When will Britain learn that it snows in winter?

I'm one part amused and one part exasperated by the following report, read on MSN UK this morning:

"Snow showers sweeping across the North West of England have led to the closure of around 200 schools and are heading towards the South."

The most any area has had is 10cm of snow. It really is not that much. However, traffic comes to a standstill, people can't manage to use a pavement, they don't show up to work and schools shut. Just what you need when there's deepening recession, I might add.

My friends and colleagues look at me funny if I get too enthusiastic about the snow in Helsinki. What they don't understand is that it is a leftover from childhood in the UK. Snow means no school, because the infrastructure can't deal with anything as predictable as the seasons. No school and playing outside all day making snowmen. Great! - when you are a child, or else have nowhere to go.

When you do have somewhere to go, you won't get there. The snow ploughs and gritters are few, and who in Britain owns winter tyres?

My former step-father mentioned that not 50 years ago, Brits treated their cars the same way as Finns are legally required to in winter; they would change to winter tyres. Somehow, the knowledge has not been passed on. Furthermore, people are too lazy and protective of their money to do so without any legal encouragement. I can't blame them for the latter, but how much is lost if you cannot make it to work?

Well, while Britain 'suffers' snow, I am off into the rain and sleet. Sometimes I wonder if I have moved countries, or if the countries just swapped themselves under my feet while the aeroplane hovered on the spot.

Risto Siilasmaa on start-ups in a recession

Risto Siilasmaa is the founder of an internet security company and its former CEO. He is now also a board member at Nokia and backs several start-up companies.

Slush Helsinki is a conference for entrepreneurs. In 2008 it was held on November 24th.

You can see the keynote speech at the Arctic Startup blog. Risto keeps it short and offers some general advice to start-up companies on the attitude they must take to increase their chances of weathering an economic storm.

My favourite moment was hearing Risto say "American football is like life."