Creating a Timeless User Experience with Flip

Creating a Timeless User Experience with Flip

I was thinking to buy an hand-held video cam. Something sleek and feature rich. Though not yet decided upon anything,while researching online I found interesting details about player and design trend.

Oflate, a new video player with zero whistle and bells creating (rather created) flutter in video recording gadget market by eating 20% of the market share from biggies. It's just a candybar sized no-frills simple video camera with the attractive price tag. Is this the timeless user experience oriented product design is all about ? This is a cool read on -how products can be future proof, if designed keeping 'Timeless User Experience'. It's about sustainable creating a Timeless User Experience.

I'm sure creating simple and understandable products is all about -Creating a Timeless User Experience

Portal of the Sun

Portal of the Sun

I'm a great fan of PatrickSmith's photography chronology. I love long exposure photo collections of him. They are quite dreamy. The above picture is the winner in the 2009 Nature's Best Ocean Views competition!

The dim last light of a fading sun sets through a portal on California's Central Coast. No HDR. This photo was just selected as one of the top 10 images for the 2009 showcase portfolio for the North American Nature Photographer's Association! {excerpt}

>> Visit his gallery here

Bend it like fire !

Bend it like fire !

I've always wondered the designs of fire flares and fire balls made by fire blowers. The way fireballs get clouded, moulded, moved, waved are awesome. They become so intricate designs yet they are not designed to be like that deliberately :) They are so natural, dangerously lovable !

Watch this amazing, lovely & breath taking 'slow motion' fire dancing with cool music in background at
>> Napalmdragon.com

How to mingle with people abroad and be accepted

How to mingle with people abroad and be accepted

I've traveled quite a bit to US, UK, Taiwan and South East Asia. As my work demands, have spent most of the time living in hotels and corporate apartments or with friends. Not even a single instance, I was never objected by any native of that domicile. I always tried to strike a communication or wave length some one I meet. I'm sure that's the experience of many.

But oflate since Aussie attack incidents cropping up more frequently, any violence which includes desi citizen, is highlighted in media as a scary scene . I understand the intent of media flashing the news time and again. It might be an awareness act to grab the attention of the nation where incident happened. When you're hurt on the streets of unknown country, there's hardly anyone to help you.

I'm sure, there are lot who take the face value of everything appears in media. I believe, media has a larger role to educate the mindset of Indian's traveling abroad.

'Be a Roman while in Rome’ – is a commonly heard adage. Observe the life style of people around you and rearrange yours accordingly.. Talking or laughing in high pitch is not acceptable any where.The natives in most of the countries, smile at you even if they don’t know you. But we smile only when we see acquaintances. Learn to smile, wave or wish when you come across unknown people, it does not hurt you.

I found a cool read about how to be a safe citizen in another country. I guess it's known to most of us, but no harm in reading it again.

>> How to mingle with people abroad

Know where so-called dragon is pissing

Know where so-called dragon is pissing

A country should utilize it's powers and wealth to mitigate poverty, ease out labor union strikes, beautify the god given nature, take care of poisonous facts of its milk production, dipping toys export due to toxic substances, and increase productivity as it's best known nation for -'made in' tag on bottom of any product. Not to hurt or invade the nation which has never invaded any country in her last 100000 years of history.

"Sometime back an email was circulated where in God showed India as His finest creation except that it did not have good neighbors. It is aptly said that you can choose your friends but not your neighbors. In this post, I will briefly take you through an introductory note on how India’s influence in the neighboring nations of South East Asia is being slowly eroded by China. In the successive posts, I will take each of the nations in greater detail."

>> Know where so-called dragon is pissing

Tao of War by Bruce Haley

Tao of War by Bruce Haley

War is an evil. so its tremors are.

There's no design to war when a bomb blasts. Death is the only measure of count. It's unbearable smell of gunpowder. Art has no place when patience is evopoated, eradicated. If you're a photographer- there's no perfect setting in war field. All you need is a high speed photography skill & rock solid heart to endure such painful scenes.

The recipient of the Robert Capa Gold Medal, one of the most prestigious photography awards - Bruce Haley has captured very touching war photos under the title -"Tao of War Photography".

They are so ruthless that one of the viewer opines -
Some of the pictures are very graphic. Is it important to show such images to the world or is it exploitation of anther's misery? Maybe both.

Enough of words, you should watch -Tao of War Photography.

My Toughest Shot

My Toughest Shot

An eagle hunter in Xinjiang, China (courtesy of Philipp Engelhorn)

Outside magazine asked 16 photographers to share their hardest-won images and the wild, sometimes foolish, and invariably bold adventures behind them. From a nomadic Kutchi camp in Tajikistan to a frozen lake in Siberia, and everywhere in between, these pros show--and tell--how they got the job done.

They get the job done amazingly in 2009 Outside Exposure Special, My Toughest Shot

Vivian | Street photographer Queen

Vivian | Street photographer Queen

I acquired Vivian's negatives while at a furniture and antique auction. From what I know, the auction house acquired her belongings from her storage locker that was sold off due to delinquent payments. I didn't know what 'street photography' was when I purchased them.

It took me days to look through all of her work. It inspired me to pick up photography myself. Little by little, as I progressed as a photographer, I would revisit Vivian's negatives and I would "see" more in her work. I bought her same camera and took to the same streets soon to realize how difficult it was to make images of her caliber. I discovered the eye she had for photography through my own practice. Needless to say, I am attached to her work.

Some of her photos have pictures of children and often times it was near a beach. I later found out she was a nanny for a family on the North Side whose children these most likely were. Her obituary says she lived in Oak Park, a close Chicago suburb.

Out of the 30-40,000 negatives I have in the collection, about 10-15,000 negatives were still in rolls, undeveloped from the 1960's-1970's. I have been successfully developing these rolls. I still have about 600 rolls yet to develop. I must say, it's very exciting for me.

This was created in dedication to the photographer Vivian Maier, a street photographer from the 1950s - 1970s. Vivian's work was discovered at an auction Chicago where she lived for 50 years but was originally a native to France. Her discovered work includes over 40,000 mostly medium format negatives. Born February 1, 1926 and passed away on Tuesday, April 21, 2009.

So far what you read is the blog intro created by a great soul who's developing Vivian's photos and posting in blog. My greatest thanks to -'John Maloof', the man behind Vivian's photos. and the link is here :

>> vivianmaier.blogspot.com

THIS MAN and why not that THAT HOT WOMAN ;) ?

THIS MAN and why not that THAT HOT WOMAN ;) ?

In January 2006 in New York, the patient of a well-known psychiatrist draws the face of a man that has been repeatedly appearing in her dreams. In more than one occasion that man has given her advice on her private life. The woman swears she has never met the man in her life.

That portrait lies forgotten on the psychiatrist's desk for a few days until one day another patient recognizes that face and says that the man has often visited him in his dreams. He also claims he has never seen that man in his waking life.

The psychiatrist decides to send the portrait to some of his colleagues that have patients with recurrent dreams. Within a few months, four patients recognize the man as a frequent presence in their own dreams. All the patients refer to him as THIS MAN.

From January 2006 until today, at least 2000 people have claimed they have seen this man in their dreams, in many cities all over the world: Los Angeles, Berlin, Sao Paulo, Tehran, Beijing, Rome, Barcelona, Stockholm, Paris, New Dehli, Moskow etc

>> More on this funny v/s serious dreams story

If you've more money, look no further. Gift this to me :)

If you've more money, look no further. Gift this to me :)

The Suunto X10 is an intelligent and durable wristop computer that builds on Suunto's 10 years of experience in creating cutting-edge outdoor devices. With the improved, faster GPS fixes - even under heavy foliage - and longer lasting battery power, you can navigate confidently and conveniently, while keeping your hands free. Once back at home, use the Suunto X10 to plot and share your treks on Google Earth™.

The day I saw this, I went crazy on the tasks it can handle and features it studded with. I'm saving money to own this :), But if you feel more love on me any point of time, let me know how can you send this to me :D

Visit this nicely designed site of suunto x10

Place to see before you die | Darvaza - Burning Gas Craters

Place to see before you die | Darvaza - Burning Gas Craters

In the heart of the Karakum desert of Turkmenistan the Darvaza Gas Crater or The Burning Gates give off a glow that can be seen from miles away during the dark night.

The large crater is a result of a Soviet gas exploration accident in the 1950’s. It was created when a Soviet drilling rig was drilling for natural gas fell into an underground cavern resulting in a crater which today measures roughly 60 meters in diameter and 20 meters deep. The huge crater was set alight shortly after being discovered and has been burning ever sinse. The smell of burning sulfur can be detected from a distance and becomes quite strong as you near the hot edge of the crater.

>> More info with photos

Why do people suffer from back pain?

Why do people suffer from back pain?

As part of the evolutionary cycle, when humans adopted the erect posture, a change occurred in the way that body weight was transmitted to the ground.

Humans turned biped (two-legged) and so necessarily had to transmit body weight via the spine to the hip joints and the lower limbs. Unfortunately, the lumbar spine did not evolve at the same pace and has become the commonest area of the spine to be subjected to degenerative processes, also known as spondylitis. So taking care of your back by means of proper posture, spine exercises and avoiding strain assumes greater importance because of the evolutionary disadvantage.

I read it here

Power transfer over the air !

Power transfer over the air !

Photo coutesy - jjjohn

I don't know why ? Whenever I hear about transmitting anything over the air technology, this always use to tickle my brain. How about transferring power over the air ? Though, Media is already in the air in the form of bluetooth and wifi or via something else, nobody has ventured into transferring electricity without wires. Now ever innovative Sony has bent the jinx.

Sony has invented the TV which has absolutely no cables connected to it. No video cable. No audio cable. And no power cable. How's this wicked sorcery possible? Sony Transfers 60 Watts of electrical power over a distance of 50cm. yes ! i am sure this is the revolutionary invention next to Edison's marvel electric bulb !

Thanks to Sony's new Wireless Power Transfer technology, which can send 60 watts over the air.Sony's Wireless Power Transfer can push 60 watts of electrical energy over almost 20 inches (50 centimeters).

That's a pretty decent distance, especially when they say that it can be extended using passive extender units. In fact, they have already achieved 31 inches in other tests.Sony says that this system offers 80% efficiency, which may get reduced to about a minimum of 60% if there is a misalignment in the frequencies, which needs to be corrected.

# catch the drift in sony website