I am packed and ready to head to Oslo, just in time for the first semi-final of the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest! I will be catching the 5:20 am train to Copenhagen, and then flying up to Oslo.

I am sure it is going to be a huge week in Oslo. I won’t have much time to myself. Once we arrive, I will head straight to the workshop for the Center of Nordic Excellence in Software Engineering (CONES). We will then spend the remainer of the day in seminars until we break briefly before the workshop dinner. Wednesday too will be an early start, continuing the seminars from Tuesday in the morning. After the workshop lunch, we have a research group meeting before flying back home..

With this itinerary I am unlikely to even know what happens during the first semi-final. However, my past experience of Eurovision in Sweden has been intolerable. Without the voice of Sir Terry Wogan, Eurovision becomes a serious competition, solely about the musical performances. And surely no one can take pop that seriously.