

The first thing I did after getting back my connection was test my speed. I pay for a 8 M line, but I was shocked to find my upload and download speeds were less than 500 kbps.

Additionally, I have a fixed IP and I found that the IP that I was using was not mine.

Thirdly, all my computers are connected to the internet through a Router. i found that if I went on to connect my router, I lost the internet connection.

Lastly, during the last 7 years I have used DHCP to connect to the internet. I have not used PPPoE. I found that I was unable to connect using DHCP and my own Fixed IP but only through the PPPoE which was assigning me the random IP.

All these problems has made life continue to be difficult as I am using just a single computer to connect to the internet.

I have a backload of about 6 weeks of work. With this situation I will only be able to catch up by the end of April.

I have lodged my complaint with my ISP .- and hopefully I will get some action by the end of this week.

Please bear with me till I get back into full swing.

Another hilarious video

2008-03-18T13:15:00.000-07:00

Jacob has been putting up videos on YouTube regularly about the Mobile Snowman so as to show the various aspects of what happens when you develop a new concept.

The last one he has put up is outstandingly hilarious.

Mobile Snowman completes run and loses head

After the run down the snow slide, the head of the snowman came off qand rolled over to Jacob's foot where he was videoing the run.

All of us were in splits of laughter.

Mobile Snowman Take 6

2008-03-14T21:30:00.000-07:00

Here is one more version of the Mobile Snowman taken by Jacob on 8th March at Joanna and Tony's home.

We have a few more takes to share with you after which I will give you the details of the components required to create your own Mobile Snowman.

Mobile Snowman Take 5

2008-03-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

As I get versions of the Mobile Snowman videos, I am putting them up.

Here is one taken on 8th March at Joanna and Tony's home in Oulu using Samu's digital camera that he received a a birthday present.

The quality of this video is significantly better than the earlier one. It was also filmed by Jacob.

Daniel is standing there watching while Samu and I launch the snowman on his journey downhill.

This was watched by several parents from the kitchen window.

Ever hear of a Snow Volcano?

2008-03-09T11:15:00.000-07:00

I tell stories to children which I make up on the spur of the moment. One of my characters is "Jungle Boy".

Our grandson, Daniel (almost 4), is enthralled by my Jungle Boy stories.

Recently, I told him one which had a mention of a "Volcano". He was fascinated by the concept of burning fire and lava pouring out from a crater on the mountain top. We now look at pictures from an encyclopedia of volcanoes. He has great pleasure in looking at them, again and again.

When Annikki was creating the Mobile Snowman in their garden, there remained the ruins of an igloo that Samu and Daniel had made. It was in the shape of a small mountain.

Annikki always has ideas that are generated by the surroundings, and as Daniel had been asking her about volcanoes, she and Samu thought of creating a volcano out of the snow mountain.

Samu dug out the top to form a crater. Annikki provided the candles of different colours.

Last night, in the grandchildren's garden, we had a raging snow volcano with smoke pouring out of the crater and the coloured lava flowing down the side.

Creating a Mobile Snowman

2008-03-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

I thought of creating a Mobile Snowman last December (2007).

My husband, Jacob, searched the internet and found that no one had so far reported that this had been done.

Together with our eldest grandson, Samuel, who celebrated his 11th birthday today, I designed and we created the first Mobile Snowman about 8 weeks ago.

Since then we have tested various designs.

This blog is devoted to expanding the concept of creating different versions of Mobile Snowmen.

We now have several photographs and short video clips which show how we achieved our goals.

I am sure, seeing the excitement among parents and children who saw our designs in action, that this will prove to be one of the most popular pastimes in years to come.

I must thank our grandson, Samu, and my husband, Jacob, for having faith in me and my creativity so that this objective was realised.

I must especially thank Vishwanath Mallabadi, a professional photographer, who gave his time to record the first video clip of the Mobile Snowman.

In subsequent entries I will describe the different Mobile Snowmen that I have designed and also add the video clips to show how the concept was given life.

Will this go into the Guinness Book of Records? Will it be considered as a new form of dynamic art? Will it be developed to such an extent that it could become a competitive sport, especially for children?

It is possible to speculate, but in doing this, my grandson, my husband and I had a great deal of thrills and spills!

Hope you enjoy this site as it develops out of the work that I have done on designs in snow over the past several years, which has culminated in this unique development.

I would love to host pictures Aand video clips of your Mobile Snowman designs.