ease of social interactions

If I may indulge in a little of that 20-20 hindsight, it is easy to see why IM, then social networks and then Twitter became so popular.

There was an inherent cost associated in picking up a telephone and calling somebody - you had to give a few minutes of focused attention to them, know what to speak about, make sure what you're saying is of value to them, think about whether they would be free to talk and for how long. And similarly for receiving a phone call.

Along came the Instant Messenger and did away with the need for pleasantries on the phone. You would know when people were available. You could have one sentence conversations with people as though they had always been in the same room with you. Much lower cost.

Social Networks. Even easier to remain connected with people. It became acceptable and usual, to "like" a link posted by someone you had not met in years, or to refute them rebuking your favorite sportsperson. Photographs - the most personal touch of all - added so much to that virtual link.

Then Twitter made it even easier and customary to share random thoughts, opinions, online content, gripes, victories, food menus, bad jokes and so many other mundane life-pieces. You could just talk into the air, and so many would listen. And a few would even reply back.

All this - so much easier than picking up the phone, wondering if it's the right time to call up someone you have not met in years to find out how their holiday in Greece was and whether they would recommend the hotel there. Wait, how do you even know they went to Greece this summer? Wait! How can you even assume you have their phone number!

Looking at this trend, what do you think is the next step in making this process even easier?
Listening to music with friends who are online at the same time? Watching Hulu with them? Just plain old browsing that you can share with people?

Two opportunities arise: the more things people share, the more you need help to consume all of it. And how do you meet all these people in the first place? Has that changed as dramatically as keeping in touch with all the people you have met? Can that change?

augmented fantasy

How involving would it be for the audience (and the creators) if the characters of a TV series were on Twitter. Tweeting as if they were real people, about their thoughts, events - some part of the main plot, some more to add to their characterizations.

The audience could reply to their tweets, and the characters would reply back. And have a conversation with the real world.

something missing

While I really like Quentin Tarantino's artistry and bent of imagination, I did not like Inglourious Basterds quite as much as his other films.

It's the small things in the plot that didn't go down well with me. It seems as if he wasn't quite sure how real or how fantastic to make his story and ended up with a little bit of both but neither. Not to mention that this mangling was not of individual characters, but of representations of entire political entities.

This article here - http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-08-09/my-father-the-inglourious-basterd/ - explains a little of that aftertaste I speak of.

To quote from the article a British soldier around the time of the Allied Invasion: ' “If you saw a dead German, you passed him and you didn’t laugh.” '

Other than that aftertaste, the film, by itself, is thoroughly enjoyable, being very classic Tarantino (although some scenes seemed to be directly adapted from Kill Bill).

Update: Yet another interesting article: The tragedy of Tarantino.

the blue umbrella

A quaint story by Ruskin Bond - I remember reading it in school in class 3 or 4. I even remember it was where I first learnt the word ravine. Funny how these tiny memories remain.

The film multiplies the magic of the story with Vishal Bharadwaj's genius. I love how he has used colour, and his music is brilliant (he composed his own). What is truly wonderful is how he manages to extract the ras* of a culture with a thousand years of history and portray it, so lifelike and along with all the eccentricities, on the screen.

Here's a trailer:


Do watch the movie if you get a chance.
It's also available on Netflix streaming.

*ras: hindi; pronounced as the first syllable in "rustic"; the closest english equivalent might be "essence", but the word definitely encapsulates something more that I'm not able to put my finger on. If you've got a better explanation, please do leave a comment.

asterix in hindi

My Monday morning was brightened up with a cousin telling me of Asterix comics translated into hindi. If you know hindi, check out how they've translated the names:

Dogmatix...........Kutta Bhaunkix
Vitalstatistix........Mukhiya Motumallix
Impedimenta.......Pyaari Sirdarda
Cacofonix..........Gavaiya Besurix
Fulliautomatix.....Lohatodix
Getafix.............Hakeem Vaidix

(Thank you, Nidhi!)

manner of speaking

I came across this talk by Seth Godin at the 2008 Business of Software conference.

Besides the great content and insights that Seth Godin always puts out, there are two things that I found incredible.

The first is his style of delivering the content. There was a lot of impact to the way he speaks, taking up the whole stage, moving about, waving his hands, etc. It conveys a lot of energy and energizes the audience. He also moves from one point to another quickly, making it worth his time and yours. It also is done on the assumption that the audience is smart, and can keep up with him. It keep the audience one their toes, alert and thinking all the time.

The second thing nearly blew me away. It came out when at the end he talked about some ideas he was working on at the time, yet to be released. He asked the audience to not take photographs or blog about it. And jumped into telling them about his new idea, establishing a new level of trust. The amount of commitment he shows to his audience is fascinating: you have come to hear me talk, and I am going to do everything I can to make it worth your while.

Watch it: (feedreaders may have to click here)

comments

Once in a while I click through from my feed reader to the webpage of the article I find is so much content there in the comments section that I miss out on.

And when you look at it, it is not uncommon to find a lot of user feedback there. Opinions given freely, for the sake of making your voice heard - it is natural. More people leave feedback on various blogs than on the feedback form for a product.

If only there were a way to extract all this information from there. The importance of listening to customers or potential customers cannot be understated.

At the very least, feed readers should have a way of integrating comments with the post.

meta blogging

@achitnis asked a simple question the other day on Twitter, and it occured to me that the only reason I haven't been blogging that I haven't had time to research and formulate my thoughts in a structured manner. Which may be a reasonable excuse. Or not.

So I've decided to blog even unbaked ideas, half-thought thoughts and at least the start the conversation. Leave me a comment or tweet back or grab me on IM or over coffee if you think the conversation is interesting and should be continued.

I'm going to think of a way to make my blog more wiki-like, so I can keep updating my posts and building upon them.

new music

Where do you find new music?
New not as in recently released, but new as in never heard before by you.

Odds are pretty high that you heard it in a friend's car or on their iPod, at a party or a YouTube link someone sent you.

Music is inherently social.
We like to enjoy music in company. And endorse our enjoyment by singing along, dancing to it, or even just tapping our feet. We pick up music when see other people enjoying the music.

Music on the web (and on our computers) sorely needs that social aspect.

Update:
Actually, there is one thing: some chat applications have a feature that changes your status to the title of music playing currently on your computer.

on indian tv journalism

With the 2009 Indian Election results slowly trickling in, I am happy to see how the people have voted. And even happier to see some of the younger and more educated candidates leading (as yet) over the incumbents.

In all this excitement, the media is, of course, most excited. I was listening to a panel discussion on NDTV.com and here are some of the striking remarks/exchanges that I have to report from 15 minutes of listening in:

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BJP chappie: We hold no one leader responsible for our performance.
Journalist (in all earnestness!): Sir, does that mean you have no responsible leader?

Yes, I would love for you to paraphrase what I say on a daily basis.
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Journalist to CPM: Are you regretting your decision to break out of the governing coalition?
CPM: No. We like to stand by our ideals and what we believe in.
Journalist: But in this era of coalition governments, shouldn't you compromise a little?

That's great. Urge him to compromise so you can catch him off guard. Oh, you don't play that game? You really believe he should compromise on his ideals?
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Journalist to BJP: Do you feel L.K.Advani has been let down by the party think-tank? I know you are a member of the think-tank so you will say no, but....

Haha. You don't say!
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Journalist to BJP rep: Please introspect.

What, are you confessing him?
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Journalist to BJP (Barkha Dutt, if I'm not wrong): Have you accepted defeat?
BJP: No, the results aren't final yet, and so far we are lagging. But we want to wait for the results.
Journalist: Once it is clear that you have lost, as it soon will be, you will have to concede defeat. In that case what will your comments be?

Phew. Why don't you stand for election with that attitude, miss?
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We have the media to hold a mirror up to the countenance of our political leaders. We need someone to do the same for the media.