Welcome to India, Where We Divide By Zero The Congress Working Committee accepted the demand for separate statehood for Telangana this week, thus introducing the possibility of one more IPL team that no one will care about. This move has changed the fundamental nature of discourse in Andhra Pradesh, with people finally talking about something other than the soul-fondling awesomeness of Hyderabadi biryani. Hyderabad will be the joint capital of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for the next ten years, making it the state’s most awkward love triangle since the time Shoaib Malik allegedly married the appetisers before the main course. After that, the capital will shift to wherever Saina Nehwal goes. This news led to a renewed demand for other states. The pro-Gorkhaland voices also got stronger, to which Didi responded by calling everyone’s mom a Maoist. Then there’s the half-joke that maybe India would work better as a collection of separate nations, like Europe. I don’t get the concept of regional pride. Like this: Like Loading...
The Top 25 Psychedelic Videos of All Time | The Daily Psychedelic Video To see places 50-26 of the list please click here 2 years ago, when the idea was born to set up a website dedicated to curating one psychedelic video every day, we were still skeptical about how long one could continue, and afraid that after a month or two we’d run out of psychedelic videos to post. Today, in the second year anniversary of daily psychedelic video posts, with more than 700 psychedelic videos on the site, it seems clear that there are many more psychedelic videos out there than any of us would have dared to imagine. Now, with the advent of 3D screen technology and augmented reality glasses, one can only imagine what these might mean for the future of psychedelic video and media. After 700 videos we felt that we now have a preliminary basis to create a pioneering list of the greatest psychedelic videos of all time. So this one is probably the first, and we took the selection process very seriously (indeed, some people thought almost psychotically serious). 25. 24. 23. 22.
George Saunders's Advice to Graduates It’s long past graduation season, but we recently learned that George Saunders delivered the convocation speech at Syracuse University for the class of 2013, and George was kind enough to send it our way and allow us to reprint it here. The speech touches on some of the moments in his life and larger themes (in his life and work) that George spoke about in the profile we ran back in January — the need for kindness and all the things working against our actually achieving it, the risk in focusing too much on “success,” the trouble with swimming in a river full of monkey feces. The entire speech, graduation season or not, is well worth reading, and is included below.
Afternoon Animation: Kaleidoscope Ft. The Italian National Team Of Gymnastics The perfect way to space out on a Tuesday afternoon, KALEIDOSCOPE by Freddy brings viewers through an abstract paradise of runs, kicks, and jumps courtesy of the Italian National Team of Gymnastics. Created by DLV BBDO and production team abstract:groove, the collective, paired with Director Luigi Pane, experimented with the kaleidoscope effect for dramatic results. Working with 4 thaumascopes of different sizes and shapes, the biggest 9 meters long with a triangular opening of 2.5 meters, and the smallest 1.5 meters in length with a square opening of 60 centimeters, the team worked extensively to achieve the graphic patterns above. Just as interesting as the techniques used were the performers enlisted: The Italian National Team of Rhythmic Gymnastic 'le Farfalle', choreographed by their trainer Emanuela Maccarani. Recently we were able to speak briefly with Director Luigi Pane, who filled us in on his process: EDxSummit intro: The Power of X
Higher Purpose: The Ascent of Everest | redscarab To celebrate 60 years of the first ascent of the world’s tallest mountain, adventure enthusiasts ANURAG MALLICK and PRIYA GANAPATHY chronicle death, danger, dreams and the lure of the Everest From traveling to the ends of the earth, going into outer space or plumbing the depths of the ocean, man’s quest for exploration knows no bounds. One doesn’t look for logic in performing human feats that surpass the perceived limits of physical and mental endurance. But how you can climb a mountain unless you know it’s there? In 1802, the British started the Great Trigonometric Survey of India to determine the earth’s curvature by measuring the length of the country. Since Nepal and Tibet were closed to foreigners, the British employed several natives in this enterprise. Measurements were coded as written prayers. Thus, Nain Singh became the first person to determine the exact location and altitude of Lhasa, mapped the trade route from Nepal to Tibet and the course of the Tsangpo River. Like this:
Mesmerising video created using kaleidoscopes & gymnasts Production studio abstract:groove and advertising agency DLV BBDO have created a mesmerising promotional film for sports clothing brand Freddy by using a clever combination of kaleidoscopes and gymnasts. No post-production was used to create the kaleidoscopic effects seen in the film. Instead, abstract:groove designed and built four thaumascopes varying in shape and size in order to capture the footage. Gymnasts from the Italian National Team of Rhythmic Gymnastic "le Farfalle" then performed within the thaumascopes for abstract:groove to capture on camera. Prior to filming, abstract:groove studied small scale models and then simulated the movements in CGI to determine how well they work. You can take a look behind the scenes to find out more about how the film was made by watching the video below.
Food Security: The biggest mistake India might have made till date Historians often ask counterfactual questions to figure out how history could have evolved differently. Ramachandra Guha asks and answers one such question in an essay titled A Short History of Congress Chamchagiri, which is a part of the book Patriots and Partisans. In this essay Guha briefly discusses what would have happened if Lal Bahadur Shastri, the second prime minister of India, had lived a little longer. Shastri died on January 11, 1966, after serving as the prime minister for a little over 19 months. The political future of India would have evolved very differently had Shashtri lived longer, feels Guha. But that as we know was not to be. The government estimates suggest that food security will cost Rs 1,24,723 crore per year. Economist Surjit Bhalla in a column in The Indian Express put the cost of the bill at Rs 3,14,000 crore or around 3% of the gross domestic product (GDP). Food security will also mean a higher expenditure for the government in the days to come.
Microscopic Time-lapse Video of Snowflakes Le vidéaste russe Vyacheslav Ivanov a réalisé une vidéo en time-lapse d’un flocon de neige qui se forme. Sur une musique d’Aphex Twin, « Snowtime » montre au microscope les détails délicats de la formation de la figure hexagonale d’un flocon, qui n’est jamais identique aux autres. La vidéo est à découvrir dans la suite.
Articles Rotating Sand Art – Une vidéo hypnotisante et fascinante Rotating Sand Art – Une vidéo hypnotisante et fascinante Un artiste russe nous offre une démonstration de “Rotating Sand Art” dans une vidéo hypnotisante et fascinante… Une performance impressionnante ! via The Indian way? No way | The Hindu During my tenure at Ranbaxy, I was surprised by the unchallenged conformity to the poor decisions of senior leadership. Ranbaxy was my first Indian employer following my tenure at two different American corporations. Reflecting on this experience from cultural and comparative perspectives highlights the organizational peril of such behaviour. It is in our culture to respect authority. We are taught from childhood to listen and obey our elders. Asking questions My investigation into the discrepancies between Ranbaxy’s records and the data filed with regulatory agencies in 2004 showed me how wide the questionable behaviour was within the organisation. I often asked myself how was it that smart, well-intentioned people tolerated systematic fraudulent behaviour? Ordinary people, simply doing their jobs, and without any particular hostility on their part, can become agents in a terrible destructive process. Why is this important? Compromise Not 100 per cent
Les vidéos psychédéliques de Murat Sayginer L'artiste praguois Murat Sayginer a tout à fait raison de s'autoproclamer artiste « visionnaire ». Certes, têtes géantes de pierre ou de cristal, images du cosmos, pyramides et musiques new age sont depuis plus de 50 ans des poncifs de l'ésotérisme de masse. Et il faudrait qu'un nouveau psychotrope surpuissant soit découvert pour qu'un jeune artiste numérique espère étonner ceux qui ont grandi en regardant les VHS de studio K7 ou bien les hors-séries de l'Œil du cyclone consacrés au salon Imagina. Mais l'adjectif visionnaire ne désigne plus depuis longtemps les artistes qui rêvent le futur, mais ceux dont les pupilles et les chakras sont plus dilatés que la moyenne. Murat n'a peut-être pas découvert de nouvelle spiritualité ni même laissé le LSD guider ses synapses, mais ses vidéos sont aussi magiques que celles de Iasos et autres maîtres zen du court-métrage abstrait – la maîtrise du logiciel Cinéma 4D en plus. Le jeune tchèque a bien évolué depuis ses premiers travaux de photoshoppeur.
Think Again: North Korea - By David Kang and Victor Cha "North Korea's not that dangerous." Wrong. There is no threat of war on the Korean peninsula because the United States and South Korea have deterred the regime for over six decades, or so the thinking goes. The difference today is that South Korea is no longer turning the other cheek. This development appears to validate former U.S. But there's another point that is often overlooked: North Korea today can threaten all of South Korea and parts of Japan with its conventional missiles and its conventional military. KNS/AFP/Getty Images "Kim Jong Un is insane." Don't bet on it. Authoritarian rulers don't long survive if they're truly out of touch with reality. More important than asking whether Kim Jong Un is insane is determining whether he is cautious or a risk-taker. Kim faces just as many risks if he meaningfully reforms domestic, economic, or social policy. An adventurous Kim Jong Un may or may not be good for North Korea and its relations with the outside world. Not even close.
4 minutes d’illusions d’optique pour le clip de OK Go 4 minutes d’illusions d’optique pour le clip de OK Go ! Voici le nouveau clip de OK Go, imaginé par Special Guest pour le titre “The Writing’s On the Wall“, une avalanche jouissive et explosive de plus de 4 minutes d’illusions d’optique ! Et si vous ne connaissez pas les autres clips de OK Go, voilà de quoi rattraper votre retard : les clips de OK Go.