Why iPhone sucks - Google Rating

This is a proud moment for me. If you Google "iPhone sucks" or "why iPhone sucks" my post is listed on the first page of the results.

I must thank all the Apple fanbois who came to my page and commented with a frothing mouth. I thank also the  Android users who took the time to comment and helped educate the fanbois. My sympathy-full thanks to the iPhone users/victims who shared their painful experiences iOS. I must stop now, for god's sake, it's not the Oscar.

But seriously, thank you for all your comments and participation. 

Spin City - M.J. Fox

Man, I love this guy! I watched his "Family Ties" and he was a young man in that. I got Spin City only because it had M J Fox in the cast and it's totally worth it. Even as a young man he used to be amazing on screen and in Spin City he's still got that magic. The show is awesome, and it's because of him.

As per a quote from another TV show, "M. J. Fox never looks at the camera."

I just finished watching the finale of Season 4 where he's leaving. They have done a great job on it, an emotional episode but still very funny. Normally, I would stop watching this show at this point and dump the next 2 seasons but I know who's replacing him in the next season - Charlie Sheen. He's another one of my favourites and a worthy replacement. I am very curious to see how he fits MJ's shoes though, won't be easy. But I wanted to write this post before I moved on.

People who are obsessed with height and write essays on the success of tall people in the world must see Michael J Fox in action.

Here's a video clip from Spin City. I loved this dialogue (you'll know which one I mean) and it's just a coincidence that it's delivered by MJ. Enjoy.

Btw, for the males in my readers, the hottie in the clip is Connie Britton. 

Do iOS Apps Crash More than Android?

I can't believe it! Apple fanbois are always on about how Android is a rough and under-development OS and how iOS is so polished and smooth and everything just works! And this is the result?

Full article here -
http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomiogeron/2012/02/02/does-ios-crash-more-than-android-a-data-dive/

Android Vs. iOS - The definitive video comparison

A very good video with examples of how things work differently with iOS and Android. This was shared by one of my readers on the Why iPhone sucks - the Fact List post.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMiY1kSTHZw 


It has some good examples to shut up the Apple Fanbois except the ones who are so totally brainwashed the truth doesn't matter to them. Oh, and this is just part 1 of a 5 part series. 

Enjoy ;) 

Comedy Circus Katha

I should warn you now I am going to act like one of those females who spend their evenings watching the soap opera's and then spend the next day discussing the characters of the soaps like they are real people. I am only going to discuss the reality shows and people in them are real appearing in their own person, so I think I am more justified. Oh god no, no, no, no, I don't mean "reality shows" I mean these talent shows where comedians come on stage and make audience laugh. The reality shows? Ugh! I maintain that the sure sign of the decline of our culture is the popularity of those reality shows. But that story some other time.

The first thing I want to say is that I don't like Comedy Circus, never liked it from the beginning. But I watch every episode and even re-watch some of them or part of them later. Contradiction? Well, I am a complex human being, baby!

It was several years ago when my nephew told me about Comedy Circus and I told him I didn't like it. I preferred The Great Indian Laughter Challenge. I had bought several DVDs of TGILC because I loved it so much. Now that I am a regular viewer of Comedy Circus I still say I don't like it, and now I am going to dissect it and explain why it is so.

Some people say that humour should not be analysed and something is either funny or it is not. They are idiots. Comedy is an art but not a mindless art, like any art form it has its principles and like anything else humour can be studied and developed. Note that I said humour can be developed not sense of humour.

At this point I should clarify how I judge if someone has a good sense of humour or not. It's very simple. If they laugh at my jokes, they have a good sense of humour. There is no other definition.

The biggest, most glaring difference between TGILC and CC is the format. TGILC has a very simple format, one comedian or (rarely) a team of two, one microphone, 2 or 3 judges (2 regular plus guests sometimes). That's it. Oh, and a beautiful anchor. But both shows have that. Plus the team of musicians also is common in both.

CC's format is more complex - a writing team, teams of 2 or 3 comedians, an elaborate script, props, sets for the acts and some judges (2 or 3 regular and then guests).

So why I think CC's brand of humour is inferior to TGILC? Various reasons.

1. In CC's format it's easier to do comedy because there are other comedians in your team to help out and give you cues, there is a creative team to write your scripts, there are lot of props and sets to help you create that scene, and overall setup of the show persists from week to week and a lot of jokes are created around that.

In TGILC, it was usually one comedian, coming with his own material and performing in front of the audience and judges. Those who have stood behind a microphone (I have) know how terrifying it can be. But there were some really talented people who created such amazing performances with only their words to create the scene. Some of those performances were really memorable, while unavoidably there were weak performances as well.

2. CC's brand of humour is cheap and is tailored to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Not all of it is like that but there was a touch of class in TGILC humour which is missing here.

In the material itself there is an abundance of scatological humour, innuendoes, slapstick and other off-colour material.  I believe that the TGILC material was censored better.

Many times, the CC writers and artists try to get away with just making jokes on other artists, Surinder and the judges. Personal jokes while they are funny are also dangerous because if you are not careful they can become cheap, offensive and not funny. This has happened many times in CC.

In CC the performances tend to favour more slipstick humour and a colour of "nautanki" than a refined TV show. Those who have seen a real "nautanki" in Indian villages will understand this, there is no other way for me to explain it. Well, they call themselves Comedy "Circus" I think that's justified.

3. There is also more evident commercialism. Nobody ever came to TGILC to promote their film as far as  I know. Some of these guests who come to promote their film in CC, sometimes add a star value to the show, most times they are just parasitic waste, taking time for no good reason.

4. The nautanki flavour is also enhanced by other factors like adding song and dances to the acts and sometimes between the acts as well (in grand finales mostly).

5. Scoring of course is subjective in such shows but I am more dissatisfied by the scoring in CC mostly.

But there are good things in the show which I do like. For example the talent. And here my first point is vindicated by examples. The man, or girl, who can stand in front of a mic alone and give a good performance (like in TGILC) is a good comedian. Some of these have come to Comedy Circus from TGILC. Examples include Kapil Sharma, Sudesh Lehri, Bharti Singh, Sugandha, Rajeev Thakur, Kuldeep Dubey etc. There are some new talents also that have come and gone only in CC like Mantra, Shweta Tiwari, etc.

Most people will notice one name I didn't mention here. Krishna. That's because I don't like him. I don't consider him a good comedian. I think he survives only because he has a good screen presence and he has Sudesh with him. I find his brand of comedy very cheap and third class appealing to the lower classes.

Another good thing in CC is that they make fun of everything including especially their own surroundings. These jokes when written and performed properly are very good.

They use all kinds of formulas like themed shows, introducing celebrities, singers and soap actors in their shows to create humour. Some of it is very good.

I like the judges as well mostly. Archana Puran Singh laughs like a mad woman, but that's what comedy is for. Since she has done many successful comic roles (remember Miss Brigenza?) in Hindi films, I think she's justified in judging a comedy show even though I don't always agree with her scores. And I salute her sporting spirit that she can take so many jokes on herself, even when some of them are in poor taste. And she looks good. Yes, I said that.

Oh that reminds me. The beautiful girls on stage, as part of the teams or the anchors, I like them as well, when they are good.

In conclusion, I would say the format itself is good but it needs better control over content and class. It's been slipping lately, even more than before.

Hey, this is fun! Maybe I'll write more posts on Comedy Circus later. After all, this is the only Indian TV show that I watch.

Thinking of my father

As a personal preference I am not a big fan of overly personal or sentimental posts on a public blog. But my blog is an expression of myself so it would not be right if I insulate it from my feelings altogether.

So without going into too much detail I just want to use this space to remember my father who passed away 16th of May last year. Of course, I miss him and always will but instead of feeling sorry for myself I want to mention a few things that give me comfort when I think of him.

He was an amazing man. In so many ways! And it gives me comfort to remember that I realized this while he was alive and I let him know how much I admired and loved him!

Much as a huge shock it was to me and rest of the family that he passed away very suddenly, it is a comfort to think that he didn't suffer. He was a very self-reliant man and never wanted to be dependent on others. And he was self-reliant to his last moment. I think that's how he would have wanted it.

He lived a full life, with a full, flourishing, loving family. His sons were with him in his last moment.

In Indian culture it is said that the first teacher is the mother and second teacher the father. He fulfilled that responsibility amazingly well. Almost everything I know I have learnt from him directly or indirectly.

He was a strict disciplinarian but a very loving father as well.

I find it comforting that I made him proud of me, and arguably, in my siblings I was his favourite.

He left a gap in my life that cannot be filled. But I find comfort in the thought that wherever he is, he is always with me!

Samsung Galaxy S3 - A Simple Review

This is a simple but good review:
http://blog.rightmobilephone.co.uk/samsung-unveil-the-samsung-galaxy-s3/

Samsung Galaxy S3 - The New Champion?

Samsung launched the much-awaited Samsung Galaxy S3 (though it's SIII officially) last night in a much hyped event in London. I was not dedicated enough to stay home and watch the live streaming from the event so I was on the road going to the cinema when this was happening. But I was dedicated enough to check the specs and first review on my Galaxy Note while the trailers were playing.

Now, that I have read the spec's and seen some initial reactions from people, I feel I need to speak up and add my 2 cents. I think I am seeing about 50-50 reaction of "liked" and "disappointed". Some of the disappointed ones are Apple iSheep and fanbois as is obvious from their comments, but some of them are real people as well. Not saying there aren't any idiots in the real people. One guy says the Samsung phone designs don't make him "feel good". Dude, it's a phone, not a girlfriend!

Before I talk in detail about the specs let me make one clear-cut prediction. This phone will be HUGELY successful! And you can quote me on that! The caveat would be that no big issues are discovered and Samsung and network providers don't play any dirty tricks in marketing. I don't expect that and I am saying this will be at least as successful as the Galaxy SII if not more.

Let's talk about the spec's. At a glance they are:

1.4 GHz Quad-Core Exonys processor
1 GB RAM
16GB/32GB/64GB built-in memory
MicroSD card
4.8" HD Super AMOLED screen with 1280x720 resolution
8MP rear camera
1.9 MP front camera
2100 mAh replaceable battery
Physical Home button on the front
Firmware: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Price: £500
Release date: 30th May (available for pre-order now)
Typical deals: Free with £36/month 24 months contract

Understandably, there's some criticism over just the 1.4 GHz processor and small amount of RAM. The 8MP camera is also a disappointment, it should have been 12MP. I won't try to argue with anyone who says that hardware of this phone is a disappointment though I don't think so, but I agree that it's not spectacular. Unlike most people, my only expectation was that it be better than the SGSII which IMHO it is.

(According to Samsung the new processor peforms better but consumes 20% less power than the SGS2.)

I won't discuss all the new features or it'll be next year before I am done but let's see why I say it'll be a success.

Ever heard that the pleasure of life is in the little things? Apparently Samsung has heard it too. There are lots of small changes which will be a value-addition in an S3 owner's life and make him the target of envy.

First of all the screen is awesome and I expect it to be amazing like the SGS2 and Galaxy Note. The processor even though only 1.4 will be another awesome part, the SGS2 is still the fastest phone and SGS3 will be the only one surpassing it I am sure. The big screens are all the rage these days (yes 3.5" is NOT the perfect size) and 4.8 will be really good to watch videos and browse the web on. I know I love the 5.3 inch screen on my Note and the SGS2 feels puny compared to it. The 133gms weight will be quite nice to handle because of its distribution, again I speak from my experience with the Note which is heavier.

There are small enhancements like the phone vibrates if you pick it up and there's a missed call or text waiting on it. I want that feature! Notification light is another thing I always miss, it helps in real life. Same with physical home button. It's not a coincidence that both my current phones have it. It's so much more convenient to use it to wake up the device.

Face-unlock is there as well which is an Android 4.0 feature.

Samsung's TouchWiz UI is quite nice to use, I have one phone with it and one without, so I know that you miss it. SGS3 has a plastic body which people argue feels cheap but I like it. It makes the phone light and the design makes it feel stylish rather than cheap. I don't want to carry a glass-backed phone like an idiot!

At 8.6 mm SGS3 is only 0.1mm thicker than SGS2, a slim design feels even better in a bigger phone. The phone also has an eye-tracking technlogy which keeps the screen on while you are reading stuff and turns it off when you put it down. I need that feature badly. It's called Smart Stay. This will help with the battery life as well.

I'd like a 12MP camera like everybody else, but I won't cry about it. 8MP is quite good for candid photography considering the settings and options you get in Android camera. I just bought a DSLR recently (Canon 7D no less) so if I am going to need awesome photos I will carry that, for casual snaps 8MP is fine. So it's not a dealbreaker for me. Flash would have been a dealbreaker but it has the LED flash. It also has a replaceable battery without which I will NOT buy a phone. Same with MicroSD card. I am glad Samsung included it and didn't go the HTC One X route. Without an SD card slot, I would have shunned the phone like last year's girlfriend.

Samsung has also developed S-Voice which is being called the Siri replacement and so far I have read some reviewers calling it better than Siri as in you can do more things with it. Well, anything will be better than Siri as you have to carry around a POS iPhone to use Siri. But I am curiuos as how it'd behave when the music is playing. Supposedly you can still control the phone by voice while music is playing on the phone. Contrary to popular belief, there is not a lot of use for a voice-operated phone in a real life, but sometimes it's handy and can make the difference between using or not using your phone.

For example, last weekend I was walking out of Waterloo station trying to pick my way through the throngs of humanity that is always there and I needed to call someone but wasn't getting through. I didn't want to take my phone out in that crowd while trying to walk fast so I just pressed the button on my bluetooth handset and said "Redial last number". Even in that din it picked up my command and made the call. Every time. I didn't get through finally but I could try 5-7 times while I walked.

With SGS3 when you pick up the phone and if it has a missed call or text, you just put it to your ear and it will dial the number. So useful.

Voice typing has already been good on Android, I expect that to be still there and better with 1.4 Quad-core processor.

For connectivity, there is Wi-fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, all bands covered. Bluetooth 4.0 is there and you cna bet it won't be a crippled BT like you find in iCrap. You can connect to your Samsung TV via DLNA or use MHL cable to connect to any monitor or TV. But that's not new, just retained. HSPA+ is still there and I expect USB hosting to be there as well. I love both!

There's an awesome feature that I have sometimes wished I had. You can play video in a pop-up window and continue doing other things on the screen at the same time! I am a born multi-tasker. I KNOW I would love this!

Sensors include GPS/A-GPS, a built-in gyroscope, digital compass, plus screen-flipping accelerometer, proximity as well as a barometer.

And of course, there's NFC. :)

One thing I really don't like in this phone though and that's microsim. I really hate these manufaturers (Apple) who make you cut up your SIM to use the phone. HTC joined Apple in this with One X.

So far this is the only dealbreaker for me but to be honest with you, I can see myself going through the 7 stages of dealing with loss. Right now I am in Denial - I am NOT going to buy a phone for which I have to cut up my SIM card! There will be Anger - "Why Samsung, why??". But at some point there will be Compromise - maybe I can use a microSIM adapter when changing the SIM to another phone? Also, T-Mobile is really good to me and I am sure they will change my SIM for free again when I want like they did 2 months ago.

I don't understand why Samsung followed in Apple's shoes though. I am really disappointed with that.

Overall, my conclusion is that it would be a phone worth having, depending on what you are upgrading from. I am upgrading from Samsung Galaxy S2 (retaining my Galaxy Note) and I think it's worth it. But then I love smartphones and I love Android!

Feel free to add your comments below. Are you disappointed? Or is this what you really expected? Apple Fanboi's are also welcome to leave their comments but just beware that your comments are not mindless, iSheep blubber..I will rip you to pieces!

Hitler Hates iPhone 4s

A clever video by WindTV.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHZ2wansEG4#!

Random Sher - Hijr

क्या गज़ब है कि हिज्र के दिन भी
ज़िन्दगी में शुमार होते हैं

Translation: Hijr means separation from loved ones or that one beloved. The shayar expresses his surprises that even the days of 'hijr' are counted as part of life. 

Limitless

मैं कहाँ रुकता हूँ अर्श-ओ-फर्श की आवाज़ से,

मुझको जाना है बहुत ऊंचा, हद-ए-परवाज़ से 

So I was looking out the window at the cold, wet weather and thinking if I want to walk to office carrying that heavy bag or take the car. I am going to London in the evening and will take a cab directly from the office so taking the car will be a nuisance, I will have to come home to drop the car first. But the bag contains my tripod, camera etc. and is slightly heavy. Then I remembered that the last time we held auditions in London, last week, I had walked to the office with the same bag, and the weather was was similar. Okay, walk it is.

I thought how funny it is that just the realization that I have done something before makes it easier, even though physically nothing has changed!

In athletics there was a limit that a distance of one mile could not be run in less than 4 minutes. But one man, Roger Bannister, just refused to accept it. He kept trying and trying until in 1954 he accomplished the supposedly impossible milestone of four-minute-mile.

In a year from his first achievement, almost 10 runners all over the world had achieved the same thing. What changed? The road was the same, their bodies were the same, and yet they performed better, why? Only one thing changed. The limit in their mind disappeared. They now knew it could be done!

It is true not just in running but in any area of life. When you come across the next "impossible" task, look at it closely, is the limit real? Or is it just in your mind?

Happy flying! :)

(The sher translates to - I don't let the voices of the Earth and the Sky stop me. My goal is to reach much higher than the limit of the flight.)

3 Random shers - Tear

3 random sher's courtesy of a friend. All on one topic - tear. No context just lovely shers.

रुसवा करेगी ये नमी जो चश्मे-तर में है, 

पी जाओ अशक़ बात अभी घर की घर में है 

------

पलकों की हद तोड़ कर दामन पे आ गिरा, 

एक अश्क मेरे ज़ब्त की तौहीन कर गया 

-----

आँख कमबख्त से उस बज़्म में आंसू न रुका 

एक कतरे ने डुबोया मुझे दरिया होकर 

iPhone sucks - more facts

My original iPhone sucks post became too long, especially with all the people chiming in with additional reasons but I still keep finding out more reasons in conversation with iPhone owners.

So I decided to post a new one and collect the additional reasons here. Some of them are strong, other just inconveniences.

1. Those who own glass phones....shouldn't drop them! I was talking to my friend and she almost dropped her iPhone. Then she commented that she has done it before, and anybody she knows who owns an iPhone has dropped it once or more. It results in either the screen or the glass back shattering or cracking and they have to send it away to be replaced. Yeah, of course they have to pay or make sure they insure it and keep the premium payments up. She showed me hers, it had one big corner of the screen cracked. She was waiting to drop it again before sending it in.

So, this is how innovator companies do it, put a piece of glass in the front and back that'd make the phone heavy and crack easily. Does anyone think that Apple treats their users like suckers?

(I did a search for "iphone cracked" for the photo for this post and was spoiled for choice. As a matter of curiosity I did one for "Android cracked". Very few images...about 7 or 8.)

2. Free apps One of the commenters on the original post mentioned this. About 29% of the apps on iPhone App Store are free, whereas on Android 60% of the Apps are free. Funny thing is some of the same apps, by the same company/developer are free on Android but not on iPhone, for example, Angry Birds.

3. Back button Several commenters chided me for not mentioning this in the original post. On Android you can use the Back button to track back out of the menu system or applications. On iPhone you'll always be hunting  for some on-screen button to find your way around. Major navigation drawback.

4. Siri in UK. Siri, the much-touted voice-controlled virtual assistant software that prompted uncounted sales for the iPhone 4S is actually almost completely useless in the UK. That's not something Apple tells you before you buy the expensive, overhyped toy.

Another thing they don't tell you in the flashy (yes, I said that) iPhone 4S ad's is that Siri is actually in Beta. And it's not the kind of Beta that gmail was where everything worked even in Beta phase, it's the kind of Beta where people have issues with making it work or having it stop after a while.

If you don't believe me check Apple's own site and community forums. Here's a useful link and quote

"Siri is currently in beta and we’ll continue to improve it over time."
from http://www.apple.com/iphone/features/siri-faq.html

5. No multi-tasking. Even with iPhone 4S and 1GHz CPU the iPhone has no real multi-tasking. If you open a website and press Home to go do another task..when you come back to the browser, the site would not have loaded, it'd have frozen where you left it and will continue now.

Some of the commenters mentioned how the iPhone "decays" over time in terms of hardware and performance, like dropping calls etc. I can't comment as I have never owned one myself but people I have met before have mentioned things like that.

I'll probably update this post as I find more reasons.

P.S. A friend of mine told me he bought an iPhone because...wait for it...he doesn't like the colour of the background in the settings menu on Android. He's apparently okay with the restrictive interface of iOS where he can't arrange the app icons in anyway but a menu that can be customized with any of the many free Android themes offends his sensibilities. What do you think, fanboi in the making? 

The Road Not Taken

This has no special significance except that lately I have been having similar thoughts of paths not taken and just found this poem today. 

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 

Robert Frost

iOS vs. Android - An iOS user's perspective

One of my commenters on the post http://sunilgoswami.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/why-iphone-sucks-fact-list.html shared this URL. I read the article and found that it was a good, sane, calm comparison of both OSes from a user who has used both.
So, I am sharing the link here.
http://drippler.com/samsung/galaxy_s_ii#!270731

Mind you, he says that he's satisfied with his iPhone now, but in time I am sure it'll get on his nerves so much that he will move back to the "good side".

This review also brings home the fact that no matter how hard I try I can't really point out all the problems with iPhone because I don't use one.

Also read the comments below that article, some of them made me laugh, talking about the camera on an iPhone..lol..hilarious!

Eating in a tree

From A day with animals

[For once no copyright infringement, I took this photo myself.]

No, I haven't suddenly turned into a monkey, I am just recounting a small part of my life in my Slice of Life series.

The story is from a long time back when I was just a boy. I don't remember how old exactly but in my teens around 14-16 most likely. My parental village is in U.P. and I used to visit there oftener than I manage to do now.

I remember this one visit very clearly when I was staying at my aunt's place for a few days. Just me, my parents were back in Delhi. If I remember correctly it was part of the summer school holidays. In my aunt's front yard there was a tree. Don't ask me what it was, maybe just neem, but I remember it was branched low so that even a city boy like me could climb it and sit in that lowest branch.

One of my aunt's daughters, my cousin sister, was called Kumma. Just a nickname, her real name was nice and beautiful. She was very nice and our ages were close enough that she used to treat me like a younger brother even though she was a couple of years younger than me.

So I would spend my hours up in the tree, enjoying lazy afternoons with no specific plans to do anything at all. And Kumma would ask me if I wanted something to eat. If I said yes, she would offer to make my favourite and I would agree. And what was my favourite? Read on!

She would take red chilli and grind them fine by hand on a stone "sil-batta" or pastel and mortal for all you "angrez" types. Adding a little water in it, she'd would make a thick sauce. And this pure red-chilli sauce she would put on a thick chapati and ask me if I wanted to come down or eat in the tree.

Of course, I opted to eat in the tree! She would hand it up to me in the tree. No plate, no cutlery, just the chapati and the chilli sauce on it, a lot of sauce like a sandwich filling. And I would roll it up and eat like a monkey in the tree. In those days I could handle the spicy sauce without running for water afterwards.

Since then, I have had many different kinds of meals in many countries, in fancy restaurants and modest cafe's, in dhaba's by the roadside and in coffeehouses where they didn't even speak my language but nothing can compare with that simple meal made by a loving sister! 

My short film - Meet The Boss

[Cast and crew of Meet The Boss after the shooting.]

Have I mentioned before that I have been trying to learn how to make films by making short films? I think that's the best way to learn to make films, by making them. And now that I have mentioned it I will be free to tell you about my many adventures in the low-budget filmmaking field any time now.

Right now it's about one particular adventure, my film for the Reed film festival.

So, I have this group where people come together for the same purpose, learning filmmaking. The last time we had a meet it was on 11th March and a member mentioned that Reed.co.uk is hosting a film competition where people can send films up to 3-minutes in length. The theme given by Reed is "The Boss" and with that theme you are free to make any kind of film that you want.

That was all well and good but the deadline was exactly 2 weeks away on 25th March! I like to chase such close deadlines but going from concept to final cut in 14 days? Even for a 3 minute film it's a tall order.

But then Gianni took me aside and told me this little story that had happened to a friend of his. It was brilliant! I liked it from the start. Also, when you don't have a multi-million dollar budget, you always look for good stories that can be told without any special effects or exotic locations. This story was PERFECT for that.

And that's how we ended up making the fastest film we have ever made - 8 days from concept to rough cut!

And here is the output:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgvhgtqxKl8

We spent one week in pre-prod while our whole crew was working full time day jobs. No auditions, I knew the actor I wanted. We shot it in one single afternoon (Gianni and I co-directed) and edited that night and next morning. We had our rough cut by noon next day. We could have brought it to final cut the same day but we were shooting for another film from noon. That story some other time...

This is our film and we are proud of it! So feel free to share this film from this post or from YouTube as you like. :)

Ships in the night

"Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing, only a signal shown, and a distant voice in the darkness; So on the ocean of life, we pass and speak one another, only a look and a voice, then darkness again and a silence."

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wadsworth_Longfellow I quote it here because I find this expression "Ships in the night" wistfully sad, it has an inherent romance in it. So I searched for it and the original is even more beautiful.

Your Personal Currency

As you know every country has its own currency that you can exchange (most times) from one to the other. There are exchange rates that govern the amount you get when you buy or sell a currency and these rates are very volatile, they change very quickly from day to and even during the day based on a lot of real life factors like what's going on in the two countries.

But just like the countries you also have your own personal currency - your smile.

I know you are counting on me to elaborate, and I won't disappoint you. :D

As any economist will tell you, it is not good for the economy if people hoard the currency. The more people spend the currency the better for the economy. Same thing applies to your smile, it does you no good to keep it in, it's always better if you distribute the smiles all around you. You are the walking talking ATM for this currency.

Not all currencies are the same and the same currency is not the same all the time. When you smile without really feeling it, it's like the currency that was devalued after last night's coup de etat. When you smile at seeing a loved one, it's like your country just elected a new president!

When a receptionist smiles at you, that's like she's handing you play money used by drama companies. It's printed on glossy paper and the colours are bright but it's not real money.

Then there was the shayar who said,

मेरी रूह की हकीकत मेरे आंसुओं से पूछो,
मेरा मजलिसी तबस्सुम मेरा तर्जुमा नहीं है.
(The truth of my soul you will find in my tears,
my public smile is not my reality.)

Obviously, he was passing on a counterfeit currency.

Now, some people think that this is a gold-backed currency. Meaning that if you have money and material comforts, you are happy, and when you are happy, you smile. That's not entirely true. This is in fact a fiat currency. You can keep passing on as many as you like without the value going down at all. It has been scientifically researched and established that if you smile it makes you a little happier than you were before, EVEN IF the smile had absolutely no valid reason behind it.

I dare you, try it right now, you just CANNOT think sad thoughts while your lips are curled in a smile, even when without any reason at all!

Just like the other currency the smile is also traded, exchanged and spent. Sometimes when you spend a smile you get a smile in return. This is foreign exchange. Now, unlike the other currency this is a PROFITABLE trade, for BOTH parties! Yes, this currency has its own rules of exchange.

Sometimes you spend a smile but don't get anything in return. This shows you invested in a dud economy. But according to the smile-economy laws, you don't lose anything in this trade. Giving it away for free is the MOST PROFITABLE trade in this currency.

By these rules, when you have no money, you are not broke. But if you have no smile to give another human, you are bankrupt!

So, keep smiling, it raises your face value!

10 Commandments of Google

1. Thou shall not Google thy neighbour's wife.
2. Where there is a Google, there is a way.
3. Google ye not lest thou thyself be Googled.
4. Boast not thyself of Google for thou knowest not what a search may bring forth.
5. Thou shall not eat an apple in public.
6. When in doubt, use Google.
7. Blessed are the Googlers for they shall inherit the Web.
8. Thou shall never use the plural of "job".
9. Thou shall not Google in vain.
10. Hey Google, forgive them for they know not what they search for.

[Sorry guys, the image is in Hindi, but it was too funny to pass up.]