Happenings

NASA - The Sound of Earth Cover

NASA’s Golden Record Greetings

March 9, 2018 Happenings

I was keen on tuning in to an interesting set of greetings recorded in 55 languages which were sent aboard NASA’s Voyager spacecraft in 1977 and intended for extraterrestrial life forms or future human beings, all the recordings are uploaded on Soundcloud. The greetings apart, the ‘Voyager Golden Record’ contains images and other natural sounds from the Earth, besides an official statement from the then US President Jimmy Carter. Not many would fathom but this was truly a history in the making.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Pioneers 10 and 11, which preceded Voyager, both carried small metal plaques identifying their time and place of origin for the benefit of any other spacefarers that might find them in the distant future. With this example before them, NASA placed a more ambitious message aboard Voyager 1 and 2, a kind of time capsule, intended to communicate a story of our world to extraterrestrials. The Voyager message is carried by a phonograph record, a 12-inch gold-plated copper disk containing sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth.[/perfectpullquote]

I hadn’t the faintest idea what those recordings were until I heard them for the first time on Soundcloud. I thought they were simply “hellos” recorded in different languages, but since I understand some Indian languages I could interpret them clearly in the manner that I grasped their meaning.

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‘Powder’ Deserved A Renewed Series

March 6, 2018 Happenings

Netflix is streaming Powder right now, a must-watch cult show, which prompted me to talk about this engrossing series. It was during 2010 that Yash Raj Films — that eponymous name in the world of movie entertainment in India, decided to experiment with producing Hindi television shows with YRF Television and partnered with Sony Entertainment Television. They brought some soaps such as Mahi Way, Seven, Lift Kara De, Rishta.com, to name a few spanning different genres, but personally, none of them appealed to my sensibilities. Though for whatever reason, they should be thanked for making a brilliant TV show during the time, which I believe perhaps to be the best in crime drama in the history of Indian television which is Powder, and so fabulously directed by Atul Sabharwal.

It’s a story exploring the life of an honest officer Usman Ali Malik (played by Manish Chaudhury) heading the Mumbai branch of the Narcotics Control Bureau who is in relentless pursuit of a drug smuggler called Naved Ansari, magnificently portrayed by Pankaj Tripathi and his henchmen. The plot is engaging and original on several fronts; notwithstanding the awesome performances by its supporting cast including Geetika Tyagi, Rahul Bagga, et al, the scrupulous focus on the inner workings of various drug enforcement agencies in India suggests that the crew may have undertaken tremendous research in writing the story, the authentic cinematography, sound, and the action sequences (directed by the veteran action director Sham Kaushal) on the streets of Bombay makes this series deserving of our attention more often than once. No doubt, there was an enormous potential to improve & advance the storyline, which also makes me wonder if an intelligent and truthful narrative such as Powder didn’t deserve a fresh reboot or inspired similar plots on the small screen then what hope do we have for our talented Hindi TV writers?

Speak Up For An Open Internet In Canada

February 28, 2018 Happenings

Open Internet - Canada25 Canadian companies led by Bell have formed a coalition called Fairplay Canada and has approached the CRTC to create a non-profit body for blocking any Internet content which it deems to be engaging or facilitating piracy — without judicial oversight. So in response, members of the public, along with 32 companies and organizations from across Canada have come together to mark a National Day of Action on February 28th in opposing this SOPA-styled proposal. If you’re willing to add your voice in support for an open Internet policy you could do so through the DontCensor.ca website, by using the hashtag #DontCensor on social media or just by speaking up directly on the CRTC website.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Website blocking is a direct violation of net neutrality. While the federal government has made its commitment to the open Internet clear, proposals like this one directly undercut one of the central principles of Net Neutrality: No site blocking. Without judicial oversight, the FairPlay Canada proposal also opens the door for censorship in Canada. With the potential for shifting understanding of what content is to be blocked, and a lack of due process, legitimate websites not participating in any illegal activities will inevitably be caught up in this blocking mechanisms, placing a cumbersome burden on sites to prove their innocence after already being blocked — exactly the opposite of how we expect our judicial processes to function.[/perfectpullquote]

Michael Geist wrote a series of thoughtful blog posts on the topic which will give you all the ammo that you need to knock down this unfair proposal by Fairplay Canada. You will also find tons of material to share on social media in this Google Drive folder by primarily using the hashtag #DontCensor or by visiting this Reddit post for more details.

I support the open Internet which has become a medium for innovation and education for our kids and fosters an entrepreneurial spirit, this invaluable choice to learn and create at our own free will cannot be undermined and held hostage through any means by crony capitalists.

 

The Fragile Life

February 25, 2018 General Happenings

The tragic news of the passing away of one of India’s greatest actors Sridevi due to a cardiac arrest hit me hard. She was only 54, young and fit. At first, I didn’t trust the news channel and verified from other online sources which confirmed they were indeed referring to the beloved icon who had worked in 5 Indian languages. I literally grew up cherishing her countless talents in masterpieces such as Sadma, Mr India, Chaalbaaz, Chandni, Lamhe, and her classic comeback vehicle English Vinglish, to me, she was an embodiment of grace, glamour and elegance. Later, I read about how the cardiac arrest is triggered and was informed that although there are external causes it could happen to anyone without a family history of heart ailments and I began to ponder. No doubt, life’s beautiful but it’s also fragile, one that could abruptly come to a complete halt and fade away!

Calvin and Hobbes - Fragile Life

KFC Apologizes With A Brilliant Campaign

February 23, 2018 Design Happenings

KFC Ad CampaignCreativity comes in several ways, least of all in print. In a full-page ad today, KFC UK admitted and apologized for experiencing an unprecedented shortage of chicken leading to the closure of several of its outlets through a creative marketing campaign called ‘We’re Sorry’. The visualizer and the content/PR team deserve a huge kudos along with a pay hike for creating this amazing masterpiece! Through some research, I discovered this campaign has been developed by KFC’s creative agency ‘Mother’.

WIRED traced the logistical issue to a failure in KFC’s supply chain and “lack of contingency planning” after a serious collision on the M6 on Feb-14 which blocked access to their warehouse.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The lack of chicken began to hit on February 16. KFCs started to shut down locations in response to their missing ingredients, meaning that by February 18, only 266 of the 870 restaurants in the UK and Ireland were open. Locations in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have not been affected due to different logistical arrangements.[/perfectpullquote]

Must say, KFC made an honest attempt to sympathize with its frustrated fans with a visual messaging that conveys that feeling through an empty chicken bucket lying on the floor, nothing seems more effective than this simple, and eye-catching campaign.