You already know that my name is Matti Linkola. I have retired from my work in Finnish Road Administration here in Kajaani. I live with my lovely wife Liisa in our house.
The address is:
Pakkaajankatu 13
FIN-87150 KAJAANI Finland.
If you want to call me, please take the number +358 8 622728.
Our three children have moved to
Helsinki, where they have found workplaces. We have three grandchildren.
Oh, I forgot to mention our cats. Now we haven three cats. Vasili and Aleksanteri are
Russian Blue and Rebekka is Turkish Angora cat.
We have now a dog, too. Her name is Touho and she is French Bulldog dog.
I have been interested in puzzles "almost my whole life". I made my first wire puzzles when I was under ten years old. Also my first self made six pc burr is over 50 years old. For a long time I didn't know any other puzzlers. James Dalgety was my first contact in about 1970. After that I started to collect puzzles little by little. In 1980 I found some other Finnish collectors, we founded the FPA (Finnish Puzzle Association) first including three or four members. Now we have over 40 members in this unofficial association of people seriously or at least more than a little bit interested in puzzles here in Finland. Our next meeting will be in May 2005. My friends call me the President of the FPA.
I like to work with wood although I am not a very good craftman. However I have made about 400 wooden burrs, packing puzzles etc. to my collection. Also I have made hundreds and hundreds of puzzles to exchange with other puzzlers. I have also invented some own ideas.
I have tried to find Finnish people interested in puzzles by writing articles in newspapers, by lecturing about puzzles and by exhibitions. I counted that the exhibition shown in Galleries is my 13. exhibition. After that I had an exhibition in Oulu and two smaller ones in Kajaani. About 18 years ago I designed a puzzle competition program to the Finnish TV-channel 2. It consisted of 12 parts.
Perhaps this is enough about me and you can start to examine my exhibition.
I found that it is better to add one thing more. I have collected and I collect all other puzzle related material: books, patents, magazines, articles, designs, solutions etc. In my "library" I have now about 1400 books on recreational mathematics.
Other material you should come to read in our home here in Kajaani. Of course you are wellcome to visit our home.