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A Splotch of Lazy Red

2007-01-15T08:00:00Z

A little stroke here, a little blotch there, a little rub in the middle, a little smudge of blue down there — before you know it, your hands are deliciously dirty with a yummy khichdi of paint, and voila, you’ve just completed another doodle in Photoshop.

Here’s what I cooked up last night:

Newsprint. Interrupted.

And another one:

Saturated Curl

… those were about two hours of cooking in Photoshop. Here’s the recipe: I shot some newspaper clippings, chopped up the photograph really fine, threw in some blueberries, fiery jalapenos and cheese, and nuked the whole mess in the microwave for a good two minutes till it was tender and bright :)

So much for the first post of 2007… Happy New Year everyone.

I’ll go now and wash the paint off from under my fingernails. ▧

Update

Here’s an interesting interpretation of the artwork, posted by Vivek in the comments: (Thanks, Vivek)

As we have been moving on, the media more than ever before seems to have lost credibility and focus. And this is seen more here than even in India. There is hardly any divergent viewpoint, true humane stories from around the world are never published and are increasingly buried and smudged under layers of darkness ¹. Instead, what we are shown are superficial layers covered by color, gloss and smiling faces ² so that we the selected few stay in our comfort zones, and are not disturbed by what is truely happening.

As long as the media meets our needs ³, there is no need to look beyond. They might make the smiles more wider ⁴, but the colors will fade, until the rust starts showing ⁵ and the true picture emerges.

Saturated Curl (SC) has a layer of charcoal on the top right corner. ↩

Newsprint. Interrupted. (NI) has a smiling face on top right. ↩

NI has the words “great pay” bottom left. ↩

The smile becomes larger from SC to NI. ↩

SC … the saturation is almost overwhelming, jaundiced and rusted. ↩

30 Boxes Accelerator Keys

2006-06-10T07:00:00Z

If you use 30 Boxes — the to-do list or the calendar — this is for you. 30 Boxes Accelerator Keys is a Greasemonkey script I’ve written to allow one-key keyboard shortcuts to 30 Boxes, for quick access to most of its features.

Install 30 Boxes Accelerator Keys 0.1

You can, for instance, press T to get your to‑do items, W to go to the Webtop, or J and K to scroll through your calendar. (Incidentally, the lack of scrolling with J and K was the initial reason for writing this).

Update

New keys added. You can now use F to find any event in your calendar from any 30 Boxes screen. ‘I’ jumps to Today.

Here is the complete list of keyboard shortcuts:

Key	Description
T	To‑do Items
W	Webtop
C	Calendar
F	Find
Q	Quick Add (One Box)
J	Scroll to Past Events (in Calendar View)
K	Scroll to Future Events (in Calendar View)
I	Go to Today
E	Close To Do Items etc. (like Esc)
N	Add New Event
B	Toggle Buddy Updates in the Webtop
H	Help on Keyboard Shortcuts

Typically all these keys will work on just about any 30 Boxes screen. If you’re looking at your to‑do Items for instance, you can hit W to change the background of the to‑do list to the Webtop while still showing your to‑do’s, and can revert back to your calendar by pressing C. While still at your to‑do’s, you can press E to close the “window”, or hit F if you need to find an event in your calendar.

Memoirs of Yore

2005-09-23T07:00:00Z

It’s another frazzled Friday evening, and as I’m catching up with an old friend on the phone, amidst a lot of laughter and chit-chat, I can see that although we’ve gone our different ways and now live in different parts of the world, the vibes still ring as good as ever.

Distance may make the heart grow fonder… but only so much. Any more, and we’d all be a richer dozen, phones would ring more often, and the likes of Cupid could have their jobs heartily jeopardized :D

Come to think of it… somewhere between rushing through life and reflecting on a glorious past, are these little sweet nothings… the little frissons that color everything a happier hue… all the ribbing… all those endless talks over coffee… the parties… the silly repartees over emails and sms'es… waking up in the middle of the night to see a new constellation… swotting late into the night… all those trips…

Maybe things are a little different now… maybe life never really comes full circle after all…

Strolling along this rush street of life, however, I can often listen to the unequal music of the street cries ebbing away in the cacophony of existential angst… the fading street cries… the little reminiscences of those fond memoirs of yore… that somewhere down the line… at least for a fleeting moment… I had touched the sky.

I feel taller already.

Send Your Name to Pluto

2005-09-06T07:00:00Z

NASA plans a mission to Pluto in 2006, the first of its kind, and you can send your name to be put on a disc aboard the spacecraft.

Send your name to Pluto
New Horizons — The official NASA web site for the project

New Horizons is the first mission to the last planet — the initial reconnaissance of Pluto‑Charon and the Kuiper Belt — sent out to explore the mysterious worlds at the edge of our solar system.

NASA will even award you a participation certificate. Here’s mine:
Participation certificate for the New Horizons mission to Pluto

Send your name, be a part of history :)

Morning

2004-04-18T07:00:00Z

It’s 6 in the morning and I’m at loggerheads with myself whether I’d go running or check out the gym… I’d slept a litte late, so I finally decide, a walk it will be. Come to think of it, I’d never trade my little morning odysseys for anything in the world. Imbibing all the sights and sounds and smells (sans the noxious kinds) of the early morning is a newfound delectable experience in itself for me :)

I hit the street. There’s a cute little white kitten precariously perched atop some rubble in the neighbourhood. She’s peacefully asleep, oblivious to the rising din and bustle outside. …funny how such a simple sight can seem so endearing. I move on.

Behind a building I spy a tower top gleaming golden in the rising sun: a little tiara for a staid building, a silhouette in gold. …Like my sister would say…

Heaven is a place on earth

The sun is up, shining with all its might, painting the city a different hue altogether. The enchantment is wearing off… I turn around heading back home, elated in my joie de vivre.

A bird twitters in the neighbourhood. I hasten my pace — have some homework to do, a different serenade altogether.

…The end of yet another matutinal odyssey.

Sleep well, kitty.