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Economy Of Helsinki

Economy of Helsinki

Many internationally notable actors in the fields of ICT and digital culture are located in Greater Helsinki. Many of the residents on the area are computer literate. The penetration of different digital equipment is fairly high. For content oriented projects language is sometimes a challenge. Finnish is spoken by a small population compared to many other languages.

Companies

- [http://www.animavitae.fi/ Anima Vitae] headquarters
- [http://www.bugbear.fi/ Bugbear] headquarters
- [http://www.fathammer.com/ Fathammer] headquarters
- [http://www.housemarque.com/ Housemarque] headquarters
- Hybrid Graphics headquarters
- [http://www.mrgoodliving.com/ Mr.Goodliving] "good living - bad livers"
- Nokia headquarters
- [http://www.redlynx.com/ RedLynx] headquarters
- Remedy Entertainment headquarters
- [http://www.satama.com/ Satama] headquarters
- [http://www.sulake.com/ Sulake Labs] headquarters
- [http://www.sumea.com/ Sumea] headquarters

Other organizations

- [http://www.aula.cc/ Aula - community]
- [http://www.culminatum.fi/english/index.cfm Culminatum - Helsinki Region Centre of Expertice]
- [http://www.effi.org/index.en.html?tmplang=en Electronic Frontier Finland]
- Helsinki University of Technology
- [http://www.hiit.fi/ HIIT]
- [http://www.katastro.fi/ katastro.fi - media art collective]
- Kiasma
- Media Centre Lume
- Media Lab Helsinki
- [http://www.m-cult.net/ m-cult]

Festivals and prizes

- Assembly demo party
- [http://www.avantofestival.com/ Avanto]
- [http://www.isea2004.net/ ISEA2004]
- [http://www.koneisto.com/ Koneisto]
- [http://www.technologyawards.org/ The Millennium Technology Prize]
- [http://www.pixelache.ac/ Pixelache]
- [http://www.prixmobiusnordica.org/ Prix Möbius Nordica]

Notable projects

- Habbo Hotel
- Linux
- Max_Payne

Greater Helsinki

Greater Helsinki (Finnish: Suur-Helsinki, Swedish: Storhelsingfors), Capital Region (Pääkaupunkiseutu, Huvudstadsregionen), Helsinki Metropolitan Area, and Helsinki Region (Helsingin seutu, Helsingforsregionen) all refer to regions of different size surrounding Helsinki, the capital of Finland. It is located in the south of Finland, on the coast of the Gulf of Finland, which is part of the Baltic Sea. The area has a population of 975,000 to 1.3 million, depending on how one draws the boundaries. The Helsinki region is the largest urbanised area in the country, and is by far the most important centre economically, as well as in culture and science. Eight out of Finland's 20 universities and most of the headquarters of notable companies and governmental institutions are located in Greater Helsinki, as is Finland's main aviation hub, Helsinki-Vantaa airport.

Definitions of Greater Helsinki

In the strictest sense, the Capital Region consists of four municipalities with city-status: Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, and Kauniainen, whose total population is 975,922 (2004). This area is most often called Helsinki Metropolitan Area in English, and Pääkaupunkiseutu in Finnish, although the use of the terms is not especially consistent. Sometimes it is called the "YTV area", referring to YTV, or the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council, which serves as a co-operation agency for the four central municipalities, mainly providing for public transport and waste management services. The vast majority of the inhabitants live in the conurbation of the towns with the same names, but within the boundaries of these cities there is also non-urban and suburban areas. Commonly about eight more municipalities are considered to be part of Greater Helsinki. When Hyvinkää, Järvenpää, Kerava, Kirkkonummi, Nurmijärvi, Sipoo, Tuusula, and Vihti are included, the number of inhabitants rises to 1.2 million. All of the municipalities belong to the region of Uusimaa, with the exception of Sipoo, located on the coast east of Helsinki, which belongs to Eastern Uusimaa. In the broadest sense, the Helsinki Region encompasses some 25 municipalities, with a total population of more than 1.3 million. The commuter belt of Helsinki, however, stretches even further with many people from as far as Lahti and even Tampere commuting to Helsinki daily.

Statistics

The table below lists population, area and population density for the most central municipalites of the Greater Helsinki area. (Note that "Metropolitan Area" and the other terms used are not completely established, and may vary in different contexts.)

External links

- [http://virtual.finland.fi/finfo/english/hel_sat.html Satellite image of the Helsinki region]
- [http://virtual.finland.fi/finfo/english/metropol.html Virtual Finland: Helsinki Metropolitan Area]
- [http://kartta.hel.fi/opas/en/ Guide map of the Helsinki Region]
- [http://www.ytv.fi/english/ YTV, the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council]
- [http://www.helsinkiregion.com/ Marketing site for the Helsinki Region] Helsinki Category:Helsinki

Nokia

:For the Finnish town, see Nokia, Finland. Nokia Corporation is one of the world's largest telecommunications equipment manufacturers. With headquarters in Keilaniemi of Espoo, Finland, this Finnish telecommunications company is best known today for its leading range of mobile phones. Nokia also produces mobile phone infrastructure and other telecommunications equipment for applications such as traditional voice telephony, ISDN, broadband access, professional mobile radio, voice over IP, wireless LAN, a line of digital terrestrial television receivers and satellite receivers. Nokia provides mobile communication equipment for every major market and protocol, including GSM, CDMA, and WCDMA (UMTS).

History

Nokia was established in 1865 as a wood-pulp mill by Fredrik Idestam on the banks of Nokia rapids. Finnish Rubber Works established its factories in the beginning of 20th century nearby and began using Nokia as its brand. Shortly after World War I Finnish Rubber Works acquired Nokia wood mills as well as Finnish Cable Works, a producer of telephone and telegraph cables. All three companies were merged as Nokia Corporation in 1967. The name Nokia originated from the river which flowed through the town of the same name (Nokia). The town and river are named after a small black marsupial found in the region which was nicknamed Nokia. In the 1970s Nokia became more involved in the telecommunications industry by developing the Nokia DX 200, a digital switch for telephone exchanges. In the 1980s, Nokia offered a series of personal computers called MikroMikko [http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=630], however, these operations were sold to International Computers, Ltd. (ICL), which later became part of Fujitsu; the personal computer operation was handed over to Fujitsu-Siemens AG. Nokia also began developing mobile phones for the NMT network; unfortunately, the company ran into serious financial problems in the 1990s and streamlined its manufacturing of mobile phones, mobile phone infrastructure, and other telecommunications areas, divesting itself of other items, such as televisions and personal computers. In 2004, Nokia resorted to similar streamlining practices with layoffs and organizational restructuring, although on a significantly smaller scale. This, however, diminished Nokia's public image in Finland, and produced a number of court cases along with, at least, one [http://www.yle.fi/mot/kj050117/englishscript.htm television show critical of Nokia]. Recently, Nokia joined other mobile phone manufacturers to embrace Taiwanese Original Design Manufacturers. Nokia signed a contract with BenQ, a Taiwanese Original Design Manufacturer, to develop three high-end mobile phones, which are scheduled to retail by the end of 2005. Nokia has been engaged in a series of legal actions dealing with intellectual property Issues.

Pronunciation

The proper pronunciation of "Nokia" according to Finnish phonology is , with stress on the first syllable, and all vowels in the name being short and unreduced — there are no schwas ("a" or "uh" ). This creates problems for some, especially English speakers, who replace the vowels with schwas, as there are no direct equivalents to the Finnish short or sounds in English. Some English mispronunciations include "no-KEY-uh" and "knock-E-uh". English approximation spelling cannot be used accurately, because the closest English vowels are not interchangeable with the Finnish ones. In Spanish or French the spelling would be the same as in Finnish, while taking the correct stress pattern into account. Often, mispronunciation will lead to other words and meaning such as in a Nokia television commercial in which the name is mispronounced (double k), which means "(a bit of) wiener" in Finnish. For a synthesized example, try French at http://www.naturalvoices.att.com/demos/ or a synthesized Finnish [http://www.mikropuhe.com/mikropuhe.asp#] (then click on www.mikropuhe.com/demo.asp, which will give you a pop-up).

Corporate Culture

Nokia's official corporate culture manifesto, The Nokia Way, emphasises speed and flexibility of decision making in a flat, networked organisation. Equal opportunities and openness are also stressed, along with management leadership and employee participation. Nokia is a progressive and forward-thinking mobile technology group spending millions on research and development and priding itself on being "first to market" with new applications. English is the official language spoken and written among Nokians regardless of location Nokia Values are listed as: Customer Satisfaction, Respect, Achievement, and Renewal.

Trivia

The "Special" tone available to users of Nokia phones when receiving SMS (text messages) is actually Morse code for "SMS". Similarly, the "Ascending" SMS tone is Morse code for "Connecting People," Nokia's slogan. The ringtone "Nokia Tune" (probably the world's most well-known ringtone) is actually based on a 19th-century guitar work named "Gran Vals" by Spanish musician Francisco Tarrega. The Nokia Tune was originally named "Gran Vals" on Nokia phones but was changed to "Nokia Tune" around 1998 when it became so well known that people referred to it as the Nokia Tune. Nokia is sometimes called aikon (Nokia backwards) by non-Nokia mobile phone users.

External links

- [http://www.nokia.com/ Official Website]
- [http://www.nokia-asia.com/ Nokia Asia Pacific Website]
- [http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=NOK&d=t Nokia at the New York Stock Exchange]
- [http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/41/41820.html Yahoo! - Nokia Corporation Company Profile]
- [http://www.zfone.com/articles/a_id/54/history-of-nokia History of Nokia] Category:Electronics companies Category:Telecommunications equipment vendors Category:Nokia ko:노키아 ja:ノキア

Remedy Entertainment

Remedy Entertainment is a Finnish computer game developer founded in 1995 based in Espoo, Finland. In 1997 Remedy created a program called Final Reality, a 3D benchmark program. In November of 1997, Remedy created a new company that would handle its 3D benchmark program called Futuremark. That program would turn into 3DMark, a widely popular 3D benchmark program that determines the performance of your video card with the latest graphics. Remedy, however, is best known for its Max Payne series of games based on the character Max Payne and his living nightmare through "Noir York City". Payne is a fugitive undercover cop framed for murder, and now hunted by the NYPD and the mob. The Max Payne series is best known for popularizing bullet-time in a video game as well as being a film noir. Remedy's next project, designed for future-spec PCs and next-Gen consoles is called Alan Wake. More info at E3.

Games by Remedy

- Death Rally - PC (1996)
- Max Payne - PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Mac OS, Game Boy Advance (2001)
- Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne - PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox (2003)
- Alan Wake - PC, Next-Generation Consoles

External links

- [http://www.remedygames.com/ Remedy's Official Website] Category:Computer and video game companies Category:Espoo

Kiasma

Kiasma is the contemporary art museum located in Helsinki, Finland. The architect was the American, Steven Holl, which provoked a storm of outrage at the time since it had widely been expected that it would be designed by one or other of the many notable Finnish modernist architects.

External links

- [http://www.kiasma.fi/ The Kiasma website] Category:Culture in Helsinki Category:Buildings and structures in Helsinki Category:Museums in Finland Category:Art museums and galleries in Finland

Media Lab Helsinki

The Media Lab is the school of digital design at the University of Art and Design Helsinki. It was founded 1994. Year 2003 The Ministry of Education Finland chose Media Lab as one of the national top educational units. The Media Lab is part of an active ICT and digital cultures scene in Greater Helsinki. Media Centre Lume - the National Research and Development Center of audiovisual media is also located in the university and offers it's resources to Media Lab. Experimental and interactive video productions are common in the Media Lab. There are four research groups inside the Media Lab:
- [http://arki.uiah.fi ARKI research group]
- [http://fle3.uiah.fi/group/ The Learning Environments for Progressive Inquiry research group]
- [http://sysrep.uiah.fi/ The Systems of Representation group]
- [http://crucible.uiah.fi/ Crucible Studio]

Notable projects

- Fle3
- [http://mlab.uiah.fi/animaatiokone/kungfu/en/ Kick Ass Kung Fu]

External links

- [http://mlab.uiah.fi Media Lab in University of Art and Design Helsinki] - Official site

Habbo Hotel

Habbo Hotel is a virtual chat room and online game, created by Sulake Corporation. Habbo Hotel started as a project by two Finnish twenty-somethings, Sampo Karjalainen and Aapo Kyrölä. The first project was named Mobiles Disco and it was intended to promote a rock band called Mobiles. The site soon gained popularity and Karjalainen and Kyrölä started to think if it would be possible for it to have financial success as well. They sold the idea to the Finnish telecom giant Elisa Oyj through advertising agency Taivas. The first real hotel, Hotelli Kultakala (Hotel Goldfish) was launched in August, 2000 as a part of Elisa's portal. The first step abroad was to build a Hotel in Finland. The team decided that Hotel Goldfish wasn't a suitable name, but a more neutral name is needed. Someone came up with the name Habbo which was then chosen. The first member of the Habbo brand, Habbo Hotel UK, was launched in January of 2001. The third hotel was soon launched in Switzerland. Since then, the Hotel chain along with its user base has continued to grow, and right now Habbo Hotel is one of the biggest non-violent online game communities on the internet, operating in 16 countries.

Features

To play Habbo Hotel, one must first have to create an avatar, referred to as "checking in for the first time." The Hotel will ask the person if they are a specified age limit, dependant on geographical location. The player must provide a habbo name and, if they may, type in a mission, which is a descriptive line shown when the player is clicked on by another habbo. The system will not register any offensive names or any that closely resemble any of the player's personal information. The newly registered Habbo now has the option to choose from a variety of clothing, shoes, hair and skin colour, all of which can be edited later.

In the Hotel

Switzerland The chatrooms that make up each Hotel are large isometric structures that usually feature furniture, lighting and beverage dispensers. There are two main types of rooms: Public Rooms and Guest Rooms. Public Rooms are those that supposedly could be found in a normal hotel, including lobbies, a kitchen, pools, lounges and a theatre (see photo to the right.) The selection of public rooms will differ from hotel to hotel. Guest Rooms are fully customizable rooms made by Habbos and can be used for a wide variety of purposes: nightclubs, gaming rooms, trading rooms and even whole houses. There are templates for the size and shape of the room, which can be painted and filled with furniture (known as "furni"), all of which is purchasable from the Catalogue (see below.) In guest rooms, Habbos and all furniture appear much larger than in public rooms; as a result, the isometric grid is much larger and guest rooms consist of much smaller grid sizes than public rooms (the largest guest room has 104 squares, where the average public room has three times that.) In either room type, the words of a Habbo will appear above their head in a long, one-line thought bubble that is colour-coordinated to match the colour of the respective Habbo's shirt. Habbos can keep track of their friends through the Console, which allows Habbos to send and receive messages to each other. It also allows them to keep track of who is online and which room they are in (though it will only say "in guest room" if they happen to be in one.) There is also a Navigator which allows Habbos to select a public or guest room to enter. The navigator holds lists for a Habbo's own rooms and their favourite rooms, as well as a Search feature enabling searches by room name or owner's name. Recent versions of the Navigator sort both Public and Guest rooms under various categories for easier navigation. Furniture for guest rooms can be purchased through the Catalogue. Catalogue items can either be purchased with credits or traded from Habbo to Habbo, as long as they are in a guest room which allows trading. Credits are bought by paying actual money (usually by text message, credit card or mail orders) to Habbo Ltd. Habbos can purchase a wide selection of items for their guest rooms from the catalogue. They can also purchase cats and dogs to occupy their room(s). Every so often, rare items will be sold through the catalogue for 25 credits for a period of around 14 days. There are also seasonal items released a month in advance of such days as Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween and Christmas. Furni, as well as credits, Habbos and guest rooms cannot be transferred from one hotel to another.

Habbo Club

Habbo Club is an exclusive service in Habbo Hotel that enables a Habbo to:
- select a wider array of hairstyles and clothing
- receive a special rare furniture once a month
- have priority access to the hotel when logging in (actuality of this is in dispute)
- create exclusively shaped guest rooms
- enter special HC-only public rooms
- choose from a selection of four dance moves as opposed to one default dance (the "Hab-Hop" on English speaking hotels)
- have priority in queues to enter full public rooms Two very useful additional features of Habbo Club include the Chooser (accessed by typing ":chooser"), which lists all occupants of a room, and Furni (":furni"), which lists all furni within a guest room. Members of Habbo Club are also able to turn their badges on and off at their own discretion. A small perk for members of Habbo Club that have subscribed for 13 months is that they recieve a special sparkly gold HC badge when their 13th month begins.

Moderation/Guidance

Habbo Hotel is moderated by paid Moderator staff who work 4 hour shifts whilst on the hotel. These Moderators are backed up by a team of volunteers called Hobbas. The main difference between Hobbas and Moderators is that being a Hobba is not a paid job; a Hobba is a volunteer position. A Moderator is a real job and therefore a Moderator is paid real money. A Moderator also has more power to ban offending habbos for a longer period of time than a Hobba can. There are also office staff who can moderate the hotel, but as there are Moderator staff and Hobbas, it is not an office staff's main duty to moderate whilst on the hotel. While Hobbas have their own unique screennames, Moderators will always have the prefix "MOD-" before their name. Habbo Hotel moderators use a special moderation tool (and in game tools) called Housekeeping. Via this tool, moderators are able to access a private message board, while SuperHobbas also have access to logs for rooms and other Hobbas. Gold and SuperHobbas are also able to issue remote alerts, bans and kicks, depending on the level of Hobba. Other features used by high level moderators include mass alerts, bans and kicks. Sulake Inc. has recently announced the voluntary moderation system, or Hobbas, will be discontinued from December 31st, 2005.

Habbo eXperts

Habbo eXperts are commonly known through the hotels as Habbo X's. They premiered on [http://www.habbohotel.se/ Habbo Hotel Sweden] and are expected to replace the US Hobba "guide" system. These Habbo X players have a special X badge but do not have any powers apart from the ability to enter full rooms. They are Habbo players who have been on Habbo for a considerable amount of time. Their role in the hotel is to assist other people new to the service with any questions they may have, as well as to help any more experienced players with problems which do not require staff intervention. The system is currently in use on Habbo Hotels in Australia, Singapore, Sweden, The United Kingdom and Denmark. It is not known when or if the system will be implemented on other hotels. The project is coming to every Habbo Hotel under this year.

Habbo Hotels

Current Hotels

There are currently 16 Habbo Hotels in operation:
- [http://www.habbohotel.com.au/ Habbo Hotel Australia]
- [http://www.habbohotel.ca/ Habbo Hotel Canada]
- [http://www.habbohotel.dk/ Habbo Hotel Denmark]
- [http://www.habbohotel.fi/ Habbo Hotel Finland]
- [http://www.habbohotel.fr/ Habbo Hotel France]
- [http://www.habbohotel.de/ Habbo Hotel Germany]
- [http://www.habbohotel.nl/ Habbo Hotel Holland]
- [http://www.habbohotel.it/ Habbo Hotel Italy]
- [http://www.habbohotel.jp/ Habbo Hotel Japan]
- [http://www.habbohotel.no/ Habbo Hotel Norway]
- [http://www.habbohotel.com.sg/ Habbo Hotel Singapore]
- [http://www.habbohotel.es/ Habbo Hotel Spain]
- [http://www.habbohotel.se/ Habbo Hotel Sweden]
- [http://www.habbohotel.ch/ Habbo Hotel Switzerland]
- [http://www.habbohotel.co.uk/ Habbo Hotel United Kingdom]
- [http://www.habbohotel.com/ Habbo Hotel United States]

Future Hotels

These hotels' domains have been purchased by Sulake. Opening dates are unknown. All of these domains will redirect to the [http://www.habbohotel.com/ US Habbo Hotel].
- [http://www.habbohotel.cn/ Habbo Hotel China (Expected Opening Date: November/December 2005)]
- [http://www.habbohotel.cz/ Habbo Hotel Czech Republic]
- [http://www.habbohotel.be/ Habbo Hotel Belgium]
- [http://www.habbohotel.gr/ Habbo Hotel Greece]
- [http://www.habbohotel.nu/ Habbo Hotel Island of Niue]
- [http://www.habbohotel.lv/ Habbo Hotel Latvia]
- [http://www.habbohotel.li/ Habbo Hotel Liechtenstein]
- [http://www.habbohotel.lt/ Habbo Hotel Lithuania]
- [http://www.habbohotel.com.mx/ Habbo Hotel Mexico]
- [http://www.habbohotel.pl/ Habbo Hotel Poland]
- [http://www.habbohotel.ro/ Habbo Hotel Romania]
- [http://www.habbohotel.ru/ Habbo Hotel Russia]
- [http://www.habbohotel.br/ Habbo Hotel Brazil (Expected Opening Date: December 2005/January 2006)]

Fansites

Some Habbo Hotels maintain an official fansite list. This is a list of the best sites dedicated to Habbo Hotel as voted by the members of that hotel's community.

Habbo Hotel Finland

- [http://www.habbohotel.fi/habbo/fi/community/fansites/ Habbo Hotel Finland - Fansite List]
- [http://www.kala-stamo.net Kala-stamo]
- [http://www.nerokala.com Nerokala]
- [http://www.pixeli.net Pixeli]

Habbo Hotel Singapore

- [http://www.habbohotel.com.sg/habbo/en/community/fansites/ Habbo Hotel Singapore - Fansite List]
- [http://www.habbosoup.net Habbo Soup]
- [http://www.HabboLitez.com Habbo Litez]
- [http://www.habfun.com HabFun]

Habbo Hotel Australia

- [http://www.habbohotel.com.au/habbo/en/community/fansites/ Habbo Hotel Australia - Fansite List]
- [http://www.habboparadise.com HabboParadise]
- [http://www.habbotch.net Habbotch]
- [http://www.habbo-hood.com Habbo-Hood]
- [http://www.habboish.net Habboish]
- [http://www.habboholes.vze.com Habbo Holes]
- [http://www.habbodown.com HabboDown]
- [http://www.habbohut.com HabboHut]
- [http://www.hobtech.net Hobtech]
- [http://www.habboost.net Habboost]
- [http://www.tropicalhabbo.com Tropical Habbo]
- [http://www.habholic.com HabHolic]
- [http://www.orangebobble.com OrangeBobble]

Habbo Hotel UK

- [http://www.habbohotel.co.uk/habbo/en/community/fansites/ Habbo Hotel UK - Fansite List]
- [http://www.habbomania.co.uk Habbo Mania]
- [http://www.bobbanet.com Bobbanet]
- [http://www.habbopaper.co.uk Habbo Paper]
- [http://www.habboinfo.co.uk Habbo Info]
- [http://www.habbos.co.uk Habbos]
- [http://www.habbling.com Habbling]
- [http://www.v-habbo.com v-Habbo]
- [http://www.habbodemand.com Habbo Demand]
- [http://www.robsladey.co.uk RobSladey]
- [http://www.habbolane.co.uk Habbo Lane]
- [http://www.yourhabbo.co.uk YourHabbo]
- [http://www.habbocafe.co.uk HabboCafe]
- [http://www.habbodown.com HabboDown]
- [http://www.hab-world.com Hab-World]
- [http://www.habburgers.net Habburgers]
- [http://www.habbo-addicts.com Habbo-Addicts]
- [http://www.habbohut.com HabboHut]
- [http://www.habbofm.co.uk HabboFM]
- [http://www.habboforum.com HabboForum]
- [http://www.hobtech.net Hobtech]
- [http://www.evilblood4.tk HABBO FORUM---for people who loves habbohotel]
- [http://www.poolradio.co.uk LIVE RADIO for habbohotel users]

Habbo Hotel USA

- [http://www.habbohotel.com/habbo/en/community/fansites/ Habbo Hotel USA - Fansite List]
- [http://www.habboforum.com HabboForum]
- [http://www.habbodiscussion.com Habbo Discussion]
- [http://www.habbodown.com HabboDown]
- [http://www.habtips.com Habtips]
- [http://www.bluebobble.com Blue Bobble]
- [http://www.habbohut.com HabboHut]
- [http://www.habbox.us Habbox US]
- [http://www.bobbamyroom.com BOBBA My Room]
- [http://www.habbotalk.com HabboTalk]
- [http://www.raretradevalues.com Rare Trade Values]
- [http://www.habbaz.com Habbaz] Category:Virtual reality communities

Max Payne

Max Payne is a third-person shooter computer game developed by Finnish company Remedy Entertainment, produced by 3D Realms and published by Gathering of Developers in July, 2001. Ports later in the year for the Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation 2 were published by Rockstar Games. A Macintosh port was published in 2002 by MacSoft. There were plans for a Dreamcast version of Max Payne, but it was cancelled. A sequel to the highly popular shooter quickly followed in 2003 entitled Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne.

Overview

The Max Payne series has a major cinematic influence: the Hong Kong action movie genre, particularly the work of director John Woo, which features a great deal of slow-motion, nearly balletic violence. The series is also often perceived to have been greatly influenced by The Matrix, but in actuality, this is not the case. Although the first game was released two years after The Matrix came out, this is a coincidence; Max Payne was already in development long before The Matrix became a household name, and slow-motion was a major gameplay element from the beginning. While the movie certainly influenced public perception of the game, it did not have a great impact on the game itself, although calling the slow-motion effect "bullet time" was probably inspired by the term being used to describe the similar effect in The Matrix. However, one level, titled "Nothing to Lose" was a homage to The Matrix; the level is similar to the famous lobby shootout scene in the film. The games' stylish cinematography and choreography is combined with heavy film noir, pulp noir, and pulp fiction influences in characters and dialogue. Accordingly, Max Payne is rife with artistically orchestrated, often strangely graceful gunplay. The games are dark and noir-style, following Max Payne, a troubled cop with internal and external conflicts in a dark sinister New York City. Within the games, there are mini-plots in the form of television shows that the player can follow. Several of the shows are based on other, real-life shows.

Gameplay

New York City The prime emphasis of the series is on shooting. Almost all of the gameplay involves utilizing bullet-time to gun down foe after foe. Levels are generally straightforward, with almost no key-hunting. However, some levels do incorporate platforming elements and puzzle solving. Ammo is in constant supply, as all enemies drop ammo when killed. The original Max Payne at times can be a highly difficult game. Even on the easiest difficulty setting, Max is extremely fragile and dies after only 5 pistol bullets, 3 assault rifle bullets, or 1 shotgun blast. Contrary to most FPS games, most enemies are actually more durable than the player character, with later enemies being able to survive 2 or 3 times as much damage as Max. Survival is highly dependent on the use of bullet-time, but bullet-time is limited and can run out if over-used (although every enemy killed by the player earns a little more bullet-time). It can be difficult for many gamers to get through the later levels without quicksaving and quickloading multiple times. The game's A.I. is heavily dependent on pre-scripted commands. Most of the apparently intelligent behavior exhibited by enemies, such as taking cover behind obstacles, retreating from the player, or throwing grenades, is 100% pre-scripted. Thus, when replaying a level, enemies perform exactly the same behaviors each time.

Bullet-time

A.I. The gameplay of Max Payne revolves heavily around bullet-time. When triggered, bullet-time slows down the passage of time to such an extent that the movements of bullets can be seen by the naked eye - it is a form of slow motion. The player, although his movement is also slowed, is still able to aim and react in real time, providing a unique advantage over enemies. This makes avoiding being shot easier and enables Max to perform special moves, such as shootdodges where Max leaps sideways through the air while continuing to fire his weapon. Occasionally, when the last character of a group is killed, the point of view switches to a third-person view of their falling body with the camera circling around it.

Max Payne (Game Boy Advance)

The Game Boy Advance version of the game was developed by Mobius Entertainment Ltd, now known as Rockstar Leeds. Since it was developed on a far less powerful platform, the GBA version differs greatly from the PC and console versions: The game is based on sprite graphics and is shown from an isometric perspective. The gameplay features have remained mostly the same, however, and is actually almost exactly like the original, aside of the perspective change. The story also remained the same as in PC and console versions, though some levels from the original are omitted. The game even includes quite a large part of the original's graphic novel sections, complete with voice-overs.

Characters

isometric The character of Max Payne for the first game was modeled after Sam Lake, the writer of Max Payne. It is often joked that Max had a constipated expression — this joke is even mentioned in the sequel. For Max Payne 2, however, Lake was unavailable, forcing Remedy to use actor Timothy Gibbs to be the model for Max Payne. The voice of Max Payne was played by actor James McCaffrey in both games. McCaffrey is probably best known for playing the lead role in the TV show Viper (1994-1996). Max Payne is very comparible to Film-Noir characters such as Sam Spade (who is even mentioned in this game).

Plot

"A fugitive undercover cop framed for murder, and now hunted by the police and the mob. Max is a man with his back against the wall, fighting a battle he cannot hope to win. Prepare for a new breed of action game. Prepare for pain..."

Prologue: The American Dream

It started three years ago; Max came home after a long day at work. No one answered when he came in the door of his home. Upstairs he found his wife and daughter murdered at the hands of junkies high on a new designer drug called Valkyr. He swore revenge against the drug that drove people to this. He joined the DEA as an undercover cop, infiltrating the Mafia and the underground world of New York. But he was framed, accused of killing his long time friend and partner, Alex Balder. Wanted by the cops and with no other options available, Payne goes on a blood-soaked revenge-fueled thrill-ride through New York, working his way from lesser thugs to the bigger crime bosses to get to the top, and expose the true identity of those responsible for the viridian induced hell that is Valkyr.

Roscoe Street Station

While undercover, B.B., a cop friends with both Max and Alex, calls Max and tells him Alex wants to meet at the Roscoe Street Station. Once arriving there by train, Max gets off and checks around, only to discover a worker killed in the locker room and Alex nowhere to be seen. As he continues on he learns that mobsters under Jack Lupino, a mafia captain in the Punchinello Crime Family, are attempting a bank robbery under the Roscoe Street bank through the station. While investigating the robbery, Max discovers they were after the Aesir Corporation bonds. Working his way back to the surface, Max encounters Alex. The short lived reunion is disrupted when an unknown shooter kills Alex, leaving Max at the scene to take the fall. After leaving the station, Max decides to find Lupino at his hotel.

The Blood Veins of New York

Once at Lupino's hotel, Max find the brothers Joey and Virgilio Finito, but no Lupino. With his cover blown, Max kills them and find out through a letter addressed to them by Vinnie Gognitti that Rico Muerte, a Chicago mobster Max compares to Keyser Soze who owes the Punchinello Family is coming to New York to oversee a major Valkyr drug deal. Max guns his way to Muerte's room, only to find him not there. Progressing through the hotel Max finds Candy Dawn's room. Dawn's a hooker known for videotaping her "clients." He learns of an unknown women called by Candy as the "hag" is purchasing her "One-Eyed Alfred" tapes. Max also finds the body of a badly beaten man tied to a chair next to a Captain Baseballbat Boy comic strip in the newspaper. Continuing on, Max breaks up the drug deal and finds Muerte and Dawn not to far away. He kills them both and near the front of the hotel, Max finds a switchboard not far from counter, he hears Vinnie Gognitti talking to a dying mobster. Max sets off for a set of tenements near the hotel searching for Vinnie, hoping to find the whereabouts of Lupino.

Fear That Gives Men Wings

Once outside, a set of explosions from bombs detonates one of Lupino's buildings. Vladimir Lem, the head of the Russian Mafia, is seen driving off in his black Mercedes-Benz, responisible for the bombings. While trying to find a way in the building, a newspaper headlines his framed murder of Alex. Once inside, Max needs to shoot mobster after mobster to get to Lupino's office. A payphone rings in the hallway, and the caller mentions the police are on the way. He also mentions he'll contact Max soon. Later, while searching for a key to a locked door, Max finds a letter by Gognitti detailing a recent hit on Vlad's illegal guns, explaining the bombings. Max eventually makes it to Lupino's office to find Vinnie, resulting in a gunfight breaking out with Gognitti's men, whilst he himself escapes with a gunshot wound to his chest. Max then backtracks through all the prior buildings attempting to catch Gognitti. They eventually meet up in a deadend alley. Using force, Max is told by Vinnie that Lupino is at Ragna Rock, a gothic nightclub owned by him. Gognitti is left bleeding in an alley, but survives the encounter with Max.

Ragna Rock

Once at Ragna Rock, Max has to gun his way to Lupino finding satanic and occult books and a V deal. Backstage and close to Lupino, Max finds a torn, bloody piece of paper on a couch, addressed by Don Punchinello himself, telling Lupino to shape up. Near the letter are sacrificied bodies and a list of demons written in blood by Lupino, Max assumes he is trying for the Faust deal; your soul for eternal wealth and pleasure. Max has to kill dozens of Lupino's men before Lupino emerges, high on V exhibiting all the homicidal dementia that entails. Max finally kills him, only to find Mona Sax, an assassin telling Max he needs to go higher up, to Angelo Punchinello himself. She discloses this since she views him as a sadistic wife beater. The two share a drink, but Mona spikes his drink and Max falls unconscious, only out of fear he might kill her sister.

The Baseball Bat

While knocked out, Max experiences a nightmare about the death of his family. He wakes up only to find himself tied to a chair in the basement of Jack Lupino's hotel. Frankie "the Bat" Niagara, a mob hitman, beats Max around with a baseball bat. Leaving Max bruised and bloody, he comments he's going to go have a drink at the bar and when he returns, its "check out time." Max breaks free of the chair and ponders about the recent choices he's made. He realizes what Mona said is true, that he needs to aim higher up the organized crime ladder, straight to Don Angelo Punchinello. Armed with only Niagara's bat he left behind, Max decides to play "hide and seek" with the armed mobsters guarding the hall to acquire their guns. While searching the basement, Max discovers a sewage pipe lined with all of Niagara's murders. Eventually, Max works his way around to the entrance of the hotel. The hotel had been a crime scene from Max's prior battle, but the mobsters had reclaimed it, murdering the cops on duty. Max finds Niagara at the bar like he said, and kills him.

An Offer You Can't Refuse

Leaving the hotel, it's not long before Vlad shows up, making him an offer he can't refuse. Boris Dime, a traitor of the Russians over to the Puchinello Family, has control over an incoming gun shipment on the Charon. With Punchinello in control of the shipment, it tips the odds in his favor, making things more difficult for both Vlad and Max. Vlad promises if he can overturn the shipment and kill Dime for him, he could have some of the weapons for himself and a new ally. Max agrees and heads off for the Brooklyn riverfront where the Charon is. Exploring the riverfront, Max stumples upon a political assassination plot involving Rico Muerte, a suitcase full of cash, a sniper rifle, and an expensive piece of paper with only one word on it stating the target: "Mayor." Gunning his way past dozens of mobsters, Max boards the Charon. Killing Dime, Max is allowed access to ammo and guns. Max calls Punchinello, wanting to meet. Punchinello agrees and Vlad drops Max off at Casa di Angelo, the Don's restaurant. Once there, Max enters only to find a dark and empty restaurant. Within seconds, explosions start going off. Max narrowly escapes each one, making his way to the back of the restaurant, only to be met with more armed men. Escaping through a sewage tunnel, Max meets up with Vlad again, where they agree to go to see Punchinello at his mansion.

Angel of Death

Brooklyn Max enters through the basement, knowing that once on the main floors he'll engage with the murderous trio: Vince Mugnaio, Pilate Providence AKA Big Brother, and Joe "Deadpan" Salem; three notorious gangsters working directly for the Don with "rap sheets thick as phonebooks." Mysteriously, the basement was unlocked and the guards were shot dead. Max speculates Mona. Once making it to the kitchen, Max finds three tarot cards laid out on the counter. In order the cards were a tower, representing the manor, the Devil being the Don, and death personified in Max. Close to Punchinello, Max finds Lisa Punchinello's body spead on bloody sheets of the bed. The phone rings in the next room. It was the same voice as before, the one heard on the payphone in the tenements. He told Max a helicopter landed on manor grounds. Killing the trio and every mobster standing in his way, Max ends up standing outside of the Don's office, listening to him plead for help to someone over the phone. Max breaks down the door, points his beretta at Punchinello's face point blank, and immediately the Don reveals he is merely a pawn in a government conspiracy. With the truth revealed, a group of men in suits armed with Colt Commandos storm the office and shoot Punchinello dead on site. Max kills them, only to find himself outgunned and outmanned, lead by a mysterious woman, attempting to leave the manor. She shoots Max up with an overdose of V, leaving him for dead. Right before Max becomes high, he hears her say, "Take me to Cold Steel."

Take Me To Cold Steel

Another nightmare engages a drugged Max, before he wakes up lying in a pool of his own vomit. With only one lead, Cold Steel, Max sets off. At Cold Steel Foundry, an entire illegal operation had the place occupied, with dozens of truck and armed personnel on location. Once deeper into the foundry, the walkie talkie of a mecenary killed by Max mentions that an intruder has infiltrated, the operation has been comprised, and to commence Operation Dead Eyes. Max finds an elevator which takes him down to an old military bunker beneath the foundry. Max witnesses Operation Dead Eyes being carried out with killer suits killing off a pair of mercenaries. Killing the two suits, Max recognizes the insignia on the floor. Reading Project Valhalla, with a sword over a capital V, Max notices its similar to tags around the city with a syringe replacing the sword, representing Valkyr. The Conspiracy becomes more apparent as Max goes deeper into the base. Machines processing V, data files, test subjects and lab researchers. Max finds a computer with the Project Valhalla history. Starting out as a drug to improve morale and stamina for soldiers in 1991. Four years of failed research ended government funding in 1995. Reading more, Max finds out about a data leak; a "Mrs. Payne", Max's wife, working at a front company for Project Valhalla, becomes privy to a small scrap of information, inconsequential by itself, but if revealed to or discovered by certain troublesome individuals, could spell death for the project. He learns that psychotic V test subjects were sent to the Payne address in New Jersey three years ago; the junkies who killed his wife and infant child. Max questions how his vengeance is possibly justifiable now that he knows this. Eventually, all evidence is lost in the self-detonation of the army bunker.

Backstabbing Bastard

New Jersey With nowhere to go from there, Max decides to take a break at an all night diner. He then receives a call from B.B. to meet him at the Choir Communications garage. It then becomes evident to Max that B.B. set him up. When they meet up, B.B. tries to talk himself out of it. With no success, a speeding car almost hits Max as he barely dodges it. B.B. escapes in a van and Max pursues him. Max runs down each level of the garage, killing every thug that gets in his way. B.B. gets out of the van on the first level of the garage and the two have a shootout. Max is victorious, and also receives another call from his mysterious "benefactor", this time identifying himself as Alfred Woden, telling Max to meet him at the Asgard Building where he will explain everything.

In The Land Of The Blind

Once Max was at the meeting place, Woden introduced the other members of a secret society he was part of called, "the Inner Circle." Nicole Horne, who headed Project Valhalla, was responsible for Valkyr. After the government funding was disconnected, Horne continued the project unauthorized. She had blackmailed the Inner Circle, explaining why she hadn't been stopped. Woden proposed if Max killed Horne, the charges against him, including the death of Alex, the damaging and destruction of the many public and private vehicles and buildings, along with his subsequent killings would all go away. Horne's men then find the meeting place and shoot the Inner Circle members. Jumping out the first story window into the courtyard, Max would have to shoot his way out to escape the building. In the video surveillance room, Max saw Woden get up, the sole surviving member of the Inner Circle now. In an office, Max found what Horne had used to keep the Inner Circle silent: the homemade porn video of Alfred Woden and Candy Dawn. It would keep them quiet if the Inner Circle thought it was a bluff. Max takes the video to blackmail Woden should he decide to go back on their deal. He also finds blueprints to the Aesir Corp. Plaza, detailing the suite and President's office, with critical areas in red. Max escapes Asgard and took his time getting to Aesir Plaza.

Nothing to Lose

New Jersey Security guards rush Max as soon as he passes the metal detectors of the Aesir Plaza entrance. Max kills his way to the first floor, where he reunites with Mona getting off an elevator. Horne gets on the intercom and tells Mona to kill Max, revealing Mona was working for Horne. Mona explains that Max is "a nice guy" and she doesn't kill nice guys. Her compassion rewards her with a bullet in the head once security rushes Max again. The elevator doors close, leaving Max to fend for himself. Having dealt with the threat, Max tries to get on the elevator, only to find Mona's body gone. He makes his way to the mainframe security system and disables it to allow himself access to where Horne is. Max comes face to face with Horne, only for her to escape and send her guards. Max chases after her all the way to the top of the building, where her helicopter is attempting to make a permanent get away. Max shoots the cables to a weather mast, snapping them and allowing the strong storm winds surging about them to topple the otherwise fragile tower onto Horne's helicopter even as it lifts off the helipad. The police find Max again, and he goes under arrest. Being put into a squadcar in handcuffs, Max sees Woden in the crowd of spectators, with a "grin of a winner." Max thinks, "That made two of us."

Sequels and spin-off

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne When we last saw Max Payne, he was being led away in the back of a police car, about to face charges for his two night killing spree in which he killed upwards of 600 people, even though they all had criminal records. However, Max was eventually cleared of all charges, thanks to his relationship with a very influential member of society, Senator Alfred Woden. A few years have passed, and Max has returned to work for the NYPD as a homicide detective. However, during a routine murder investigation he finds himself face-to-face with the fugitive Mona Sax, a woman he thought dead. Max and Mona team up to solve the answers to Max's past that left his wife and child dead. Between them and the answers they seek rests an army of scum and murderous thugs in New York City's underground.

Max Payne 3

The ending to The Fall of Max Payne teases with a message at the end of the credits proclaiming, "Max Payne's journey into the night will continue", but the story itself seems to be over. Perhaps the reason to this is that the original development crew, Remedy Entertainment is not going to continue working with the Max Payne franchise. Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games has announced there will be a sequel, but the developer so far is unknown. Take-Two recognised the flexibility of the universe, and hope to produce another game using the well-known characters in the future.

Max Payne: The Movie

It has also been confirmed through The Hollywood Reporter that 20th Century Fox has bought the rights to bring the game to film.

Names from Norse Mythology

Most of the major characters and elements in the game (except for Max) are named for figures from Norse mythology. Although this is often seen as a nod to the Scandinavian heritage of the game's Finnish development company, Remedy Entertainment, this is something of a misconception: although Finland is often lumped together with the other Nordic countries, Finnish mythology actually differs considerably from its Norse counterpart. It's more likely that these themes were simply incorporated into the game out of appreciation for their iconic status and recognizability.
- The Valkyr drug turns its users into adrenaline-charged killers who hallucinate death imagery. The Valkyries of Norse mythology were warrior-women and heralds of death. Although the Valkyries were all female, the Valkyr addicts seen in the game are all male. Project Valhalla is the government-funded conspiracy that created Valkyr. In Norse mythology, Valhalla is the festhall in the afterlife to which those who died in honorable battle are assigned after death. The computer network in the military base is named Yggdrasil, referring to the tree that connected the nine worlds in Norse cosmology.
- The Aesir Corporation, named for the primary pantheon of Norse gods. The Aesir Corporation is based in Aesir Plaza. Aesir is the English plural for the Norse Gods. And the head of the Aesir Corporation is Nicole Horne; Horne's name might be a reference to the Giallar horn in the Ragnarok myth.
- DEA agent Alex Balder, Max's partner, was shot by an assassin. In Norse mythology, Balder (or Baldur) was killed when a sprig or arrow of mistletoe was shot or thrown into his chest. B.B., who betrayed Alex Balder, may be analogous to Loki, the god of deception who arranged Baldur's death.
- Jack Lupino's name and behavior may be a nod to the Fenris Wolf. Lupino (derived from lupus, "wolf") is an apocalypse-obsessed Satanist who is based out of the Ragna Rock nightclub; the Fenris Wolf is associated with the legend of Ragnarok, in which he battles against the gods on the side of evil.
- The great snowstorm that takes place during the events of the first Max Payne is a reference to the Fimbulwinter, the epic winter that precedes Ragnarok.
- Alfred Woden's surname is an alternate spelling of Odin, the patriarch god of the Norse pantheon.
- Russian mob Boss Vladimir's name might be alluding to Saint Vladimir, who is considered a hero in Norse Saga.
- While not connected to Norse Mythology, the twin sisters, Mona Sax and Lisa Punchinello, may be a reference to the painting, Mona Lisa, because of their first names.
- Related to Greek mythology, the name of the ship Max Payne infiltrates on Vladimir's request is Charon. Charon is the name of the ferryman of the Acheron in Greek mythology.

List of Max Payne weaponry

- Lead pipe
- Baseball bat
- Beretta 92F/FS
- IMI Desert Eagle
- Pump-action shotgun
- Sawed-off shotgun
- Pancor Jackhammer
- Ingram (MAC-10)
- Colt Commando
- Hand grenade
- Molotov cocktail
- M79 grenade launcher
- Sniper rifle

External links

- [http://www.rockstargames.com/maxpayne/splash.html Max Payne - Official Web site]
-
- [http://www.rockstargames.com/maxpayne/tutorials/ Max Payne editor tutorials - Official Web site]
- [http://www.rockstargames.com/maxpayne2/ Max Payne 2 - Official Web site]
- [http://www.maxpayneforums.com/ Max Payne Forums]
- [http://www.megagames.com/news/html/pc/maxxpaynesueshisdevelopers.shtml A lawsuit filed against the makers of Max Payne]
- [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0291337/ Max Payne at IMDB]
- [http://www.paynereactor.com/ Payne Reactor]
- [http://www.3dactionplanet.com/maxpayne/ Deep Six] Category:2001 computer and video games Category:Computer and video game franchises Category:Game Boy Advance games Category:Apple Macintosh games Category:PlayStation 2 games Category:Third-person shooters Category:Xbox games Category:Windows games ja:マックスペイン

Helsinki

Helsinki (pronounced with the stress on the first syllable in Finnish: ), or Helsingfors in Swedish (), also called "Stadi" in local slang, is the capital of Finland. It is located in the southern part of Finland on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, at . Helsinki forms a conurbation with three other cities, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen, which are together called the capital area. This area has about 975,000 citizens. The Greater Helsinki area contains a lot more municipalities and has a total population of 1,232,741 (2004).

History

Main article: History of Helsinki Founded in 1550 as a rival to the Hanseatic city of Tallinn by the King Gustav I of Sweden, Helsinki struggled in its infancy. The fledging settlement was plagued by poverty, wars and diseases. For a long time it remained as a small low-key coastal town, overshadowed by the more thriving trade centers in the Baltic region. Construction of the Suomenlinna sea fortress helped to improve its status, but it was not until Russia defeated Sweden in the Finnish War and annexed Finland as autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland in 1809 that Helsinki began to truly change. To help reduce the Swedish influence, tsar Alexander I of Russia had the capital moved from Turku to Helsinki. Academy of Åbo, the only university in the country, was also relocated to Helsinki in 1827, eventually becoming the University of Helsinki. This move consolidated the city's new role and the following decades saw unprecedented growth and development for the city, creating the prerequisites for the birth of a modern world class capital in the 20th century. This transformation is highly apparent in the downtown core, which was rebuilt in neoclassical style to resemble St. Petersburg. Like elsewhere, technological advancements such as railroads and industrialization were a key factor behind the growth. Although much of the first half of the 20th century was a violent period for Helsinki, it continued to steadily develop. Modern postwar urbanization of the 1970s, which occurred relatively late in European context, tripled the population in the metropolitan area, making the Helsinki metropolitan area one of the fastest growing urban centers in the European Union in 1990s.

Services

Education

Helsinki metropolitan area Helsinki has 190 comprehensive schools, upper secondary schools and 15 vocational institutes. Half of the 41 upper secondary schools are private or state-owned. Higher level education is given in eight universities (see the section "Universities" below) and four polytechnics.

Institutions of higher education

Universitites

Main article: Universities in Finland
- University of Helsinki
- Helsinki University of Technology (actually located in Espoo)
- Helsinki School of Economics
- Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration
- Academy of Fine Arts
- Sibelius Academy
- Theatre Academy
- University of Art and Design Helsinki
- National Defence College (Finland) (not necessarily considered a university)

Polytechnics

- Helsinki Polytechnic Stadia
- Helsinki Polytechnic Arcada

Traffic

Helsinki Polytechnic Arcada In Helsinki, public transport is mostly managed by Helsinki City Transport. The diverse public transport system consists of trams, VR lähiliikenne commuter trains, the Helsinki Metro and bus lines. The Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council manages traffic to the surrounding municipalities of Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen. Today, Helsinki is the only city in Finland to have trams or metro trains. There used to be two other cities in Finland with tram traffic: Turku and Viipuri (Vyborg). However, Turku abandoned trams in 1972 and Viipuri (at that time part of the Soviet Union) abandoned them in 1957. The metro line, opened in 1982, was the first, and so far the only, metro line in all of Finland. For the first 16 years of its existence, the line was topologically only one straight line, but in 1998 a fork was added at Itäkeskus metro station, dividing the remainder of the line into two branches with three stations each. Metro is an especially important method of transportation for commuters in the growing suburbs of Eastern Helsinki, and there are also plans to further expand the system to Espoo (see Länsimetro), but lack of agreement over financing has caused delays to the project. If the plans for automation in the system are approved, the Helsinki Metro will operate without drivers in 2010. Air traffic is handled from the international Helsinki-Vantaa Airport and Malmi Airport. Ferry connections to Tallinn and Stockholm are serviced by various companies, including Silja Line, Viking Line, SeaWind Line, Linda Line, Nordic Jet Line and Tallink (see Ruotsinlaiva). In summer, passenger ferries to Travemünde, Germany are also available. Copterline provides fast helicopter flights to Tallinn.

Other services

Copterline Copterline The largest hospitals of Finland are located in Helsinki, for example HYKS and many private hospitals. Also police and fire departments serve citizens.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Helsinki

Geography

Main article: Geography of Helsinki Helsinki spreads around a number of bays and peninsulas and over a number of islands. Some of the most important islands include Seurasaari, Lauttasaari and Korkeasaari – which is also the country's biggest zoo – as well as the fortress island of Suomenlinna (Sveaborg) and the military island of Santahamina.

Architecture

Santahamina] Carl Ludvig Engel (1778-1840) designed several neo-classical buildings in Helsinki. He was kept in Helsinki by a unique assignment, as he was elected to plan a new centrum all on his own, which later on was also referred to as The White City Of The North. The city became shallow and wide at the time when most buildings had only two or three floors. In the middle of the city, on the northern side of the Senate Square, he planned an enormous Cathedral, which was finished in 1852, twelve years after C. L. Engel's death. Helsinki is, however, perhaps even more famous for its numerous Art Nouveau buildings, designed in the early 1900s and strongly influenced by Kalevala, which is a very popular theme in the national romantic art of that era. Helsinki also features several buildings by the world-renowned finnish architect Alvar Aalto, also attributed as one of the pioneers in functionalism. Many of Aalto's projects are both loved and hated. Houses such as the Enso-house and the Finlandia Hall have been much debated by Helsinki's inhabitants.

Culture

Helsinki can also be considered Finland's culture-capital. Helsinki's two main museums are the Ateneum and the Kiasma, the later displaying contemporary art, while the former being well-known for it's classical art exhibitions. Helsinki's main musical venues are the Finlandia concert-hall and the Finnish National Opera. Bigger concerts and events are usually held at one of the city's two big hockey-stadiums the Hartwall Areena or the Helsingin jäähalli. Helsinki also has a big fair center. Helsinki is also known for its active ICT and digital cultures scene in Greater Helsinki. Some widely renowned bands originate from Helsinki, including HIM, The Rasmus and The 69 Eyes.

Happenings

- [http://www.valonvoimat.org/2004.html Valon Voimat] "Forces of Light" is an annual winter arts festival.
- [http://www.helsinkifestival.fi/ Helsingin Juhlaviikot] is an annual arts and culture festival, which takes place every August.

Tourism

See also: Tourism in Finland, List of sites in Helsinki Helsinki is small and intimate; lively but not bustling. Its size makes it easy to walk around and cafés, markets, and the nearby islands are its summer delights. market Because Helsinki is located at the coast of the Baltic Sea and has many kilometres of coastline, most of its central districts are near the seaside. Helsinki is a very maritime city and is popularly called the daughter of the Baltic. Helsinki's main beach is Hietaniemi Beach (often simply called Hietsu). This sandy beach is located in the Töölö district, next to the Hietaniemi Cemetery and close to the city centre. Many people who stay in the city during summer swim, sunbathe and play beach volleyball there. The main districts around the center include Katajanokka, Eira, Kamppi, Kruununhaka, Töölö, Punavuori and Kallio. Suomenlinna is a large fortress built on one small group of islands in the mid-eighteenth century. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a popular tourist attraction. Air travel to Helsinki is via the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. Helsinki also has popular ferry links with Stockholm, Sweden and Tallinn, Estonia. Silja, Viking and Tallink are the biggest ferry operators.

Notable natives

- Ragnar Granit - Nobel laureate
- Tarja Halonen - President of the Republic of Finland
- Tove Jansson - author and creator of the Moomin characters
- Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld - scientist
- Esa-Pekka Salonen - conductor and composer
- Helene Schjerfbeck - painter
- Linus Torvalds - creator of the first Linux kernel
- Ville Valo - musician, HIM
- Artturi Ilmari Virtanen - Nobel laureate
- Mika Waltari - author
- All members of the rock band The Rasmus

Olympics

Helsinki was the host of the 1952 Summer Olympics.

Trivia

The asteroid 1495 Helsinki was named after the city by its discoverer, the Finnish astronomer Yrjö Väisälä.

External links

- [http://www.hel.fi/ Helsinki] – Official site
-
- [http://fox.zero.ad.jp/~zas68510/Helsinki_Map_Blank.gif Map of central Helsinki]
- [http://www.histdoc.net/kaup1902/helsinki.gif Map of Helsinki in 1902]
- [http://kartta.hel.fi/opas/images/seutu.jpg Map of Helsinki Metropolitan Area]
- [http://aikataulut.ytv.fi/reittiopas/en/ Journey Planner] – a web application for determining public transport routes in the Helsinki region
- [http://www.helsinginsanomat.fi/english/extras/photogallery Helsinki through the lense] – Photo gallery
- [http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=27690&LAN=ENG Webcam] Helsinki live webcam
- [http://virtual.finland.fi/finfo/images/helsin.jpg Satellite map of Helsinki]
- [http://groups.msn.com/FinlandTravelClub/helsinki.msnw Helsinki] - Finland Travel Club
- [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Helsinki&ll=60.167198,24.943900&spn=0.014724,0.051533&t=k&hl=en Satellite map of Helsinki] on Google maps Category:Capitals in Europe Category:Coastal cities of Finland Category:Host cities of the Summer Olympic Games Category:Municipalities of Uusimaa Region Category:Cities and towns in Finland ko:헬싱키 ja:ヘルシンキ simple:Helsinki

Category:Science and technology in Finland

Category:Finland Finland

Category:Child's Play

Articles related to the Child's Play movies. Category:Film series

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Bermillo de Sayago é um município da Espanha na província de Zamora, comunidade autónoma de Castela e Leão, de área 189,53 km² com população de 1327 ha

Bretó
Bretó é um município da Espanha na província de Zamora, comunidade autónoma de Castela e Leão, de área 21,53 km² com população de 236 habitantes (

Cabañas de Sayago
Cabañas de Sayago é um município da Espanha na província de Zamora, comunidade autónoma de Castela e Leão, de área 49,65 km² com população de 183 habit

Bretocino
Bretocino é um município da Espanha na província de Zamora, comunidade autónoma de Castela e Leão, de área 12,47 km² com população de 297 habitantes (