Curious Things

2012: What ever you want it to be

Valli — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:26:17 +0000

It’s been a week into the new year. Wanted to avoid millions of posts during the turn of the year to share what I wanted to.

Gyms were crowded. Health food aisles were full with carts. Charity sites have had hits going through the roof. Facebook twitter and whatever else are flooded with messages of love and wishes. Thanks to New Year resolutions. Strange what a turn of a day can do, only one day though. Every other day of the year is as mundane as the one before.

High profile wedding. High profile passing away. Economy as low as it can be. Greece. Riots. 2011 in most ways, a year that will never be forgotten for a lots of reasons, more good than bad as I see it. I saw this nice 90sec video summing up the year that was. Pretty grim viewing I should warn.

But in a strange way there were redemptions to those grim events. Japan won the Women’s football (soccer) world cup. New Zealand won the Rugby World Cup. Qatar was awarded 2022 FIFA World Cup hosting rights.

It was a big year for me personally as well. Finally took the step to do what I always wanted to do.

I always believe that each year will exactly be what you make it out to be. The world was there before you came along, so lets not blame the world for what it turns out to be. Its up to each of us to own up to our obligation to ourselves to do what you like to do.

Stop complaining. Start doing something about it.
Stop blaming others. Start accepting changes and move on.
Stop living someone else’s life. Start a life of your own.
Stop being a pushover. Start to believe in yourself.
Stop being a coward. Start facing up to things.

Start to live you life.

Stay curious!

Start your own countdown

Valli — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:17:16 +0000

Everyone, at all times, is counting down towards something. Wedding. Exam results. Start of the holiday. Could be anything. As boring as the end of the year as well.

Here’s a tool to make it all interesting.

Stay curious!

Healthier you, thanks to geeks

Valli — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:37:59 +0000

Jewellery. Post It. Alarm. Signals. All rolled into this app + bracelet that helps to live a healthier life. Ultimately it is the choice of the individual to do things he/she desires to but geeks are always working to make this process more interesting and sophisticated.

UP by Jawbone is a nice little idea attempting to create a healthier you.

Stay curious!

The workplace of the future

Valli — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 23:02:49 +0000

Talents have to join hands to solve issues in this increasingly slippery world. Be it economic issues, political issues, environmental issues, we are looking at a group of people with common interests collaborating together. Like how most great things are made.

There are several ways to do that. One such is to form a workspace where people from different interest groups come together seamlessly. Like a blind dating space. Difference being instead of relational expectations, its more of responsible expectations.

GRIND, a great new concept in collaborative work space in NY (for now) is beautifully designed with simplicity and collaboration at the core of how it should work.

London has its own now, check Central Working.

letsmeetandwork is a nice little initiative for londoners to seek a nice, calm workspace outside of their offices (project by @almonk)

Stay curious!

Technologies empowering change: An MIT Media Lab approach.

Valli — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:15:11 +0000

I have always had my fascination for MIT. They are the best science university in the world. I have high regards for their alumni. Alumni strength is the best judge of an University.

Here’s an info-graphic that has some amazing applications of tech in the emerging world. The health diagnostics is a curious one. Something that has a huge potential.

Stay curious!

It’s a shelf. It’s a roof. It’s a partition. It’s a stand.

Valli — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:48:09 +0000

It could be anything really. As you can imagine.

Yi Cong Lu is a Leipzig based, Berlin born Chinese designer who has an incredible sense of space (Germans and Japanese have incredible talent to manage space with design). And he has designed this pane that has more than 3 functions. Every application of it is efficient and aesthetic with very little compromise.

Quite hard not to gasp at this.

You should check out the rest of his work. Every one is quite remarkable.

Stay curious!

The writing is on the wall.

Valli — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 18:20:43 +0000

Yes, it is. In Zurich.

I love the 5th point. There are books written to explain how to distinguish sense from nonsense.

I am not sure the office building who wall has the writing has commissioned this, but I think this is done by Swiss artists Fischli & Weiss.

Not all writing on the wall are bad news. Smile.

Stay curious!

Is there a better way to stop drunk driving?

Valli — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 08:36:19 +0000

About 1.2m people die of accidents related to drunk driving each year around the world. This means 1.2m families and an average of 4 per family would mean about 5m people every year face the stress related to drunk driving.

Stringent rules. Incessant checks. Extra policemen. Increased weekend patrol. Stupid adverts, done merely for agency award books. All of it only increases the cost without reducing the incidences of such tragic happenings.

Recently came across a tweet by a footballer which I thought was very interesting. Generally footballers have nothing interesting to say despite their herds of followers but this one was an exception. A very interesting thought for all car manufacturers to think about.

A car refusing to move when it senses alcohol inside the vehicle.

Stay curious!

Great project, one to follow

Valli — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 10:36:01 +0000

Imagination is the limit to what designers can do to impact lives in this world in a way that nothing else can.

Here’s a great blog post and a great project.

Designers reading this post, get out there and do something that makes a difference. One project a week. There’s no shortage of needs and it needs all you can offer. Sometimes I wish I can sketch / design / make things. It makes me want to learn carpentry more than anything.

Here a few projects designers can take on: Redesign your local saloon rate card. Redesign your local chinese restaurant or Caribbean restaurant menu card. Change name board designs for street shops who can’t afford one.

Stay curious!

A cool town, Boulder, is.

Valli — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 14:08:29 +0000

Having spent the last 4 days in Boulder, Colorado I feel I have to give some space for this amazing city tucked towards the mid east of US.

It’s a city with enormous promise and amazing spirit. Home to amazing entrepreneurs. That’s where Common is. Here’s where Unreasonable Institue is. Home to Colorado University. Amazing trekking opportunities. At an elevation of over 1,500m, it provides a great training base for long distance runners and cyclists. It has produced amazing athletes in the past.

Home to under 100,000 people, its a city where size is not all. It’s given the world some of the best entrepreneurs. It’s a city of inspiration.

Liberal people, great restaurants, cozy drink holes everywhere.

And that’s where this funny picture is from. He does look the deal.

Next time when you are in US, make a detour to Boulder. You will surely love it.

Stay curious.