Friday Ideas

Another Friday bringing with it a another set of Ideas :) This Friday I'm going to talk about the session we had today and the ones I missed posting about.

Today: Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud
We had Scott McCloud talk about understanding comics and how they figure and adapt to new technologies when they depart from the print medium. His presentation was almost entirely visual (which is a really good thing). However, among other things, during his presentation, he spoke about 4 simple rules which I believe is applicable just about everwhere. They are
1. Listen to everybody 2. Follow nobody 3. Look for patterns 4. Work like hell
These infact are the simple truths of life too. Don't you think?

Last week:
How great design makes ideas new by Milton Glaser
Milton Glaser is a renowned Graphic Designer, whose best known and most iconic work is the "I *heart* NY" design. The legendary graphic designer Milton Glaser dives deep into a new painting inspired by Piero della Francesca. From here, he muses on what makes a convincing poster, by breaking down an idea and making it new.

Why design by Philippe Starck
Philippe Starck is legend in modern design and has made perhaps his most permanent mark on design through his bold reworkings of everyday objects. In reimagining and rethinking the quotidian, he has produced some of the iconic shapes of the 20th century, including his leggy chrome juice squeezer , the reimagined Emeco aluminum chairs, and the witty Louis Ghost polycarbonate fauteuil.
This 17 min lecture by Philippe is spent on understanding why we design and its roots. More than anything, I loved this talk because of the way Philippe dramatically tell his story. It has moments that has you in splits and those that are thought provoking
Ps.: You'll have listen carefully because his accent is a little hard to understand.

(via: Ted Talks)

The Park Bench

Glamour.com decided to experiment and see what would happen when they left 2 disposable cameras in a park bench in New York City. :) Find out what they got when the rolls were developed on their blog
I wanna do an experiment like this here too. I love the idea!!

Speaking of the Park Bench, I got reminded of Mia Micheals' piece on Season 2 of So You Think You Can Dance which incidentally is also one of my favourite shows :) Season 3 jus got over here in India, with Sabra voted as "America's Favourite Dancer". She super as were everybody else, although Sara was my favourite. Anyway, Mia's piece, which was nominated for an Emmy, also revolves around a lovestory at a Park Bench. Feast your eyes on this piece - The Park Bench (Season 2, SYTYCD)

Ecclectic

I *heart* Yann. He's a photographer who has not only taken amazing photographs but taken made them available freely for personal use as wallpaper - 2027 to be precise. His work is includes pictures of horses, farms and even the world (from an eagle eye perspective) :) You can find his work here: YannArthusBertrand

I'm also loving this lovely visualisation of an apparel store - Distilled :) It takes the form of a video, where this (cute) male model wears the collection while the background changes approriately for the outfit. Very Good stuff. They even have an online store for you to shop in :) Check it out at Distilled Clothing

Other than that, Google is now on Twitter!! Guess who's already following them :D

Friday Ideas

Another Friday and another set of ideas :)

[ps: sorry I couldn't actually post it on Friday..needless to say I suppose that work called :D]

Jan Chipchase: Our Cellphones, Ourselves

Jan Chipchase is the principal researcher of Nokia and in this lecture at TED Talks, investigates the way we interact with technology. He has travelled the world and the sides of our pockets in an attempt to find behavioral patterns that will inform the design of phones and products of the coming generations.

I wasn't able to get the video to upload. I'll do that later. But for now, feel free to see the video on TED Talks by simply following this link: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/jan_chipchase_on_our_mobile_phones.html

 Happy watching :)

Pro Valentine

Dear Secret Valentine Benefactor,

Thank you a thousand times over for giving me such a lovely gift. You cant imagine the joy is brings me every time I open my Flickr (now) Pro account. Thank You so Much!! Happy Valentine's day to you too

Love Always,

Me

14th Feb came and with it a lot of protests and moral policing. But it was one of the best days ever for me! I got gifted a Flickr Pro account!! For anyone who knows me, they'd know I'm crazy about photography. Infact I was dubbed the official photographer for several of my classmates at college. The only problem with it was that my normal account could hold about 200 photos, which meant that I had to keep deleting pictures to make way for new ones. Now my secret valentine benefactor, told me at half-past 11 (on the 13th) that my gift was waiting for me in my inbox :) Imagine my surprise! (After all I thought it was some silly card or something) It may not be the most romantic gift but it most certainly is the most meaningful gift I've got in a million years. I couldn't stop the tears :) I cant wait to upload photos now :) I'm soooo excited. In the mean time, take the time to check out my Flickr Account at http://www.flickr.com/photos/38997886@N00/

Fast-forward Pilgrim Part 2

Ok I took a break before posting the next part of the trip because I got so tired jus' thinking and writing about it. Here comes the next bit

Day 2: Sunday 8th Feb 2009

We were up at 4am. Our next stop in the temple schedule was the Suryanarayanar Kovil for the 6am puja. This temple has been built as a tribute to the Chief God of the Navagrahas (9 planets of Hindu Mythology) - The Sun. Originally constructed by the Chola kings, this temple is located in the temple town of Thirumangalakkudi (between Kumbakkonam and Mayiladudurai). It is the only Navagraha temple that also houses the other Navagraha gods and unlike the usual placement of these gods, all face the presiding deity. The temple infact faces the Southward direction and the deity is seen on a chariot-like vehicle.

We finished here around 7.30-8 and proceeded to the Prananada Kovil, which was around the block from the Suryanar Kovil. This temple's presiding deity is Prananathar (another form of Lord Shiva). I've forgotten what the legend of the temple is so I can really give you the details. I only remember how his name came to be. In Tamil, they say "Pranatthai kuduta Prananada" which literally means Prananada, the One who gave His life to save (for what or who I'm not sure)

After this temple we went to Kanchanur. This hamlet is the home of the Agneeswara Swamy Temple and mostly known for being the navagraha sthalam of Sukra Bhagavan (Venus' Temple). After finishing paying our respects to Him, we went back to our hotel, broke for lunch.

After our post lunch nap, We readied ourselves for Thingaloor. Thingaloor is the Chandra Sthalam - the place of the Moon God (in the Navagrahas). One peculiar thing about this God is that he carries a club in one hand and a lotus in the other. Why? Because like the lotus, He "blooms" in the night. As with the previous two temples, I'm not sure what legend surrounds this God. (maybe I'll write about it later).

Our last stop for the day was the Darasuram Temple. This temple is home to Airavateeswara Swamy (lord Shiva). Legend has it that Airavata (the Mythical White Elephant and vehicle to Lord Indra) prayed to Lord Shiva here. As did Lord Yama (the God of Death) when he was cursed by a sage to have a burning sensation all over his body. This temple is now a part of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. The temple which was started by the by the Chola Kings was later completed by the Pandya Kings. The architecture and the stone carvings that adorn this temple are worth a dekho. Amazing details have been craved into black-stone sculptures ranging from 1/2 an inch to 2 inches. Below is a picture of one such carving (although you can't see too much detail in this image) 

The pillars have also been used for story telling purposes. So one pillar would essentially contain a complete mythical story of the presiding deity. Below is a detail of one such pillar. It is about Parvati's penance for Lord Shiva. So on the top portion you see Parvati, the Lingam (that she is praying to) and a line of devotees. On the lower portion, you will find a carving of Parvati in meditation in water and around the main figure are other forms of Her worship.

 This temple also houses vegetable-dye paintings similar to those found in the Ajanta and Ellora caves, Maharashtra. 

 It amazing how these have survived the passage of time, especially, in open outdoor conditions. Simply Superb! However the sad thing is the way Indians have defaced these works of art by inscribing their names on them :( Really sad how they have no idea what they're doing when they damage works of their cultural heritage.

The Darasuram temple is also said to be the birthplace of the legend of Lord Sarabeswara. It is said that after Vishnu has taken the terrible form of Narasimha (half man and half lion) to kill the evil demon Hiranyakashipu, his rage was so great that the 3 worlds trembled. The wise sages went to Shiva and begged him to pacify Narahimsa. So inturn, Shiva took the form of Saraba (which part lion, part bird and part human). When Sarabeswara placed him on his lap and touched Narahimsa's chest (heart), his anger was immediately quelled.

The temple is also famous for its singing steps. There is a set of 7 steps, made in stone, which when stepped on or tapped make tinkling sounds of the Sapta-swaras (of Indian classical music) - Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Da Ni. However, this has been closed off from public view thanks to the village idiots and un-thinking Indian tourists who've broken one of the steps, rendering a note silent. Anyway for more information about this temple, you can look it up on Wikipedia along this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darasuram.

After the long trek back to the hotel, we were treated to an instrumental performance (by the hotel for its visitors).WOW! We also happened to see ex-Karnataka Chief Minister and Governor, Mr. S. M. Krishna with his family at our hotel. He'd come to do the same rounds as us :D 

Day 3: 8th February 2009

This was the final day of the trip. Like the previous day, we were up by 4. Were going to visit the Kethu Sthalam in the village called Keezh Perumpallam. Kethu is one of the demons who turned immortal by drinking the amritham obtained from the churning of the milk ocean. It is for this reason that He is also considered one of the nine planets. It is said that before the temple had achieved the little fame that it enjoys now, pilgrims would have to get past numerous obstacles, a major being snakes and the thick forest, in order to get His darshan/ blessings. Legend has it that due to a wish granted to a devotee, none of the villagers have EVER died of a snake-bite!! Also it is said that Kethu has the power to veto his contemporaries in the Navagraha community ;) So if you appease Him, he'll make sure that there will be no trouble from the others. To do this, all you have to do is visit him once in your lifetime and all will be well :)

Having finished this one also, we were well and truly on our way home. Oh I forgot, we also managed to make a stop at the Chidambaram Natraja temple.

The End

Fast-forward Pilgrim

The weekend that jus' went by was a truly hectic one. I went on a fast-forward pilgrimage - 8 temples in two days!! Now thats A LOT especially considering the time you spend travelling between these places. But it was a good trip nevertheless, because I got to visit temples I've never seen before and revisit those I've already been to :)

Being a shivite, our places of pilgrimage (in the South) are usually confined to those in the Tanjore-Kumbakkonam belt. This family trip was undertaken to ward off the evil eye that has befallen us and to placate Gods who've been causing a ruckus in our otherwise pleasant lives. :) Ok so here goes

Day 1: Saturday 7th Feb, 2009

I got to the city around 5am. At 7am, we piled into our trusty old Scorpio for a journey that was to take atleast 8 hours (without too much traffic and too many stops). Our final destination was to be SwamiMalai. On our way, we stopped to lunch at Chidambaram. For those of you who do not know Chidambaram, it is one of the places of foremost importance to dancers. The town is most famous for its Nataraja Temple. (more details in a bit). The temple too had closed for lunch. So we ate and after a bit of arguing and dilly-dallying we went on our way. Unfortunately Nature's call had to be answered and being women, we cant just get out onto the road and "mark" our territory :D Around this time, my parents realised that we were close to the Vaitheeswaran Kovil and that it was important enough to warrant a visit.

Vaitheeswaran Kovil: Vaitheeswaran in Tamil means Doctor. This temple is literally a tribute to the Doctor God of Hindu Mythology. The resident God is Lord Shiva. Legend has it that Angaraka (Mars) suffered from leprosy and on praying to Lord Vaitheeswara, was cured of his disease. The Lord's consort in this temple is Thaiyal Nayaki Ambal. She holds medicinal oil to aid her husband and also grants the wishes of those girls who are at a marriageable age. You could find out more about this place on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaitheeswaran_Kovil

Having finished a series of archanas (pujas/ offerings) to these Gods, we were well and truly on our way to our destination, which we reached at around 9pm. Our hotel/ resort, Anandham/ Sterling Resorts SwamiMalai, was a lovely respite from the city life and its hustle. One that I immediately fell in love with. It is based on the the typical brahmin agrahara with the lovely patios, the garden, the thinnai and the works :) Amazing. Infact the place is the only Indian hotel that has apparently won the Global Eco Tourism Hotel Awards. Every evening has a cultural activity of sorts such as singing, dancing. Despite having the original house structures and architecture, modern facilities have been melded in such a way that it doesn't seem out of place. I'd give this place two-thumbs up :) The tired family had quick light supper and crashed out immediately

Friday Ideas

Its Friday again with some more ideas.

Today we watched the Photosynth Demo.

"Photosynth is a potent mixture of two independent breakthroughs: the ability to reconstruct the scene or object from a bunch of flat photographs, and the technology to bring that experience to virtually anyone over the Internet.

Using techniques from the field of computer vision, Photosynth examines images for similarities to each other and uses that information to estimate the shape of the subject and the vantage point each photo was taken from. With this information, we recreate the space and use it as a canvas to display and navigate through the photos."  as quoted from the Photosynth website. Check it out on http://photosynth.net/ or Microsoft's Live Labs http://livelabs.com/photosynth/. 

After this mind blowing video, we watched "Debunking third world myths" by renowned researcher and statistics guru, Hans Rosling. I bet you've never seen data presented like this. With the drama and urgency of a sports commentator, he debunks myths about the so-called "Developing World".

Office Party

:) 

Last night was excellent! We had an all hands meet coupled with an office party. Mostly to entertain the firangs who're in town :) 

It isn't my first All-Hands Meet. And i can tell you this, that no matter how many of these I've attended (which is usually every quarter) I never fail to get impressed and inspired. Cynics have told me otherwise - "You can't expect to love your job or your office or your colleagues" and I beg to differ because I can't imagine working any place else. Why? Because the mobile internet space is still nascent. This means that no matter how high in the management hierarchy you are, you're still learning as much as the next person, which kind of makes all of us equals. Add to that the fact that you're a "interning consultant" and you're taken as seriously as the work you do, its amazing! An even bigger plus is when you're in a place where YOU are setting standards for the rest of the world to follow makes me REALLY happy to be where I am now. Like I said, I love this place and can't imagine anywhere in the world that I'd rather be in (except, of course, for my office's New York office)..lol..

Anyway this All-Hands Meet was different from the others because it was the first of the many that will follow this year AND because we were served beer during the meeting!! AAAAAAA..It was only 5pm and trust me when I say I'm pretty sure that no other company in the world does something like this. It caught me off-guard and completely by surprise :) (Are you grinning too? ) WOW was the only thing that went through my mind the whole time.

Following the meeting, the girls of the office vanished. Why? To get dressed for the party that was to come :) We're were planning on looking our feminine best with skirts and dresses and make up and all that :) An even bigger WOW when I did see the outfits..Lovely! (Wish I were taller, thinner and had those long-never-ending-supermodel-legs to carry them off) And as with every party, it took a couple of drinks to loosen up the tiny groups of people and get them to interact with people they'd normally never speak to :) Then the dancing started :D Anyone who knows me will tell you that I'm always up for a good leg shaking and thats exactly what I did the rest of the night. Some of the highlights of the night were the Zumba, the finger food and the unlimited variety of alcohol :) So one firang's wife is a professional Latin dancer and she volunteered to teach us a couple of steps. Funnily as I was going through the follow-me process, I was thinking about how similar it was to Bollywood dancing. But then again, maybe it was because she was teaching us the really easy steps. I had a really good time though. Most of the night, however, went doing the "Dabbankutthu" which is a South Indian (Slum-type) Dance.

Now the finger food (the snacks) was really good too. Maybe because we usually don't get such food in the office canteen. It consisted of the yummy cheese and corn macaroni, french fries, bbq chicken, prawns and some more stuff that I can't seem to remember now.

The bar had everything from Black Label to Sula to Bacardi to even Old Monk! Now comes the biggest highlight of them all (for me personally it will be a memory I will treasure for the rest of my life) -  The CEO got down to the bar-tending! and best of all, I got the honour of having my drink mixed by him (the other people, obviously, being the firangs) WOW WOW WOW!! And while I was socialising with them, I also got news that one of my concepts had been sold and that it was gonna be out in a very short time. 

So..Now in addition to being on Cloud 9 for working in the world's coolest office, I also have the coolest CEO :D I'm sure I've told you already that I am happy but I'm still gonna say it again : I'm SO HAPPY!! :)

February Love

:) So its that time of the year when it seems all of a sudden that love is so thick in the air that you can smell it. What's the fuss about? Nothing really - only the Hallmark holiday of Valentine's Day. Couldn't help but notice the spring in my walk and smiles that have ben pasted on my face. Well, the holiday doesn't do much for those in the Lonely Hearts Club except make them feel shitty about being alone. The funny thing is that your eyes open a tad bit wider only to take in the sea of couples (in various stages of PDA) that you'd have never noticed before. Hmmph. But its nothing that a good book, your fav blanky and warm chicken soup can't heal.

This year for me somehow seems a li'l different. Maybe because I've now got one leg outside of the Lonely Hearts Club. Maybe its intuition about meeting that someone. All the same I'm really excited. So to start of this lovely month of love, I'm posting this link to a video "Why is my girlfriend mad?" that I thought was REALLY funny :) I hope you like it too :)

http://www.noob.us/humor/japanese-human-art-why-is-my-girlfriend-mad/ 

Smiles and Sunshine always,

 Me :)

ps: anyone know how I can add all these video on my blog without having to actually have the video on my mac? Let me know

Friday Ideas

So my team started this "new" thing called Friday Ideas where we get together and discuss design. Our efficient and supremely pro-active leader helps us draw inspirations from various people and things so we can better the way we work and do things.

On the Friday that went by, the topic of discussion was "What do consumers really want?" by Joseph Pine, the author of Mass Customisation. This one talked about the way our economic models are changing from productisation, to customisation to now the experience economy. He also talk extensively of how the experience economy tries to create authentic experiences. For more you could check out his presentation on the following link http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/joseph_pine_on_what_consumers_want.html 

The week before we had a presentation on "Serious design Vs. Solemn design" by Paula Scher.Paula Scher looks back at a life in design (she's done album covers, books, the Citibank logo ...) and pinpoints the moment when she started really having fun. Look for gorgeous designs and images from her legendary career, here: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/paula_scher_gets_serious.html