I got to visit Iceland for 10 days when I was 19, can confirm it was remarkable. Heated sidewalks, unique culture, an innovative atmosphere at Reykjavík University, geothermal power, insulated greenhouses that grew delicious vegetables year round, etc... it was a wonderful time.
This is one of those countries that absolutely punches above its weight on many fronts, thank you for highlighting what works so well about it.
Andy , like you I was fortunate enough to spend about a week in Iceland , in mid summer , and it was cold even then , but strictly as part of a British tour group. It was spectacular scenery , lots of rivers and waterfalls , black-sand-beaches , basalt columnar geology almost everywhere [ reminiscent of the 'Giants Causeway' in Northern Ireland ; and also the design inspiration for their brilliant Lutheran Cathedral in Reykjavic ! ]. An amazing thing was their fluency in English which really made us feel welcome , even when they reverted to one of their 'other languages' !!! However , having enjoyed [ and partly endured !! ] their WARM summer during which we visited many 'traditional houses' , my impression was that their ancestors were very tough people , AND they would have needed LOTS of FIREWOOD to cook with and keep warm AND build their boats and their houses [......and whale oil for their lamps for light ! ] BUT there were almost NO TREES anywhere !
So , innovation in Iceland was NOT an option , it equalled survival ! You could die " snap frozen" in no time if you were caught without suitable shelter in Winter ! Given that they now live in far better modern structures [ and are as 'soft' as we are ! ] in a most scenic and exciting place , I would not swap places with them long term ! The Australian beauty and warmth and blue skies make Australia incomparable ! [ Did you try their special delicacy....Hakarl , fermented icelandic shark ? It is traditionally washed down with a shot of the Icelandic schnapps, Brennivín to cleanse the palate. !!! Yeah !?? Several shots later , and I can still smell it even now !!! ]. Fascinating place , fascinating stories [ Sagas] and history , fascinating people ! It was well worth the visit !!!
I got to visit Iceland for 10 days when I was 19, can confirm it was remarkable. Heated sidewalks, unique culture, an innovative atmosphere at Reykjavík University, geothermal power, insulated greenhouses that grew delicious vegetables year round, etc... it was a wonderful time.
This is one of those countries that absolutely punches above its weight on many fronts, thank you for highlighting what works so well about it.
Andy , like you I was fortunate enough to spend about a week in Iceland , in mid summer , and it was cold even then , but strictly as part of a British tour group. It was spectacular scenery , lots of rivers and waterfalls , black-sand-beaches , basalt columnar geology almost everywhere [ reminiscent of the 'Giants Causeway' in Northern Ireland ; and also the design inspiration for their brilliant Lutheran Cathedral in Reykjavic ! ]. An amazing thing was their fluency in English which really made us feel welcome , even when they reverted to one of their 'other languages' !!! However , having enjoyed [ and partly endured !! ] their WARM summer during which we visited many 'traditional houses' , my impression was that their ancestors were very tough people , AND they would have needed LOTS of FIREWOOD to cook with and keep warm AND build their boats and their houses [......and whale oil for their lamps for light ! ] BUT there were almost NO TREES anywhere !
So , innovation in Iceland was NOT an option , it equalled survival ! You could die " snap frozen" in no time if you were caught without suitable shelter in Winter ! Given that they now live in far better modern structures [ and are as 'soft' as we are ! ] in a most scenic and exciting place , I would not swap places with them long term ! The Australian beauty and warmth and blue skies make Australia incomparable ! [ Did you try their special delicacy....Hakarl , fermented icelandic shark ? It is traditionally washed down with a shot of the Icelandic schnapps, Brennivín to cleanse the palate. !!! Yeah !?? Several shots later , and I can still smell it even now !!! ]. Fascinating place , fascinating stories [ Sagas] and history , fascinating people ! It was well worth the visit !!!
Done
Thank you Andy and very nice. I’ll await their response. Or Amazon it is.
John,
The best place is Amazon.
Thanks for reading and commenting🤙
Best,
Gale
How do I buy the book, Super Abundance, to support Human Progress?
I got my copy on Amazon!
https://www.amazon.com/Superabundance-Population-Innovation-Flourishing-Infinitely/dp/1952223393
Don't know if the authors have a preferred vendor...if they do I'm sure they'll speak up!